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)

Wonderful job...one SMALL note.

I enjoyed the story immensely. It's a fascinating character study of someone struggling to deal with the traumas of her past in a way that also keeps her life both complicated and affords her opportunities that seem to help her career, ironically.

I only have one thing that bothered me just a little bit, and only in that it would pull me out of the story at times: why would Beula (and other Chinese characters) have a Cantonese accent? The author didn't mention one, but there it is. I understand that differentiating character voices is a challenge, but assuming an Asian character is an immigrant or foreigner is...something that perhaps the narrator should reconsider in the future. Otherwise, she did a wonderful job, as always.

Amazing

I've been an urban fantasy reader since the genre began. Its now a way overcrowded space with a ton of mediocre work from which to choose. Finding something this well written is a rare thing. This series is some of the best urban fantasy available. This is not sweet paranormal romance. Its a gritty, risky life our main church witch character leads, balancing her contact with gangs, ghosts, guns and drugs. No Mary sue in sight here so if that's your shtick, look elsewhere. This series is the real deal. Our MC is troubled and addicted and has the consciousness of an addict. She is able to function in the changed world and her job, but her hard life has left her without any kind of interpersonal relationship skills whatsoever. But she knows she needs at least some people in her life and hearing her internal thoughts as she slowly and steadily broadens her world is worth the read in itself. Kudos to a highly gifted author who stands out in her field.

I was worried I wasn’t going to like this

The overall storyline was different. Chess frustrated me in almost every chapter! I didn’t see the tail end happening. Makes me anxious for the next book. If you love this series, don’t give up on this book. You’ll be glad you didn’t.

JUST MAGIC!

When you finished a 13+ hrs audiobook in 24 hrs, it can only mean one thing, " impossible to put down"
Bahni Turpin is awesome!! And paired with the amazing writing style of Stacia Kane, it's just absolute magic!
With some heart wrenching moments we get one more mystery solved, all while we get to ride inside the messed up little head of our unconventional, some times irritating, but always entertaining Chess Putnam.
Another terrific entry to this dark, somber yet exciting and always engrossing Urban Fantasy series.

Love this series

Great narration. I like to list this first as it can make or break a story.

Love this story and am so looking forward to the next instalment. Took me awhile so get into the series to start with, because of the street slang and the drug addiction (which I can't relate to), but love the stories now.

I really enjoy it when readers with similar reading interests list their favourite authors and series. It really helps me find new authors too follow. Mine are Charlaine Harris, Jeaniene Frost, Jennifer Estep, Faith Hunter, Molly Harper, Ilona Andrews, Kresley Cole, Deborah Harkness, Nalini Singh, Coreene Callahan, Stacia Kane, Kelly Meding and Sherrilyn Kenyon.

Happy Reading

Fantastic!

I enjoyed reading the downside ghosts series, I appreciated the character development and was appropriately fed up with and frustrated by Chess. The honesty of Stacia’s portrayal of an addict is staggering. The world is fascinating and I always wish there was more.

I primarily work outside, so I listen to audio books most of the day. Bahni Turpin is my new favorite narrator. She is fantastic - I actually liked the audio book better than reading the books (which NEVER happens)! I highly recommend listening to this series.

Great world building!

Sacrificial Magic
Downside Ghosts, Book 4
By: Stacia Kane
Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
I really enjoy this series. The world building is wonderful and the characters are terrific! Ghost hunting like no other books! Always several layers of interest going on at the same time. The only thing that is getting old is the repetitive love angst between Terrible and Chess. It's always for the same thing over and over again! Also the drug use, I am so tired of it. Sure it's one of her flaws but it's becoming a flaw of the story.
The narration is excellent as usual!

Stacia Kane has earned a spot on my auto-buy list!

