Magic In the Blood (Allie Beckstrom, #2)

May 05, 2012 Tami rated it 3 of 5 stars

SPOILERS!!!

3.5 stars.
Ummm... I still really enjoyed the series so far. The writer does a great job getting to know Allie. I just wish she wasn't always so beat up all the time. she gets her ass kicked more than Rachel Morgan.. (and that's a lot) But at least she's not a baby about it and can handle the pain. Zayvion Jones is still a mystery to me. Why was this secret Authority soooo secret anyway? Why couldn't he just tell her before? And now that she knows, will he be honest with her about it...more

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Sep 23, 2010 Laura Summers rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2010, bcc-reviewed, urban-fantasy

*** Warning as this is the second in a series I've tried my hardest, but it's almost impossible to write the review without a couple of spoilers for the first book ***

This is the second book in the Allie Beckstrom Urban Fantasy series that's set in a world where magic is a powerful, commercial commodity. The use of which always comes with a physical price for its use for the user. A price Allie is intimately familiar with. If you use magic, you must be prepared to pay the price, and Allie has th...more

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Feb 07, 2013 Al rated it 4 of 5 stars

Working as a Hound-tracing illegal spells back to their casters-has taken its toll on Allison Beckstrom. But even though magic has given her migraines and stolen her recent memory, Allie isn't about to quit. Then the police's magic enforcement division asks her to consult on a missing persons case. But what seems to be a straightforward job turns out to be anything but, as Allie finds herself drawn into the underworld of criminals, ghosts, and blood magic.

About the Author

Devon Monk has one hu

...more

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Dec 26, 2011 Holly rated it 4 of 5 stars

allie is coming to grips with the death of her father and trying to piece together the events around it and all changes surrounding her and her magic capabilities. She only has flashes of the events that drastically changed her life and is using what her friend nola told her as a guide since she forgot to write it down. She no longer remembers her deep feelings for zayvion but is trying to recover her memories and find someone to trust. She is hired to do a hounding job for the police for a dete...more

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Jan 11, 2011 Ithlilian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

Magic in the Blood picks up where the last novel left off. Allie has lost her memory of what happened in the previous novel, but that doesn't stop all manner of creatures from coming after her. Trager is out to get her, invisible creatures are sucking things out of her, hounds want to be her friend, and there is Zay of course. I love the Allie Beckstrom novels because they are unique. It's refreshing to have something different in the multiverse of urban fantasy. Allie isn't completely tough as...more

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Oct 23, 2009 Kalynn rated it 4 of 5 stars

The final third of this book is really good, fast moving and engaging. The first hundred pages, though, are slow. The next hundred are quicker, but not as engaging as I expected. The problem is that, while this is the second book in a series, we still have hundreds of pages of world building, and it's nitty gritty world building without the engaging wonder of coming into a brand new universe that we got in the first book.

As readers of Magic in the Bone know, Allie Beckstrom suffers memory loss f...more

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Feb 02, 2012 Beanbag Love rated it 4 of 5 stars

Another good one. I have to stop myself after this one or I'll devour the whole series in one go and that would be bad.

In the world of this series magic has been discovered and harnessed and is sold like a utility. Anyone can use it if they've got the means to buy it or they only use it for tiny things. It also demands a secondary price for itself, giving the user a fever, headache, pain, even blackouts in the aftermath of its use.

It's an interesting world. Set in Portland, Oregon, Devon Monk's...more

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Jan 04, 2012 Nenia Campbell rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: x-2009s, x-series-bk-2

I haven't come across an urban fantasy/thriller series this engrossing since Rachel Caine's Weather Warden series. Seriously, where to begin? I've already sung my praises in my review of the first book, but all of what I said before holds true to the sequel. The plot is fantastic, fast-paced, with romance taking a backseat. Allie is resourceful and smart; she doesn't go off seeking danger like some dumb bimbo in a B-horror movie from the 1980s. I like me a savvy heroine who's snappy, but doesn't...more I haven't come across an urban fantasy/thriller series this engrossing since Rachel Caine's Weather Warden series. Seriously, where to begin? I've already sung my praises in my review of the first book, but all of what I said before holds true to the sequel. The plot is fantastic, fast-paced, with romance taking a backseat. Allie is resourceful and smart; she doesn't go off seeking danger like some dumb bimbo in a B-horror movie from the 1980s. I like me a savvy heroine who's snappy, but doesn't go overboard on cheap slapstick (I'm looking at you, Stephanie Plum!).

