City of Ghosts (Downside Ghosts, #3) in Q&A with Stacia Kane

Oct 26, 2010 Francesca the Fierce (Under the Covers Book Blog) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: ghost-spirit-necromancer, genre-urban-fantasy, read-audio-books, books-read-2011

This review was posted at Under The Covers

Dear Ms. Kane,

I finished reading City of Ghosts and I'm utterly speechless. This is one of my favorite books this year. I'll be honest with you and say that after I read book one I wasn't totally sold on the idea of a heroine with a drug problem, among her other issues.

After following Chess stumble across her life through the past three books all I can say is it takes a truly talented author to bring out so much emotion and the depth of connection that y ...more

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Apr 27, 2011 Christen (GoldiloxReads) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I will write a review later. I just wanted to say that this book is one of my all time favorite books I've ever read! Definitely my favorite in the series too. I love when Chess is OD'ed on Dream (even though I probably shouldn't...) and all the funny things she says and thinks. And Terrible...he's my new boyfriend so ladies watch out... :P ...more

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Jul 07, 2010 Chelsea rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: uf-pnr, favorites

This review is also posted, along with other Downside Ghosts reviews, at Vampire Book Club.

After we finished Unholy Magic, the second Downside Ghosts book, we said how it was even better than the series opener Unholy Ghosts (review). Stacia Kane has again taken her dark urban fantasy series to new depths with City of Ghosts.

Chess still has a crime to solve, this time working with the police wing of The Church of Truth, a team called The Black Squad. But City of Ghosts is more about our flawed he This review is also posted, along with other Downside Ghosts reviews, at Vampire Book Club.

After we finished Unholy Magic, the second Downside Ghosts book, we said how it was even better than the series opener Unholy Ghosts (review). Stacia Kane has again taken her dark urban fantasy series to new depths with City of Ghosts.

Chess still has a crime to solve, this time working with the police wing of The Church of Truth, a team called The Black Squad. But City of Ghosts is more about our flawed heroine growing as a person, accepting that needing to connect and rely on another person isn’t inherently bad. She’s striving for that redemption. She wants to prove herself. She’s a talented witch and she sure as hell isn’t going to let some bitch from the Black Squad otherwise. More than that, though, she wants to prove herself trustworthy to Terrible.

Those who have caught Terrible Fever from the earlier Downside books know he feels betrayed by Chess. He isn’t going to make things easy for her. He’ll avoid her. Say hurtful things. She wallows in it. In fact, you don’t get much Chess-Terrible interaction for the first two-thirds of the novel. He’s there with her out of duty to Bump, but make no mistake he’s hurting. But when he becomes prominent in the book again, it’s worth the wait. (Really, really worth it.)

It’s Chess’ desire to fix things with him, to protect him, to keep Downside safe and the emotional growth she experiences through that process that truly elevates City of Ghosts.

We don’t want to give anything away, so, here are 3 reasons you must read this book as soon as you can get your hands on it:

You’ll get more than one intense, amazing Terrible fix.
The ‘big bad’ Kane introduces this time out is complex and will keep you trying to piece things together until the end.
You’ll see why Chess never works with other people. Entertaining.
The emotional heavy that is City of Ghosts is worth experiencing. Kane can craft such heady situations, you’ll feel like you’re with Chess pleading with Terrible, trying to escape a burning building, being attacked by ghosts, etc.

We wouldn’t dare call Downside Ghosts an escapist series, but these books will bring you into Downside. We promise, you’ll spend the next several days thinking about scenes from the books, thinking about why something happened the way it did or just blushing remembering things that happen in the tunnels.

...more

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Feb 26, 2011 Cat Russell (Addicted2Heroines) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: highly-recommend, favorites

"She knew what she saw, and that was all that mattered. Knew what was behind those hard dark eyes, and wanted it more than anything."

This is one of the few series that I will drop everything for. I miss the Downside when I'm not there.

Terrible and Chess frustrated me but I'm glad things worked out the way they did in the end.

"A promise to the Church is far more important than any other promise. Not just because the Church protects you, but because the Church is always watching you."

- The Book o ...more

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Oct 19, 2010 Bernard DeLeo rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

City of Ghosts is Stacia Kane’s third ‘Downside Series’ installment. When I read her first book in this series, Unholy Ghosts, I didn’t think a sequel could top it. Unholy Magic did just that with an excruciating roller coaster ride with Church Debunker Chess Putnam and Downside Enforcer Terrible ending a string of murders in ‘Downside’ while turning back a threat to Chess’s employer, The Church of Truth. City of Ghosts picks up right where Chess left off, alienated from Terrible because of dall ...more

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Sep 07, 2010 Danielle Barclay rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I haven't been this thoroughly engrossed in a paranormal world since I discovered Sookieverse. Unholy Ghosts, Unholy Magic and City of Ghosts are the first three books in the Downside Ghosts series.

Stacia Kane has created a completely fascinating take on Urban Fantasy and she writes a brilliant mystery. Book after book after book! What impresses me the most, this author is not afraid to strip her protagonist down to the bare bones--Chess is vulnerable, lost and real, but she's a survivor. Kane b ...more

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Apr 30, 2011 Mrs.Vishous-Kattalakis-Belikov :::Para Itch Reviews::: rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: downside, love-triangles, favorites, urban-fantasy, magic, ghosts

This one has to be my favorite! Although it was tough to read at times...because Terrible was treating Chess like shit..she fecking deserved it. She really made some fuckedup choices which resulted in her paying dearly for them. (view spoiler) Somewhat...theres more healing to be done so-to-speak. The sex scenes between Chess and Terrible where hot as hell!!!

