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daniellejones1992's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
Second in the Downside urban fantasy series set in an alternate America.
The Story
Technically, Chess should be living in a house on the Church grounds but she's comfortable in her sleazy, troubled neighborhood in the Bump-run Downside. In Unholy Ghosts, Chess stunned everyone when she took down a truly nasty Dreamthief with his followers and now the Elders think she's capable of so much more. Elder Griffin certainly does when he hands her the haunting of an actor's home.
Since Haunted Week back in 1997, the Church of Real Truth has kept real busy either debunking people's claims of ghosts in their homes or casting the ghost's soul back to the City of the Dead. As a Debunker, it's Chess' job to figure out which. Can't just ignore those ghosts no more. Not when they're killin' people.
But when she met up with Terrible at Trickster's later, it's only to go out with him to a murder scene. Someone, some thing is killing the hookers in Bump and Slobag’s fiefs. Taking their eyes. Using sex magic. Naturally, that Chess already has a real job cuts no ice with Bump. He expects her to take care of his little problem NOW.
And Chess' problems just keep getting worse…the actor's producer, Oliver Fletcher, shows her the pix he’s taken of her drugging and “whoring” for Bump and Lex. He'll turn the pix over to the Church unless Chess does him this deal. Not much choice since the Church'd throw her ass in jail…no Cept in jail. No choice for Chess. On the home front, Terrible confesses to wanting Chess but for more than he thinks Chess is willing to give, but he’s willing to wait. Willing that is, until he finds Chess with Lex in Graveyard Twenty-three.
My Take
Okay, I am enjoying both Lex and Terrible although I'm leaning heavily in Terrible's direction for Chess. Technically, Lex started up with Chess to have a spy in Bump's camp but I think he does care for her. The beat down on Doyle in Unholy Ghosts for one and Kane doesn't give us much to go on to support Chess reporting much on Bump. Then again, that graveyard scene, where Chess yells out that she doesn't even like Lex…and there's no reaction from Lex. So, maybe she is just a warm body for him.
Terrible. Now, Terrible does love her and, oh man, does it come out at the end. I'm glad Terrible's still around but, after Chess' experience with that banned sigil that Fletcher created back in the day…I dunno. Doesn't sound very safe. And Terrible is still not talkin' to Chess.
I am chomping at the bit to start up with City of Ghosts. I just gotta know what happens to Terrible! And if Chess does manage to get around her issues. Cuzy, lordy, that girl do got issues up the wazoo! She doesn't know nothing about people. After she laid into Terrible that first night when Bump is putting all these ideas out there and Chess actually thinks that T is okay with it. How can she think that? Especially after T's objections to Bump?
As for the story, if Chess would just go cold turkey, I'd be so happy. It makes me too nervous how Chess is setting herself up for doom. Every. Single. Day. Heck, every hour of the day. She keeps wondering how she gets into these messes…well, duh… And all that whining she does about Terrible not wanting her since he's seen all her bad parts…again. Duh… The dude is crazy about her. But he wants all of her not just the dribs and drabs she feeds out to keep the emotions away.
The Cover
Fascinating cover. A tattooed Chess hunched over inside a church with a huge, arched, stained glass window behind her…I'm guessing it's her place. All religious buildings were abandoned after Haunted Week.
The Story
Technically, Chess should be living in a house on the Church grounds but she's comfortable in her sleazy, troubled neighborhood in the Bump-run Downside. In Unholy Ghosts, Chess stunned everyone when she took down a truly nasty Dreamthief with his followers and now the Elders think she's capable of so much more. Elder Griffin certainly does when he hands her the haunting of an actor's home.
Since Haunted Week back in 1997, the Church of Real Truth has kept real busy either debunking people's claims of ghosts in their homes or casting the ghost's soul back to the City of the Dead. As a Debunker, it's Chess' job to figure out which. Can't just ignore those ghosts no more. Not when they're killin' people.
But when she met up with Terrible at Trickster's later, it's only to go out with him to a murder scene. Someone, some thing is killing the hookers in Bump and Slobag’s fiefs. Taking their eyes. Using sex magic. Naturally, that Chess already has a real job cuts no ice with Bump. He expects her to take care of his little problem NOW.
