Magic in the Storm

It seems like I'm ripping through these books, but the truth is that I read some of them and just waited a few days before posting.  But I am finally caught up in the Allie Beckstrom series.  And wow, did it ever end in a cliff hanger!

The magic in Portland is being drained and a wild storm is approaching.  The Alliance is split into different factions and Terric, Shame's possible Soul Complement, has returned to help save the city.  Allie is called away to hound a scene involving one of her Hounds and at the hospital learns that Greyson has escaped.  Chase and Shame go to hunt Greyson while Zayvion goes to Allie to protect her on the off-chance that Greyson has found her there.  When they arrive to help Shame and Chase, they learn that Shame has been attacked by Chase.  Enlisting the help of Terric, they attempt to locate her.  In the process, Shame is manipulated by Chase to attack Allie and Zayvion takes a big hit, with his soul being sucked in to a gate.  Terric and Shame, both injured, help Allie to keep Zayvion's body alive.

When Allie wakes up the next day, magic is gone.  She learns that her step-mother's house has been ransacked for secret technology: disks that hold magic.  She also learns that the Authority is behind it.  Finally, there's a meeting in the park in St. Johns and Allie is ordered to ground the wild magic to the disks.  And that's when all hell breaks loose.

Chase and Greyson crash the party, splitting the Alliance down the middle.  With the help of Jingo Jingo (a death magic master), Greyson opens a solid gate and the only thing holding back the Hungers is the spirit of Cody.  Allie's dad convinces Allie to rescue Cody and that Allie's mom, of all people, will protect him.  Somehow, through the part of him still attached to Greyson, Allie's dad was able to talk to Allie's mom to strike a bargain.  Anyhow, Allie also learns that by closing the gate, Zayvion will be permanently stuck and will consequently die.  So, what does she do?  She goes in.  Of course.

Umm, yeah.  She has the same reckless attitude and she's still being manipulated by her dad, but at least her heart is in the right spot, even if her head isn't.  So, needless to say, I will be reading the next book, even if it's just to see what happens next.  Sometimes I really hate reading series.

Magic in the Shadows

Magic in the Shadows is book 3 in the Allie Beckstrom series by Devon Monk.  This time around, Allie is dealing with spirit of her dead father taking up residence in her head.  Nola, her best friend in the whole wide world, is also staying at Allie's place while she deals with the custody battle surrounding Cody.  And Zayvion?  He's helping Allie cope with the stresses and training involved with the Alliance, because if the Alliance decides that Allie is too unstable, they will Close off her magic, and memories, of anything to do with the Alliance, including Zayvion.

And Allie is definitely unpredictable.  Using tricks that she learned from her father, the Alliance is scared of her.  However, despite the fact that she opened a gate in a highly warded area, they need Allie and decide to keep her around (memories intact).  This has some of Allie's new found friends pleased (Shamus, Zayvion's best friend, and Maeve, Allie's teacher and Shame's mother) while pissing off others (namely Chase, Zayvion's ex-girlfriend and possible soul complement to Greyson, the fellow who killed Allie's dad and was also the necromorph running around town killing things and setting the Hungers free).  Did I mention that Allie animated a gargoyle that now lives with her and likes to talk to her sink?

Yeah, Allie's life does sound like a rather ludicrous soap opera, hey?  And it sort of reads as one, since Allie acts like a girl who has something to prove.  The Alliance is afraid of her because she holds the power of light and dark, on a scale that may be greater than Zayvion's (who is a Guardian of the Gates), but Allie is almost too stubborn to take the training properly, making her dangerous since she has a hard time controlling her magic.  Now that they are recognized Soul Complements (magic users who, on top of being able to use their magic in such a way to enhance the other's powers, are also able to touch each other's minds in the process - a technique that is rare and has the tendency to drive the couple involved insane) they are even more dangerous.  And Allie can't even take that seriously.

