Unholy Ghosts

By Stacia Kane

THE DEPARTED HAVE ARRIVED.
 
The world is not the way it was. The dead have risen, and the living are under attack. The powerful Church of Real Truth, in charge since the government fell, has sworn to reimburse citizens being harassed by the deceased. Enter Chess Putnam, a fully tattooed witch and freewheeling ghost hunter. She’s got a real talent for banishing the wicked dead. But Chess is keeping a dark secret: She owes a lot of money to a murderous drug lord named Bump, who wants immediate payback in the form of a dangerous job that involves black magic, human sacrifice, a nefarious demonic creature, and enough wicked energy to wipe out a city of souls. Toss in lust for a rival gang leader and a dangerous attraction to Bump’s ruthless enforcer, and Chess begins to wonder if the rush is really worth it. Hell, yeah.

BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Stacia Kane's Unholy Magic.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: May 25, 2010
• ISBN: 9780345516701

Stacia Kane

Stacia Kane is the author of the gritty dystopian urban fantasy Downside series starring Chess Putnam and featuring ghosts, human sacrifice, drugs, witchcraft, punk rock, and a badass '69 Chevelle. She bleaches her hair and wears a lot of black.

Reviews for Unholy Ghosts

[devilwrites · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The premise: ganked from author's website: THE AFTERLIFE IS ONLY THE BEGINNING.The world is not the way it was. The dead have risen and constantly attack the living. The powerful Church of Real Truth, in charge since the government fell, has sworn to reimburse citizens being harassed by the deceased. Consequently, there are many false claims of hauntings from those hoping to profit. Enter Chess Putnam, a fully-tattooed witch and freewheeling Debunker and ghost hunter. She’s got a real talent for nailing the human liars or banishing the wicked dead. But she’s keeping a dark secret from the Church: a little drug problem that’s landed her in hot and dangerous water.Chess owes a murderous drug lord named Bump a lot of money. And Bump wants immediate payback. All Chess has to do is dispatch a very nasty species of undead from an old airport. But the job involves black magic, human sacrifice, a nefarious demonic creature, and crossing swords with enough wicked energy to wipe out a city of souls. Toss in lust with a rival gang leader and a dangerous attraction to Bump’s ruthless enforcer, and Chess begins to wonder if the rush is really worth it. Hell, yeah.My Rating: 5 - It's a GambleThere's no doubt that Chess is a unique urban fantasy heroine, but the trouble is that she's so unique she may rub the reader the wrong way. Her drug addiction is certainly the biggest hit or miss aspect to her character. I can't say it bugged me, but I wasn't in love with it either. There's stuff to like in this book, and certainly, I can't say the book isn't unique. But it didn't grab me like I hoped it would, and I've read other authors who I feel do a better job with dark, gritty urban fantasy in the third person. I'm debating the second book, because there are things I liked about this one (I had to, in order to keep reading), and lately, my track record has revealed that sometimes I may not like the series debut, but end up falling in love with said series in the second or third book. So it's possible I'll give this series another shot, if only for Terrible, who's a ridiculously great character. Still though, this is one of those books that you really won't know if you'll like it until you read it, so remember that when picking this one up.Spoilers, yay or nay?: Nay. I'll talk about the struggle I had deciding whether or not to keep reading the book, and what the book does have to offer, despite that struggle. The full review may be found at my blog, and as always, comments and discussion are most welcome. :)REVIEW: Stacia Kane's UNHOLY GHOSTSHappy Reading!