Now....without further adieu....
I would like to share my favorite moment of this book:

drumm ...more

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Jul 09, 2010 mrsj rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

review later.. too much in my head..
I'm sad that I have to wait for next year to read Book 4! ...more

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Aug 25, 2010 Jamie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-obsess-over, kick-ass-heroines, favorites, series-i-can-t-wait-to-continue, addicted-hero-heroine, dark-and-gritty, magic, ghosts

To say I love this series is an understatement. I can't say enough. I thought after I read book 1 that it was fantastic. Then I read book 2, and it was even better. Now I finished Book 3 and can say for certain that CoG blows them all out of the water.

The tension between Chess and Terrible, is, well, terrible. The words they say to each other are so vitriolic. I felt so very bad for Chess, and so very bad for Terrible. There were parts that I didn't want to read because it was so painful to rea To say I love this series is an understatement. I can't say enough. I thought after I read book 1 that it was fantastic. Then I read book 2, and it was even better. Now I finished Book 3 and can say for certain that CoG blows them all out of the water.

The tension between Chess and Terrible, is, well, terrible. The words they say to each other are so vitriolic. I felt so very bad for Chess, and so very bad for Terrible. There were parts that I didn't want to read because it was so painful to read. Chess made some very poor decisions, and she's paying for them in a big way. The feelings between these two are written perfectly by Ms. Kane. You can feel the anger, the resentment and the love between the charcters. Terrible, IMO, is such a great character because of his vulnerability. Both Chess and Terrible are vulnerable, but handle it in different ways. Chess turns to drugs, while Terrible lets it all out. Terrible is supposed to be this tough, gang enforcer, and how many times have we seen him pouring his heart out to Chess? This makes him such a complex character, than I can't wait to see what happens with him next.

But Chess has a job to do. She's called in by the Black Squad - the Church cops - to solve another crime. Of course, Bump and Lex want to know what's going on, but Chess can't speak freely as she's bound by magic not to speak of her job. She's working with a Black Squad member named Lauren, who happens to be the daughter of the Grand Elder. Craziness ensues. Chess is trapped, burnt, stabbed, slapped, knee-ed in the back, emotionally pulled through the ringer, etc., etc., etc. Through all of this, ecpecially through the pain she feels from her mistakes with Terrible, she picks herself up and continues to do her job. The Church is the only thing that gives her hope, besides Terrible, and the Church is her only source of acomplishment or self-worth or pride. Her standing in the Church is all she has left. She's been hiding from herself for so long, she doesn't know how to handle anything in her life that isn't Church-related.

She does work with Terrible, in order to keep Bump informed, and she does rely on information from Lex. The scenes with her and Terrible are very tense. I've never reread scenes in any books like I have with this one. By the end, we have a major show down, the revelation of many twists and turns and some kind of closure with Terrible and with Lex. Chess makes her decisions, and they don't seem so bad this time around. I loved when another reviewer said that Chess makes Rachael Morgan's relationship decisions look healthy - that is spot on. But by the end, I think she's making the best decision she has made in the whole series. Of course, this could all change in Book 4.

I think Stacia Kane set up a lot of possible questions to answer in the continuation of this series. Questions arise about the sigil carved on Terrible, the Church itself, Chess' decision in book 2 to kill the psychopomp, both Chess' and Terrible's backgrounds, and I think there may be more to Lex than we've seen thus far. There are a lot of directions this book can move in.

Do yourself a favor and read these books. ...more

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Dec 06, 2010 Kathy (Kindle-aholic) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: uf, my-favorites

Chess wins as the most messed-up heroine I have enjoyed reading. Usually, when a character screws up this badly, I can't read it, but Kane does a great job of making me care about her. Although I know that there are more books to come in this series, I think the first three really work together as a trilogy.

In book 1, Chess starts out both starting to allow herself to care for someone other than herself, and at the same time, continuing her downward spiral of drugs and lies.

In book 2, Chess's be ...more

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Jul 27, 2010 Kay rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010-reads, uf-or-paranormal, faves-highly-recommend

This series is one of the most intense Urban Fantasys that I've ever read. The characters are so extremely engaging where I seriously felt that they could be real. You can't help but to love these characters that Stacia Kane has created regardless of how effed up their inner struggles are. Plus, the action and story is down, dirty, and gritty. There are no rainbows & lollipops in Downside, dig? I just don't know how I'll survive another year before I can read more Chess & Terrible. ...more

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Jan 08, 2011 Lisa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

5/5 stars! I am so happy to have found this author! I love her writing sytle. This third installment of the Downside Ghosts found Chess struggling to work with a partner, shift through her feelings for Terrible and deal with the fact that she actually may have friends she can count on. There was not a lot of additional character development, we didn't learn a lot of new stuff about the main characters, but the action, the development of Chess' ability to forgive herself enough to do the right th ...more

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Oct 04, 2010 Judithe rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: uf, read-2010, wrote-review

Wow! Just wow! I couldn't bear to read more at times because I couldn't see how Chess could get out of the newest situation, but I couldn't bear to put it down either! #4 is DEFINITELY on my pre-order list! ...more

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Sep 08, 2010 Amanda The Book Slayer rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: witches-warlocks, favorites, kick-butt-heroine, demons, must-read, paranormal-romance

I am going to write a review. I am going to write a review. I am going to write a review. There I wrote and said it three times. Hopefully I remember to write a review!

This Book is my Favorite so far in the series.

Need My Terrible Fix!!!!!

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