The storyline is interesting.  Some of the people are interesting.  But the rest of the time they're angsty and read like teenagers.  I keep thinking that they're around my age, but they're not (I think they're in their early 20s?) and that makes a world of difference.  And the main thing that annoys me, is that when Allie is thinking sex, she can't keep her head in the game.

I'm hoping that now that Allie is taking self-defense training and magic training that it'll make her a more capable character who won't rely on her tough girl attitude to bluff her way through situations.  I just hope she doesn't turn in to a character with superhero abilities.

I've already started book 4, Magic in the Storm, so I hope that I'm not getting in to things that haven't started since the end of book 3.

Magic in the Blood

Magic in the Blood is the second book in Devon Monk's Allie Beckstrom series.

In this book, Allie still hasn't recovered her lost memories of Zayvion Jones, but her physical reaction to him makes her think that she had fallen hard for him. She also starts to see ghost-like apparitions when she is casting magic. Unfortunately, they can see her and their touch can steal magic from her and leave a rash-like wound behind. On top of that, she's being stalked by a thug out of prison who will kill her if she doesn't deliver a fellow Hound, Martin Pike, to him. Allie is also approached by the MERC side of the police to Hound a job involving some missing girls. Overwhelmed, she goes to visit her father's grave, but her magic reveals that the coffin is empty.

Allie goes to a Hound meeting to speak with Pike and ends up with one of the members promising back up while she's working. Afterwards, her Hounding job goes bad when the ghosts show up and jump her. And the blood magic she finds at the scene of the crime belongs to her friend Pike, but as it feels wrong, Allie is determined to find out what really happened. A meeting with Zay explains the ghosts as the remnants of magic users in the past. While on her way to meet with the police, Allie is magically called to visit the thug - and sees a critically wounded Pike along the way. Retracing his steps, Allie finds a few dead bodies along the way and finishes the thug herself. Pike's dying words about a doctor having her blood leads her to Hound her own scent to an abandoned warehouse.

In the warehouse is Pike's protege, Anthony, along with the missing girls. And her father's body. The doctor shows up and attempts to open a gate between the living and dead using her and her father's blood. All hell breaks loose as Allie's father's spirit attempts to possess her body to stop the doctor. In the end they win, but Allie loses memories of her father in the warehouse. Zayvion lobbied on her behalf to gain Allie entrance into his secret magic club and Allie is glad to learn magic that would allow her to gain control of her powers.

This book is interesting. I like several things about this book: how any magic used has a price - whether it's a cold or headache; the Veiled creatures; and how Allie's father tried to possess her. I like how Allie is a magical conduit, with her arms having a positive and negative end - despite how everyone else in that book is determined that it isn't possible.

And that is also what I don't like about it. Allie is a smart-talking lone wolf (not literally - not weres in this book!) how is almost obsessively anti-social. She chalks it all up to being a Hound, but she has some serious trust issues that I hope she grows out of. I get how she doesn't trust Zayvion - how could she when she's forgotten him? - but it's a little painful to watch, especially since he is aware that she doesn't trust him either. She also gets thrust into a leadership position by her fellow Hounds and immediately has an uprising as one of the younger female Hounds storms out stating she'll never follow her. The younger Hound's issues stem from jealousy - how annoying.

I think I'll read the next book (Magic in the Shadows) in this series immediately. The next book after that (Magic on the Storm) is out May 4th, so I might as well catch up on this series ASAP.

The Wayfinders: Update

Heya! So, I've finally finished The Wayfinders by Wade Davis and the review is written. It's in the process of being edited by my wonderful friend Vyxen and once that's done and posted on the Books & Co website I'll post it here too. :)

Wonderful news! Devon Monk's book, Magic in Shadows, is in my grubby little hands! Well, not literally, at least not yet, but tomorrow! I have seen the future and it is at Books & Co!

The next series of books to be reviewed will be the Greywalker series by Kat Richardson.

Stay tuned....

Magic to the Bone: Chs 13-17 (end)

Wow. I just finished the book and felt the need to write while it was still fresh in my mind. And I'm not going to give away the ending!!

Cody was captured and is with the Snake man again.