The plot of this book deals with Allie recovering from her near-death as a result of biting off a little more than she can chew when it comes to magic. Her abilities are stronger than before which is both a blessing and a curse; it's harder NOT to use it, but using it becomes ever-more unpleasant. Her power has not escaped the attentions of others -- some more malign than others. These include a sinister "Big Brother Is Watching"-type enforcement agency, an evil thug who racketeers in magic, and magic-devouring ghosts.

She has such an amazing way of drawing you into the scene. Little details, I mean, that really make you feel like you're watching a movie instead of reading a book. And seriously, why isn't this a TV miniseries? I swear, it's so much better than TrueBlood AND Vampire Diaries, even though there's no vampires -- at least, not yet... Her characters, the stage-setting, everything is just so well done. I don't normally keep my books after reading them (I like to give them away to my friends and family, who then return the favor), but I think these are gonna be residents on my shelf of honor.

There were a few grammar mistakes -- which probably says more about the editor than about the writer, because I suspect that they were the result of Ms. Monk changing her mind about what she wanted the characters to say. I also distinctly remember her father's funeral in the previous novel being closed-casket, and in this book, it referred to it as open-casket. Before you say, Wow, Pikachu, what a freaky thing to dwell on, the reason it stuck in my mind was because I was like, wow, magic must really mess you up if you have to have a closed-casket ceremony after being killed with it. So that's why I remembered. In case you were wondering. I'm sure there were a few other niggling details that annoyed me here and there but I can't remember what they are -- and hey, no book is perfect. But this series might just come pretty dang close.(less)

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Oct 12, 2011 Marsha rated it 3 of 5 stars

How to review this book - I'm not exactly sure how I feel about it, so we'll see how this all plays out...

I liked the book, maybe even 3.5 stars worth of like, but there were just a few things that are holding me back from rounding up (again).
Allie Beckstrom is fighting to retain as much of her memory as she can, if she can only remember to set a Disbursement. You would think that someone who is as good as she is at Hounding and magic, she would be able to remember, but... Allie is asked to ass...more

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Aug 17, 2009 Schnaucl rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: august, fiction, library, read_2009, series, urban_fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book picks up a short while after the first book ended.

Allie still remembers almost nothing about the events in the previous book. She's relocated to a nicer apartment building and she still owes the police a statement about what happened the day of her father's murder.

She's summoned by the police to give her statement and while she's on the bus she's threatened by a newly released man she had helped put into jail. He uses blood magic to put a glyph into her body and gives her one day bri...more This book picks up a short while after the first book ended.

Allie still remembers almost nothing about the events in the previous book. She's relocated to a nicer apartment building and she still owes the police a statement about what happened the day of her father's murder.

She's summoned by the police to give her statement and while she's on the bus she's threatened by a newly released man she had helped put into jail. He uses blood magic to put a glyph into her body and gives her one day bring Pike, another Hound who helped put him in jail, to him or unspecified bad things will happen.

Once she arrives at the police station she's offered a job Hounding as part of MERC, a unit that deals with magic and crimes. Unfortunately, the head of MERC has the reputation of being a curse for Hounds since they tend to end up dead after working with him.

Meanwhile, Allie's seeing the ghost of her dead father, and there are other, pastel ghosts of people with dark eyes, and when they touch her they devour the magic she caries in her body.

And oh yeah, Pike wants all the Hounds to band together and look out for each other.

This book felt pretty unfocused to me. There were too many plot arcs going on at once and so none of them felt particularly strong. Instead of one narrative thread with a couple of subplots it felt like a book made up of subplots.

