Magic to the Bone (Allie Beckstrom Series #1)

Magical start to a new series!

Devon Monk has built a pungent, gritty-world, where magic is available to most but it's use, usually comes at a steep price. Today is Allie Beckstrom's 25th birthday. She is a hounder (someone who traces magic back to its user/caster) and is about to take one of the most costly hound jobs, that will change the course of her life for good. Not only does her job not pay enough for her to make her rent on her crappy apartment but her price for using magic to trace magic, is usually a chunk of her memory. On this night, she receives a call for a hound job in one of the worst parts of town. It concerns a case of wrongfully offloaded magic on a child and now the child's on deaths door. Her investigation into this case sets her up to be accused of murder. Now she's the one being hounded and is on the run for her life, w/ no where to go and everything to lose. And to top it all off, her love interest (Zayvion) and only ally was her former stalker, hired by her dad. This just may turn out to be one of the worst birthdays ever; if she survives. I really loved this book. It was exciting and interesting. Sometimes it was a little predictable but entertaining enough that the predictability didn't matter. If you're looking for a romance novel with a little mystery, this book may not be for you. If you're looking for a strong urban fantasy w/ a bit of hot sex, then you'll enjoy this book. I'm looking forward to Magic in the Blood due out May 2009.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Angieville: MAGIC TO THE BONE

MAGIC TO THE BONE is set in an alternate America in which magic "came out" to the world rather like vampires did in Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse books. Soon after people become users and consumers of magic, much like they use and consume alcohol. And just like a night of hard drinking, any use of magic leaves the user with a monster hangover. This "hangover" manifests itself in a variety of unsavory ways from intense bruising all over the body to a flu that will lay you low for a week. Allie Beckstrom is a Hound--a person with the ability to follow a cast spell back to the caster. Unlike other Hounds, though, Allie is able to house a small amount of magic within her own body. But this increased ability exacts a higher price. After working a particularly potent bit of magic, Allie frequently loses random portions of her memory. Estranged from her power-hungry father, she lives in a hole, barely scraping enough money together to feed herself with anything resembling regularity. When a small boy is almost killed by a spell that leads back to dear old Dad, Allie immediately goes on the offensive to bring her father to justice. She runs into trouble in the form of Zayvion Jones--a stalker/bodyguard who used to work for her father and seems intent on shadowing Allie's every move.

The whole layout of this story held a lot of promise and I willingly immersed myself in Allie's seamy world, eager to see how she handled her manipulative, possibly murderous father as well as the darkly enigmatic Zay. Allie herself is world-weary in a way that mirrors her world, a place ironically sapped of wonder and goodness by the largely unregulated abuse of "magic." I loved the little book she carries around, recording memories against the day they're stripped from her after overstepping herself magically. In fact, each and every character piqued my interest, from Allie's unusual stepmother to her salt of the earth best friend. However, I found that interest flagging fairly soon as the execution did not quite match up to the idea. Zay's and Allie's relationship seemed rather quickly formed. He felt too good to be true while she seemed to fall into a sort of stereotypical urban fantasy composite heroine. I started to lose my sense for what made her unique and felt that they were both smarter than their actions painted them. The tension between them resolved too abruptly for my taste. Throughout the story, a well-conceived idea here or a particularly cool plot development there managed to revive my flagging attention, but the follow-through lacked the level of tightness and cohesion that is a defining characteristic of my favorite urban fantasy series's.

2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Monk's Magic to the Bone

The synopsis should have told me to take my time reading this, but wham, bam, etc, I finished it before I turned the lights out for the night. Easy read, but a lot of ¿new¿ ideas on the use of magic that a first read almost requires a second read-through before you feel like you¿ve squeezed all that you can get out of it. Magic is like having a cell phone in this story, and everyone can have one, either bought, borrowed or stolen.

If you like strong, confused, fearless yet vulnerable women, Allie fits the bill. I personally wanted more about Zayvion, but Nola and Allie¿s father were informative enough to give me a good character picture. It seemed to me that every character was distrustful or bordering on paranoid. Even the relationship between Allie and her friend Nola was overshadowed with Nola¿s mistrust of Zayvion¿s intentions; having said that, I was left wondering about his intentions as well.

Although the premise is that magic is newly discovered, it¿s obvious there could be a sequel in the works because Mama, Zayvion and Cody each seem to be a part of a deeper, older magic that seems to be something closer to the generic idea of what magic is, but if anyone can put a twist on that, it would be Devon Monk.

