≡ [PDF] City of Ghosts Stacia Kane 9780007352845 Books

City of Ghosts Stacia Kane 9780007352845 Books

Download As PDF : City of Ghosts Stacia Kane 9780007352845 Books

City of Ghosts Stacia Kane 9780007352845 Books

Recommended for: Those who like urban fantasy, gritty worlds, anti-heroes, non-traditional romance

I wrestled with myself when it came to writing this review. Not because I had reservations about how the series makes me feel but because I’m not sure if I can find the words to accurately capture this beautiful, terrible, broken, emotional world and its characters. I’ve never felt this unsure about writing a review before but there is something very special here that I feel is imperative to capture.

I won’t focus on the events that occur since there are plenty of great reviews on here that will provide you with that; I want to talk about the impact and the overall emotional landscape of the Downside Ghosts universe.

This series has sparked some controversy review-wise as it well should. Anything truly ground-breaking always will and Downside Ghosts is absolutely that. The very things that offend some people (drug addiction for example) are what endears it to me. I think that’s part of the point. Our main characters are anti-heroes: deeply flawed, scarred souls that live in the deep grey area. They don’t have the luxury of a black and white world and innocence is something no one can afford to have in Downside.

Chess is a drug addicted churchwitch and Terrible is a drug dealer’s street enforcer but there’s no denying that they have good hearts somewhere under it all. We get glimpses of this through their occasional good deeds, through their choice to hold back when they could go all in, through watching them walk the razor edge of self-destruction but never quite falling over it. And the journey is a beautiful one. To quote an old Tom Cruise movie, without the bitter the sweet just wouldn’t be as sweet.

Make no mistake, these aren’t good people by any traditional definition. They do hurtful things, they lie, Terrible’s scarily violent (and enjoys it), Chess abuses drugs to a downright scary degree, and their impoverished neighborhood is a slum the likes of which you or I wouldn’t walk back out of.

Chess and Terrible both grew up on the streets with no family and no real childhood. They learned early on how ugly the world could be and so they are very slow to trust or form connections. To care for someone is to open yourself to pain and betrayal so they both guard their hearts with their lives. They limit themselves to meaningless encounters and shallow acquaintances with one exception. For Terrible, that exception is Bump, the drug dealer who took him in and gave him a job. For Chess, it’s the Church that recognized her talent for magic and trained her. They both feel as though they’re doing the only things they’re good at, the only things they’re good FOR.

I can only say that if you are not reading this series you’re missing out on something truly magical – something beautiful, terrible, hopeless yet somehow, at times, painfully full of hope.


Tags : City of Ghosts [Stacia Kane] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Unusual book,Stacia Kane,City of Ghosts,HarperCollins Publishers Limited,0007352840

City of Ghosts Stacia Kane 9780007352845 Books Reviews

Chess finds herself on a special case working alongside the Black Squad, the Church version of the police. This isn't just any case either; it's one so dangerous and sensitive that Chess is ordered to undergo a Binding Oath in order to prevent her from speaking of the case with anyone outside of a small circle of investigators. The Binding Oath really throws a wrench in her life, specifically when she is ordered before Bump to explain what she's doing in his territory. Things aren't looking well for Cesaria when she finds herself not only unable to explain anything to Bump, but in terrible, crippling pain when she tries to do so. The penalty of breaking the Oath is death and the City of Eternity. Chess isn't afraid of dying, it's where people go afterwards that scare her.

Not only is Chess dealing with the high-stress of a Black Squad case and working alongside a partner, which she despises, she is still facing the emotionally charged situation with Terrible. She's grown to look forward to having her friend working with her, the only partner she trusts, and she finds herself on the receiving end of why everyone calls him Terrible. His anger was never something she feared before but now that she has betrayed him, he isn't feeling very protective. He doesn't even open her car door in this installment and something so very simple is huge when it concerns Terrible and Chess. Both Chess and Terrible are so very broken because of Chess' actions and at times, I really felt for them. Chess isn't accustomed to personally feeling this much for anyone and the sensation is strange. Her stunted emotional state doesn't stop her from trying to make amends but with Terrible closing the door on every chance she gets, any forward progress or sweet reunion isn't looking so great. This novel personally solidified why I adore not only Chess and Terrible, but Stacia Kane as well for creating them.

Stacia Kane has really created something unique and - pardon the pun - magical with her Downside Ghosts series. From a broken, battered city to an equally broken, battered main character, this series makes me happy despite all of the gloom and doom that it brings in spades. Her characters are unbelievably good, as is the world she created. It's a semi-futuristic world with many, many old-fashioned traditions and rules. The Church Elders dress like Pilgrims, for example, the Church Goodys wear bonnets. And the Church-speak is very archaic, as are most of the punishments meted out for breaking Church law. It's a very complex world Kane created, and it's a world I've grown to love.

I certainly recommend this series to anyone who loves the UF genre. Stacia Kane brings so much to the table with this series and lovers of urban fantasy would sorely be remiss if they decide to pass this one up. But - make sure to start at the first book to experience all of the Chess and Terrible goodness from the beginning as that is one of the best parts.
Recommended for Those who like urban fantasy, gritty worlds, anti-heroes, non-traditional romance

I wrestled with myself when it came to writing this review. Not because I had reservations about how the series makes me feel but because I’m not sure if I can find the words to accurately capture this beautiful, terrible, broken, emotional world and its characters. I’ve never felt this unsure about writing a review before but there is something very special here that I feel is imperative to capture.

I won’t focus on the events that occur since there are plenty of great reviews on here that will provide you with that; I want to talk about the impact and the overall emotional landscape of the Downside Ghosts universe.

This series has sparked some controversy review-wise as it well should. Anything truly ground-breaking always will and Downside Ghosts is absolutely that. The very things that offend some people (drug addiction for example) are what endears it to me. I think that’s part of the point. Our main characters are anti-heroes deeply flawed, scarred souls that live in the deep grey area. They don’t have the luxury of a black and white world and innocence is something no one can afford to have in Downside.

Chess is a drug addicted churchwitch and Terrible is a drug dealer’s street enforcer but there’s no denying that they have good hearts somewhere under it all. We get glimpses of this through their occasional good deeds, through their choice to hold back when they could go all in, through watching them walk the razor edge of self-destruction but never quite falling over it. And the journey is a beautiful one. To quote an old Tom Cruise movie, without the bitter the sweet just wouldn’t be as sweet.

Make no mistake, these aren’t good people by any traditional definition. They do hurtful things, they lie, Terrible’s scarily violent (and enjoys it), Chess abuses drugs to a downright scary degree, and their impoverished neighborhood is a slum the likes of which you or I wouldn’t walk back out of.

Chess and Terrible both grew up on the streets with no family and no real childhood. They learned early on how ugly the world could be and so they are very slow to trust or form connections. To care for someone is to open yourself to pain and betrayal so they both guard their hearts with their lives. They limit themselves to meaningless encounters and shallow acquaintances with one exception. For Terrible, that exception is Bump, the drug dealer who took him in and gave him a job. For Chess, it’s the Church that recognized her talent for magic and trained her. They both feel as though they’re doing the only things they’re good at, the only things they’re good FOR.

I can only say that if you are not reading this series you’re missing out on something truly magical – something beautiful, terrible, hopeless yet somehow, at times, painfully full of hope.