Chasing Magic

by Stacia Kane

Published by: Del Rey Publishing

My Rating: 

A DEADLY HIGH

Magic-wielding Churchwitch and secret addict Chess Putnam knows better than anyone just how high a price people are willing to pay for a chemical rush. But when someone with money to burn and a penchant for black magic starts tampering with Downside’s drug supply, Chess realizes that the unlucky customers are paying with their souls—and taking the innocent with them, as the magic-infused speed compels them to kill in the most gruesome ways possible.

As if the streets weren’t scary enough, the looming war between the two men in her life explodes, taking even more casualties and putting Chess squarely in the middle. Downside could become a literal ghost town if Chess doesn’t find a way to stop both the war and the dark wave of death-magic, and the only way to do that is to use both her addiction and her power to enter the spell and chase the magic all the way back to its malevolent source. Too bad that doing so will probably kill Chess—if the war doesn’t first destroy the man who’s become her reason for living.

My Review:

Stacia Kane delivers another emotionally gripping and thoroughly engrossing story with Chasing Magic, book 5 in the stand-out Downside Ghosts series.

In Chasing Magic, Chess is caught between her boyfriend, Terrible and her friend Lex, who has just taken control of a rival gang in Downside.  Tensions are high between Terrible and Lex, and Chess has never been good at taking a stand.  When people start acting crazy after taking bad drugs, Chess and Terrible search for the cause, having to deal with intense black magic.  At the same time, changes are happening at the Church and some of Chess’ past actions recalled.  The stress of it all really gets to Chess, and she does not handle stress well.

There are ups, downs, serious moments, and light-hearted humor all throughout the book that kept me hooked.  Chess is a character with so many flaws, her biggest being her need to sabotage herself.  Chess makes mistakes all the time, the girl is a drug addict, but in Chasing Magic, her mistakes are epic and affect her relationships with Terrible, Lex, and even the Church.  I keep hoping that she will start to accept her faults and be happy and make changes, but the changes are very slow to come.

The more I read of the Downside Ghosts series, the more I fall in love with Terrible.  Terrible is a tough dude, he’s not even good looking.  However, he really loves Chess and he puts up with all of her crap.  It’s not always easy, and even Terrible can reach a breaking point, but in the end, he loves Chess and he is willing to step out of his comfort zone to be with her.

A lot happens in Chasing Magic, Chess has to deal with more black magic, drugs, and relationship issues. There is never a dull moment for Chess, but in the end there is some hope for her.  I loved reading Chasing Magic, and once again I am eagerly awaiting the next installment in the series.  However, I really hope that Chess makes some personal improvements in the future books.  It’s difficult to watch such a loved character making such bad decisions.  I really liked Chasing Magic, and I love the entire series.  However, book 4, Sacrificial Magic is still my favorite of the series.  I have high hopes for book 6 though…

Urban Fantasy readers, the Downside Ghosts series is a must-read series.  If you haven’t started it, I recommend picking up book 1, Unholy Ghosts as soon as possible.

Here is the series, in order:

• Book 1- Unholy Ghosts:   Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository
• Book 2- Unholy Magic:     Amazon | Barned & Noble | The Book Depository
• Book 3- City of Ghosts:    Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository
• Book 4: Sacrificial Magic: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

You can pre-order Chasing Magic at: