Quick Book Reviews

I read these books quite a while ago, but at the time of reading I had events and stuff going on at my blog that made me keep postponing writing a review about these books. I decided to give you a quick overview of my thoughts.

Eye of Heaven (Dirk & Steele #5) by Marjorie M. Liu
Not my favorite book in the series, but certainly a really good and suspenseful story.
I recommend this to anyone who is looking for a well written en entertaining PNR read.

Bloodstone (Deadtown #3) by Nancy Holzner
I love this series and really should catch up on it. Bloodstone is an action-packed read that I very much enjoyed. The zombies in this series are different, but fun.

Sacrificial Magic (Downside Ghosts #4) by Stacia Kane
Somehow I did review book 5, but skipped my review of 4.
This series awesome! Go read it! I myself am hoping there will be a book 6.
I must warn you that not everyone likes the heroine, because she's an addict.

The Mortal Bone (Hunter Kiss #4) by Marjorie M. Liu
Another awesome book in an awesome series. I love Maxine and her demons. I need to read book 5 one of these days.


Why should you read them:
All four of these books are very enjoyable reads, and part of cool series.

Chasing Magic - Book Review

Chasing Magic (Downside Ghosts #5)
by Stacia Kane

What is it about:
Magic-wielding Churchwitch and secret addict Chess Putnam knows better than anyone just how high a price people are willing to pay for a chemical rush. But when someone with money to burn and a penchant for black magic starts tampering with Downside’s drug supply, Chess realizes that the unlucky customers are paying with their souls—and taking the innocent with them, as the magic-infused speed compels them to kill in the most gruesome ways possible.

As if the streets weren’t scary enough, the looming war between the two men in her life explodes, taking even more casualties and putting Chess squarely in the middle. Downside could become a literal ghost town if Chess doesn’t find a way to stop both the war and the dark wave of death-magic, and the only way to do that is to use both her addiction and her power to enter the spell and chase the magic all the way back to its malevolent source. Too bad that doing so will probably kill Chess—if the war doesn’t first destroy the man who’s become her reason for living.

What did I think of it:
I love this series and preordered this book back in 2012, so I'm still wondering how it ended up being overlooked until recently.

Because this is a really great read.

I love how Kane succeeds in making me root for Chess and Terrible. They're a pair of unlikely heroes after all, Chess being an addict and Terrible being a thug. Still I love them both and want them to overcome all their problems and save the day.

I've said before that this series is driven by the characters and their interactions, and that's again true in Chasing Magic. Sure the overall story is good (and they're getting better each book in my opinion), but it's the characters that keep me invested and make that I can't put the book down. And not just Chess and Terrible. There are lots more characters that are so intriguing you want to know more about what makes them tick.

All in all I fell in love with this series all over again and I will have to get hold of all the short stories I haven't been able to get my trotters on so far.

Why should you read it:
It's a gritty and awesome UF read.

Wishlist Wednesday - Sacrificial Magic

This book is the 4th book in the Downside Ghosts series and I loved the first three books. So I'm looking forward to the release of this one.

Sacrificial Magic by Stacia Kane

When Chess Putnam is ordered by an infamous crime boss—who also happens to be her drug dealer—to use her powers as a witch to solve a grisly murder involving dark magic, she knows she must rise to the challenge. Adding to the intensity: Chess’s boyfriend, Terrible, doesn’t trust her, and Lex, the son of a rival crime lord, is trying to reignite the sparks between him and Chess.

Plus there’s the little matter of Chess’s real job as a ghost hunter for the Church of Real Truth, investigating reports of a haunting at a school in the heart of Downside. Someone seems to be taking a crash course in summoning the dead—and if Chess doesn’t watch her back, she may soon be joining their ranks.

As Chess is drawn into a shadowy world of twisted secrets and dark violence, it soon becomes clear that she’s not going to emerge from its depths without making the ultimate sacrifice.

Expected publication: March 27th 2012

City of Ghosts - Book Review

City of Ghosts (Downside Ghosts #3) by Stacia Kane

What is it about:
Chess Putnam has a lot on her plate. Mangled human corpses have started to show up on the streets of Downside, and Chess’s bosses at the Church of Real Truth have ordered her to team up with the ultra-powerful Black Squad agency to crack the grisly case.

