Sacrificial Magic

Downside Ghosts, Book 4

By: Stacia Kane

Narrated by: Bahni Turpin

Length: 13 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

Reading, writing, and raising the dead.

When Chess Putnam is ordered by an infamous crime boss—who also happens to be her drug dealer—to use her powers as a witch to solve a grisly murder involving dark magic, she knows she must rise to the challenge. Adding to the intensity, her boyfriend, Terrible, doesn’t trust her, and Lex, the son of a rival crime lord, is trying to reignite the old sparks between them.

Plus, there’s the little matter of Chess’ real job as a ghost hunter for the Church of Real Truth. She’s investigating reports of a haunting at a school in the heart of Downside, where someone seems to be taking a crash course in summoning the dead—and if Chess doesn’t watch her back, she may soon be joining their ranks.

As Chess is drawn into a shadowy world of twisted secrets and dark violence, it soon becomes clear that she’s not going to emerge from its depths without making the ultimate sacrifice.

Stacia Kane has been a phone psychic, a customer-service representative, a bartender, and a movie-theater usher, and she thinks that writing is more fun than all of them combined. She wears a lot of black, still makes great cocktails, likes to play music loud in the car, and thinks Die Hard is one of the greatest movies ever made. She believes in dragons and the divine right of kings and is a fervent Ricardian. She lives in Devon, England.

©2012 Stacey Fackler (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Whether [the reader’s heart] is pounding in fear or breaking in sympathy, this book was satisfying on pretty much every level…. This is such an addictive, compelling series.” ( Urban Fantasy Book Reviews)

Good Listen

definitely not what I thought I was going to listen to but surprisingly better. going to look for other books written by this author.

The Best URBAN FANTASY SERIES, without question!

The Downside Ghost Series is for Adults. Why? The main character has a major drug addiction, the men that she is involved with are both gang thugs, and oh yeah, there are a bunch of ghosts just waiting to kill whomever they can get their hands on.
AND all this adds up to make one of the best series I have ever read.
SACRIFICIAL MAGIC, is the fourth book. I think that because I have gotten to know and understand the characters so well, that I found myself crying. Almost feeling the fear and shame that main character and witch, Chess feels everyday. Suddenly her drug addiction makes sense.

I can't stress how the narrator is absolutely perfect for this book. She is not reading the book. She is performing. She has all the characters down pat. All I can say is WOW!
I wish more audiobooks were as good as this one.

This series just keeps getting better and better!!

Sacrificial Magic (SM), the 4th book in Stacia Kane’s Downside Ghosts Series and it’s her best book to date.

Cepts, Nips and Panda’s, OH MY. These are all Chess’s drugs of choice, plus the occasional trip the pipe room. Yes, the series about a drug addicted heroine named Chess Putnman that’s a witch investigator that debunks ghost haunting for the Church. But don’t let the drug addiction turn you off. Chess has had a very hard and abusive childhood being passed around different foster homes where the dads and sometime moms have used her as their form of entertainment. Chess at heart is a survivor with very low self-esteems issues. She uses her pills as a way to escape her feelings and pain of the past.

Even though Chess has finally found love, she still believes that she is unworthy of that love and does everything in her power to mess it up. There is one scene (well more than one) in Sacrificial Magic where I just want to slap the hell out of Chess for being self deconstructive when it comes to her relationship with Terrible. Yes the two still does not have it easy and even though I do get frustrated I like the fact that Kane doesn’t turn Chess and Terrible into the old married couple after they FINALLY get together. They both live hard lives and even though they have found love with each other, they have to work at their relationship.
And speaking of being frustrated; SM is a big freaking sexual tease through half of the book! There a few scenes where you thought you were going to get to see Terrible and Chess go at just to have something stop their fun.

Chess finds herself smiling a lot in SM and wondering what that is all about. Could this be what normal people do? Oh and we learn a little something personal about Terrible; he likes his dames o-natural. So no more waxing for Chess. When I read that line in the book I had a huge smile on my face. There was little more humor in SM and it was nice to see.

Chess gets a case from the Church that has been dropped by another debunker at a school on the other side of town where she has to cross the drug dealer’s line finding herself in her ex’s territory. This doesn’t help things with her and Terrible’s relationship. But she has no choice but to work the case. She uses her ties to Lex (her ex) to help figure out what’s going on at the school with the haunting.

Sacrificial Magic is a must read and is my current favorite book for this year and I say with total confidence that the only book that will probably top it will be the next book in the Downside series, Chasing Magic.
Fans of dark and gritty UF with damaged heroine and unusual heroes will fall in love with this series.

Oh My Gosh, there is nothing Better!

This is one of the best series i have EVER listened too. Bahni Turpin is such an incredible narrator, she makes the story come alive. Every voice she does is distinct, no confusion ever about who is speaking.
Stacia Kane is a master story teller. Her world weaving in this series is incredibly detailed and her characters lovable. I think at some point in every book in this series i have been brought to tears.

Stacia Kane Does it again!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes! I love this series. It is real emotions and real struggles!

Who was your favorite character and why?

I love Terrible!

What about Bahni Turpin???s performance did you like?

She does an super great job!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When they broke up!

I feel this character to the core of my soul

This is the the best series I have ever had the pleasure of hearing. The emotional tug of war that she experiences is expressed so perfectly. As a recovering addict I recommend these books to anyone who has endured trauma and addiction. It works through all the s$*/ but is still entertaining and enjoyable!

Mystery Addiction and More

It is another interesting read of characters with major personality flaws. Chess works with her flaws to over come the murderer's twists and turns and solve the mustery. She works her way through her doubts, past, and addition to use her powers to banish ghosts and solve a murder.

Love completely

I literally wish this series would never end. Terrible is my absolute favorite and wish I could marry him.

Fast paced. Mysterious. Loved it.

If you love suspense, this is the book and series for you. Suspenseful and surprises around every corner. Loved it.

Really Conflicted About Chess

Maybe it's because I've been binging this series but I'm so sick of Chess' constant inner monologue of what a piece of trash she is, she wishes she were gone (dead), etc. Okay, she's trash, shut up about it and further the story! Between that and the constant thinking about her pills, being out of it because of her being high or wanting to be high, and...... Yeah, I get it, she had a painful past and that is how she copes but I read for entertainment and her annoying, life-encompassing addiction and self-loathing aren't entertaining; they have become so much of the story that they can't be overlooked and are seriously detracting from my enjoyment of the story. Yes, we get it, an addict's (or "junkie slut", as she calls herself) life sucks. No one wants to wallow in it ad nauseum and with this book I have officially reached that point.

My conflict comes because the writing is pretty good. No, I no longer care what happens to Chess--hey, if she doesn't care about herself, why should I waste my time caring either?--but the author has only 1 other book on audible; fortunately she does have other books elsewhere about other characters than Chess so I'm looking forward to checking them out.