I'm also really wary of Allie's memory loss. When it was here and there it wasn't a big deal. But it was really irritating that she forgot nearly all the events from the last book. I figured out early on in this book that her memory loss was probably targeted rather than a true side effect of using magic so frequently, and theoretically it's kind of interesting, but since the memory loss is pretty broad it ends up being more frustrating for the reader than an interesting plot development.

Her father is also a big problem. At first I thought maybe he wasn't one dimensionally selfish and evil, it was just that he and Allie had never seen eye to eye and they didn't really know how to communicate with each other. It's pretty clear by the end of this book that no, he's just one dimensionally evil and selfish.

Violette is supposed to be a good person, and she's supposed to have truly loved him, but there's absolutely no explanation for how that happened. Did Violette know he planned to use Allie so completely? Did she know he planned to basically kill everything that made Allie who she was and take over her body? So is Violette just better at hiding her cruel streak or was she just completely clueless about her husband? Either option makes her look pretty bad.

Having said all of that, I did like the relationship between Violette and the bodyguard.

I would have liked to see more of Zavyion this time around.(less)

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Feb 12, 2013 slayra rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-reads, in-english, uf-and-pnr

RATING: 3 stars (almost 3.5)

I've read book 1 for this series way-back-when so I wasn't really clear on the details. I knew there was a heroine who uses magic and I remember liking the magic system in these books because in Monk's world everyone (as far as I can tell) can use magic (some are more talented than others, though) but magic requires a price and that makes most people think twice about using it. It can be a simple headache but it can also be something a little more serious.

Anyway... I...more RATING: 3 stars (almost 3.5)

I've read book 1 for this series way-back-when so I wasn't really clear on the details. I knew there was a heroine who uses magic and I remember liking the magic system in these books because in Monk's world everyone (as far as I can tell) can use magic (some are more talented than others, though) but magic requires a price and that makes most people think twice about using it. It can be a simple headache but it can also be something a little more serious.

Anyway... I remember (I went to check my review, ahah) liking the world building but not being crazy about the stereotypical characters. Still, I bought some more books of this series a while back so I decided to give it another chance.

This second book was fast-paced and there was a lot happening at the same time.

I was enjoying this book immensely (a lot more than the first) but the ending was rushed and the mystery underdeveloped. I mean, Allie is a Hound, she should be investigating and drawing conclusions but I felt the book was too focused on her and that too much happened to her. The mystery plot suffered because of it. We arrive at the climax with only vague ideas about what is going on and the way everything was resolved just didn't seem... plausible. The villain was almost absent until the end, also due to this. The author gave us no time to feel anything for him.

On the other hand there was a lot more world building and character development in this one. Allie was a lot more likable; unfortunately Zayvion Jones is still a walking stereotype. But... there is no love triangle in sight, which is great.

So, overall, it was a nice read, better than the first one but I feel it still needs more. There's too much and too little happening (I know I sound confusing but that's how it seemed to me) and some things were explained in a really implausible manner.

I will be reading the rest of the series though, since Monk got me interested in her world and her magic system (again).

EDIT: I forgot to mention I detected several typos, which I thought could have been avoided with more careful editing. Everyone makes mistakes when writing, but that's why an editor is there, generally.(less)

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Oct 06, 2011 Novels On The Run rated it 4 of 5 stars

MICEHLLE'S REVIEW:

RATING: 4 MAGICALLY ORIGINAL STARS!!

Allie is one tough , stubborn woman. She is really growing on me as a character. She is learning how to care, rather than lust after. She is starting to think more about herself and what she wants, needs in her life. Her memory loss, makes for a great way for Devon to explore Allie’s character. She really has to work hard at trying to hold onto those slithers of memory that pop into her head. Trying to remember Zayvion and what they had. To h...more

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Oct 13, 2010 Shelley aka Gizmo's Reviews rated it 3 of 5 stars

For me, this book was frustrating to review and read, especially the first third of this book. Allison, is still suffering the effects of losing 3 weeks of her memories from the events in Magic to the Bone. That includes all memories of her so called love entanglement with the mysterious Zavyion Jones, who, like it or not, I don't trust. How can we? The story is told in the POV of Allison, and not the other characters in the book. I don't even trust her fathers newest wife #6 to have her best in...more

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Oct 01, 2010 Mare S rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-reads, fantasy-scifi

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 10, 2011 Lynsey (The Demon Librarian) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: magic-tastic, bad-ass-dude, ghost-tastic

This was a pretty decent follow up to the first book and went some way to improving on the characterization that I felt was lacking in book one, Magic to the Bone.

