Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
***There are spoilers for earlier books ahead!!***
With each and every novel Stacia Kane writes, my admiration and respect for her as an author increases. The Downside Ghosts books just keep getting better and better. The overall story arc moves forward in steady and believable ways, while each book has a new and fresh mystery. Her characters grow and develop; they change, whether for better or worse. New elements of the character's lives and personalities, or the world in which they live, are unveiled; but the revelations always feel like natural progressions from what we already know and expect. She also keeps upping the stakes for Chess and Terrible. Given the nature of their occupations and recreational activities, as the reader you know everything is going to have to come crumbling down at some point.
That is why, to me, Chasing Magic was written just perfectly. Chess has slowly made some really big, life changing choices, especially in [b:City of Ghosts|7352840|City of Ghosts (Downside Ghosts, #3)|Stacia Kane|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327897476s/7352840.jpg|6912417] and [b:Sacrificial Magic|8786358|Sacrificial Magic (Downside Ghosts, #4)|Stacia Kane|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1316601704s/8786358.jpg|13630390]. However, she had yet to feel many of the effects of those changes in her daily life. She was struggling to maintain multiple different conflicting versions of herself, and it was completely unsustainable. Maintaining a friendship with Lex while working for Bump (and dating Terrible). Thrilling in her competency as a witch (and being present in her relationship with Terrible) while seeking ever deeper oblivion with drugs. Living in Downside while working for the Church. Wanting and needing Elder Griffin's high opinion and respect while perpetually violating his trust. Enforcing Church laws while breaking them herself. Something had to give.
What I love most about Chasing Magic is that -- for the first time in her life -- gut-wrenchingly horrible things have happened to Chess, but this time she had a choice. She is able to have the pride and confidence that comes with knowing that, though you have lost something, you chose to give it up for something better, more worthwhile. Chess is really forced to look at herself in Chasing Magic; she is forced to grow up and mature in ways I have been hoping for but dared not expect. I loved this book, and cannot imagine how I will get through the wait for the next one.
Review also on Chronicles of a Book Evangelist; a review copy was provided by the publisher. (But I've already pre-ordered my own copy as well!)
With each and every novel Stacia Kane writes, my admiration and respect for her as an author increases. The Downside Ghosts books just keep getting better and better. The overall story arc moves forward in steady and believable ways, while each book has a new and fresh mystery. Her characters grow and develop; they change, whether for better or worse. New elements of the character's lives and personalities, or the world in which they live, are unveiled; but the revelations always feel like natural progressions from what we already know and expect. She also keeps upping the stakes for Chess and Terrible. Given the nature of their occupations and recreational activities, as the reader you know everything is going to have to come crumbling down at some point.
That is why, to me, Chasing Magic was written just perfectly. Chess has slowly made some really big, life changing choices, especially in [b:City of Ghosts|7352840|City of Ghosts (Downside Ghosts, #3)|Stacia Kane|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327897476s/7352840.jpg|6912417] and [b:Sacrificial Magic|8786358|Sacrificial Magic (Downside Ghosts, #4)|Stacia Kane|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1316601704s/8786358.jpg|13630390]. However, she had yet to feel many of the effects of those changes in her daily life. She was struggling to maintain multiple different conflicting versions of herself, and it was completely unsustainable. Maintaining a friendship with Lex while working for Bump (and dating Terrible). Thrilling in her competency as a witch (and being present in her relationship with Terrible) while seeking ever deeper oblivion with drugs. Living in Downside while working for the Church. Wanting and needing Elder Griffin's high opinion and respect while perpetually violating his trust. Enforcing Church laws while breaking them herself. Something had to give.
What I love most about Chasing Magic is that -- for the first time in her life -- gut-wrenchingly horrible things have happened to Chess, but this time she had a choice. She is able to have the pride and confidence that comes with knowing that, though you have lost something, you chose to give it up for something better, more worthwhile. Chess is really forced to look at herself in Chasing Magic; she is forced to grow up and mature in ways I have been hoping for but dared not expect. I loved this book, and cannot imagine how I will get through the wait for the next one.
Review also on Chronicles of a Book Evangelist; a review copy was provided by the publisher. (But I've already pre-ordered my own copy as well!)
Someone is messing with Downside's supply of speed. It's turning the users into mindless zombies. Of course, it's up to Chess to figure it out. Meanwhile, Lex has ordered a hit on Terrible, Elder Griffin is getting married, never a dull moment in Downside. I love this series!! I need the next one!
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction
Chasing Magic (Downside Ghosts Series #5) RATING: 4 stars.
I just love this series so much I don't even know what to say, except fangirl madly and incoherently. The characters are great, different, and I think that is what gives the Downside Ghosts series its magic.
