Read This F@!%ing Book!
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This week's post comes from our very own:
Goldilox!
This week's post comes from our very own:
Goldilox!
Read This F@!%ing Book Post 37: Downside Ghosts by Stacia Kane
Click covers for Goodreads
Why I'm Pushing It On You
Guys, let's chat. I consider a handful of series to be among my favorites in the UF/PNR world. But there are two series that I list as my top two all time favorites. One is the Fever series by KMM. Because, duh. The second one is the Downside Ghosts series by Stacia Kane. And for the love of Pete, I've never written a Read This F@!%ing Book post about it! Shame. I feel shame. Because while this series is known and loved by pretty much my entire circle of blogging and reading buddies, it is extremely underrated in the world of speculative fiction and I should have shoved this series down all of your throats earlier! Stacia Kane has written a very original and unique series that has been rivaled by no other. This series breaks my heart in unimaginable ways and then lifts my spirits and my hopes higher than they were to begin with. The romance, the heartache, the creepy ghosts, the murder mysteries, the drugs, the Terrible. Okay. I lost you with those last two, didn't I? See below.
Why I Love the Dark and Gritty
The Downside Ghosts series is dark and gritty adult urban fantasy, complete with grisly murders to be solved and scary ass ghosts that are not the friendly kind. This series is also kind of a dystopian, taking place in an alternate version of our world where ghosts have been proven real and are extremely dangerous. Our heroine here is Chess, a witch who works for the government which is known as the Church of Real Truth. She is also an insecure drug addict who grew up in foster homes filled with abuse. Her self-worth is below the bottom of the barrel and even though she's a powerful witch she is constantly breaking my heart with what she puts herself through. Some might be bothered by the drug use, but it just makes Chess' character deep, complex, and tragic. She grows as the series goes on and her small transformations are beautiful. The magic and the ghostly elements in the series are super cool, eerie, and very well written.
TERRIBLE!
The romantic aspect of this series is the big, the bad, the Terrible. No, that's his name. Really. Ask someone who loves this series how they feel about Terrible. Go ahead, ask. They'll tell you how swoon worthy this giant enforcer can be. How his love for Chess and the way he protects her are second to none and will literally make you wish he was a real man. How his heartwrenchingly low view of himself almost rivals Chess'. The two of them are ridiculous for so long - clearly having strong feelings for each other and just continually screwing everything up. God, they messed me up. But, if you can hang on for a little bit of a ride, you will be rewarded. The ride is heavy with turmoil, but each glimmer of hope along the way is spectacular. Every arm brush, every kiss...and when they finally have sex? DEAR GOD I NEED NOTHING ELSE IN MY LIFE. And when the ride finally comes to a stop? Holy cow, will you be happy you stayed on.
There's a reason there is a whole section of the blog's sidebar dedicated to Terrible and Stacia Kane guys...for real.
Are you interested in starting this series? Or do you already love it as much as I do and you're in the mood for a reread? I just began my first reread, listening to the audiobooks for the first time! If you want to join me let me know in the comments!
You can grab the books (Kindle versions are all under $6.00) or the audios (currently on sale for 50% off for members) for yourself here:
OMG YES!!! I love this series on audio. I can't wait for the next one to come out. The audios are the best. The narrator is perfect for Chess. I love her voice for Bump too. There isn't a bad thing to say about this series (except the wait for the next one, but that is to be expected).
ReplyDeleteAt first the narrator didn't fit how I "hear" Chess back when I read the books. But I decided to just go with in and after a few chapters she felt right. Her voice for Bump CRACKS ME UP, lol! And she even does a good Terrible and a good Lex. :)
DeleteI've been itching to do a relisten but I need to work through some other audios first.
ReplyDeleteYES!!! LOL
DeleteI don't love it, but I like it. I appreciate that Kane has come with with two antiheroes as main characters.
ReplyDelete