From the Bookshelf of SOS: Serious Overload of Series…

Unholy Ghosts (Downside Ghosts, #1)

Stacia Kane

Finish date: May 25, 2010

Discussion: ❉ Announcements ❉

Why we're reading this: RLS: 25 May
[close] RLS: 25 May

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 1 of 1 topics — 110 comments total

❉ Announcements ❉

2025 Read-a-Thon (RAT) Rules & Sign-Up
By Steph , Serious series addict · 12 posts · 17 views

last updated Sep 25, 2025 10:45PM

showing 10 of 137 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Feb 07, 2011 Samina The Story Devourer rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

Unholy Ghosts is the first book in the series called Downside Ghosts by Stacia Kane. This book a a dark urban fantasy which makes you ask questions about yourself.
The characters are quite unusual meaning you don't find them in every other UF book out there. The protagonist is a Debunker working for the Church, banishing ghosts but hides an underlying drug problem. I read many reviews saying some readers found the drug use disturbing. However I am torn on this issue.Yes, the drug use is slight Unholy Ghosts is the first book in the series called Downside Ghosts by Stacia Kane. This book a a dark urban fantasy which makes you ask questions about yourself.
The characters are quite unusual meaning you don't find them in every other UF book out there. The protagonist is a Debunker working for the Church, banishing ghosts but hides an underlying drug problem. I read many reviews saying some readers found the drug use disturbing. However I am torn on this issue.Yes, the drug use is slightly disturbing and slowly starts to make you uncomfortable seeing how highly dependent Chess is on her drugs and the worst is that she doesn't even try to quit. But the drugs is what keeps the story going and the reason why Chess has to be involved in the events hence we even have a story to read. I am still unconvinced why she has to do them , may be to forget the abusive childhood she has had but then on another instant she doesn't want anything else abusing her and using her soul? So it O.K to abuse her own body but not be used by something else? Would I do the same if I was in her situation?

So, without being judgemental I will talk a bit more about the book itself. The plot is well paced and interesting. The mystery as good too and kept the pages turning.The writing was fine too apart from the fact that it would suddenly stop in a scene and another would start straight away. I have come across this type of writing with Ilona Andrews which reduces filler and moves with the plot but somehow it didn't work for with Kane's writing. Moving on to the various side characters,they were interesting enough for me to not wish death on most of them. I was not blown away with Chess and hardly had any sympathy for her but I did like Terrible.What a terrible name but what a terrific hero, if he even be called one. I was surprised how Kane manged to make him attractive and desirable while describing him a ugly. Even when reading his description I just could not imagine him being ugly and repulsive.

I would recommend this book to any UF fan who is looking for a new series. After reading most of the good ones out there I had thought there would not be any left to capture my interest but I got one that did. The drug use can be bothering but give this a go you might end up liking it as I did.My above review is slightly negative but I do tend to say more about the bad points than the good. I have heard the other 2 books are way better then this so I am going to read them too. I am looking for forward to more Terrible ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Aug 22, 2011 Andrea (mrsaubergine) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Wow! This was a lot grittier than I expected, and I really enjoyed it. Kane has crafted a complex alternate universe in which the dead have risen and the dominant religion hires ghostbusters, such as drug-addicted witch Chess, to get rid of them or expose the fraudsters looking for church cash.

In this first book in the series, Chess encounters almost more than she can handle, and some of it is super creepy. She enlists the help of Terrible, the local drug lord's muscle who appears fearsome but i ...more

Like · see review

Sep 02, 2010 Alyssa Ricks rated it really liked it

The world/setting for this story was pretty different than most of the UF I've been reading lately and I enjoyed the change of pace. Though the way the characters in Downside speak was a little difficult at first, I didn't even notice it after a while. I had a bit of a hard time identifying with Chess, but as the book went on and you got flashes from her past you could understand her a little better. I liked that her drug use caused her problems and wasn't too glamourized. It appeared to save he ...more

Like · see review