Author: Stacia Kane
Release Date: March 27, 2012
Publisher: Del Rey
Downside Ghosts Book #4
ISBN: 034552750X
ISBN13: 9780345527509
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Review Copy Source: Netgalley & Librarything
READING, WRITING, AND RAISING THE DEAD
When Chess Putnam is ordered by an infamous crime boss—who also happens to be her drug dealer—to use her powers as a witch to solve a grisly murder involving dark magic, she knows she must rise to the challenge. Adding to the intensity: Chess’s boyfriend, Terrible, doesn’t trust her, and Lex, the son of a rival crime lord, is trying to reignite the sparks between him and Chess.
Plus there’s the little matter of Chess’s real job as a ghost hunter for the Church of Real Truth, investigating reports of a haunting at a school in the heart of Downside. Someone seems to be taking a crash course in summoning the dead—and if Chess doesn’t watch her back, she may soon be joining their ranks.
As Chess is drawn into a shadowy world of twisted secrets and dark violence, it soon becomes clear that she’s not going to emerge from its depths without making the ultimate sacrifice.
The emotions in SACRIFICIAL MAGIC are at an all time high. Chess' newest Church case puts her on the other side of town and from the beginning things go wrong. With both her dealer and the rival crime lord pushing her to find answers Chess is determined to solve the case as quickly as possible. Chess' boyfriend Terrible is once again questioning her dealings with Lex and Chess is doing everything possible to be honest with him and to make sure Terrible knows its him she wants to be with.
Chess goes through a lot of emotional stuff in book 4. She is dealing with the fact that she is in love with Terrible and doesn't know anything about how to be in love and be loved in return. The drugs of course don't help one bit and send her over the edge into hysteria at one point that pretty much tore my emotions up. I want nothing more then for Chess to be able to function without all the drugs in her system all the time. There is one scene in particular towards the end of the book that had my eyes flooding with tears as she has to make a huge decision that could change her life forever. The world that Ms Kane has created in the Downside Ghost series is off the chart amazing. Every time you turn a page something new is revealed and another twist is added to the story.
The ending of SACRIFICIAL MAGIC promises that there will be way more to come in the series. There is a huge turning point happening and I cant tell where Chess will end up but I'm hoping that her and Terrible continue to hold on to each other and she can find a bit of piece in herself. I have heard people mention that they cant handle all the drugs in the series but I cant imagine the series without Chess being who she is. I will be reading CHASING MAGIC as soon as I possibly can.
I gave it 4/5 stars
