The second book in this edgy urban fantasy trilogy. Chess is a fiercely independent witch and talented Debunker - working for the Church of Real Tr...
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reviews
Dec 03, 2011
Penny
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Kat, fellow Goodreader (and my favorite Australian) summed up this book best: gut-wrenching. This book ripped out my innards, tap danced all over them, unceremoniously shoved them back inside me, and sewed me up haphazardly. Sure, in the end, my guts were no longer all over the place but serious damage was done. And I liked it. Sounds like I'm being over-dramatic, I know, but you should see my Unholy Magic status updates.
This book, Stacia Kane's writing, sent me on an emotional r More...
This book, Stacia Kane's writing, sent me on an emotional r More...
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Sep 22, 2011
Book Chick City
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After reading and absolutely loving Unholy Ghosts, I was somewhat nervous about reading Unholy Magic. I've been caught out before with a new series, reading and liking the first book only to be disappointed with the second, but thankfully, this was not the case with Unholy Magic. This book is AMAZING and I am totally in love with this series!
Unholy Magic begins roughly where Unholy Ghosts ended. Chess is still working for the Church of Real Truth as a debunker and popping pills, Terr More...
Unholy Magic begins roughly where Unholy Ghosts ended. Chess is still working for the Church of Real Truth as a debunker and popping pills, Terr More...
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Jan 05, 2012
HeatherJay
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I now have a seemingly unhealthy crush on a fictional character with protruding eyebrows, scars on his face, pomade in his hair and mutton chops that would make any Elvis impersonater weak with envy.
I originally started this series right after I finished reading the Fever series.I was in a bit of a Jericho Barrons detox phase that resulted in a lot of good books being tossed aside. Luckily, I picked these up again and can say it is one of may favorite series that I have read. Chess h More...
I originally started this series right after I finished reading the Fever series.I was in a bit of a Jericho Barrons detox phase that resulted in a lot of good books being tossed aside. Luckily, I picked these up again and can say it is one of may favorite series that I have read. Chess h More...
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Aug 18, 2011
Sunny
rated it:
Rating: 4.5
Wow, I did not think this series would draw me in like it did. I could barely make it thru the first 40% of the first book. Now, I am addicted to it, like Chess is addicted to her drugs.
Okay, Here is a little about the book. We have Chess, our drugged out heroine, who somewhat breaks my heart. She isn't looking for recovery to her drug problem, no, cause she needs her drugs to keep her horrible past numb. She was used and abused like so many foster childre More...
Wow, I did not think this series would draw me in like it did. I could barely make it thru the first 40% of the first book. Now, I am addicted to it, like Chess is addicted to her drugs.
Okay, Here is a little about the book. We have Chess, our drugged out heroine, who somewhat breaks my heart. She isn't looking for recovery to her drug problem, no, cause she needs her drugs to keep her horrible past numb. She was used and abused like so many foster childre More...
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Nov 04, 2011
Mrs.Vishous-Kattalakis-Belikov
rated it:
This series is one of the greatest!! Its like being sucked in to a whole new world thats dark and scary and full of the unknown. I didnt think I would like a book about the protaganist being an addict with no dreams of recovery....but it worked and I wouldnt have it any other way! One of the sweetest moments in literary history:
"I figure you really wanted me you'd say. Like now, maybe, if you dig. I'll fuckin carry you down your place on a run, you tell me aye, get you on your bac More...
"I figure you really wanted me you'd say. Like now, maybe, if you dig. I'll fuckin carry you down your place on a run, you tell me aye, get you on your bac More...
32 comments
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May 09, 2011
Cat Russell
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"Somewhere in the back of her mind she thought if she kept kissing him, she'd get more secrets, get answers to questions she didn't know she had, and it excited and scared her in equal measure, made her dizzy."
I loved this book! I love living in Chess's (and Terrible's) world!
It's a little surprising the direction that Kane is taking this character in. Instead of showing her improving and battling her addiction, her situation seems to be drastically declining. More...
I loved this book! I love living in Chess's (and Terrible's) world!
It's a little surprising the direction that Kane is taking this character in. Instead of showing her improving and battling her addiction, her situation seems to be drastically declining. More...
