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Unholy Ghosts (Downside Ghosts, #1)

Stacia Kane

Finish date: May 25, 2010

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What Members Thought

Aug 03, 2010 Samantha rated it really liked it

Shelves: own, 2010

I really liked this one. The author's stated her intentions are entertainment and she can count me thoroughly entertained. However…there are certainly many elements that I can see bothering more sensitive readers. Nothing seems to be off limits- an atheist society/government that blatantly subscribes to the nonexistence of any higher being, a drug-addicted heroine that not only acknowledges her drug-use but endorses its necessity, and full-circle to violence all-around of the most profane (altho ...more

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Jan 31, 2011 Marsha rated it it was amazing

Shelves: urban-fantasy

UPDATE: I originally had this at 3 1/2 stars, but I have since re-read the book and all of the rest in the series and have changed my mind. This is one of my all time favorite UF series.

I am actually leaning toward 3 1/2 stars because I thoroughly enjoyed the second half of the book, but I had a hard time with the beginning. Not because the writing was bad or the character development lacked something, but because - well, I don't know. I pushed on because of the many good reviews. And, I'm glad UPDATE: I originally had this at 3 1/2 stars, but I have since re-read the book and all of the rest in the series and have changed my mind. This is one of my all time favorite UF series.

I am actually leaning toward 3 1/2 stars because I thoroughly enjoyed the second half of the book, but I had a hard time with the beginning. Not because the writing was bad or the character development lacked something, but because - well, I don't know. I pushed on because of the many good reviews. And, I'm glad that I did.

Chess Putnam is a pill popping Debunker that works for the Church of Truth - she determines if a given haunting is real or false and then if it is real, she banishes it to its final resting place. If not, she reports them and the church deals with it. The Church is the only Truth - there is no God, but there are ghosts and we do have souls. They are in charge of keeping them in their place and returning them if they escape. I have no idea how Chess takes so many drugs and keeps functioning - most of the time very well. Apparently, much of the population are drug users. I think it's because their minds have nothing to believe in anymore. They Gods have been proven false and they have no faith any longer. They need to fill their 'purpose' here on earth with something - drugs.

Anyway, Chess is essentially forced by her drug dealer (Bump) to determine if his future business venture is truly haunted (and if so, she's to rid the it of the ghosts) or if it is fake. It's either that, or her debt to him has just quadrupled. She accidentally finds herself in the middle of a power struggle between the Lamaru (I think that's what it was) and the Church. Her life is at stake as well as the lives of all those in the Church and in the city. If she can't figure out what is causing all of the dead to be unsettled and fix it, things will go very, very bad. Along the way, she finds herself drawn to two of the most unlikely of people - Terrible (Bump's right hand man) and Lex - a rival drug dealer who doesn't want her to rid Bump's business venture of the ghosts. It took a while for Terrible to grow on me - I still don't get all hot and bothered by him like some other readers do, but I do have a new respect for him.

I am absolutely looking forward to the next book in this series - in fact I have it right here and am going to start reading as soon as this review is over.

Okay, as soon as I finish Magic on the Hunt, I'm going to re-read this book. I have a feeling I'm going to like it even more than I did the first time. I just can't wait for number 4! ...more

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Dec 25, 2010 Thenia rated it liked it

Shelves: series, paranormal, reviewed, r-ab, dystopia, 2013, magic

An original story set in a depressing, dark and gritty world, about an anti-heroine - a self-destructive addict.

I could not really relate to Chess and disagreed with many of her choices, but her story was interesting enough that I kept on listening. I'm sure the narrator's excellent job had a lot to do with it, since she had a distinct voice and accent for all the characters, that made the story come alive. I probably would have enjoyed the story a lot less had I read it instead, since a lot of ...more

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Aug 25, 2010 Jesslyn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: z2010-kindle-reads, reviewed, cat-urban-fantasy, cat-series-ongoing, auto-buy-author

I originally gave this book 5 stars, then decided that I wasn't being true to myself.
I love the story, the world, the Downside slang, the characters and especially Ms. Kane's style of writing.

What I don't like is the drug use and not that the character uses drugs. Its just not very plausible or realistic to me. Chess does so many drugs in both amount and variety that there is no way (realistically) that she'd be able to go undetected. Nor do I think that she'd be able to appear coherent to anyon ...more

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Oct 21, 2011 Nairabell rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, 4-star, read-in-2011, borrowed-from-library

Chess Putnam is a Church witch who investigates claims of hauntings, debunking most and exorcising the few real ghosts she finds. Being haunted gets you compensation from the Church so Chess is kept busy but now her drug habit has caused her a problem. Her dealer wants Chess's debt paid in full by clearing a ghost from his property which sounds simple enough. Until of course Chess investigates and discovers this is no ordinary ghost...and that others don't want the property cleared.

This is the f ...more

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Sep 20, 2011 June rated it really liked it

Tended to initially find this world a little depressing. Ghosts on the rampage. The female lead having been abandoned by her parents and having abusive carers you came to understand why she was constantly using illicit drugs. However after a while I began to empathise with Chess and enjoyed the book. The love triangle has a new twist. Will read the next.

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Jan 06, 2012 Christal rated it really liked it

Shelves: witches-warlocks-and-mages, magic, female-lead, shady-government-agency, dystopian-post-apocalyptic, urban-fantasy, favorites, ghosts, reapers-and-ghost-whispers, drugs

I wasn't sold on this book from the beginning because the protagonist is a drug addict and the world building was very heavy. But, my enjoyment increased as the story progressed. Even though Chess is a mess, you get little glimpses into her past that show why she is how she is and I started really rooting for her. The character of Terrible, also more of an antihero, became the best part of the book and I can't wait to see how his friendship with Chess progresses. ...more

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Nov 20, 2010 Deyara rated it really liked it

Shelves: urban-fantasy, magic, char-witches, char-ghosts, drugs, religion

Started this once before but couldn't get into it. Started it again this week, and once I got past the beginning I liked it a lot. Chess, a bit of a mess, but I have hope for her, I definitely want to see how she grows. Terrible was good, and Lex. Liked the religious aspects to the story - I love seeing how societies cope with changes imposed by paranormal events, and this was quite interesting. ...more

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