[rabidreads · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Reviewed by: Rabid ReadsStepping into Stacia Kane’s Downside world was like walking into an alternate universe where the Church reigns supreme, ghosts have wiped out two thirds of the population and the residents speak a language that’s entirely their own. The magical rules are numerous and complex, the world-building is extremely heavy and the influx of new terminology is beyond confounding. To sum it up in one word I felt lost. Thank goodness for my GoodReads support group because otherwise I don’t think I would have been able to make it through this audiobook in its entirety. Then again, I felt similarly when I first started reading Karen Marie Moning’s Fever novels which now rank among my favourite Urban Fantasy series’ of all time so understandably, I’m going to stick this one out a bit longer. At least until I discover what all of the fuss over Terrible is about!I really struggled to connect with the main heroine, Chess. Her drug addiction frustrated me to no end; although I can understand the whys behind it, I still had a difficult time comprehending her need to dull her senses, especially given how dangerous Downside really is. You’d think she’d want to have her wits about her in case a murderous ghost decides to cross her path. Chess is a debunker for the Church of Real Truth which means that she’s supposedly one of their most highly trained employees. I found this hard to believe considering she does her job high on most days. A large portion of the mistakes she makes and her delayed light bulb moments during an investigation are caused by her drug use. There were times when I just wanted to yell “if you’d stop doing lines for one freaking minute you might be able figure this sh*t out!” I liked that she’s a flawed heroine but I also would have liked to see her sober for at least one chapter.The world-building and terminology are definitely going to take some getting used to. I can’t help but wonder if I’m being penalized once again for choosing to listen to this book over reading it because I’m thinking that the physical copy probably comes with a glossary. On the flip side, I think listening to the audiobook does have a few advantages, namely being able to better grasp the Downside lingo. I like that Kane invented her own language for this series; it helps to set it apart from the crowd. I’m not going to comment too much on Bahni Turpin’s narration in this review because I was more focused on grasping the world than on her overall performance so I’ll save my feedback on that for my second kick at the can when I check out Unholy Magic.After feeling immense pressure from my fellow reviewers to LOVE this book I can’t help but be a little disappointed that I wasn’t immediately swept off my feet by Stacia Kane’s first Downside installment. The plot’s entertaining, the dialogue’s memorable and the world-building left me in awe but the drug addicted protagonist was difficult to swallow (pun intended). Heroine and druggie do not belong in the same sentence in my opinion. Here’s hoping that my second trip into Downside will be better than my first.

[montzaleew · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Unholy GhostsDownside Ghosts, Book 1By: Stacia KaneNarrated by: Bahni TurpinThis is an amazing book! A strange future where the government has collapsed, ghosts have risen, the Church of Real Truth is a church that preaches that there's no gods! Our gal of the story works for them. She is a witch. That makes her feared by most. Her many tattoos give her away. She has a secret too, she's a drug addict. The church doesn't know.She is wanted by both drug lords, she owes one a lot of money. She hears of a blood sacrifice, human, it will bring about more than she can handle. She has to try to stop it. She has one of the tough drug Lord's enforcer with her to keep an eye on her.This book is fast paced, gritty, vivid details, it's unpredictable, wild, characters are tough and hardened, and the world building is superb.The narration is excellent! Just right for this book!

[pnrlist · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Chess is one damaged heroine!!! I really liked this despite what I suspect to be an emerging love triangle - I hate those.

[sensitivemuse · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

***Possible spoilers you’ve been warned***I really enjoyed the world building in this book and wished there was a little more explanation about it. You do get snippets here and there on what happened with the world and why the Church came on top and in charge of the city. The setting is wonderful though. It’s dark, it’s gritty, it’s survival. It’s what you might see from a cyberpunk novel without the futuristic theme. The plot itself is interesting thanks to the setting. It’s a nice blend of old and new. I say old because of the way the characters talk. It’s meant to be a form of street slang, but it also sounds a mixture of old english and modern. It’s interesting and fun to read (if you have a crush on Lex you’d like it). There is an element of mystery and I like the magic used. It’s a nice blend of using tattoos and actual spell components. Chess is likable as a character. She’s hard working and is good at what she does, despite her faults and vices. The vices do play a big part on her behavior and takes a hold of her life. She still manages to soldier through her tasks and proves to be a fighter. There is an aspect of a love triangle in the book although I’m not sure if it could be called that. I don’t see Terrible as a love interest at all, I see him more as a loyal friend and the muscle of the duo. Lex on the other hand - so swoon worthy if you’re into the bad boys. He’s self serving and most likely not a good thing for Chess but they both got this spark. Maybe it’s because of their backgrounds and they’re similar but they get along so well and Lex has this subtle charm about him (let’s not even compare him to Doyle)This is a must read for urban fantasy fans. It’s got a bit of everything and Chess is such a great character to follow through the journey. Will definitely go onto the second book of the series.

[spacegirl3000 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I flat out didn't like it. Mostly because of the language. All except the heroine speak some kind of a broken English which I find distasteful.