The fourth installment in Stacia Kane’s Downside Ghosts series felt like a major stepping stone for Chess. Putnam and I didn’t exactly hit it off in the earlier books; I struggled to find the “heroine” in this drug addicted protagonist which has made her journey up to this point all the more impressive. The last novel was my favourite so far but Sacrificial Magic surpassed it in one area; it changed my view of Putnam’s potential for happiness. Chess makes some incredibly difficult decisions in this installment and realizes that the trust issues that exist in her and Terrible’s relationship are hers, not his. I was awed by how much her character grows in this book; now I find myself rooting for her and actually optimistic about the possibility of a happily-ever-after (just not TOO soon as I’d like Kane to write a few more novels first!).

So far, my favourite plot lines in this series have revolved around the tension between the two sides of Downside and in Sacrificial Magic we get exactly that. Chess must investigate a haunting on Slobag’s side of town which in turn leads to an attempt on Putnam’s life and an all-out turf war. Can you believe that this is actually just an average day of the job for this church witch? The result is an emotionally charged, action-packed story that doesn’t quit until the very last page. Kane’s talent for writing intricate investigations with multiple plot threads is out in full force in this installment and I found myself enjoying the detective work almost as much as the scenes with Terrible. Almost.

Bahni Turpin’s performance as the narrator is once again without compare; she switches between characters with ease and her tone is always dead-on. She does a brilliant job of portraying each individual’s emotional state and, handles Chess’ frequent highs and lows with ease. Every time I listen to one of these audiobooks I can’t help but be amazed by Turpin’s proficiency with the unique lingo that this series is renowned for. Her voice has become an integral part of my Downside Ghosts reading experience and has forever replaced the one inside my head.

Tension runs high between Chess and Terrible in the first half of this novel which spawns a rather intense argument between these two lovebirds. I was glued to my earbuds during their showdown; it was just so heartbreaking that I felt like I died a little inside after listening to it. Luckily, their make-up session is equally as powerful which means that I cried not once, but twice during this 14 hour experience. I just hope that Terrible and Chess have reached a point in their relationship where they’re finally going to be more “on” than “off” because I’m beginning to get a little frustrated (and drained) by all of the drama. I NEED for them to be a united front for at least one full installment.

Sacrificial Magic provides readers with some closure while simultaneously adding new questions to the already large unanswered pile. I can’t help but worry about what the future might hold for Chess but one thing is for certain; I will be there to find out! Needless to say, Stacia Kane has earned a spot on my auto-buy list!

Fourth in series....I was Afraid.....

I was honestly and truly afraid to read this book. Not because of the ghosties and gholies, witches and what not, but because of my investment in these characters and their relationships from the first 3 books in this series.

All I can tell you is that this is an absolutely awesome, darkly different sort of series, and some of the best world building and character development in this genre. I bought the first book in this series on sale. Otherwise, I might not have ever given this series a whirl. Even though I do love paranormal romance, I tend toward vampire or shapeshifter (or some authors version of similar beings), but the whole urban fantasy alternate future reality thing is usually not my cup of tea.

Until this series that is. Stacia Kane writes some of the most compelling characters I've ever read. Chess, the heroine in all the novels, is a seriously drug addicted, seriously abused and seriously messed up character. The "anti hero" in the peice is Terrible, a drug lords main goon, with a face and build to match. You find yourself wondering why on earth you think he's sexy, and yet, he is...massively so. The chemistry between he and chess is perfectly presented. There are steady bit players in the background drama that are well developed and essential parts of the "Downside" experience, but it's Chess and Terrible that will keep you coming back for more and more.

Bahni Turpin is one of the most versitile readers on audible, and she is a superstar in this series. Downside has a very specific slang, and since there is no such "language" in existance for her to model it on, she creates her own style for Downside residents that resonates so much with me that I sometimes find myself responding to people in the real world with Turpin's Downside accent.

Book 5 is out. Don't miss this series!!

Urban ghost fighting flawed heroine - unique

What did you love best about Sacrificial Magic?

Chess is still as messed up as ever and yet she starts to care about it. The two street gangs are revealed more and some new good characters are introduced.

What did you like best about this story?

A good character progression and story

Have you listened to any of Bahni Turpin???s other performances before? How does this one compare?

She is one of the best narrators on audible. Her readings bring the characters to life.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.