And Chess' problems just keep getting worse…the actor's producer, Oliver Fletcher, shows her the pix he’s taken of her drugging and “whoring” for Bump and Lex. He'll turn the pix over to the Church unless Chess does him this deal. Not much choice since the Church'd throw her ass in jail…no Cept in jail. No choice for Chess. On the home front, Terrible confesses to wanting Chess but for more than he thinks Chess is willing to give, but he’s willing to wait. Willing that is, until he finds Chess with Lex in Graveyard Twenty-three.
My Take
Okay, I am enjoying both Lex and Terrible although I'm leaning heavily in Terrible's direction for Chess. Technically, Lex started up with Chess to have a spy in Bump's camp but I think he does care for her. The beat down on Doyle in Unholy Ghosts for one and Kane doesn't give us much to go on to support Chess reporting much on Bump. Then again, that graveyard scene, where Chess yells out that she doesn't even like Lex…and there's no reaction from Lex. So, maybe she is just a warm body for him.
Terrible. Now, Terrible does love her and, oh man, does it come out at the end. I'm glad Terrible's still around but, after Chess' experience with that banned sigil that Fletcher created back in the day…I dunno. Doesn't sound very safe. And Terrible is still not talkin' to Chess.
I am chomping at the bit to start up with City of Ghosts. I just gotta know what happens to Terrible! And if Chess does manage to get around her issues. Cuzy, lordy, that girl do got issues up the wazoo! She doesn't know nothing about people. After she laid into Terrible that first night when Bump is putting all these ideas out there and Chess actually thinks that T is okay with it. How can she think that? Especially after T's objections to Bump?
As for the story, if Chess would just go cold turkey, I'd be so happy. It makes me too nervous how Chess is setting herself up for doom. Every. Single. Day. Heck, every hour of the day. She keeps wondering how she gets into these messes…well, duh… And all that whining she does about Terrible not wanting her since he's seen all her bad parts…again. Duh… The dude is crazy about her. But he wants all of her not just the dribs and drabs she feeds out to keep the emotions away.
The Cover
Fascinating cover. A tattooed Chess hunched over inside a church with a huge, arched, stained glass window behind her…I'm guessing it's her place. All religious buildings were abandoned after Haunted Week.
yodamom's review against another edition
5.0
Tissues anyone ? Chess has the hardest time just living and trying to find some happiness seems next to impossible. Her background, her fears, her job and her life style all drag her down a dark and ugly road. Terrible, filled with his own demons, wants to be on that road with her if she would just.....ah but that you have to read to find the answer. We travel with Chess on a horrible hunt to save girls from a murderous ghost. This one has tricks that may end some lives of people Chess knows if Chess can't pull it together. One of her church jobs gets her snowed in and she has to call for help, but who does she call ?
They just keep getting better, this one jerked my heart out and tossed it around and still i want more, fantastic writing ! I'm off to read City of Ghosts !
They just keep getting better, this one jerked my heart out and tossed it around and still i want more, fantastic writing ! I'm off to read City of Ghosts !
gillianw's review against another edition
4.0
April 2018 - audiobook
I first read this book back in 2015 and there was a lot I didn't remember. What I did remember, though, was Terrible's pain and anger towards Chess. It made my heart ache then and it had the same effect on me listening to the book over three years later. Chess is hard on the head sometimes, but despite how she treated Terrible, I still felt sorry for her. All credit to the author for creating this complex, flawed, sympathetic, fragile, kick-ass woman.
Once again, the narration lifts the source material and makes it come alive. Bahni Turpin is absolutely amazing.
I first read this book back in 2015 and there was a lot I didn't remember. What I did remember, though, was Terrible's pain and anger towards Chess. It made my heart ache then and it had the same effect on me listening to the book over three years later. Chess is hard on the head sometimes, but despite how she treated Terrible, I still felt sorry for her. All credit to the author for creating this complex, flawed, sympathetic, fragile, kick-ass woman.
