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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
Oh lawdy, do I have Terrible fever something fierce! Even though I spent most of this book wanting to smack him around (while also understanding just why he was so angry and mean and bitter, I really just wanted them to be together!), I loved all the angst caused by Terrible and Chess's crumbling relationship and loved the things it added to the overall mystery. I can't wait for the next book and hopefully see them working things out in all kinds of fun ways (because they may be in love but they still have beaucoup des issues to deal with relationship-wise). Bring on the next book!
Chess has messed up. In the last book she let herself be blackmailed to lie to the church thanks to her drug addiction. She killed a pscyhopomp, a crime punishable by death. She nearly died. Worst of all, she shattered Terrible's heart by sleeping with one of his sworn enemies, and got caught in the process of doing it.
Needless to say this is not a high point in Chess's life. She doesn't have a great self image of herself to begin with, but she at least had her Churchwitch powers and a man who thought she was as close to angelic as he was ever going to meet. Now, after breaking Terrible's trust she's feeling like a drugged out whore and she's not so convinced her Churchwitchiness is even that impressive. Than the church calls on her to join up with the Black Ops squad and solve a crime that has Lamaru written all over it. She gets paired up with the Grand Elders daughter Lauren, and they don't exactly get along.
Lauren is dead set on ignoring Chess's every recommendation and running the investigation her way. Chess already prefers working alone, but dealing with a spoiled princess makes it all even worse. As the investigation goes on it becomes obvious the Lamaru aren't the only troublesome creatures afoot. Genetic freaks stalk the streets. Dogs are being killed and bodies are showing up with evidence of bite marks. When the Church's magic can't be trusted and the enemy can turn it back against you, what does a debunker like Chess have to work with? Terrible's certainly not interested in dealing with her and she's avoiding Lex as much as possible, now that she's tryin to stay out of her bed.
Probably my favorite thing about Chess is that for a druggy and a semi-depressed individual she just doesn't give up. She's fanatically attached to the Church and hell bent on not letting it down. I'll admit from book 1 I have not been convinced the Church is really a good entitiy. Rather they seem to benefit an awful lot from evil ghosts, while the other groups would like to get rid of evil ghosts. Is that so bad? Of course I don't trust the Lamaru either, so rock and a hard spot?
Chess is also not like so many other female heroines. She continally gets trapped in bad situations and I keep expecting Terrible or Lex to sweep in and save her. Not happening. I won't spoil things, but she's got some survival skills! She doesn't need any man to come rescue her. Maybe a ride here and there after a near death experience, but then who doesn't?
Terrible fans like myself will be in for a bumpy ride this book. He spends a lot of it avoiding her. Even more time is spent fighting. In the end though I think we all know our boy loves his Chessiebomb, which is the most adorable, ridiculous nickname ever. If you loved the first 2, you'll love this one. I stayed out well past my bed time to finish it and walked around with my face glued to my kindle for days. Only the Ilona Andrews Christmas gift managed to slow me down on this one.
Needless to say this is not a high point in Chess's life. She doesn't have a great self image of herself to begin with, but she at least had her Churchwitch powers and a man who thought she was as close to angelic as he was ever going to meet. Now, after breaking Terrible's trust she's feeling like a drugged out whore and she's not so convinced her Churchwitchiness is even that impressive. Than the church calls on her to join up with the Black Ops squad and solve a crime that has Lamaru written all over it. She gets paired up with the Grand Elders daughter Lauren, and they don't exactly get along.
Lauren is dead set on ignoring Chess's every recommendation and running the investigation her way. Chess already prefers working alone, but dealing with a spoiled princess makes it all even worse. As the investigation goes on it becomes obvious the Lamaru aren't the only troublesome creatures afoot. Genetic freaks stalk the streets. Dogs are being killed and bodies are showing up with evidence of bite marks. When the Church's magic can't be trusted and the enemy can turn it back against you, what does a debunker like Chess have to work with? Terrible's certainly not interested in dealing with her and she's avoiding Lex as much as possible, now that she's tryin to stay out of her bed.
Probably my favorite thing about Chess is that for a druggy and a semi-depressed individual she just doesn't give up. She's fanatically attached to the Church and hell bent on not letting it down. I'll admit from book 1 I have not been convinced the Church is really a good entitiy. Rather they seem to benefit an awful lot from evil ghosts, while the other groups would like to get rid of evil ghosts. Is that so bad? Of course I don't trust the Lamaru either, so rock and a hard spot?
Chess is also not like so many other female heroines. She continally gets trapped in bad situations and I keep expecting Terrible or Lex to sweep in and save her. Not happening. I won't spoil things, but she's got some survival skills! She doesn't need any man to come rescue her. Maybe a ride here and there after a near death experience, but then who doesn't?