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Jul 19, 2010
Smokinhotbooks
rated it:
(Combined review of Unholy Magic and Unholy Ghosts)
It’s not often that you will find me reading a book about a drug- addicted heroine who makes more terrible choices than Lindsey Lohan on a four day coke bender; but at the urging of my blogger friends I decided to stop being such a square and see what all the hoopla was about. As the rehab therapists would say, I had to “trust the process’.
Stacia Kane’s Downside Ghost series is dark, thrilling and gut wrenching. Chess P More...
It’s not often that you will find me reading a book about a drug- addicted heroine who makes more terrible choices than Lindsey Lohan on a four day coke bender; but at the urging of my blogger friends I decided to stop being such a square and see what all the hoopla was about. As the rehab therapists would say, I had to “trust the process’.
Stacia Kane’s Downside Ghost series is dark, thrilling and gut wrenching. Chess P More...
Aug 13, 2010
Julie
rated it:
The ‘Downside Ghosts’ series. I’ve never read anything like these books. So raw and gritty. So intense. Yes, I’ve read books that have raw and graphic moments, but this book kept my heart rate high from the moment you pull open the cover. You almost feel like hiding your eyes while reading them…almost. The characters are dark. The setting is dark. The story is dark. Even the humorous elements are dark. But all this makes for a remarkable tale about human nature. “Unholy Magic” is the
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Oct 20, 2010
Donna
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This series is amazing. Unholy Magic finds Chess still struggling with addiction as well as overcoming her past. Its made very clear in this book how her drug use causes her no end of problems in her life. There is a powerful scene where she goes through a horrific withdrawal, also her addiction leads to her being blackmailed and used by various people for their own benefit. I love that Kane makes her characters so realistic and believable.
Through all the personal issues and stuggles with her r More...
Through all the personal issues and stuggles with her r More...
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Jun 18, 2011
Jamie
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Like many before me, it's safe to say that I'm a fully blown addict of this series. I was hooked after the first book, but after this one, I'm so far into it, I'm going to go into withdrawl before Book 4 is published!
Chess is still letting her addiction run her life. More of her dark past is revealed in this book, and she gets even more of my sympathy because of it. It's amazing to me that she's able to function on this level with the turmoil in her past. She has already survived so More...
Chess is still letting her addiction run her life. More of her dark past is revealed in this book, and she gets even more of my sympathy because of it. It's amazing to me that she's able to function on this level with the turmoil in her past. She has already survived so More...
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Jan 19, 2012
Carolyn F.
rated it:
Re-read via audiobook Heartbreaking! I'm getting all teary eyed as I'm walking around work, (but what's new :D) I'm so glad the newest book is out in March!!!!
Previous review on 11/13/10This book I actually liked more than the first book. Chess is still in the horrible grip of drugs and is trying to figure out if people are her friends or if she even needs friends because she's been alone for so long. I'm ordering the next book right now from the library! I wish Terrible would ju More...
Previous review on 11/13/10This book I actually liked more than the first book. Chess is still in the horrible grip of drugs and is trying to figure out if people are her friends or if she even needs friends because she's been alone for so long. I'm ordering the next book right now from the library! I wish Terrible would ju More...
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Jul 25, 2011
Donna
rated it:
This series is amazing. Unholy Magic finds Chess still struggling with addiction as well as overcoming her past. Its made very clear in this book how her drug use causes her no end of problems in her life. There is a powerful scene where she goes through a horrific withdrawal, also her addiction leads to her being blackmailed and used by various people for their own benefit. I love that Kane makes her characters so realistic and believable.
Through all the personal issues and stuggles with her r More...
Through all the personal issues and stuggles with her r More...
Jan 12, 2012
Amanda
rated it:
I have to say that while Unholy Ghosts is extremely enjoyable, UNHOLY MAGIC is in a different league all together. As well as the main two plot threads being expertly drawn, there is also significant character development, which drew me in and made me care for the cast, as well as making me feel actively involved in the story.
It was interesting to see the two drug gangs first-hand and witness the tensions which threaten to erupt between them, rather then having the character More...
It was interesting to see the two drug gangs first-hand and witness the tensions which threaten to erupt between them, rather then having the character More...
Dec 19, 2011
Mello
rated it:
Maaaaannnnnn, this was a hard book to read! Certainly not because it was bad, but the emotions and darkness were so strongly felt. I love the way Chess's extracurricular cases always seem to tie into her Church cases in some way. Usually in some way that is really unexpected. I know I sure didn't expect things to be connected like that.