Once again, the narration lifts the source material and makes it come alive. Bahni Turpin is absolutely amazing.
rchll's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bhookjunkhie's review against another edition
5.0
Loved it!!..Even though my soul felt like it was ripped out and stomped on at times...An absolutely crazy ride..One I'll be thinking about for awhile...or just until I catch my breath and start the next one!
strayfe_angel's review against another edition
5.0
I really loved these books - I had none of the problems with Chess that others seem to have, and Chess and Terrible = Awesome.
mellhay's review against another edition
5.0
Three months after the banishing of the Dreamthief in Unholy Ghosts Chess is helping the Black Squad to build a case. She's starting to be viewed differently by her peers at work, considered that she just might be good at her job. Chess decides to stop out for a drink and see a band at the local bar with her one friend, Terrible. Chess ends up going with Terrible to look into a murder of a hooker. Terrible wants Chess to verify the killer is not a ghost. But knowing Bump, if it is a ghost, he would have her take care of it instead of the Church directly. The murder was close to the edge of Bump's and Lex's territories. Chess finds herself in the grasps of Bumps manipulation with drugs and his knowledge of her, again. So of course, Chess agrees to help both Bump, and Lex without the other knowing, but at what cost to her...
This book is a wonderful number two to the series. Stacia Kane, once again does not disappoint here. I got drawn into Chess's cases and life. This book was just as intense or more so than Unholy Ghosts. The cases, both of them, hit close to home once again to Chess - actually closer than she would like. Chess is stuck between the feud of her close friends boss and her local drug dealer, and the man who has been giving her free drugs and who she shares a night with once in a while. I watched as Chess's life which seems to work so well for her, comes apart at the seams. Then Chess realizes what she wants and tries to fix everything to get it.
The characters are a great love in this book. The way we get to see more dynamics from them - history, reactions, and intimacy with each other. We got more insight on our lovable bouncer, Terrible. We get to see a softer side and the more dangerous side (that many others in the book see) of Terrible.
The story line... just keeps going. The pacing is quick and keeps you turning the pages. The different cases Chess works on kept me going to see what would happen and where the cases would lead. And the trauma in Chess's life just adds the flare to the story. All full of action, suspense, and even a caring between the characters.
This book is a wonderful number two to the series. Stacia Kane, once again does not disappoint here. I got drawn into Chess's cases and life. This book was just as intense or more so than Unholy Ghosts. The cases, both of them, hit close to home once again to Chess - actually closer than she would like. Chess is stuck between the feud of her close friends boss and her local drug dealer, and the man who has been giving her free drugs and who she shares a night with once in a while. I watched as Chess's life which seems to work so well for her, comes apart at the seams. Then Chess realizes what she wants and tries to fix everything to get it.
The characters are a great love in this book. The way we get to see more dynamics from them - history, reactions, and intimacy with each other. We got more insight on our lovable bouncer, Terrible. We get to see a softer side and the more dangerous side (that many others in the book see) of Terrible.
The story line... just keeps going. The pacing is quick and keeps you turning the pages. The different cases Chess works on kept me going to see what would happen and where the cases would lead. And the trauma in Chess's life just adds the flare to the story. All full of action, suspense, and even a caring between the characters.
divapitbull's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Unholy Magic picks up the story that started in Wrong Ways Down. Someone is killing ladies of the evening in Bump’s territory. In Wrong Ways Down rumor on the street was that the culprit was a ghost and Terrible wanted any excuse to consult Chess but got pushback on avoiding a hopefully unnecessary panic. Unholy Magic sees more murders, both in Bump’s territory and Slobag’s as well. It’s seeming more likely that the panic is necessary, and both sides want Chess’s help. Right around the same time that protocol is circumvented, and the Church assigns Chess a particularly sensitive case, requiring discretion and experience with murderous ghosts. It’s not necessary to have read Wrong Ways Down, but it does provide a nice background for everything that unfolds.
Unfortunately, Unholy Magic didn’t really hold my interest throughout the middle of the book. The investigations just weren’t that riveting. Unfortunately for me, I’m still Team Lex, even after Wrong Ways Down; but truth be told, I’m really Team Anybody other than Team Triangle. It also turns out that as much as I don’t mind having a main protagonist dealing with drug addiction; “watching” her roll around in her own vomit while simultaneously fucking her life up possibly beyond repair is…bleak and depressing. So much so that I was pretty sure this was going to be my last effort and Downside Ghosts and I were going to part ways.
