Review: 135. Unholy Magic by Stacia Kane...

I really enjoy the world that Stacia Kane created in her Downside Ghosts series, especially the language. I'd love to have her swing by one of these days and tell us more about how this world evolved.

Title: Unholy Magic (Downside Ghosts #2)
Author: Stacia Kane
ISBN-13: 9780345515582
eBook
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, 2010
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Purchased

drey's thoughts:
Oh, Chess. I so wish you'd get some help with that addiction of yours,  because right now your life just seems to be based on a series of choices--when you get to choose, that is--that you make based on whether or when you can get more... You need to get more rest, take better care of yourself, move out of the Downside...

I do understand that if you did, though, you would probably be a different Chess than the one I know and want to read more of. Who knows, maybe making better decisions means that you're not entangled in situations that just seem to pop up out of the blue, with all four loyalties digging their talons into you and pulling you in different directions... Which four, you ask? Well, there's the Church you work for, asking you to look into the supposed haunting of a famous actor's home (shhhhh, keep this on the down low!). Then there's Bump, the drug lord in Downside, who seems to think you're his personal Church-witch, because he has the drugs you want. Or maybe it's Lex, whom you get more than just drugs from (you can do better, you know...). And, of course, there's your personal little helper, those little pills that help you make it through each and every day... When Bump and Lex approach about dead prostitutes, you wonder if you're getting in the middle of a gang war. But they'd tell you if you were, right?

Anyway. I really am glad you made it through Unholy Magic in one piece (although you sure had me on tenterhooks for quite a bit there!). I'm sorry that Terrible's not on speaking terms with you anymore though--except when he's on Bump's business, of course. I sure hope you get help--and soon--because I'm not sure how many more of these stories you can keep going through, without causing permanent harm to yourself. And that would not be good.

drey's rating: 3.5/5 Very Good

Challenges: 100+, Pub

123. Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane...

Title: Unholy Ghosts (Downside Ghosts #1)
Author: Stacia Kane
ISBN-13: 9780345515575
eBook
Publisher: Random House, 2010
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository

FTC Disclosure: My copy of Unholy Ghosts is my own. I am an affiliate at IndieBound, The Book Depository, and Amazon, and any purchases made by clicking on the cover or the links provided may result in monetary compensation.

drey's thoughts:
Stacia Kane's Unholy Ghosts is set in a hard and gritty post-apocalyptic world where the Church rules with a heavy fist, and ghosts are a menace (well, one among many, anyway). Which is where Chess Putnam comes in. Her job is to investigate claims of hauntings. If 'tis truth, she banishes the ghost. If 'tis falsehood, she collects a fine for the Church, because you should never lie to the Church!

And here you'd be thinking, "Hmm. That's a story?" The answer is, definitely! Because Chess isn't just your handy-dandy ghost-buster on call, she also has problems. Lots of problems. Of which the largest happens to be a lot of money owed to a local drug lord. Now, you're wondering why Chess owes anything to a local drug lord... MY answer is, because there's wouldn't be a story to follow if she didn't. The book's answer is, because Chess has a problem (see beginning-ish of paragraph).

Her debt sets Chess on a path to clear some rumored ghosts off an abandoned runway so that the drug lord can fly in more (what else?) drugs. But when she gets there and starts poking around, she finds way more than just ghosts. What was supposed to be a simple task to wipe out her slate, turns into dangerous entanglements with black magic, human sacrifices, and demonic evil. None of which Chess thinks she has a chance of surviving.

I really enjoyed this new series' originality, and how flawed Chess is. Who'd think I'd root for a heroine with a drug habit? But I do. Because Chess is truly trying to do the right thing, if for others more than for herself. If you're looking for new urban fantasy to read, you should pick this one up and give it a whirl. I've already got my copy of Unholy Magic, and am just trying to find some time to sneak in some reading!

drey's rating: 4/5 Excellent

Challenges: 100+, Pub