Terrible fans like myself will be in for a bumpy ride this book. He spends a lot of it avoiding her. Even more time is spent fighting. In the end though I think we all know our boy loves his Chessiebomb, which is the most adorable, ridiculous nickname ever. If you loved the first 2, you'll love this one. I stayed out well past my bed time to finish it and walked around with my face glued to my kindle for days. Only the Ilona Andrews Christmas gift managed to slow me down on this one.
Why does the author always wait until the end of the book to start writing a story worth reading?
I'd like to say I was surprised by how disappointed I was reading this, but I won't lie. I didn't like the first or second book. This one gets either a 2 or 3. I did read reviews for this book before I read it. I had to. Those reviews are what convinced me to spend my time listening to this book on CD. I went in having low hopes (personally) and high hopes (based on reviews).
This book was pretty boring but had a better story than the previous 2 books. There were still parts in the book where I felt like I had missed a huge chunk of the book, when I didn't. I liked how we learn a little more about the church and the role it plays in the world. I'm still not invested in the main character. I don't like her and I think that was the main reason why I didn't like the book as much as others.
I'm a romance lover at heart, so the "hook" for me in this book, that thing that kept me coming back was the relationship between Terrible and Chess. If Stacia Kane had not stashed little tidbits of their interactions through out the book, I wouldn't have continued.
I'd like to say I was surprised by how disappointed I was reading this, but I won't lie. I didn't like the first or second book. This one gets either a 2 or 3. I did read reviews for this book before I read it. I had to. Those reviews are what convinced me to spend my time listening to this book on CD. I went in having low hopes (personally) and high hopes (based on reviews).
This book was pretty boring but had a better story than the previous 2 books. There were still parts in the book where I felt like I had missed a huge chunk of the book, when I didn't. I liked how we learn a little more about the church and the role it plays in the world. I'm still not invested in the main character. I don't like her and I think that was the main reason why I didn't like the book as much as others.
I'm a romance lover at heart, so the "hook" for me in this book, that thing that kept me coming back was the relationship between Terrible and Chess. If Stacia Kane had not stashed little tidbits of their interactions through out the book, I wouldn't have continued.
This past week I threw myself into the world of Stacia Kane’s creation. For the past few weeks I had heard nothing but good news surrounding Chess Putnam, Terrible and the whole Downside community. I quickly devoured the first two novels, UNHOLY GHOSTS and UNHOLY MAGIC. They were superb, exhilarating, cringe worthy, heartbreaking but all in the most magical way.
If you haven’t read the first two books yet, I suggest you stop reading this post, head down to your local library or bookstore, buy the books, take them out on loan- whichever way you want, and read them. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed if you are a fan of Urban Fantasy.
Now for those who have read the first two books, you know how Terrible and Chess left off. Their relationship went from hitting a high to ending in an ultimate low all in the matter of a few pages. When CITY OF GHOSTS picks up, Chess is battling with what she has done, her feelings for Terrible and a new job from the Church. You really get to see more of Chess’s inner turmoil and how far she is willing to go to prove herself. I really felt that Chess came full circle. In a way she battled a lot of inner demons in this book.
The scenes with Terrible at first are few and far between- in comparison to what we have been use too, but I’m not sure if I would have been able to handle more Chess and Terrible dialogue at the beginning. Not that I wouldn’t have been able to handle more, more like my heart couldn’t take any more. What we do get is heart wrenching to say the least. Terrible is purely acting under Bump’s orders. Although this part of the book kills me, it’s nice to see how much depth Terrible has and how even the most scary and dangerous in Downside can be hurt.
The book surpassed anything I could have imagined. I thought the first two were amazing and in comparison this one sort of blows them out of the water. It deserves more than a 5/5. I would give it a 10/5 if that were possible. Hell, I am giving it a 10/5 because this is my review and that is my made up grading system. This book has everything you could ask for. It’s intense, fast paced, frightening, suspenseful, romantic, dangerous and sexy. I had trouble putting the book down. I was sucked into Downside without a struggle, ready for whatever was waiting for me at the other side.
I also don’t believe I have ever blushed so much reading a book as I did when I was reading CITY OF GHOSTS - *cough cough* tunnel scene.
I’m so thankful for the world of Twitter, Stacia Kane and all of the amazing people who blogged about Stacia Kane’s world. If it weren’t for the internet, sadly I don’t know how I would have come across such an intoxicating series of books. Stacia Kane, in my opinion has done a brilliant job in creating a world that has depths, characters that are multidimensional, and a heroine who could easily fall from the little grace she has with the pop of a pill. Chess just proves to all of us that no matter who you are, there are demons that have to be faced. I enjoyed the closure we received at the end. It was nice to see Chess find some sort of happiness and peace. Knowing Chess though, I'm not sure how long that peace will last, especially since there are Ghosts lurking behind every corner.
If you haven’t read the first two books yet, I suggest you stop reading this post, head down to your local library or bookstore, buy the books, take them out on loan- whichever way you want, and read them. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed if you are a fan of Urban Fantasy.
