Review: Chasing Magic by Stacia Kane

Chasing Magic
Book 5 in the Downside Ghosts series
Author: Stacia Kane
Publisher:  Del Rey
Release date: 6/26/12
Author's website: Link

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.

There's a nasty new drug being peddled on the streets of Downside that's putting it's users into a zombie like state.  When Chess Putnam is asked to figure out exactly what's going on, she doesn't go about it alone.     Along with her boyfriend Terrible, the two of them get to the bottom of things while facing danger as tensions rise between the rival gangs.  Downside has it's issues, but now it's turned upside down because so much going on. 

What I liked most about Chasing Magic is the team up of Chess and Terrible  I always loved when they worked together in the previous books and they're great at bouncing ideas off of each other.   As they bounce those ideas off of one another back in forth, they eventually solve the issue at hand.  Because they spend so much time together, we get to see them deal with several issues regarding their relationship.  There are several key scenes that show the strength in their relationship that were so wonderfully written. 

I'm giving Chasing Magic a rating of:

Chasing Magic seemed to have the same excitement that my favorite book of the series City of Ghosts had and I was a very happy reader while reading it. There were several times that I wanted to scream at Chess for making certain decisions and can only hope that she learns from some some of her mistakes.  I'm hoping to see more growth in her character in the hopes that she can finally realize how much she is truly loved. Terrible's words of love and encouragement is just what she needs when it feels like her world is falling apart all around her.