Review - Magic for a Price (Allie Beckstrom, Book 9) by Devon Monk (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 368 pages
Publisher: Roc
Release Date: November 6, 2012
ISBN: 978-0451464866
Stand Alone or Series: 9th (final) book in the Allie Beckstrom series
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 5/5 stars

This is final book in the Allie Beckstrom series and what a ride it’s been! This book does an excellent job of tying up the main storyline while staying realistic. Definitely don’t start with this book, go back and read the rest of the series first or you will be totally lost.

Jingo Jingo may be dead but magic is still poisoned. When Allie and crew find out that the head of Seattle Authority has been possessed by the Soul Complements Leander/Isabelle time becomes of the essence. Leander/Isabelle want to shut down Portland and control all magic. Allie and crew must cure magic and ensure that Portland isn’t blown to pieces if they are ever to survive as a city.

This was a fast-paced and engaging conclusion to this series. Allie, Zayvion, Shame, and Terric are all pushed to their breaking points and forced to do the impossible to save magic. I continue to enjoy the creative magic system and how every spell has a price to pay.

The action scenes were awesome and there is a ton of magic wielding going on. Shame and Terric finally use magic as Soul Complements and they do some pretty darn awesome things with it.

Allie is forced to work a lot with her dad to figure out how to purify the wells. During the process of the well purification and the final stand off with Leander/Isabelle Allie finally learns her dad’s master plan. As a result of this we learn more about Allie’s history and her father.

Zayvion also does some awesome magic, but serves more as support to Allie than anything else. There isn’t much romance here because so much is going on and the characters are so beat up the whole time. Still it is obvious that Allie and Zay have a loving relationship based on mutual respect.

Shame and Terric were really the ones that stole the show. They are finally coming to terms with their magical relationship and finding some peace...it’s a pretty bumpy ride to get to that point but a pretty awesome one too. There are rumors that a book/series from Shame/Terric’s POV may be in the works...that would be so cool!

Overall an excellent conclusion to this series, fans of the series should be pleased. This book is well-written, easy to read and fast-paced. Magic, action, and mystery are all perfectly balanced. I will definitely be checking out future series by Devon Monk and do hope that we do see a story on Shame and Terric in the future. This is a solid urban fantasy series and I recommend to those who are urban fantasy fans.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

Review - Magic Without Mercy (Allie Beckstrom, Book 8) by Devon Monk (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 368 pages
Publisher: Roc
Release Date: April 3, 2012
ISBN-13: 978-0451464484
Stand Alone or Series: 8th book in the Allie Beckstrom series
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the eighth book in the Allie Beckstrom series. It was a good installment in the series and was an enjoyable read. All of these books encompass one large story, so make sure to start with book one. If you are a fan of urban fantasy, this is a fun and creative series to read.  The ninth book in the series, Magic for a Price, releases in November of 2012.

Magic has been poisoned and Allie and crew are trying to get samples from all of the Wells to try to determine what is wrong. The poisoned magic is still making Allie sicker than anyone else and no one knows why. Just when the crew thinks they have a chance at fixing magic, the Authority gets in the way and makes things even more difficult.

This series is hard to review because this is just one long continuous story. This book adds to the story and does move some elements forward, not a ton is resolved here though.

I love the magic system in these books, how you have to pay a cost to use your magic. Allie doesn’t use magic much in this book because it makes her extremely ill to do so.

Most of the book is spent trying to get samples from the Wells of magic and trying to figure out how to purify it. We get to see a lot of Zayvion doing awesome magic in this book; he can seriously do some outstanding things...but of course he pays a high cost to do those things.

We also learn a lot more about Stone, the gargoyle, and how he was created and what he can do. A portion of the story is also dedicated to Davy and the crazy way they are dealing with his magic illness.

My personal favorite part of the story was watching Terric and Shane finally start to work together as Soul Complements. It was so nice to see some story progression there; the awesome magic those two wield when they work together is something to behold.

So, yeah, a lot of story progression but not much resolution. I really enjoy the characters and the writing is well done. The book was a fun and quick read. This isn’t my favorite Allie Beckstrom story but it was still entertaining. As I mentioned before you have to start with book 1 or you will be totally lost.

Overall a decent installment in this series. Highly recommended for fans of urban fantasy; especially for those who love creative and unique magic systems. Solid characters, a fast-paced plot, and a creative magic system make this a fun read.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

Audiobook Review - Magic on the Line (Allie Beckstrom, Book 7) by Devon Monk (4/5 stars)

Reading level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 368 pages
Publisher: Roc
Release Date: November 1st, 2011
ISBN: 978-0451464286
Stand Alone or Series: 7th book in the Allie Beckstrom series
Source: Audiobook from Audible.com
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the seventh book in the Allie Beckstrom series. This book has some big changes in store for the characters as they pick up the pieces from the mess that was left after the previous book. I enjoyed it, but the beginning of the story is more of a transition...the end packs some serious awesomeness though. This is not a book to start the series on, go back and start at the beginning or you will be seriously confused. The next book will be titled Magic Without Mercy
 and is due for a April 2012 release.