Having the main character, Allie Beckstom, have her memories reset back to her back to her 25th birthday, which was the opening scene of book one, was both a blessing and a curse for us as a reader. A blessing because it gave us a chance to get to know the love interest, Zayvion Jones' character a little more, and for them to try and b...more This was a pretty decent follow up to the first book and went some way to improving on the characterization that I felt was lacking in book one, Magic to the Bone.

Having the main character, Allie Beckstom, have her memories reset back to her back to her 25th birthday, which was the opening scene of book one, was both a blessing and a curse for us as a reader. A blessing because it gave us a chance to get to know the love interest, Zayvion Jones' character a little more, and for them to try and build a relationship on something other than just "magic sex". And, I admit, I did soften towards him a little more in this book. He can be very sweet and endearing at times and I think it's good that they have slowed things down. It's how it should have been in the first place.

But it was a curse because Allie can't remember anything that happened in book one, so the amount of recapping and the feeling of being right back at square one was slightly overwhelming.

Allie gets drafted in by the police's magic enforcement division (MERC) to Hound a job involving a possible serial killer and six missing girls. She also starts to experience weird happenings whenever she taps into her magic.

There were several new characters introduced in this one, none of whom made any great impact, still, it was nice to widen the cast a little since most of book one featured only Allie and Zayvion.

Going back to Zayvion for a second, I'm finding the whole "Man of Mystery" persona slightly annoying at the moment. I'm all for characters being mysterious if it's done well, and if they are dropping clues without actually meaning or wanting to, but with this one it feels more like he's saying "I have loads of secrets! Neener neener neener!" If he can't talk about his job or say who he works for because he's not allowed, then fine, just stop mentioning it!

I'm going to give book three a chance because...well because I have it here right next to me, but this series really needs to step it up a notch to hold my interest for much longer.

Originally reviewed for Urban Fantasy Book Reviews
http://urbanfantasybookreviews.blogsp...(less)

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May 06, 2009 Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars

I complain sometimes about urban fantasy heroines who keep racking up more and more improbable powers over the course of a series, eventually becoming such spectacular demigoddesses that it would take a small army to give them so much as a black eye.

That's one problem Allie Beckstrom doesn't have. I'm beginning to think Allie needs more powers to deal with everything Devon Monk is throwing at her. Monk is great — maybe a little too great — at describing the agony of trekking all over Portland in...more I complain sometimes about urban fantasy heroines who keep racking up more and more improbable powers over the course of a series, eventually becoming such spectacular demigoddesses that it would take a small army to give them so much as a black eye.

That's one problem Allie Beckstrom doesn't have. I'm beginning to think Allie needs more powers to deal with everything Devon Monk is throwing at her. Monk is great — maybe a little too great — at describing the agony of trekking all over Portland in the rain with a blinding migraine, and by the time I'd followed Allie through this ordeal a couple of times, I found myself wishing she'd start trusting Zayvion again just so he could Ground her.

Magic in the Blood begins as Allie is recovering from the events that took place in Magic to the Bone. The reader remembers everything that happened, but as a result of a magical backlash, Allie doesn't. Specifically, she doesn't remember much about her relationship with Zayvion. The fragile trust that had just been developing between Allie and Zayvion is in a shambles now, and she's back at square one, trying to figure out whether to let him back into her life. She also doesn't remember meeting her stepmother, Violet. (An aside: I'm beginning to think Violet is my favorite character in this series. I'd love to see more of her. If Devon Monk were to write a spin-off book telling Violet's story, I'd be in bookworm heaven. I'd love to get inside her head.)

