Unholy Ghosts (Downside Ghosts, book 1) by Stacia Kane
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Edition Reviewed: Paperback
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle
Goodreads: Unholy Ghosts (1)
THE DEPARTED HAVE ARRIVED.
The world is not the way it was. The dead have risen, and the living are under attack. The powerful Church of Real Truth, in charge since the government fell, has sworn to reimburse citizens being harassed by the deceased. Enter Chess Putnam, a fully tattooed witch and freewheeling ghost hunter. She’s got a real talent for banishing the wicked dead. But Chess is keeping a dark secret: She owes a lot of money to a murderous drug lord named Bump, who wants immediate payback in the form of a dangerous job that involves black magic, human sacrifice, a nefarious demonic creature, and enough wicked energy to wipe out a city of souls. Toss in lust for a rival gang leader and a dangerous attraction to Bump’s ruthless enforcer, and Chess begins to wonder if the rush is really worth it. Hell, yeah.
Review:
Gray areas a head!
Unique and DIFFERENT leads have always been a weakness of mine. Especially for female leads. It always feels like writers are afraid to go there. True it can be dangerous. However, I respect any writer who has the kahunas tries. So up front readers should know that Chess is a drug addict.
Dear Stacia Kane,
I respect you. And now that I've read the book and fallen love with Chess and all of the shady characters you have earned my undying loyalty.
Love, Shera (Book Whispers)
Boy are these characters shady. In fact I'm pretty sure they qualify as bad guys. Lex and my dear beloved Terrible have now jumped my list of top literature bad boys. These men ain’t posing. They do skin crawling bad deeds. It contrasts shockingly with the kind things they do and the warm moments they have. Villain gentlemen in true swooning form. It was intense as Chess admitted that she couldn't trust them, but we were both feeling those FEELINGS. Confliction and guilt, bookness that's the way to do it.
Speaking of Chess and her being an addict. Drug addictions are something I have never understood. It’s hard to relate. The big thing with Chess is she's an addict she's aware of how it ruins her life. She doesn't justify it. Even when her drug use pulls her into one heck of a hot mess. Chess is a person outside of her addiction. There’s some dark stuff in her past that is probably a huge reason as to why she needs drugs. It’s hinted at and I commend Kane for not shoving it in our face. There’s time to explore it later. Even when Chess’s choices and actions become causalities of her addiction she’s smart enough to think through it. Withdrawals, her next fix, and all of it is well explored and used to weave the story. However, it's not an overwhelming aspect. It's not shoved in your face. It’s balanced out with an actual story.
To be honest the plot wasn’t that great. Saw it coming. The instant the characters were introduced I knew what their role would be in the “grand scheme of things”. Maybe not all the mechanics, but it was clear to me. So no big surprises. It is a great setup to some of the “enemies” and issues that are probably going to lead to many conflicts in future books. It’s a great setup. The world building is so good introducing readers to the characters and world it’s engaging enough to forget about already having solved the mystery.
The universe of Downside Ghosts is amazing! And chilling, this is one Urban Fantasy verse I do not want to experience personally. Too scary! There’s more going on, like what triggered events leading to ghosts running rampant and killing people? The world is well developed enough that you can believe it, and basic answers are given to flesh it out well. The little snippets of what the Church and the new world is like help to flesh it out as well. With gritty characters to match this harsh new world I’m sold! This is gonna be one heck of a ride. One I look forward to with great anticipation.
Sexual Content: Chess owns her sexuality! Steamy scenes, sexual humor, some dark themes, but nothing too over the top.
3/5- Adored it, just a few minor details held it back.
| Previous book(s) in series: | ||
| Reviewed on BW: | Amazon: | Goodreads: |
| Unholy Ghosts (1) Unholy Magic (2) City of Ghosts (3) Sacrificial Magic (4) Chasing Magic (5) Unholy Luck (6) | Unholy Ghosts (1) | Unholy Ghosts (1) Unholy Magic (2) City of Ghosts (3) Sacrificial Magic (4) Chasing Magic (5) Unholy Luck (6) |
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