This was a good read, if emotionally uncomfortable at times. Chess has the best ability at screwing up her life. I'm used to UF female leads running hea More...
This was a good read, if emotionally uncomfortable at times. Chess has the best ability at screwing up her life. I'm used to UF female leads running hea More...
Nov 19, 2011
Sharon
rated it: 
Honestly if I hadn't already bought this book I would never have bothered finishing it. I found it really hard to get into, and the slang that was used for the inhabitants of Downside was so bad that I often had to re-read the sentences 4 or 5 times before it made any sense. I realise it is a way to show that they come from a very different background, but when it is so hard to understand that you have to re-read it over and over again, it throws you out of the story and makes for an unpleasan
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Aug 30, 2011
Amanda
rated it: 
Redonk Nutshell: Churchwitch battles dark magic, addiction, and heart ache as she teeters between her allegiance to the Church and her dealers
The Downside Ghosts series by Stacia Kane is a righteous urban fantasy mix of punk goth dystopia, drugs, and gritty adventure. Chess Putname is a Church sanctioned witch, sort of like a cop that polices ghosts, but instead of carrying a gun she carries things like grave dirt and a dog skull. She's good at her job, but her personal life is a wre More...
The Downside Ghosts series by Stacia Kane is a righteous urban fantasy mix of punk goth dystopia, drugs, and gritty adventure. Chess Putname is a Church sanctioned witch, sort of like a cop that polices ghosts, but instead of carrying a gun she carries things like grave dirt and a dog skull. She's good at her job, but her personal life is a wre More...
Jun 23, 2011
Kathy
rated it:
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.
More...
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.
More...
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Mar 23, 2011
Maura
rated it:
Book 1 in the Downside series grabbed me; book 2 broke my heart (right alongside that of a major character). Book 1 established the world, book 2 dug deep into the characters, for better and for worse- digging into a viewpoint character like Chess can be a rough ride, and by the end of Unholy Magic I was exhausted. Exhausted, and waiting like a hawk for my next paycheck to hit the bank so I can get book 3 and find out how the situation Chess's self-destructive actions have, inevitably, gotten he
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Mar 18, 2011
Amanda
rated it:
I freakin love this series..
*********************************************SPOILERS***************************************************
I love Terrible, and Lex, and their downside slang. A lot happens in this book, Terrible finally admits to chess that he doesnt want to hook up knowing she will "pretend" nothing happened, and he wants more, not a one night thing. While understandably scared, she doesn't admit right away that she feels the same. Instead she goes to Lex, becaus More...
*********************************************SPOILERS***************************************************
I love Terrible, and Lex, and their downside slang. A lot happens in this book, Terrible finally admits to chess that he doesnt want to hook up knowing she will "pretend" nothing happened, and he wants more, not a one night thing. While understandably scared, she doesn't admit right away that she feels the same. Instead she goes to Lex, becaus More...
Feb 09, 2011
Tracy
rated it:
~* 4.5 Stars *~
Chess Putnam doesn't lead a perfect life - not by a long shot. A pill-popping, line-snorting junkie whose vices put her career as Debunker for the Church of Real Truth - the only thing in her life she's proud of - in jeopardy, Chess' self loathing keeps her locked in patterns of consistently and irrevocably self destructive behavior. She lies to everyone she knows, even the one man she considers a friend. She keeps secrets, even from herself. She is utterly incapable of deali More...
Chess Putnam doesn't lead a perfect life - not by a long shot. A pill-popping, line-snorting junkie whose vices put her career as Debunker for the Church of Real Truth - the only thing in her life she's proud of - in jeopardy, Chess' self loathing keeps her locked in patterns of consistently and irrevocably self destructive behavior. She lies to everyone she knows, even the one man she considers a friend. She keeps secrets, even from herself. She is utterly incapable of deali More...
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Feb 07, 2011
Kenna
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My original review of the series first book carries over to this book. I see a little character growth but it is blamed on the presence of a man. She needs to stand up and admit that she is worth something. Also, the drug use is unrealistic. There are times that she has popped so many pills that it should have knowcke out a steady drug use. At one time in the book, Chess is unsure of how many speed pills and "ozzers" that she has taken in an hour period but she estimated that it was r
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Jan 06, 2011
Andrew
rated it:
Unholy Magic is the follow up to Unholy Ghosts, and part two of Stacia Kane's urban fantasy series. I thought City Of Ghosts was excellent, everything an urban fantasy should be.