With the mess that happened in the last book someone in the Authority has to take the blame and someone new has to be put into power. The new head of the Authority is a man named Bratholonew Wray and he has some dark past with current members of the Authority, he also seems determined to make Allie's life miserable. Then Allie starts getting sick when she uses magic and notices Veiled entering people on the streets. The people that the Veil enter get very sick, to the point that rumors of an epidemic of sorts are spreading throughout the city. Allie is convinced that the epidemic has something to do with magic being tainted but Bartholomew disagrees. Allie has some tough choices to make; will she go along with the Authority and watch the city die or will she go against the Authority and accept the consequences?

The first part of this book was a bit tedious but necessary, basically all the loose ends from the last book have to be tied up. People who caused trouble in the Authority must be Closed and the people around them have to cope with this. New leadership must be chosen and put in place. Allie has to try to get back to her own life taking care of the Hounds, dealing with her father in her head, that sort of stuff. All necessary to get the story moving the right way, but it made the story seem a bit aimless in the beginning.

Once Allie starts seeing the Veiled things really pick up. Allie finds herself in direct opposition to the Authority and both her and Zayvion have to make some big decisions. Both of them change a lot throughout this book. Allie becomes harder and has to do some things the old Allie would never have had the stomach to do. Zayvion starts to see more areas of grey versus everything as black and white, good and evil.

The end of the book totally blew me away and I am eager to see how everything falls out in the next book. So, although this series has never been one of those absolutely outstanding ones for me, it is a series that is consistently good and always engaging. I am still reading it seven books in so that says a lot!

Overall a wonderful addition to this series. I thought it started a bit slow with all the clean-up and transition that had to be done from the last book, but the second half of the book saw some huge changes for are characters and the ending was spectacular. I am dying to know what happens to all of our favorite characters in the next book, Magic Without Mercy
 (to be released in April 2012).

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 100+ Reading Challenge
- Audio Book Challenge List

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

Review - Magic at the Gate (Allie Beckstrom, Book 5) by Devon Monk (4/5 stars)

Reading level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 368 pages
Publisher: Roc
Release Date: November 2nd, 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0451463623
Stand Alone or Series: 5th book in the Allie Beckstrom series
Source: Bought
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the fifth book in the Allie Beckstrom series by Devon Monk.  The sixth book, Magic on the Hunt, is due out April 2011.  This was an excellent addition to this series.  Things get even crazier than they have been in previous novels and it seems like Monk is setting the storyline up for something really huge.

This book starts up right where the last book left off.  Allie is entering the gate into death with her dead father and her animate gargoyle, Stone.  Allie will have to make a choice; should she sacrifice her internal magic to save Zayvion from death?  Meanwhile solid Veiled are showing up on the streets; they appear to have Allie's father's magical disks fused to their ghostly bodies and it enables them to walk around like normal humans.  These Solid Veiled are bent on taking over magic in the city; the only thing between the Veiled and humanity are the Authority and Allie.  With the Authority so fractured it will be a difficult battle.

This book moved along at a good clip and was very engaging.  We get to know Allie's dad better and Shame is turning into a truly awesome character; in fact I think Shame is my favorite character in this series.  Stone is in the story a lot too; he is a lot of fun and promises to continue to be interesting. 

Allie continues to gain new and strange powers which is intriguing and fun to read about.  Zayvion spends the majority of the book in a coma and he absence was very noticeable. 

More of the history about why light and dark magic is split apart and broken is revealed; the history is interesting and creative.  There is humor sprinkled throughout to lighten things up a bit.  This book ends better then Magic in the Storm did; not as much of a cliffhanger.  Although there are definitely large things here that need to be tied up.

I am still not totally enraptured by Allie as a character; I may never grow to really love her.  I do love the world Monk has created though and I am very attached to some of the other characters (mainly Shame).