Further complicating Allie's life, she is being threatened by a crime boss just released from prison, haunted by the ghost of her dead father, and stalked by a horde of terrifying beings who are drawn to the magic she carries in her body. Every time Allie uses magic, she attracts these creatures, and has to use more magic to fight them off. As a result, she spends most of Magic in the Blood suffering from one magic-induced ailment after another.

The principal villain of Magic in the Blood is truly creepy. This character has mastered a horrific magical art, and to make things worse, it's such an obscure skill that everyone thinks Allie is hallucinating when she describes what's going on. I did figure out pretty quickly that this character was bad news, but I wasn't able to put all the pieces together until Allie did.

Magic in the Blood didn't grab me quite as insistently as Magic to the Bone did. When I try to put my finger on why, I think maybe it's just that it feels like Blood is treading some of the same ground again, both in terms of the romantic subplot and in terms of the sequences in which Allie travels around the city while feeling ill. I think this "retread" feeling was probably inevitable, though, given Allie's amnesia and the way magic works in Monk's world.

I look forward to seeing what happens in the next ALLIE BECKSTROM novel. Allie's growing alliances with other Hounds promise to be interesting (as long as she writes them down and makes sure to remember them!), and I always enjoy an urban fantasy heroine who develops more friendships as her story progresses rather than becoming more standoffish. And the cliffhanger ending! I can't wait to find out where this is going.

Read this and my review of Magic to the Bone at FanLit.net!(less)

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Oct 24, 2012 Bubbles Hunty is currently reading it

Shelves: asap-2

While Allie is rehashing book 1 she says she probably last person to see her dad alive, except for the killer. She must have forget Zay was with her and he stayed with her dad when she left. So no she wasn't the last one to see him alive

The writing still feels childish to me. I have a hard time believing the mc is older than 13 it's just so immature.

I get so annoyed with it, still saying "hells" "sweet hells" "loves" "sweet loves" all the annoying time.

And after we get these repetitive info du...more While Allie is rehashing book 1 she says she probably last person to see her dad alive, except for the killer. She must have forget Zay was with her and he stayed with her dad when she left. So no she wasn't the last one to see him alive

The writing still feels childish to me. I have a hard time believing the mc is older than 13 it's just so immature.

I get so annoyed with it, still saying "hells" "sweet hells" "loves" "sweet loves" all the annoying time.

And after we get these repetitive info dumps we get one sentence paragraphs like "Handy, that." Which are just annoyingly pointless. It's sad the plot are really good, I just wish there was stronger (or maybe any) editing.

The repetition and redundancy drives me insane. If that was cut out this would probably be a third shorter than it is.

And Allie the first person narrator is supposed to be some kind of Harvard drop out but she comes across as being really stupid and immature

She is on all fours on her fathers grave, hoping to make one last physical connection, and she feels a sexual tingle!? WTF?!? This book getting fucked up... Her dads ghost already groped her after she showered so she was naked and dripping... She already had too many daddy issues to add more

Eh, end of book one she is told her dads funeral was closed-casket (99%) now this book at 29% she says she was told it was open-casket... So, either someone lied to her and she forgot her conversation at the end of book two (which she remembered the other parts of) or the author is just changing stuff and being inconsistent (the most likely thing judging by the poor editing).

And 29% "the man she might love" finally shows up. The romance parts of these is the weakest romance I've read and don't think it should even try to be romantic. Stick with urban fantasy, maybe focusing on something specific might help reduce the plot holes. As it is you have a decent urban fantasy that needs more editing but the weak romance is distracting

Now heavily making out on her dads grave. Jeesh, kids today(less)

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Jul 20, 2010 Kt from A Book Obsession.. rated it 4 of 5 stars

After losing her memory of the terrible events of the last month, as well as everything about the man she supposedly loves, Allie is trying to pick the pieces of her life up and put them back together. She accepts a job tracking kidnappings for a special police division called MERC, and as a result finds suspicion in a fellow hound. Once again Allie finds herself in the middle of a dangerous plot and if she's to survive she must trust more than just her magical instincts.