[joybee_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked it. The heroine, Chess, is flawed but likeable and I want to read more about her. The "romance" isn't romantic it's just sex (I liked that though because it's a bit more realistic and fit with Chess's character). However, there could be a setup for a future love interest. The plot is action packed, horrific, and interesting with some pretty gruesome details (like worms pouring out of an open wound). I'll continue with the series.

[mskeens_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I thouroughly enjoyed this book. Very action packed, keeps the story moving right along, with many plot lines that can still be followed up on. Vividly portrayed characters and enticing story line. I will be back for more of this series. I even enjoyed the names of the characters which were definately not typical names you would expect. Great read.

[tina1969_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Chess Putman is a witch. She works for the Church of Truth as a debunker. Chess however is a drug addict and owes moneyto Bump a dealer and hes come to collect.My sister recommend this book to me so I borrowed it from the library. I couldn't get into it took it backm then ended up with a copy from my sister as a Christmas present. So ive tried it again.Second time around and I persevered with it. I enjoyed it a little more than what I thought I would. I quite liked Chess, shes a likeable enough character. Along with her motley crew of fellow characters the story plodded on. I did feel the whys and why not was a bit feeble and this let the story down. What I didn't like was some of the characters names. Theres a big drug lord snd hes called Bump and his henchman is called Terrible. Felt like they were out of the Mr Men books.I plodded with this book but felt there wasnt enough in it for me to rush out and get the next books in the set.

[wealhtheowwylfing · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Chess is a Debunker, a witch trained to detect and dismiss ghosts. When her drug dealer threatens to cut her off if she doesn't purify a local unused airport for him, she gets embroiled in a dangerous chain of events.

And I don't caaaaaaaaaaare because Chess is just a total trainwreck. Every single time she makes a decision, she makes the worst choice possible. She gets into debt with every criminal character she meets, does drugs instead of sleeping, avoids getting medical treatment for no apparent reason, doesn't share information even when it would gain her allies and not harm her...She's supposedly super noir and gritty and cynical, but then she does naive crap like let a random kid (who she knows is a thief, knows is under the control of a gangleader, and has only met once for about ten seconds) stay in her apartment. I think if I'd ever gotten the idea that Chess was smart, or could see what a mess she was making, I might have finished this book. As it was I gave up halfway through, unable to read another chapter of her making yet another series of insanely stupid and terrible decisions.

[rosetyper9 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have to admit, I started to read this book months ago and gave up on it. Well, I heard from a friend that the characters in this book are one of her favorite book couples. So...I decided to give it another shot.

The beginning bogs me down, I didn't feel the hook into the story but...after I pushed through it and got to maybe the middle I started to really get into it...and it definitely worked for me. I am always pro-anti-hero/heroine. I loved how Stacia Kane took a wounded woman and made her strong, confident, and flawed, just like a normal human.

I loved this book once I got into it and I will DEFINITELY continue this series.

[lyrrael · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I dunno. I've gotten kind of overdone with urban fantasy recently, to the point where I end up listening to it in the car because it's got funny moments and it's easy to tune out to, and the plot's basically the same the genre over. Gritty, broke detective-type chases supernatural thingamabobber-that's-doing-bad-stuff all over creation until in the end she defeats it by the skin of her teeth.

However. I ended up being really impressed with this book. The world building was unique -- the idea of the Church and the ghosts made me yearn for more explanation of the history and the functionality of the system. And our heroine was almost an anti-heroine; the things she does are certainly not for her own good, nor for most anyone else's, and she's the very picture of ambivalent corruption.

I also listened to this as an audio book, and I really do need to mention the linguistics. I really enjoyed the slang. I don't normally enjoy slang in books because it takes away from my understanding and makes me think about what's being said as a function of understanding rather than enjoyment. I'm not sure I would have enjoyed the slang if I had read this rather than listened to it. But as it stood, the slang absolutely added to the atmosphere of the book, which is rare indeed. Kudos.