Then around 80% things picked up, really picked up and started coming together. The final moments were quite action packed, and the ending satisfying enough that it’s made me reconsider giving the series another chance.
Unfortunately, Unholy Magic didn’t really hold my interest throughout the middle of the book. The investigations just weren’t that riveting. Unfortunately for me, I’m still Team Lex, even after Wrong Ways Down; but truth be told, I’m really Team Anybody other than Team Triangle. It also turns out that as much as I don’t mind having a main protagonist dealing with drug addiction; “watching” her roll around in her own vomit while simultaneously fucking her life up possibly beyond repair is…bleak and depressing. So much so that I was pretty sure this was going to be my last effort and Downside Ghosts and I were going to part ways.
Then around 80% things picked up, really picked up and started coming together. The final moments were quite action packed, and the ending satisfying enough that it’s made me reconsider giving the series another chance.
amym84's review against another edition
5.0
I thought that this book really just expanded our knowledge of the world and people we were introduced to in Unholy Ghosts. This book picks up about four months after the events in the first book.
Whereas Unholy Ghosts really introduces the readers to the characters and gives us a look into their past, and introduces us to the world of Downside, Unholy Magic digs even deeper on the character side of things. There's not too much additional knowledge of the world that we learn, instead we learn a lot about our characters. Namely, Chess and Terrible.
There are reviewers who have called this book heartbreaking and I would have to agree. There are moments that I feel so sad for these two characters and what they have been through and what they will inevitably go through. I know Chess has a lot of problems in her past and she uses drugs in her present to keep those thoughts from coming back and haunting her. I think if Chess could find that one thing that is worth more (cough* Terrible cough*) she would see herself better. I was saddened by the comments she would make about herself not being worth it. While I'm not much for a pity party, I think Stacia Kane did the right amount to remind readers how Chess feels about herself, but not throwing it directly in our faces at every turn.
Terrible really grows in this book. We get to see beyond the enforcer that he is, and we really get to see his heart. We saw the beginnings of it in Unholy Ghosts, but in this book he really opens up which makes it that much harder to see what he believes in come crashing down. Stacia Kane really did a wonderful job with making you want to see the characters find happiness, only to watch it get ripped away.
But I haven't given up hope. We do see at the end Chess fully realizing what it would mean to lose Terrible and it really is a beautiful moment. I am interested to see how things will be for them in City of Ghosts.
I really am enjoying this series and I can't wait to read the third book. I little sad that I will have to wait until March for the 4th book, but from there I don't thik there will be as big of a gap between the books in this series. Until Then!
Whereas Unholy Ghosts really introduces the readers to the characters and gives us a look into their past, and introduces us to the world of Downside, Unholy Magic digs even deeper on the character side of things. There's not too much additional knowledge of the world that we learn, instead we learn a lot about our characters. Namely, Chess and Terrible.
There are reviewers who have called this book heartbreaking and I would have to agree. There are moments that I feel so sad for these two characters and what they have been through and what they will inevitably go through. I know Chess has a lot of problems in her past and she uses drugs in her present to keep those thoughts from coming back and haunting her. I think if Chess could find that one thing that is worth more (cough* Terrible cough*) she would see herself better. I was saddened by the comments she would make about herself not being worth it. While I'm not much for a pity party, I think Stacia Kane did the right amount to remind readers how Chess feels about herself, but not throwing it directly in our faces at every turn.
Terrible really grows in this book. We get to see beyond the enforcer that he is, and we really get to see his heart. We saw the beginnings of it in Unholy Ghosts, but in this book he really opens up which makes it that much harder to see what he believes in come crashing down. Stacia Kane really did a wonderful job with making you want to see the characters find happiness, only to watch it get ripped away.
But I haven't given up hope. We do see at the end Chess fully realizing what it would mean to lose Terrible and it really is a beautiful moment. I am interested to see how things will be for them in City of Ghosts.
I really am enjoying this series and I can't wait to read the third book. I little sad that I will have to wait until March for the 4th book, but from there I don't thik there will be as big of a gap between the books in this series. Until Then!