City of Ghosts: Downside Ghosts, Book 3

City of Ghosts, is by far the best book in this series. I have to admit, it took me awhile to "get" the dark and gritty world of magic, that author, Stacia Kane, has invented. You know, like when you read "Shakespeare" sometimes it is hard to understand, until you get into the rhythm of the language.
The same is true for the Chess Putnam series. Ms. Kane has most of her characters speaking in this broken language that is not very articulate. But after the flow of the language came to me, I really did enjoy the story.
Chess, the main character, is very tainted. In fact all of the charaters have huge flaws. But these flaws make them so much more interesting. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes their urban fantasy with a little grit, and alot of action.

First let me just say, I haven’t been this thrilled... For quite a long time.

After listening to the next 2 books in the series, I have reconsidered my take on this novel, and these are my final thoughts.
There’s nothing better than a well written and original- dark Urban Fantasy ride, and Stacia Kane has created just that - even though this is not the best book in the series, it is the introduction to this enthralling world... darkness is all around, it's neither pretty nor easy… but grab you, it will!

This was my first novel by this author, and wow! I’m so glad I listen to the friend that recommended it, the writing is flawless and the setting captivating.
The characters are unconventional, the lingo is original, the plot is fresh, but most important; she has gone outside the box by creating a heroine that will challenge your reasoning and will demand your emotions; disdain, compassion, anger, sympathy and hopefully, understanding.
One thing though, amidst the darkness, drug use and low-lifers, we get a shining star; the most unusual hero, an anti-hero some call him, yet another departure from the norm when it comes to a leading male character, but I assure you! He will inevitably capture your heart.
Besides the terrific character development and the skillful introduction to Chess's world, we get action, suspense, mystery, and in the small glimpses of Chess’ happiness we also get a hot romance (tortured, but steaming)
Once thing is for sure, the world and the characters will stay with you, and you will be downloading the next novel in this incredibly gripping series, before you are even finished with this one.
I highly recommend it to any fan of UF genre that can approach the ride with an open mind, so just buckle up, and let the Author hurdle you into this emotional spin.

NARRATION:
An excellent performance!!! Yes, Bahni Turpin didn’t read these novels, she perfectly executed them.
I knew she sounded it familiar, I just couldn’t place her, and then I remember that she was one of the narrators for the book, Help, that was a terrific performance, and once again she absolutely shines with her rendition of this novel.
She expertly brings Chess to life conveying all the complexity of her character. She performs the dialogue in absolutely natural and convincing way.
I would dare to say, this is a much better book on audio than in print, at least for me. I think that my inner voice for Chess wouldn’t have had the vulnerability the Ms. Turpin layered in her character.
All in all, Bahni Turpin is the perfect narrator for this gritty, emotional and absorbing ride.

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Sensuality: HOT

This series has been a real find and a total surprise. I purchased the first one after reading some amazing reviews but was unsure what to expect. The heroine is a drug addict?? However, Chess is such a vulnerable and complex character that the listener can't help but love her. She is insecure, brave, clever, and full of contradictions. She is a fascinating protagonist and gets more interesting with each installment. Stacia Kane's world is edgy and unique. At times it is genuinely scary and at others it is grim, yet there is still love and hope to be found. Terrible and Lex add to a wonderful cast of rich characters. The other great thing about this series is the magnificent performances by Bahni Turpin. I honestly think the best way to experience these books is to hear her read them. She is superb - probably the best narrator I have heard. The books come to life and the characters are voiced so well its impossible to think of them sounding any other way. If you're a fan of urban fantasy with an edge this series is one of the best. I bought the first one and was so captivated I purchased all the others and had them finished in a week. Then I started again!

BRAVO!!! Kane has done it again. Each book replaces the last as my favorite in the series.

Kane’s cast of misfits is back in City of Ghosts. Chess is still working for the Church as a debunker and yes she still has her drug addiction. Terrible is still the best anti-hero EVER! We even get to see some of Lex and Bump in this installment.

“Most Debunkers spent their money on actual things, rather than just buying anything they could swallow, smoke or snort. Unlike Chess.”

Just when I thought that Unholy Magic was an emotional ride, here comes City of Ghosts to continue ripping my heart out. I feel like I’m on Chess’ pills with all the highs and lows that the two go through.

After the events in Unholy Magic, Terrible wants nothing to do with Chess and she is miserable without him. And I was miserable wondering when he would show up in the book. Once he did my heart was pounding just as much as Chess’.

