Review - Magic on the Hunt (Allie Beckstrom, Book 6) by Devon Monk (4/5 stars)

Reading level: Adult

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 368 pages
Publisher: Roc
Release Date: April 5, 2011

ISBN-13:  978-0451463913
Stand Alone or Series: 6th book in the Allie Beckstrom series
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the sixth book in the Allie Beckstrom series by Monk.  There are at least nine books planned in this series.  This was a very enjoyable book in the series, it picks up pretty much right where the last book left off.

Allie and Zayvion are recovering from all of the craziness in Book 5, Magic at the Gate.  Things are pretty much at an all out low for the series; the Authority is splintered, their leader Sedra captured by Jingo Jingo.  Gates are opening up everywhere completely out of control.  Right at the beginning of the book Dane shows up and tries to kill Allie and Zayvion; meaning that there is yet another member of the Authority that has gone rogue.  Now they need to hunt down Dane, figure out what the shadow Leander is up to and do it all before the powers that be Close the Authority in the city for their incompetence.

I would definitely recommend reading previous books before reading this one, there is a lot going on in this series at this point.  You can tell though that the main story arc dealing with Leander and Isabella is drawing to a climax in this book.

It was wonderful that Allie and Zay get at least a little down time.  I also loved the fact that Zay played such a prominent part in this book.  We also spend lots of time with Shamus and his Soul Companion, they are some of my favorite characters so I enjoyed that.  Allie's dad continues to partially possess her and he always makes stuff interesting.  

The plot whips forward at a fast pace.  There are a lot of things revealed and revelations made in this book that start to draw a lot of little things from previous books together.  This book is definitely a must read for fans of the series.  I also enjoyed how the power structure outside of the city is explained to the reader; we are finally gaining a better understanding of the world as a whole rather than being stuck with just a city-wide understanding.

The book ends well and you can kind of predict what the next book will be about.  This is a series that I never find myself absolutely in love with, but I always enjoy reading.  It is a solid urban fantasy that is always engaging, but never really blows me away with its creativity.

Overall an excellent addition to this series.  Allie still isn't my favorite character, but I am finding myself liking her a bit more and I really enjoy the characters surrounding her.  This book was pretty much solid urban fantasy; there is a touch of romance here but not a lot.  Lots of great action scenes, lots of revelations, and a fast moving plot too.  Fans of this series should be pleased.  I am not sure when book 7 is due out, I do know that Monk is starting a new series of which the first book Dead Iron, will be out later this year.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:

- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 100+ Reading Challenge