I found the major backtr...more

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Nov 30, 2011 Tal rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sf-fantasy, library-book

Working as a Hound-tracing illegal spells back to their casters-has taken its toll on Allison Beckstrom. But even though magic has given her migraines and stolen her recent memory, Allie isn't about to quit. Then the police's magic enforcement division asks her to consult on a missing persons case. But what seems to be a straightforward job turns out to be anything but, as Allie finds herself drawn into the underworld of criminals, ghosts, and blood magic.

even though this is the second book in t...more

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Aug 24, 2009 Cathy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, paranormal, urban, series-reminder, magic-users, read-in-2009, twitter-author, people-of-color

Loved it! As with the first book, Allie has immediate presence and energy. The story is vibrant and alive. The take on magic and it's consequences is original and supports an interesting story. Zay is hot, if overly mysterious. I like the build of Allie's relationship with Violet and look forward to seeing how that plays out. It's just a good read, all urban fantasy fans should pick it up.

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May 16, 2011 Ami rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy-paranormal-futuristic

I think I have a new favorite series ... Magic in the Blood is captivating. The story happens not long after the first book, Magic to the Bone. Allie is asked for help by the Magical Enforcement Response Corps to help find missing girls. But that is not all what she is facing. She starts seeing her Dad's ghost and there are watercolor people who seem to eat on her magic. It is fast and tight paced from the beginning until the (cliff-hanger) ending. Allison "Allie" Beckstrom is a strong, if yet s...more

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Feb 08, 2011 Littlechoo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed, reading-challenge-2011

I was really looking forward to reading it so started it right after I finished the first book and I was not disappointed. It starts where Magic to the Bone finishes, and I liked that it does. I prefer this to the story jumping a year later or something as some other books do. I was a little frustrated that Allie couldn’t remember her relationship with Zay though, but I guess that’s that’s Monk’s aim; for us to feel Allie’s frustration. It was good to see under Zay’s zen and see a little of his...more

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Aug 28, 2012 Naoms rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nook, paranormal-urban-fantasy, read-in-2012, witches-magic-users-shamans

Got to admit these books are growing on me. Devon Monk had created a world that is extremely interesting. For me, there is not much good in Allie's world, at all. It is infested with horrible people, death magic, blood magic and just really insane things Besides Allie's life, I haven't come across much that I find worth saving, which interests me.

Magic In the Blood, starts a few weeks after the events in Magic to the Bone. Allie is healing and still trying to piece together the events that forc...more Got to admit these books are growing on me. Devon Monk had created a world that is extremely interesting. For me, there is not much good in Allie's world, at all. It is infested with horrible people, death magic, blood magic and just really insane things Besides Allie's life, I haven't come across much that I find worth saving, which interests me.

Magic In the Blood, starts a few weeks after the events in Magic to the Bone. Allie is healing and still trying to piece together the events that forced her to use magic and made her lose her memory. This book packs an incredibly strong punch. Allie is accosted on the bus, interrogated by the police, hired for a hounding gig, attacked by what she believes may be ghosts, approached by a creeper and forced into going to a meeting of local hounds all before noon. It doesn't stop there every scene in this book is full of interesting information, action and magic. It pulls you more and more into the world.

My biggest problem with this series is that it is seriously a series about people with addiction. Thats what magic in Allie Beckstrom's world seems like to me. I haven't really seen it used for anything good or positive, except perhaps when it's used defensively. What makes it worse is that it's an addiction, that people have accepted. Using magic is not looked down upon. The meeting with the Hounds, I think was supposed to be entertaining, but it almost turned me off. The Hounds all had drug abuse, alcohol abuse or abused their bodies in some way as a result of magic use. That's just not appealing to me. This is the first time that I have been turned off completely by the supernatural element of an Urban Fantasy book I read.