[gilroy_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'll admit to the fact that I picked this book from the library shelves because I saw a name of an author on a writing forum I frequent. I won't prattle on about how great things are etc. I'll be honest. Interesting premise, unique characters -- though the accents the reader used for the characters grated a little.I think the druggie witch is getting a bit overdone of late. This book was written in 2010, so it came across better than most out there, but it still seemed a bit on the edge of my acceptable range. Her pimp/drug dealer created an interesting conflict with her regular profession. I suspected the culprit but he doesn't show up enough in the book to really make someone look at him as the true antagonist. Too much focus was placed on the pimp/drug dealer, his enforcer, and his rival's enforcer, that the culprit doesn't get enough stage time. The author did great with placing some red herrings, Though I don't know if you should be placing such an obvious one in chapter 31 of a 34 chapter book. (I'll admit, I suspected her bosses from the beginning.)It has a unique ending, though many times the main character seemed almost dense even for a coke head. As I listened, I was often surprised the character didn't connect more dots more quickly. All that said, I'm willing to try the next book, just to see...

[cynical_ames · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I'm giving up on this one. I wasn't offended by it as others have been, I just found it uninteresting and was struggling to read every page with enough concentration to take in the information.

Chess isn't a very sympathetic character as she's rather selfish and unconvincing as a survivor of an abusive childhood. She's a functional addict but the drugs cause her to make mistakes in what can be a very dangerous job. Her troubles are of her own making as others exploit her weakness for pills in order to satisfy their own needs. She's bothered by none of this. Me thinks she has a death wish. It all felt very blah, very monotone. More of the same. It seemed there wasn't anything to look forward to. 102/346 pages read.

[msralways · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Really good start for this series that everyone keeps telling me how awesome it is. Not your usual type of heroine or plot or anything, which makes this a unique piece for sure. Recommend it!

[a.happy.booker · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow, this was even better than what I was expecting. Chess works for the Church of Truth as a debunker, which means she investigates peoples claims of hauntings and either exorcises the ghost or proves it to be a false claim.
Chess' character is very interesting, she uses drugs to block out the memories of a very traumatizing childhood as well as some of the horrors she has to face from her job each day. I thought she was very realistic in the way she had a hard time trusting people, isolated herself, stayed away from meaningful relationships, and found it hard to make friends. Even her drug use makes sense considering her background, I hope through the rest of the series, I get to see her grow even more and overcome that addiction.
The Church of Truth was fascinating too and we get to find out how exactly this church came to be, and as the story progresses, we learn some of the rules and expectations for this society under the rule of this Church.
I loved all of the characters in this story, so many of them stand out to me. Of course Terrible, the drug dealer Bump's hired thug, who is a mixture of scary, damaged, and endearing.
Bump himself who I mentally picture as a 60's pimp with permed hair, big hat, and fur coat. Bump is selfish, overconfident, and demanding, but apparently has a soft side as well. The downside street slang is great on the audio.
I can't wait to finish the rest of this series, I hope it continues with the same fast paced action as well as telling us more about some of the characters that we didn't get a lot of back story on.

1/21/2012 Updated to add that Unholy Ghosts is available at Amazon for Kindle for just 99 cents!!! This, and the other 2 books in this series, were my absolute favorite reads of 2010 and probably my favorite urban fantasy reads ever. I definitely recommend you grab it if you haven't read it yet!

[sharrow_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Gritty world building and an unlikely heroine, Unholy Ghosts was a breath of fresh air. Chess struggles with drug addiction and endures what seems like a hellish existence in a gray world where ghosts are real and held back only by the Church of Real Truth. She was hard to warm up to at first, but the more I read the more substantial and layered she became. And Terrible is everything I look for in a hero, big, burly, short on words and a little battle scared. Give yourself a 100 or so pages to get into this one, it's worth it.

[mlsimmons-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really liked this book. I was unsure about whether or not I was going to read it. I liked Stacia Kane's previous series (Personal Demons, etc.), but I did not think I would like a book about ghosts. I then read a few of the reviews from people who had ARC, and I decided to listen to them. I am really glad I read this book. It is really different from anything I have read in the past. I have already pre-ordered Unholy Magic and City of Ghosts. I am glad they are coming out pretty quick. I can't wait to get them.

[sunnysd_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The world as we know it ended when the ghosts came back and started killing people. The new Church keeps people safe from the ghosts, and Casaria Putnam, Chess to her friends, is a churchwitch - one of the magic wielding Debunkers that takes ghost-reports and gets to the bottom of things. But hauntings aren't the only things Chess takes. She's an addict, although the Church would kick her out if the Elders found out. And her dealer has a job for her....Chess and her world is my new favorite addiction.