Chess is flawed. Chess is human. She is not pseudo-human but somehow perfect. It's the difference between watching a war movie where everyone is a hero or watching one where there are people running, people scared of the war, even though they are soldiers. Sure, it does our human egos good to see the movie with all the soldiers acting like heroes... but the reality is that heroes aren't just fearless, perfect people that do the right thing. Heroes are flawed, they get scared and they are weak. This is what Kane shows us: an heroine who's seriously screwed-up inside and who's scared, terrified, doubts herself all the time, but still does what needs to be done. This realistic portrayal of humanity, with its weakness, is the series' strongest point and why I keep loving this series so much, even though there isn't as much world development as I (personally, mind), would have liked.
Kane's world is solid, built on more than vague premises and assumptions, more than a simple, generic dystopia, but 5 books in and we know very little about the big events that shaped this society. This is in part because Chess believes the Church (the governing organ in the series) and its precepts completely. But I still feel that there is more that could be explored. The author has centered her plots on Downside (the bad part of town, where gangs run wild) and its inhabitants, for the most part. I'd love to read a book about Haunted Week, why it happened.
Stacia Kane has created a rich world and rich characters that I'd love to continue to follow. I recommend Downside Ghosts to everyone who wants a different urban fantasy. I suppose I ended up talking about the series in general. Oh well.
About this book I'll just say I almost couldn't put it down, it was so good. And, well, Terrible! *fangirl squee* (I know, I know, I just couldn't resist... xD)
I just love this series so much I don't even know what to say, except fangirl madly and incoherently. The characters are great, different, and I think that is what gives the Downside Ghosts series its magic.
Chess is flawed. Chess is human. She is not pseudo-human but somehow perfect. It's the difference between watching a war movie where everyone is a hero or watching one where there are people running, people scared of the war, even though they are soldiers. Sure, it does our human egos good to see the movie with all the soldiers acting like heroes... but the reality is that heroes aren't just fearless, perfect people that do the right thing. Heroes are flawed, they get scared and they are weak. This is what Kane shows us: an heroine who's seriously screwed-up inside and who's scared, terrified, doubts herself all the time, but still does what needs to be done. This realistic portrayal of humanity, with its weakness, is the series' strongest point and why I keep loving this series so much, even though there isn't as much world development as I (personally, mind), would have liked.
Kane's world is solid, built on more than vague premises and assumptions, more than a simple, generic dystopia, but 5 books in and we know very little about the big events that shaped this society. This is in part because Chess believes the Church (the governing organ in the series) and its precepts completely. But I still feel that there is more that could be explored. The author has centered her plots on Downside (the bad part of town, where gangs run wild) and its inhabitants, for the most part. I'd love to read a book about Haunted Week, why it happened.
Stacia Kane has created a rich world and rich characters that I'd love to continue to follow. I recommend Downside Ghosts to everyone who wants a different urban fantasy. I suppose I ended up talking about the series in general. Oh well.
About this book I'll just say I almost couldn't put it down, it was so good. And, well, Terrible! *fangirl squee* (I know, I know, I just couldn't resist... xD)
As dark and gritty as Chess' world is, god I love it! The author pulls no punches with Chess' character, she is flawed, very much so. A lying, drug-addicted junkie who somehow manages to hide it from the Church, her employer and function as a Debunker, disproving hauntings.
This one sees her relationship with Terrible grow as others disintegrate....and for once Chess' drug addiction might actually help...
This one sees her relationship with Terrible grow as others disintegrate....and for once Chess' drug addiction might actually help...
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Oh man. This is my favorite one yet. It is gut wrenching and sexy and sad and funny and violent... geez. I can't describe why I love it so much. The heroine is a church witch with a drug problem and the hero is an ugly thug and most of the dialog is in some bastardized English but I love it, I love all of it.
This is a hard book for Chess... she loses something that means a lot to her. But she saves the day, like she always does. Her narrative voice is so real, so relatable even with the drug thing. She wants to feel like normal people feel, she says, and she's been through a horrific life until she found the church and Terrible.
Agh. I love this series.
This is a hard book for Chess... she loses something that means a lot to her. But she saves the day, like she always does. Her narrative voice is so real, so relatable even with the drug thing. She wants to feel like normal people feel, she says, and she's been through a horrific life until she found the church and Terrible.
Agh. I love this series.
By the end of this book, Chess and Terrible are totally codependant on each other, she having lost the people in her life she interacted with other than Terrible. It's totally understandable that two people who had been abused and neglected their entire lives would act this way, but it's still a little disappointing. I hope she at least decreses her drug use soon.
the case this time was very interesting. chess was a bit more down on herself than usual but that's the whole reason she is an addict. she never sees herself as worthy of anything but crap. terrible is of course fantastically thug like and loveable.