What keeps me reading this series is Allie's father. What a completely interesting character. Even in death he's mucking things up. I also have so many questions about Zaviyon, Allie's power and what exactly it is that Allie's dad has been hiding from her. I also am confounded by the characters. Violet seems great, but I find that I can't really trust someone who loved Allie's dad. Added to that, I wonder what her news means for Allie's world.

What's great about this series is that it keeps you thinking, keeps you asking questions and those questions is what makes you go back for more. (less)

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Jan 24, 2010 Tina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-fantasy, own-it

This book starts weeks after Magic In The Bone ends.

Stars Breakdown - This should be 3.5 stars.

Plot 3 stars - It was a little slow for awhile but once it picks up, the book is hard to put down.

Cover 4 stars - drew me in.

Writing 4 stars

Originality 4 stars - There's magic. There's ghosts. There's ghosts feeding off the magic in Allie's body. There's body possession. Yeah, I'd say this story is original.

Characters 3 stars - I liked the addition of the new hounds. If only Allie was less stubborn....more

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Jun 03, 2009 Eric M. Witchey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

It is often the case the second books aren't nearly as interesting as first books. Of course, the author gets blamed even though it is actually a result of low advances and fast turnarounds imposed by the publishing industry. In spite of the fact that she's on a publisher's schedule where she's turning out a book every six months, Devon Monk manages to provide a really fun read that capitalizes on her first novel's characters and story line. The book reads well alone, but it really rocks as a se...more

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Mar 17, 2010 Shelly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: borrowed-from-the-library, finished-in-2010

Second book in the Allie Beckstrom series.

This one has us following Allie on a Hounding job for the police while trying to figure out when she started to see ghosts. Add to that her still confused feelings about Zayvion, trying to dodge her father's ghost, getting tangled up in some bad blood magic and trying to keep the rest of her life organized... well this girl would have no luck if it weren't for the bad luck in her life.

Again, a good page turner for an urban fantasy. Allie takes her share...more

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Aug 11, 2012 Laura rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, urban-paranormal, series, kindle-books

I'm afraid me and this series are done. Allie's internal voice throughout this novel really, really irritated me, and some of the plot points were in direct conflict with what has happened in the previous book. I understand (view spoiler) but there are actions she takes during the story which just seemed to be the total opposite of what Allie during the first book would have done. She was really, really stupid at times ((view spoiler)...more

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Nov 30, 2010 Jessica(Spinecracker) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Originally Posted at http://thespinecracker.blogspot.com/

One of my new favorite heroines is back, and Allie has to sort through a lot of emotions and missing memories in hopes of figuring out who she's become, this time around. We start a couple weeks after the end of Magic to the Bone, and I really enjoy when an author does that in a series. I feel like my characters haven't made any important moves or decisions without me. {I'm aware how bizarre that sounds}

Allie is very inward in this instal...more

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Jan 31, 2011 Michelle Cummings rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

As mentioned by lots of other reviewers, the first third of this book was really slow, with discussions of Allie's memory loss and it dragged so much for me, that I put the book down and read some other stuff first. Since I picked it up again, the story picked up speed and I really enjoyed it.

This is a complex, magical world, where nothing comes easy and every time someone uses magic, there is some kind of payback - headache, fever, coma, memory loss. My biggest problem with the memory loss, is...more

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Jan 20, 2011 Archer rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone

Shelves: urban-fantasy

From: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/d...

Working as a Hound - tracing illegal spells back to their casters - has taken its toll on Allison Beckstrom. But even though magic has given her migraines and stolen her recent memory, Allie isn't about to quit. Then the police's magic enforcement division asks her to consult on a missing persons case. But what seems to be a straightforward job turns out to be anything but, as Allie finds herself drawn into the underworld of criminals, ghosts, and bl...more

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title link	preview: Magic In the Blood
avg rating	preview: Magic In the Blood Goodreads rating: 3.98 (3330 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5264557-magic-in-the-blood?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1310493830l/5264557.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5264557-magic-in-the-blood?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Magic In the Blood by Devon Monk[/url]

Magic In the Blood (Allie Beckstrom #2)

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