Black Magic Sanction

Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison, 2010 Harper Voyager

     She hasn't quite accepted that she is a day-walking demon, but the Coven of Moral and Ethical Standards is after Rachel anyway. After the shunning, a woman attacks her in the grocery store while she and Ivy shop. Vivian is a member of the Coven, using her white magic with deadly consequences. Rachel is sent to the FIB and made to pay for damages while Vivian is absolved of her part.
     On her way home from the FIB offices, Rachel is summoned to San Francisco where the Coven attempts to railroad her into either being magically neutered, or literally neutered. Rachel is sent to Alcatraz when she refuses where she learns some of the ways the Coven manages trouble-maker witches. The church's gargoyle, Bis, finds Rachel and comforts her until Ivy can summon her back home to Cincinnati.
     Thus begins the tug-o-war between Rachel and the forces who want to control her. Trent Kalamack is still itching to get her under his control, Algaliarept (her demon teacher) attempts to keep her in the ever-after whenever he gets the chance, Pierce (the ghost brought back to life in a previous book) leverages attraction to influence her, and the Coven is on the prowl for her ability to kindle demon magic.
     After several near-death excursions and the loss of a close friend, Rachel makes her stand, accepting her place as a step between witches and demons but refusing to let it be the reason she dies.
     Rachel Morgan doesn't want to use black magic, but her blood is having difficulty kindling standard magic. She is becoming a different entity, and the consequences on her life spiral out of control. Through her friendships and faith in herself Rachel holds her world together and manages to get out okay. Like her reader, Rachel deals with the mess of everyday life as it comes to her and hopes what comes tomorrow won't kill her.