Allie had been shot and was overloading with magic, healing herself like she had healed Cody. Zayvion took off and she left his apartment in the search for Mama. When she found Mama, she found Snake man, Cody, and Bonnie. She also found Zayvion.

What happened next? You'll have to read the book or ask a friend.

I will say that the ending of this book was really strong. It smacked of betrayal, loss and, finally, hope. I was initially surprised, thinking that the author was going to use Allie's wish to turn back time, which I thought was a coward's way out. And then I thought that Allie was going to go on her merry little way not knowing what was happening. I'm pleased that Allie was strong enough to go on her instincts where Zayvion was concerned. She may end up hurt again (it is a book series after all!) and she knows that he is lying about something, even if she doesn't remember what. I'm a romantic at heart, so the scene in the coffee shop in the end nearly made me cry.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I like strong female characters with attitudes, and I don't think Devon Monk overdid it; Allie definitely knew when to keep her mouth shut. When Allie gained her burns/tattoos/markings, I was worried that she was going to become this invincible magician of sorts who no longer had to pay for her magic use. It's a pet peeve of mine when a fallible character gains Superman-like abilities over the course of a book or series.

I really like how the author worked the magic angle in this series - about how when you use magic, it uses you right back - it has a karma ring to it. Human nature has decreed that when given an ability with consequences, we immediately look for loopholes, and Devon Monk has stuck to this motto: Allie made a point of saying that one of the first things people discovered was how to unload the curse on someone else so they didn't have to suffer any consequences themselves.

I definitely look forward to reading the next book in the series, "Magic in the Blood", and to having the next book, "Magic in Shadows" come out in November 2009. That is definitely on my to-buy list!

Unfortunately, I have a different book to review first, and a buddy lent me a 3 book series, so it may be a while before I'm able to return to this series.

Fun fact: Devon Monk is a die-hard knitter and gives away her knitting as prizes to her fans on her website.

Magic to the Bone: Chs 6-12

Hmm. I don't think I like doing it a few chapters at a time. I think I go too far in depth with the story and it becomes a really long summary. Plus, if I'm covering books I've already read before, I don't want to do a few chapters when I already know what's going to happen later. Originally I had thought it would be a good idea if I want to make predictions about twists the story may take, but I think if I'm making long updates, everyone might as well just read the story themselves, lol!

To the story:

Allie's dad was found murdered and she's the main suspect. When running from a fellow (bitchy) Hound, Allie takes a detour along the river and garbage dump to lose her scent trail and stumbles across Cody's near-dead self. She somehow heals him and gains some nifty burns in the process. She takes him along and Zayvion magically shows up to help her out. The 3 of them (4 if you include Kitten) go to Nola's farm in Burns. While there, you find out that Cody either made Allie kill her father or forged her signature. Regardless, he was there, but before Allie can find out what he knows, Bonnie (the bitchy Hound - hah!) shows up and vanishes with Cody in thin air.

Knowing this to be impossible, Allie and Zayvion go back to Portland to talk to Allie's stepmom, Violet, who is a scientist and seemed to genuinely care for Allie's dad. Violet discusses her research regarding a portable power source and it seems plausible that Bonnie somehow acquired this technology during a supposed fire in the lab.

Allie and Zayvion go back to his place and have amazing sex and he admits to being in a secret magical society - an Authority on Magic. He also tells Allie that her burns-turned-tattoos have negative and positive ends (like a battery, but cooler) where she receives and dispenses her magic. They also discover that they are Soul Complements - their magic is complimentary and the flow of magic between them causes minimal backlash.

The next morning, Allie gets shot by an intruder and releases an uncontrolled flow of magic towards him. Then blacks out.

Magic to the Bone: Chs 1-5

I'm going to try something new for this book. I'm going to update while reading it, a few chapters at a time (chapters read will be in the title line), just to see which I prefer and which is preferable for those reading the blog.

Now on to the book!