I would recommend this if you¿re a SciFi/Magic reader looking for a new twist or are looking for a great read-and-pass-it-on book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I lost sleep reading this book

Great world building and an innovative magic system. The basic concept is that magic has been harnessed just like electricity and the internet.
When you use it it uses you back....Wow.
I loved the relationship between Ally and Zay. Class act on the steamy sex seens. I could not put the book down!

Russ

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Loved this series!

Allie Beckstrom deals with life hurdles and opportunities with courage and ingenuity. She toughs it out, when it would be easier to run. I really like this gal. Devon Monk has written a heroine who is engaging, smart and tough.

It is rare to write about a disability, in this case a magical disability of losing memories around using magic. Devon does it with insight and compassion, making you feel the rage and loss and loss of confidence that a known disability can create. This book begins to explore emotional and mental deficits with real insights.

This is a compelling read. It's hard to put down because Devon's creative world with the politics of infighting and control are so good. You know this world innately. You've been part of these battles. I wouldn't have missed it.

LOVE THIS ENTIRE SERIES

A must set of reads!

Average

Average read, could have used more action.

Cool Magic!

I found this book highly original, and enjoyed the unique take on magic and how it affects life in this world. The storyline was gritty and evoking, and I also thought the author did a good job at bringing the characters to life. I am looking forward to finding out what happens next in the series. Although I really enjoyed this novel, there are a few others in the same genre that I liked even more. "Succubus Blues" by Richelle Meade, "Dead Witch Walking" by Kim Harrison, "Moon Called" by Patricia Briggs, "Blood Engines" by T.A. Pratt, and "Full Moon Rising" by Keri Arthur.

very original, can't wait to read the next series

when i read a book i never go for what everyone else is reading. This book made me glad that i did so. It's a new twist on magic.

Emotional & Exciting!

So much better than I expected. I wish I'd read it sooner!
*Full Review to follow.

This series is fabulous

I just happened to come across Magic in the Blood and have been hooked since. Devon Monk is a surpreme writer and I look forward to the next book!

Disjointed

The book was a fast but the first few chapters were disjointed. I didn't understand why some chapters were from Cody's perspective. It did not help the book's flow to show his side.

Magic interesting read for all

The latest of the kick-butt female genre that has become so large in the past few years. Is a easy read with an interesting story that makes you want to finish the book in one reading. I will definitely be following this series.

Amazing!!

I couldn't put this book down. I cannot wait until the second book comes out.

Interesting new idea of magic

Allie is the only heir to rich businessman with lots of magic abilities. She is a hound, she has the ability to hunt magic back to its user. But in this story, magic is not all wonderful and easy. A person has to work at it and whatever they do comes back to the user. Because of this Allie has a notebook because besides the physical pain, she also looses parts of her memory.

Allie is called in to hunt down an Offload. Some people don't want to pay for the magic they use. So, they set up a spell that puts that feedback on another person. Allie finds out that the signature on the offload is her fathers. So, she confronts him after seven years of not seeing. She also learns that her dad was having her followed by Zayvion Jones.

The next day she learns that her father had been killed and she is being hunted down by a crazy hound. While trying to run, she find a young man that should be dead from stab wounds. Zayvion grabs her and takes her into hiding. She is determined to get to the police and tell them the truth until Zayvion reminds her that she was the last one seen with her father and now has become the suspect. But there is more going on than just an illegal offload.

This is a good story. I like how magic is not just a special power that is there to make the world better. I felt the story was lacking. There was too much on the injuries and not enough that went into the story. I also had a hard time getting into and wanting to keep reading.

One of the best books from a new author in years

This is a fast paced gripping novel that will engage you for hours. I lent it to my neighbor who doesnt like scifi/and fantasy, and she loved the book.. we are both eagerly waiting the next book in the series

Great book for Urban Fantasy lovers!

If you like snappy, tough heroines you should pick up this book. I found it on the new fantasy shelf at B&N and absolutely loved it. I couldn't put it down! The author was wonderful at explaining this whole new world of magic quickly and easily so the reader isn't confused. You understand the new use of magic right from the get-go.

The romance in the story is fantastic. I personally love the sarcastic banter between the characters and their story is actually heartwarming. The love story itself is kind of predictable; A woman who trusts no one falls in love with a man who trusts no one and they end up being able to trust each other.

The only stipulation I had with this book was the ending. It seemed a little rushed and almost left you hanging. I was disappointed when i realized this book just came out recently and I'm going to have to wait a while for the next one!

If you love a book with a tough chick heroine and a great love story, check out the Anita Blake series by Laurell K Hamilton. An urban fantasy with vampires and magic =)

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