[aahickman · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It took me a awhile to get into this book. I had trouble w/the slang and I wasn't sure I liked the characters or the story. But after awhile I got into the flow of the way they speak and really started enjoying the storyline. Plus these characters have real flaws, real issues and that makes me want to know what happens to them all the more. So many characters in books seem to have the same problems for the same reasons but these people are living in a hard time and had/have difficult things to deal with. Although I have been lucky enough to not have to deal with any of the things they have to deal with (because honestly ghosts are not their biggest problems) I feel like I can relate to them, they are not perfect, they are not gorgeous, they are every day people living life to the best of their ability. To be honest, and this is my own thing, the only thing that bothers me is the smoking, I can deal with the drug use but the smoking makes me a little nuts. At any rate this was a great book and I will be reading the rest of the series.

[mlh2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Chess Putnam is a pill popping Debunker that works for the Church of Truth - she determines if a given haunting is real or false and then if it is real, she banishes it to its final resting place. If not, she reports them and the church deals with it. The Church is the only Truth - there is no God, but there are ghosts and we do have souls. They are in charge of keeping them in their place and returning them if they escape. I have no idea how Chess takes so many drugs and keeps functioning - most of the time very well. Apparently, much of the population are drug users. I think it's because their minds have nothing to believe in anymore. They Gods have been proven false and they have no faith any longer. They need to fill their 'purpose' here on earth with something - drugs. Anyway, Chess is essentially forced by her drug dealer (Bump) to determine if his future business venture is truly haunted (and if so, she's to rid the it of the ghosts) or if it is fake. It's either that, or her debt to him has just quadrupled. She accidentally finds herself in the middle of a power struggle between the Lamaru (I think that's what it was) and the Church. Her life is at stake as well as the lives of all those in the Church and in the city. If she can't figure out what is causing all of the dead to be unsettled and fix it, things will go very, very bad. Along the way, she finds herself drawn to two of the most unlikely of people - Terrible (Bump's right hand man) and Lex - a rival drug dealer who doesn't want her to rid Bump's business venture of the ghosts. It took a while for Terrible to grow on me - I still don't get all hot and bothered by him like some other readers do, but I do have a new respect for him. I am absolutely looking forward to the next book in this series - in fact I have it right here and am going to start reading as soon as this review is over. Update: Okay, now I can honestly say that I get all hot and bothered by Terrible (I've read the rest of the books in the series so far now:)).

[crazybatcow · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I can't decide how much I actually liked this story... at some points I wanted to (and did) put it down for a couple days at a time, then I'd pick it up again and carry on. I think I liked the second half more than the first, maybe because it took that long to get familiar enough with Chess that I would care what happened to her.The story is a bit convoluted, but I don't think (as others have mentioned) there was more than one storyline - it's all about Chess trying to solve a mystery/problem. Sure, at the outset the threads might appear to be unconnected, but at the end they all fit together. I don't know what the point of Chess being a drug addict is, however. This aspect is constant throughout the story, but I'm not sure what this added to the story... her addiction didn't really drive her to do anything specific, other than - maybe - being the motivation for taking on the "case" in the first place, but I think there would have been other ways to do this without the addiction part.And I'm not sure the addiction component was accurately done. If Chess really was as addicted as we're lead to believe, there is no way she could also be as functional as she is... either you're a hardcore addict (as she is portrayed) and your life revolves around drugs, or you're not and you can still work and function in the world... I don't believe you can do both... that's why drugs are so devastating. And I'm not sure I liked the "drugs are okay" tone in the story, especially in light of how, apparently, speed , painkillers and downers won't impair someone's abilities and judgement.Oh well... it's not as if I'd prefer a moralizing story about drug use, so... whatever.... it just seemed like an odd twist for the author to have chosen. I suppose it was to make Chess stand out from all the other urban fantasy heroines ... in this task, it was successful.Will I read more in the series? I really don't know... I kinda liked the storyline, but found the pidgeon language very annoying, and Chess' addiction annoying, and the fact that she is the only 'real' character in the story (the rest are just there for her to interact with, and they can't really be distinguished from one another) a bit disappointing.

[maybedog · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What can I say about this book that I didn't go into at length in my review of the second book in the series? It introduced me to one of my favorite series and favorite authors ever. It introduced one of my favorite male love interests ever. It started a series that is unique and addictive, gutwrenching and heart healing. This is one of my favorite series ever.

