Mass Market Paperbound
416 Pages, 4.1 x 6.8 x 1.1 in
July 27, 2010
Random House Publishing Group
0345515595
9780345515599
9780345515599
List Price:$9.99CAN; $7.99US (Amazon & Borders)
Rating: 5/5
IT’S A THIN LINE BETWEEN ALIVE AND UNDEAD.
Chess Putnam has a lot on her plate. Mangled human corpses have started to show up on the streets of Downside, and Chess’s bosses at the Church of Real Truth have ordered her to team up with the ultra-powerful Black Squad agency to crack the grisly case.
Chess is under a binding spell that threatens death if she talks about the investigation, but the city’s most notorious crime boss—and Chess’s drug dealer—gets wind of her new assignment and insists on being kept informed. If that isn’t bad enough, a sinister street vendor appears to have information Chess needs. Only he’s not telling what he knows, or what it all has to do with the vast underground City of Eternity.
Now Chess will have to navigate killer wraiths, First Elders, and a lot of seriously nasty magic—all while coping with some not-so-small issues of her own. And the only man Chess can trust to help her through it all has every reason to want her dead.
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.
Since I’m not sure this review does the book the justice it deserves, I highly recommend checking out some other reviews of CITY OF GHOSTS.
-Ashley
I love these books. Stacia has such a down to Earth way of writing. I love how the emotions are raw and honest. Chess screws up as much as the rest of us. I related to her easily.
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