Review: Finding Magic by Stacia Kane ★★★

Finding Magic by Stacia Kane
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Downside Ghosts # 0.5
Publication Date: June 4, 2012
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: N/A
Review Copy: ARC
Rating: ★★★

Karen Marie Moning has called Stacia Kane’s Downside Ghosts series “dark, sexy urban fantasy at its finest.” Now, in this breathtakingly suspenseful eBook novella, Kane has written a prequel to her thrilling series. Before Chess Putnam was a magic-wielding Churchwitch, she was a student in the Church of Real Truth—with a keen sensitivity to magic, a strong rebellious streak, and a penchant for self-destruction. And in Finding Magic, a grisly ghost murder becomes Chess’s baptism of fire.

When eighteen-year-old Chess Putnam is offered the chance to train with a special team of investigators known as the Black Squad, she feels torn. She’s never been a team player and hates how one male Inquisitor condescends to “the new kid.” But at her first bloody crime scene, she gets a taste for investigation—and is hooked on the high. Though the seasoned Inquisitors consider the series of ghost murders random events, Chess starts to detect a pattern. Is a psycho killer summoning ghosts from the City of Eternity and using them as murder weapons? As Chess gets closer to the dark truth, she puts herself in grave danger and risks losing everything she’s fought so hard for.

Includes a special preview of Stacia Kane’s upcoming urban fantasy thriller, Chasing Magic!

REVIEW

This prequel to the Downside Ghosts series is a little slice of life look at Chess when she was eighteen, just on the brink of completing her training to become a Church Witch. Which readers of the series will know is about the only thing that Chess is proud of in her life. And it's evident that right from this young age she showed tremedous promise in investigating and reading people. This short story shows how she chose Debunking as her forte, and how she started her professional relationship with Elder Griffin.

The plot itself was a little slow and I'm not sure how well it would work as a stand alone prequel for new fans, but for existing readers of the series, it's a good companion novel. It also showed how Chess ended up on the road that led to her current substance abuse problem. Back then, at eighteen, it was sips of Vodka rather than pills, but she's clearly always needed some kind of crutch to help her through the day. The abuse at the hands of her foster parents seems closer to the surface here- obviously the booze doesn't dull it as much as the Cepts do- and she's very wary of anyone getting too close, both physically and mentally.

As usual, Chess' internal struggles are morbidly fascinating, although I have to say I found some of her vacillating inner monologues a trifle annoying this time. The way she switches tracks and abruptly cuts herself off mid-thought for some reason was grating in this novella. Possibly because I wasn't as absorbed in the story as I usually am with her full-length works. Or possibly it's my constant peeve over the use of third person even though it's only from Chess' POV. Whichever it was, it stood out more than usual.

Or maybe it was because there was no yummy Terrible to distract me!

I'm still waiting for Stacia to write me something from Terrible's point of view. We get a tiny little mention of him in this story and it's Chess' first sighting of him so her thoughts are quite funny knowing what we know now about their future. But I want Terrible's first impressions! He says something in book one along the lines of "You're so pretty. Never thought---" Never thought what? What did you think when you saw her the first time or saw her hanging around the market stalls? Did you think she was out of your league? Stuck up, maybe?

Now wouldn't that make a GREAT novella? *please make it happen*

3 Stars ★★★
Review Copy: Received from the publisher for an honest review.