This book isn't as good as the rest simply because it introduces the world of Downside Ghosts, part of which I don't think is very believable. I love Downside and believe in everything involving that part of this world, but the aftermath of the event that triggered this new world order just doesn't fit with my religion and cultural studies education. I had to suspend my disbelief on that one. But once I did so, I was hooked like my arm to my body, which is a mixed metaphor, but if I can suspend my disbelief on part of the world building, you can do so about my poor comparisons. I hope.

But the characters are all there, the street talk, the innerurban (intraurban?) scenes, and the drug use. It is not gratuitous, it is an integral part of Chess's character. Nor does the book glorify said using; while there may not be any profound revelations here/yet, it is obvious that the abuse is interfering in her daily existence and putting her world and her life in danger. Kane does an excellent job of showing this without telling.

I was hesitant to start this series because of the comments here about the drug use (the glorifying of which upsets me greatly) but I am so glad I opened the book and started reading. I highly recommend this book.

[iamchrysanthemum · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

While I was reading Unholy Ghosts, I was totally into it, completely invested in the tortuous plot, the somewhat frightening Urban Fantasy beasties, and the fates of our tortured protagonists, the wonderfully original and nuanced Chess and Terrible. But whenever I set Unholy Ghosts down, even if only for a minute to grab a snack, I always found a reason not to pick it up again.

I think this reluctance is partly the fault of my current reading mood—I find myself wanting quieter, more pensive books and quiet and pensive Unholy Ghosts is not; action-packed and fast-paced is more appropriate. The other reason for my incomplete enjoyment is the convoluted plot. It was occasionally difficult to follow what was going on, which I blame on three things.

1. ridiculous chapter breaks: I never really thought about it before, but what are the rules an author should abide by when deciding on chapter breaks? I like the occasional cliffhangery chapter break, but overall, I use chapter breaks as ideal places to stop when putting a book down for a while. So if the chapters frequently end in the middle of pivotal action sequences or important discussions about unresolved mysteries, I become lost in the story. This confusion is exacerbated when picking up the book after a longer break, since I can’t recall what was going on if the issue was unsettled when I put it down. Essentially, the human mind likes to compartmentalize, and constantly open-ended chapters do not help with this.

2. largely unexplained mythology: so the gist of Unholy Ghosts is the ghosts have escaped and the Church (not affiliated with any sort of religion practiced currently) controls the ghosts in exchange for absolute power. Each chapter bears a fake epigraph from Church propaganda, which allowed a bit of insight into this world (which seems a bit dystopic to be honest—you get phrases like “the Church, only the Church, knows Truth.” I’m hoping that perhaps the consequences of having an almighty institution susceptible to corruption are explored in the sequels). But the secrets to debunking ghosts, performing curses, and sequestering spirits to an underground City are mostly unexplained, and as someone rather uninitiated to the Urban Fantasy genre, I didn’t understand much. As a result, I couldn’t figure out the main mystery alongside Chess because I didn’t have all the necessary information to even speculate as to what was going on.

3. too many plot lines: I think there is just a bit too much thrown in here. Basically, there are three major plots and several minor plots that should ideally converge at the climax, but this plethora of storylines was hard to follow. So much was packed in to the novel that there was a bit too much action; I never had a chance to relax and contemplate what key events had just unrolled and what would happen next.

The best thing about Unholy Ghosts is the characters. Although the action is most important, characterization is held in equal esteem to plot. Consequently, we have excellent characters who avoid becoming stereotypes. Terrible, the hulking henchman, could’ve just been a block of masculine muscle, but in actuality, he is intelligent and gentle. Chess, a drug addicted orphan, is remarkably empowered and driven. The relationship between these two is realistically and lovingly written. I enjoyed watching it unfold, and along with the complications introduced by the omnipotent Church, I expect it to be a highlight of the sequels.

[mlleehreen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I avoided this series for a while, despite all the raving reviews, because the protagonist is a drug addict. I knew, also from the raving reviews, that Stacia Kane doesn't half-ass this plot choice: Chess' drug addiction is one of her defining features as a character and it is a crucial element in many, many plot points. I figured (and I was right) that a good author who does a good job with a drug addiction plotline will write really dark books. Maybe too dark for my tastes.