Overall a solid novel in this series.  Some seriously interesting magical stuff going on in this book; although at times it felt like this book was leading up to something more and was mainly a transition book.  I will definitely be reading Magic on the Hunt when it comes out next month.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:

- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge

- 100+ Reading Challenge

 

Review - Magic in the Shadows (Allie Beckstrom, Book 3) by Devon Monk (4/5 stars)

Reading level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 368 pages
Publisher: Roc
Release Date: November 3, 2009
ISBN-13: 978-0451462879

Stand Alone or Series: 3rd book in Allie Beckstrom series
Source: Bought
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the third book in the Allie Beckstrom series by Devon Monk.  The sixth book, Magic on the Hunt, is due out in April of 2011.  This book was an excellent addition to the series and really broadened and complicated Allie's world.  So far this book has been my favorite of the set.
In the last book Allie's father forced himself into her mind.  In this book Allie is trying to figure out how to cope with that.  Her father is there giving her advice she doesn't want and constantly pleading with her to find the disks.  Then on her first date with Zayvion Allie senses something in the alleyway; it is a creature unlike anything she has ever encountered and it is hunting the streets of the city.  Allie is also taking on new responsibilities; she is leading the support group for the Hounds and is thinking about signing on with the police department as a permanent consultant for Hounding.

This was the best book in the series so far.  Allie is put in contact with the Authorities through Zayvion and actually decides to go through some training to learn how to use her magic better.  It was great to see a heroine actually taking the time to get training to learn how to use her powers in the best way possible.  As a reader we also get to spend a lot more time with the other Hounds and all of them are interesting characters.  We meet more members of the Authorities (another really interesting group of people).

There was a lot of action in this book, which was great.  Allie and Zayvion actually progress in their relationship some and get more information on how their two magic types Compliment each other.  We learn a ton more about the Authority and the struggle for magic that is happening behind the scenes.  In general this was a fun read.

Allie is still not my favorite heroine ever, but I am getting more attached to her.  Zayvion is awesome and we learn so many neat things about him in this book.  This book also packed in more story than the previous two and I really felt like Monk had found a better writing groove.

Overall an excellent addition to this series.  It was a fun book to read and I am enjoying all the complexity added to the magic world.  I will definitely continue to read this series.  I would also recommend Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews, Jane Yellowrock by Faith Hunter, and Elemental Assassin by Jennifer Estep which are all wonderful urban fantasies featuring strong women.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 100+ Reading Challenge

 

Review - Magic to the Bone (Allie Beckstrom, Book 1) by Devon Monk (4/5 stars)

Reading level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size:  368 pages
Publisher: Roc
Release Date: November 4, 2008
ISBN-13:  978-0451462404
Stand Alone or Series: 1st in Allie Beckstrom series
Source: Bought
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the first book in the Allie Beckstrom series by Devon Monk.  This series currently has five books with the sixth book, Magic on the Hunt, due out in April of 2011.  This was an easy read and a solid start to a new urban fantasy series.

Allie works as a Hound, she tracks magic back to it's source, a dangerous job in a world where using magic always has a price.  When a young boy is gravely injured Allie Hounds back the source of the magic to her father.  Her father denies involvement.  At her father's office she finds out that a man, Zayvion, has been hired by her father to protect her.  When Allie's father is killed things begin to spiral out of control.  Allie is blamed for the murder and is blundering into magic that she never even dreamed existed.  Now Allie is hunted with only the sexy Zayvion to help her out, can she trust him?  What was really going on with her father before his death?

This was a quick and fun read.  Allie is a tough girl, who is seriously stubborn, but has a great sense of sarcasm.  There is dark humor sprinkled throughout the book.  The book moves at a fast pace and the magic system development is a bit ambiguous but interesting all the same. 

The characters in this book are well thought out and engaging; all of them have mysterious pasts and are intriguing.  Zayvion is a wonderful male lead; he obviously has a lot of secrets but his soft spot for Allie brings out his humanity.  There are some steamy scenes between him and Allie throughout the book; they are decently done and are sensual without being really explicit.

I love the world that Monk's created.  I especially love the idea that magic extracts an immediate price from the user.  Allie's sporadic amnesia as a price for using magic is another interesting bit that is thrown into this story.

This story is well-wrapped up with some threads left dangling for the next book.  As with many first books in urban fantasy series, this book mainly sets things up and introduces us to Allie's world.

I had a couple complaints; the main one is that Allie spends an awful lot of her time being saved by other people.  It seems like whenever there was trouble Zayvion was there to catch Allie as she fell.  That was kind of sweet, but at the same time it made Allie seem weaker than she should have been.  My other complaint is that the magic system is a bit vauge.

Overall a solid urban fantasy, definitely more of an introduction to Allie's world than anything else.  I really loved the easy to read writing style, the intricate characters, and the world building.  The fact that magic extracts a steep cost whenever used made things really interesting.  I will definitely be reading the next book in the series, Magic in the Blood.  I hope the second book fills out the magic system better and that we see Allie really step up and learn to control her magic.

This goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 100+ Reading Challenge