Chess is under a binding spell that threatens death if she talks about the investigation, but the city’s most notorious crime boss—and Chess’s drug dealer—gets wind of her new assignment and insists on being kept informed. If that isn’t bad enough, a sinister street vendor appears to have information Chess needs. Only he’s not telling what he knows, or what it all has to do with the vast underground City of Eternity.

Now Chess will have to navigate killer wraiths, First Elders, and a lot of seriously nasty magic—all while coping with some not-so-small issues of her own. And the only man Chess can trust to help her through it all has every reason to want her dead.

What did I think of it:
This book is so awesome!

As I have mentioned before Kane is a master at writing cool, likeable characters, even when those characters are addicts or hoodlums. In City of Ghosts is again the characters that shine, especially Chess and Terrible. The interaction between them is intense, heart-wrenching and utterly awesome. Usually I'm not fond of it when my lead character is in a fight with one of the love interests, but here it carries the story for me. The action storyline is pretty good as well, even though there's one plothole that annoyed me a bit, but it's a small one, so I won't hold that against the story. So far this book is my favourite in this series and I'm already looking forward to the next.

Why should you read it:
If you haven't started this series yet, you really should:
Chess and Terrible are brilliant characters.

Unholy Magic - Book Review

Unholy Magic (Downside Ghosts #2) by Stacia Kane

What is it about:
For Chess Putnam, finding herself near-fatally poisoned by a con psychic and then stopping a murderous ghost is just another day on the job. As an agent of the Church of Real Truth, Chess must expose those looking to profit from the world’s unpleasant little poltergeist problem—humans filing false claims of hauntings—all while staving off any undead who really are looking for a kill. But Chess has been extra busy these days, coping with a new “celebrity” assignment while trying on her own time to help some desperate prostitutes.

Someone’s taking out the hookers of Downside in the most gruesome way, and Chess is sure the rumors that it’s the work of a ghost are way off base. But proving herself right means walking in the path of a maniac, not to mention standing between the two men in her life just as they—along with their ruthless employers—are moving closer to a catastrophic showdown. Someone is dealing in murder, sex, and the supernatural, and once again Chess finds herself right in the crossfire.

What did I think of it:
It isn't the story that makes this series awesome in my opinion.
To be honest: I think the story suffers from too much convenient coincidental occurrences. Still I absolutely love this series and it's Kane's writing style combined with the amazing characters that pull this off.

It's a rare writer who can write a criminal, violent character like Terrible and make him more than likeable. Same goes for Chess: she's an addict, does stupid things and still I'm rooting for her. It's these and other characters and their interactions that make me read this series and turn a blind eye at the obvious flaws in the storyline.

Not that the story is all bad: it's actually a cool and creepy story if you don't focus too much on the coincidental stuff, but it's the characters and the writing that make the story come to life and turn it from a nice read to a reread favourite. If Kane keeps writing her characters the way she does I'll keep on reading this series.

Why should you read it:
If you like grim, character-driven Urban Fantasy you should really read this series.

Unholy Ghosts - Book Review

Unholy Ghosts (Downside Ghosts #1) by Stacia Kane

What is it about:
The world is not the way it was. The dead have risen, and the living are under attack. The powerful Church of Real Truth, in charge since the government fell, has sworn to reimburse citizens being harassed by the deceased. Enter Chess Putnam, a fully tattooed witch and freewheeling ghost hunter. She’s got a real talent for banishing the wicked dead. But Chess is keeping a dark secret: She owes a lot of money to a murderous drug lord named Bump, who wants immediate payback in the form of a dangerous job that involves black magic, human sacrifice, a nefarious demonic creature, and enough wicked energy to wipe out a city of souls. Toss in lust for a rival gang leader and a dangerous attraction to Bump’s ruthless enforcer, and Chess begins to wonder if the rush is really worth it.

What did I think of it:
A gritty, disturbing, but also amazing Urban Fantasy story. Chess is no ordinary heroine, she's more of an anti-heroine with her drug addiction and ties to the underworld. Still she's very likeable and I rooted for her throughout the story. The worldbuilding, writing and characterisation were all very well done and intriguing and I even didn't mind the love triangle bit included in the story. The story itself was really cool, with lots of action, nasty magic and creepy ghost stuff. There are two small negative points: The street talk that is used by some of the characters grated on my nerves from time to time and there were some plot twists that were a bit too obvious in my opinion. But there were enough positive things in this story that those two points won't stop me from continuing this series.

Why should you read it:
It's a well written, gritty Urban Fantasy story with ghosts.