Now for those who have read the first two books, you know how Terrible and Chess left off. Their relationship went from hitting a high to ending in an ultimate low all in the matter of a few pages. When CITY OF GHOSTS picks up, Chess is battling with what she has done, her feelings for Terrible and a new job from the Church. You really get to see more of Chess’s inner turmoil and how far she is willing to go to prove herself. I really felt that Chess came full circle. In a way she battled a lot of inner demons in this book.
The scenes with Terrible at first are few and far between- in comparison to what we have been use too, but I’m not sure if I would have been able to handle more Chess and Terrible dialogue at the beginning. Not that I wouldn’t have been able to handle more, more like my heart couldn’t take any more. What we do get is heart wrenching to say the least. Terrible is purely acting under Bump’s orders. Although this part of the book kills me, it’s nice to see how much depth Terrible has and how even the most scary and dangerous in Downside can be hurt.
The book surpassed anything I could have imagined. I thought the first two were amazing and in comparison this one sort of blows them out of the water. It deserves more than a 5/5. I would give it a 10/5 if that were possible. Hell, I am giving it a 10/5 because this is my review and that is my made up grading system. This book has everything you could ask for. It’s intense, fast paced, frightening, suspenseful, romantic, dangerous and sexy. I had trouble putting the book down. I was sucked into Downside without a struggle, ready for whatever was waiting for me at the other side.
I also don’t believe I have ever blushed so much reading a book as I did when I was reading CITY OF GHOSTS - *cough cough* tunnel scene.
I’m so thankful for the world of Twitter, Stacia Kane and all of the amazing people who blogged about Stacia Kane’s world. If it weren’t for the internet, sadly I don’t know how I would have come across such an intoxicating series of books. Stacia Kane, in my opinion has done a brilliant job in creating a world that has depths, characters that are multidimensional, and a heroine who could easily fall from the little grace she has with the pop of a pill. Chess just proves to all of us that no matter who you are, there are demons that have to be faced. I enjoyed the closure we received at the end. It was nice to see Chess find some sort of happiness and peace. Knowing Chess though, I'm not sure how long that peace will last, especially since there are Ghosts lurking behind every corner.
This series just gets better with every book! I was sucked in from the first page and never got bored once. Really, the most negative thing I can think to say is that I read it too quickly because I was so anxious to find out what was going to happen. My favorite scenes were pretty much any scene involving Terrible, which has become a regular occurrence for me in this series. Kane does an excellent job in this book creating tension between Chess and Terrible. You really feel for both of them as you watch them try to deal with events that happened in the previous book. The case Chess works on in this installment is great as well. There's really nothing I can find wrong with the book.
I will definitely be continuing the series!
I will definitely be continuing the series!
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Amazing, like the first two books. I was a bit less wrapped up in this one until the end. It was even dirtier and bleaker than the others, including the romance. TW: SA, normalized abuse, addiction, gore, spooky magic, etc.
This is definitely the best installment in the downside series. By now I completely understood the world, the characters, and even the magic which got pretty confusing and intricate at times.
This book is huge in scope. It had a lot of consequences from both the first and second books to address and solve. There was the Chess, Terrible, and Lex's relationships. Chess's standing with the church considering her actions at the end of book 2. The Lameru from the first book and their revenge against both Chess and the church. All of these elements had to come together to make a comprehensive and compelling story - and Stacia Kane totally pulled it off.
Chess in the book improved so much. She was so much stronger, much less whiny, and much more understanding of those around her, her actions, and their consequences. She seemed to really learn throughout this book and it made her into a much better character. Lex was tempered a bit in this book and overall was a much more awesome secondary character. I had a lot more faith in him this time around. Terrible stayed true to form throughout the whole book and never wavered. He was always tortured, unsure, insecure, strong, mean, and just awesome. True some of their interactions were seriously stressing me but only because it wasn't what I wanted to happen.
I am totally glad I read this series, and am super excited that Stacia Kane will be writing another 3 books in the Downside series as I am definitely going to read them.
This book is huge in scope. It had a lot of consequences from both the first and second books to address and solve. There was the Chess, Terrible, and Lex's relationships. Chess's standing with the church considering her actions at the end of book 2. The Lameru from the first book and their revenge against both Chess and the church. All of these elements had to come together to make a comprehensive and compelling story - and Stacia Kane totally pulled it off.
Chess in the book improved so much. She was so much stronger, much less whiny, and much more understanding of those around her, her actions, and their consequences. She seemed to really learn throughout this book and it made her into a much better character. Lex was tempered a bit in this book and overall was a much more awesome secondary character. I had a lot more faith in him this time around. Terrible stayed true to form throughout the whole book and never wavered. He was always tortured, unsure, insecure, strong, mean, and just awesome. True some of their interactions were seriously stressing me but only because it wasn't what I wanted to happen.
I am totally glad I read this series, and am super excited that Stacia Kane will be writing another 3 books in the Downside series as I am definitely going to read them.