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Unholy Ghosts (Downside Ghosts, #1)

Stacia Kane

Finish date: May 25, 2010

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May 22, 2010 Steph rated it really liked it

Shelves: series-ongoing, author-웃, recommended-2-me, series-book1, year-read-2010

Unholy Ghosts is our first look into the world of Downside. And, yes, at first glance, you might only see dirt, drugs and hoodlums. But, thankfully Kane gives us a deeper insight into a world post-haunting.

Almost 23 years ago, in 1997, during Haunting Week "people huddled together in churches and homes and schools, praying and crying, while silent ghosts, risen from their graves, moved through the walls in search of them. Stealing their lives."

Since then, the Church is law, it is the only go ...more

13 likes · Like · see review

Aug 06, 2010 Literary Ames rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, urban-fantasy, dtb, bye-bye, 1st-in-series, series-abandoned, eastern-asiatic, authors-i-respect, did-not-finish

I'm giving up on this one. I wasn't offended by it as others have been, I just found it uninteresting and was struggling to read every page with enough concentration to take in the information.

Chess isn't a very sympathetic character as she's rather selfish and unconvincing as a survivor of an abusive childhood. She's a functional addict but the drugs cause her to make mistakes in what can be a very dangerous job. Her troubles are of her own making as others exploit her weakness for pills in or ...more

9 likes · Like · see review

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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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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Aug 06, 2011 Carlyn rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed this book, it was very different and the premise was fantastic!
The ghosts rose in 1997 and killed a third of the population, religions collapsed and magic became the worlds savior as only they could banish the ghosts. Chess is a debunker which means she goes to people who claim they have a ghost and if they do she will get rid of it and give them compensation from the church, if they are lying they will be punished and Chess gets a bonus. Chess has a drug problem and runs up ag ...more

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Jun 02, 2010 Jamie ~ Bad Boy Inspector rated it it was amazing

Shelves: genre-urban-fantasy, subject-pn-witches-warlocks-magic, subject-pn-other-par-creatures

4.5/5 This book was such a breath of fresh air. It is so nice to have a heroine and heros that are not perfect and battle their own inner demons like so many people in real life does. I love it that she is a drug addict it just makes the story that much more interesting. The whole concept of these books are unique and such a welcomed change. I can't wait to read more. ...more

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Jun 17, 2011 Irene Hollimon rated it liked it · review of another edition

It was okay - just okay. I probably wouldv'e liked it better if I'd had less to read but I've got a long TBR list. Sort of makes a person finicky. The book was a little bit lighter than some but still urban fantasy. I didn't like all the atheism in the book. The constant pushing of atheism bothered me. Also, the lead character is a drug addict. This compares to the last book I read which was a Laurell K Hamilton. Her books are darker in tone. Anita Blake is a christian although she's conflicted ...more

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Jan 05, 2012 Jenny rated it liked it

Shelves: urban-fantasy, series, demons, witches, magic-paranormal, mystery

I want to rate this as 3.5 Stars
It took me a while to get into this book. I don't quite know why, partly I think was the way some of the characters talked in the book, but once I got just over half way and I was getting the pattern of the language down it was a good read. I enjoyed it enough that I will pick up the next one.
It was an interesting take with the fact that Chess is a drug addicit, I had read that about her before I even picked up the book. She is still able to function but she is al ...more

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Apr 28, 2010 Lara rated it it was amazing

Shelves: top-5-fav-series, favorites

Loved it! I admit, it took me a few chapters wondering if this book was a mistake to buy. I had trouble reading through the slang talk some/most of these characters used and worried if I would end up not warming up to Chess (the main character) at all. At 1st it seemed as if she was going to turn out to be nothing but a whining, unfun, wimpy little pill-head.....but I ended up loving her as a fighter in this world that Kane has created. Compared to other series I have read - this world, characte ...more

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May 29, 2011 Michelle rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: michelle-mcm-s-2012-reading-list, read-february-2012, stacia-kane

I had issues with this book but saying that I liked the second half - well more than the first half.

I'm not sure about the language or names, it took me a while to get used to that and I'm not convinced I liked Chess at all. I didn't find anything attractive about Terrible or Doyle or...

She's a functioning Junkie. Plain & simple, although with the amount of drugs she puts away I'm surprised she didn't OD in the first half of the book let alone be able to pick locks and accomplish a fraction of ...more

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Jan 15, 2012 Samantha wickedshizuku Tolleson rated it it was ok

Shelves: reviewed, not-manga, paranormal, 2012, title-u

I just wasn't pleased with this book on a whole. The paranormal aspects were interesting, but the execution and hesitation of the plot was what killed it for me.

Yes really I do because I continued to read it. It was just that bad. It had absolutely fantastic apocalyptic concept, but the heroine of the series is just a mess. ...more

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