In this book, the story is set in Portland, but with magic added. There are magic wells below the Earth's surface which can be tapped in to for use. It is also possible to capture the magical energy (30 years ago they used rods akin to lightening rods, courtesy of Beckstrom of course!) but if stored improperly, it can rot. There are lines running underground throughout the city to supply the residents with magic. Unfortunately, using magic has a negative side effect which manifests itself in a physical way: anything from a headache to full body bruising.

Allie is the strong-willed heroine who disowned her rich daddy and his money. Now she's trying to make her way in the world as a Hound - a magical detective (?) who uses her sense of smell and taste to discover who cast which illegal spell. Since every magic user has a unique signature, a Hound can follow the signature back to the caster. Allie is an idealist with a soft heart, as evidenced in the fact that she stopped speaking to her father because of his immoral magical use; and even though she's perpetually broke, she will still do free jobs for those worse off than herself.

Zayvion is the token love interest, even though he admitted to following Allie for her father (and then promptly quit). So far he seems like a good guy; he even footed the bill for Allie to catch a cab ride home. We'll have to see if he stays in my good books.

Allie's father is a manipulative bastard who thinks he can buy off everyone and anything. Since he's incredibly rich, he can get away with it. However, one of his talents is Influence - literally brainwashing others to do your will. Allie lived under her father's Influence for several years before breaking free and running away from him. Allie also has this talent, but is disgusted by it and seldom uses it.

Allie has a client that she calls friend, a woman by the name of Mama. One of Mama's foster sons, Boy (they're all called Boy), is a young child who is seriously ill. When Allie comes to investigate, she discovers that Boy has been cursed with an Offload spell. This spell will cause the victim to have all the physical manifestations meant for the caster and is highly illegal. When Allie Hounds for the spell, she discovers that the magical signature belongs to her father. Along with Zayvion, she goes to confront her father, whom she hasn't seen for seven years. He uses a Truth spell and denies the accusation but Allie isn't convinced.

Skip off to a side story about a mentally damaged man named Cody. Only the presence of Cody's "smarter" self leads the reader to believe that he's a man and not a small child. Forbidden to use magic, Cody lives in a prison, cut off from his friends and the sunshine. When the Snake man comes along with a bargain - a spell to save Kitten's life - you realize that Cody is able to mimic another caster's unique signature. And the fact that Cody forged one to mimic Allie's dad. To save Kitten, Cody has to forge a signature to match Allie's. While using magic, Cody seems to return to himself and remember who he is and what he is capable of. Once removed from the magic source, Cody is then cut and a bone is placed in his wound. Cody's smarter self warns him that this is death magic. The Snake man then leaves Cody alone with a promise to return later and take him for a car ride.

Back to Allie: surprise, surprise, Allie's magic usage has caused her to crash at Mama's, but not without first making out with Zayvion.

Return to Cody: the Snake man returns and casts a spell on Cody using a bone chunk and a coin. "The coin filled the Snake man's words with power, the bone changed it into something worse. Into death." Cody's smarter self warns him that to live, he must reach for the smarter self and hold on tight. His subconscious then takes over while Cody is sucked into a dark place.

Magic to the Bone

Author: Devon Monk, 2008

Back cover:
"Using magic meant it used you back. Forget the fairy tale hocus-pocus, wave a wand and bling-o sparkles and pixie dust crap.Magic, like booze, sex, and drugs, gave as good as it got."

Everything has a cost. And every act of magic exacts a price from its user--maybe a two-day migraine, or losing the memory of your first kiss. But some people want to use magic without paying, and they offload the cost onto an innocent. When that happens, it falls to a Hound to identify the spell's caster--and Allison Beckstrom's the best there is.

Daughter of a prominent Portland businessman, Allie would rather moonlight as a Hound than accept the family fortune--and the many strings that come with it. But when she discovers a little boy dying from a magical offload that has her father's signature all over it, Allie is thrown back into the high-stakes world of corporate espionage and black magic.

Now, Allie's out for the truth--and the forces she finds herself calling on will overturn everything she knows, change her in ways she could never imagine...and make her capable of things that powerful people will do anything to control.