“She knew what she saw, and that was all that mattered. Knew what was behind those hard dark eyes, and wanted it more than anything.”

I love when an author creates characters that make me feel the way they feel. My heart was breaking for Terrible and Chess. I was crying when she was crying; I was pissed when he was pissed. I’m so totally involved in these characters and their world that I go into withdrawals waiting for the next book.

“You let people into your life and you ended up getting hurt. Or hurting them. Either way, the road to pain was paved with other people, and she wanted no part of it anymore”

I have never had such a love/hate relationship with the heroine of a series as much as I do with Chess. Terrible and Chess are my addiction and Stacia Kane is quickly rising to the top of my Urban Fantasy list as my favorite author in the genre.

Again if you are a fan of dark and gritty Urban Fantasy you MUST read this series. I cannot wait for Sacrificial Magic to be released on audio so I can devour it and then wait impatiently for Chasing Magic.

So far I have fully enjoyed all three of the City of Ghosts books. I can't say enough positive praise about the amazing job that Bahni Turpin does in this series. Her voices make each character unique and come to life. So far over the three books she has not had any trouble keeping her character voices on the mark, which is a problem I have experienced from other narrators in past series.

I do want to warn readers who are more sensitive. The series continues to have plenty of strong language and the main character's drug addiction remains a major part of the story line. One thing that does change in the third book is that Stacia Kane has started to add little bet of intense romance on the edge of porn. There are only two instances that I would say are on the side of pornish, but it does not dominate the story by any means.

I rated this story lower than I did the first two because I did not feel the story was as well put together as the first two and went off on several tangents that in my opinion took away from the story rather than strengthened it. I hope this is not an indication of problems to come with the series as at this time I completely plan to continue listening.

Stacia Kane is a strong writer who weaves strong story lines with original material. Even though this is a series, one never gets the feeling that the author is dragging out the material - she paces her stories nicely.

Even though this is clearly fantasy material. Her characters are real on an emotional level. Her ideas original and interesting.

Narration is highly subjective, but I think Bahni does a superb job bringing the story to life.

The protagonist is someone I am rooting for. She is a highly flawed individual. She clearly is a destructive personality patching her emotional wounds with drugs. I cannot really relate to this and yet I enjoyed listening to the book. It is a bit hard to deal with her bad choices, but she rings true.

This is such an imaginative series. These characters just keep drawing you closer, til your heart weeps at times for their struggles. Chess and Terrible pull at your heartstrings, as you feel what they feel.The story is so unique from any other, that I have read. Our heroine is a drug addict, with a heart of gold. From start to finish, this story keeps you enthralled, to the point of not taking the earbuds off til it's done. It's non stop action, mystery, and an emotional roller coaster. I'm on to the next in the series, but need to take a break, before I start, cause once you start, you'll want to do nothing else, but listen. The narration is one of the best I've heard. She has all the emotion down pat, and the voices couldn't be better. Start with book one, and go from there, cause these stories build from the previous one.

i would definately recommend this series! start with book 1 unholy ghosts. this series is suspensful, dark, action packed unique fun!

there are many memorable parts, really love the complicated relationship that heats up and the battle.

she is a terrific narrator! she really brings the characters to life, the slang flows off her tongue easily and you can always tell the differnece between the characters.

there is a lot of drug use in this series and the main character often has negative self dialouge. there are times where it can bring tears to your eyes but then she pulls herself up and fights, in more ways than one. she is definately changing over the series, i wish i had discovered this series long ago, but am so happy i can listen to one right after the other instead of waiting months for the next one to come out. i am downloading 4 right now! give these books a try!

Bahni Turpin sucks you into the story with her voice, gives the Downside characters a great accent and overall is a great story teller.

The love story in this book actually made me cry at one point. It has been building up from the first two books, the intensity ever increasing. I finished the second book yesterday (I think), and just had to start on this one right away - it was such a cliff hanger at the end and I had to know if she ended up happy - or as happy as Chess could ever be. Also, Chess' selfdestructive actions have made me want to bang her head in a wall quite a few times.

A great series. I love the concept of the ghosts and the Church, and I like the quotes from different Church books at the beginning of each chapter.If you haven't read the first two books in the series, you must do so. Don't miss out on this action-thriller world.

I love that each character sounds like a new actor/voice. Although it is clear that one person is narrating she has done such a superb job of giving each character their own sound, accent and tone it almost seems like it's more than one person.

The continued growth of the characters.

I love her characterization and voice for Terrible.