Unholy Magic is better.
The plot follows Church debunker Chess Putnam as sh attempts to balance a career as a Church sanctioned witch/fraud squad with being a very unsanctioned drug addict.
Addiction plays an even stronger part in this novel than it did in Unholy Ghosts, and there is a withd More...
Unholy Magic is better.
The plot follows Church debunker Chess Putnam as sh attempts to balance a career as a Church sanctioned witch/fraud squad with being a very unsanctioned drug addict.
Addiction plays an even stronger part in this novel than it did in Unholy Ghosts, and there is a withd More...
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Jan 02, 2011
drey
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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 decisio More...
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 decisio More...
Sep 22, 2010
Michelle
rated it:
In Unholy Magic, Chess is basically trying to solve two mysteries: 1. a Church-sponsored Debunking - trying to verify if a ghost truly is haunting a home - in this case, a television celebrity and 2. multiple hookers have been killed in Downside and Chess' dealer, Bump, wants her to figure who's doing it. Both of these cases were equally gruesome and dark and really didn't add much to the overall tone of the novel. Chess herself continues to walk a dangerously thin line while working for Bump an
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Sep 20, 2010
Amanda
rated it:
In Stacia Kane’s second DOWNSIDE GHOSTS novel, Chess Putnam is pulled between two cases: the official Church investigation of the possible haunting of a celebrity, and the serial murders of prostitutes in Downside. She soon discovers that there is a dangerous sort of magic at work, and is forced to walk a fine line trying to balance all the elements of her life and work.
“Self-destruction was one thing, but she was turning into a one-woman wrecking ball.” In this book Chess is falling i More...
“Self-destruction was one thing, but she was turning into a one-woman wrecking ball.” In this book Chess is falling i More...
Mar 16, 2011
Alyssa
rated it:
The overall plot of this book was a good read and I liked how it worked out in the end. The special celebrity assignment is used to further develop relationships and the characters. One scene in particular really gives you insight into Chess' feelings - she needed help they could both offer and called one and it didn't even occur to her to call the other. These characters really get to me - the way their emotions is portrayed raelly makes you empathize with them. <spoiler> When Terrible fo
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Oct 07, 2010
Kelly
rated it:
Don't worry, guys, I'm still fully obsessed. I know everyone was worried. I still love Terrible. I still love how filthy/awesome/bad the Downside is. I still think I'd die pretty gruesomely if I ended up there. Yep, definitely still obsessed.
So, in my review for Unholy Ghosts I talked about how alive the Downside world felt. I think a large part of it is the speech patterns Stacia Kane gave her inhabitants. Where Chess and the other Church employees talk in a more educated man More...
So, in my review for Unholy Ghosts I talked about how alive the Downside world felt. I think a large part of it is the speech patterns Stacia Kane gave her inhabitants. Where Chess and the other Church employees talk in a more educated man More...
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Sep 06, 2010
Sarah
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I read the first book in this series, Unholy Ghosts, about a month ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. It took me awhile to get my hands on a copy of Unholy Magic - but was it ever worth the wait. Like the first book, Unholy Magic drags you head first into a dirty, gritty, dangerous world. This time around Chess gets pulled into investigating what appears to be a prostitute murdering ghost. In typical mystery fashion, our little detective of sorts, is also investigating another case simultaneously. H
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Aug 04, 2010
Samantha
rated it:
If you're reading this sequel in Kane's new series then I'll assume the atheistic/fascist-like government, unrepentant drug-use, and violence didn't put you off too much. This one adds to the problems Chess finds herself in due to her addictions and conscience. She's caught between a rock and a hard place with Bump and Slobag, not to mention keeping things steady with her job as a Debunker.
This one continues to have me turning the pages, although admittedly I'm just waiting until t More...
This one continues to have me turning the pages, although admittedly I'm just waiting until t More...
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Feb 07, 2012
Duygu
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Bu kitabı da bitirdim en sonunda 3. kitabı çok merak ediyorum. Yazarı tebrik ediyorum konu ve içerik bakımından çok hoşuma gitti. Dili de çok rahat. Okumaya başlayın sizde Esra , Merve :)
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