I finally decided to give the book a try & I have to admit that for the first half of UNHOLY GHOSTS I wasn't sure whether or not I was enjoying myself. Because, yes, excellent, believable characters, excellent worldbuilding, excellent atmosphere, exciting plotting...but I was drowning in Chess' fear and anxiety, wincing every time she popped a pill. A couple of times I had to put my kindle down and sort of walk around in a circle to shake off the dread I'd feel while reading, and then I'd snatch the book back up and keep going because I *needed* to know what happened next.

I read all three currently available books in the series (Unholy Ghosts (Downside Ghosts, Book 1), Unholy Magic (Downside Ghosts, Book 2), and City of Ghosts (Downside Ghosts, Book 3)) back to back, and I'm just going to post one review for all three. I'm sticking it here, with the first in the series, in case there's anyone else like me out there who's been a little bit wary about picking up this series. Let me tell you: it is worth it. So very, very worth it. Like I said, for the first half of the first book I was ambivalent; and then, somewhere around there, I stopped looking back. I fell in love.

Yes, Chess is an addict, and I sincerely hope that she kicks her habit at some point - it doesn't get any easier to read about her pill popping as the series goes on. The opposite, if anything. But she is one awesome heroine, smart, brave, humble, fragile, prickly and flawed but deep down she's got a heart of gold. And somehow or other Terrible has become my new favorite urban fantasy love interest. He's a drug dealer's enforcer, unabashedly violent, built like a mack truck, with a heart as soft as oatmeal. Doesn't sound realistic? Well then double the kudos to Stacia Kane, who makes him so very real.

Everything about this series is just fantastic. Every book is jam-packed with heart-in-the-throat moments, action, suspense, creepy atmosphere, romance. I read a LOT of urban fantasy and there are only a handful of other series that have grabbed me like this one - Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels series, Karen Marie Moning's FEVER series. I can't wait for the next book to come out.

[zabetreading · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Boring storyline, irritating, drug addicted main character and speech patterns that were enough to drive you mad.

[fireweaver_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

the urban fantasy shelves at the bookstore are pretty full lately, and separating out something unique from the piles of same-ol can be pretty tricky.

this is most definitely not the same-ol stuff.

the world as we knew it is dead and gone. after a group of people who'd been studying magic were the only ones able to save the population of earth from a mass uprising of murderous ghosts, that group became the church of truth and supplanted all the world's religions. Chess grew up in a world protected by this new church, doesn't remember the way things were "before truth", and now works as a church witch banishing stray ghosts. she's in with her drug dealer by a whole lot of debt, so she really can't refuse when he asks her to take care of a haunting at one of his business sites rather out of her usual jurisdiction.

wait, drug dealer? yes, Chess is a bombed-out junkie, carrying a pharmacy in a plastic baggie in her work bag. like most junkies, she's jonesing frequently, she's secretive about her habits, and she doesn't apologize to everyone about being f'ed up. it's easy to create a villain or a slimy side-character with this dossier, but the deft way Kane handles the writing makes this an engaging, likable, sympathetic character. she's nicely talented and tough as nails, but deeply flawed and imperfect. you believe that bad things could happen to her, and fervently hope she escapes them.

very well done, and well worth checking out the sequel.

[thedivineoomba · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A lovely, dark tale in the entry of Urban Fantasy. In this book, we find a world where the dead have escaped from heaven and killed off 9/10ths of the population. Luckily, the Church comes to the rescue, but the price of being saved is to denounce your religion (because God Doesn't exist) and practice there own Non-God Version of belief.This is the world where Chess lives, an orphan educated by the Church because of her talents, but not before street life left its mark as a nasty drug habit. Chess is a debunker, where she either finds a real ghost haunting, or more often, a person faking a ghost for the church payout. When her current case starts showing ties to her dealer's ghost problem, she gets way in over head, juggling between her drug needs, her drug dealers blackmail, and the church.Things I liked about this book: Chess is a real person. She has a back story that makes sense, and her voice sounds real. The supporting characters have more character development than most and also feel real. Where the story falters a bit is the history of the church. Something feels very off with it. I'm not sure if this will be explored in future stories. Its a mystery, and a mystery that makes me question the whole world. Even with the world issue, I really enjoyed Chess. She has a reason to be all dark and angsty, but the author manages to stay on the line of interesting, but flawed character vs whiney "woe is me". Highly recommended.

