This book and the previous one where rachel is focused on achieving and maintaining her position as subrosa of Cincinnati have been really satisfying! Sometimes the world-breaking stakes of powerful characters is just trite and overdone and Kim Harrison has found a beautiful balance where the stakes are high for Rachel but the rest of the world will go on if she fails. The stories are still gripping and exciting because the long history the reader develops with these characters over the course of the series makes her fate deeply personal.