[rivkat_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Chess is a Churchwitch (a disposer of ghosts and a Debunker of pretend hauntings; since the Church pays well for victims of hauntings, there’s always an incentive to cheat) and a drug addict. These two things don’t play well together, especially as her day job intersects with her illicit activities when her dealer demands that she disperse pesky ghosts without bringing the Church into it. I really liked Chess and her romantic triangle with two legitimately unsuitable/dangerous men; they both seemed like bad decisions, and I found that refreshing. I am intrigued by the Church (ghosts rose in 1997 and the Church, not a Christian one, was the only one that could help) and by Chess’s serious devotion to it. I’m not so sure about the cartoon bad guys, but I will definitely be reading further anyway.

[krau0098 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the first book in Kane’s Downside Ghosts series. The fifth book in this series, Chasing Magic, comes out the end of June 2012. This was a gritty urban fantasy and a creative idea featuring some very flawed characters. I enjoyed it for its creativity. I listened to this on audiobook.The audiobook was decently done. I wasn’t crazy about the narrator; her voice bothered me a little. The narrator did distinguish between characters fairly well; although a few of the male characters sounded very similar and were hard to tell apart. I wouldn’t strongly recommend listening to this on audiobook, but it was okay.Chess is a Church witch in a world where the Church of Real Truth runs everything. Some time ago the ghosts rose up and murdered two-thirds of humanity. The third that is left is beholden to the Church of Real Truth for keeping the viscous spirits locked up. Chess is a debunker for the Church and checks out hauntings to see whether they are real or not. Chess has a secret though; she is also a drug addict heavily in debt to a dealer named Bump. Bump forces her to check out a haunting at an airport for him in order to clear her debt. Little does Chess know that Bump’s job for her will collide with some other dark happenings that involve the Church.The concept behind this world is intriguing. It is an urban fantasy with a post-apocalyptic feel to it. Two thirds of the population was murdered by ghosts during Haunted Week. Now the rest of society ekes out what living it can while supporting the Church of Real Truth. The Church of Real Truth keeps ghosts trapped in the City of Eternal Life and grants large rewards to anyone who has a haunting (since it means the Church failed in its duty to contain ghosts).Pretty interesting world but also very dark. It follows that the characters are incredibly dark as well. The story also has a number of parts that make you think “Yuck!” Kane doesn’t pull her punches on gory descriptions.Chess is an interesting character. She is a drug addict so a big portion of her life is driven by her need to feed her habit. This gets her into some trouble and sucks her money. Interestingly enough though she functions okay for her job and manages to hide her addiction from her co-workers. What also makes her interesting is her dedication to do what needs to be done. At one point she has to choose between a day of oblivion sucking on the pipes and hunting down some info; she chooses to do her job despite her yearnings. She also occasionally uses drugs to aid her in her work; speed to keep her awake during a curse that makes her want to sleep...stuff like that. So she functions remarkably well considering.Chess has a very dark background; she bounced through foster homes, many of which she suffered numerous kinds of abuse as a child at. This is occasionally discussed but never in great detail. I just wanted to mention it because it is one more level of darkness added to the story.The characters surrounding Chess are just as flawed and just as hard to like; but they still have a lot of depth and are well done. Even though these characters are all hard to like, that doesn’t mean they don’t engage the reader well. Of the surrounding characters my favorite was Terrible; he is basically the hitman for Bump and gets assigned to protect Chess on her investigation. Terrible is a wonderful mix of contradictions; he is loyal yet vicious, he is quick to injure and kill yet gentle with Chess. Really he is just a wonderfully interesting character.The mystery in the book is very well done and the plot never slows down. There are many seemingly separate story arcs that tie in well together. There were a couple times in the story where Chess made logical mental jumps that didn’t make sense to me as the reader; I suppose you could blame the drugs but hopefully in future books the reasoning will be better done.Overall I enjoyed reading this book. I didn’t like the characters a ton, but they were interesting. I loved the idea behind the world, the mystery, and the magic. I am curious to learn more about this world. Just a warning that this is a pretty dark and gritty urban fantasy; so if you don’t like gross, gory or gritty I wouldn’t recommend reading this book. Recommended to fans of dark and gritty urban fantasy.