Review: MAGIC TO THE BONE

Magic To The Bone by Devon Monk
Book 1 of the Allie Beckstrom series

Genre: urban fantasy

About Magic To The Bone:

"Using magic meant it used you back. Forget the fairy tale hocus-pocus, wave a wand and bling-o sparkles and pixie dust crap.

Magic, like booze, sex, and drugs, gave as good as it got."

Everything has a cost. And every act of magic exacts a price from its user--maybe a two-day migraine, or losing the memory of your first kiss. But some people want to use magic without paying, and they offload the cost onto an innocent. When that happens, it falls to a Hound to identify the spell's caster--and Allison Beckstrom's the best there is.

Daughter of a prominent Portland businessman, Allie would rather moonlight as a Hound than accept the family fortune--and the many strings that come with it. But when she discovers a little boy dying from a magical offload that has her father's signature all over it, Allie is thrown back into the high-stakes world of corporate espionage and black magic.

Now, Allie's out for the truth--and the forces she finds herself calling on will overturn everything she knows, change her in ways she could never imagine...and make her capable of things that powerful people will do anything to control.

Source: Info in the About Magic To The Bone was taken from the author's website at http://www.devonmonk.com/magictothebone.asp on 29/10/10.

My Thoughts:
There is a suggestion of a romantic element in this book and maybe at some point down the line in this series, it would become a paranormal romance as well as an urban fantasy. But for now, this book is an urban fantasy.

What I like about this book:
To me, the author's "voice" is very important. It usually what "makes" or "breaks" a book to me as a reader. Monk's ""voice" is easy to read and, I guess, it is what makes the story telling quality so compelling. Another thing I like about this book is the "resolution" at the end of the story. The ending offers a satisfying resolution to the story's main dilemma even as it offers teasers for the next book to keep the reader following the series. What can I say? I like "satisfying resolutions" with my books! :)

I don't know what it says about me, but, I like attractive covers on my fantasy books. Shallow, that's me. But still the cover plays a major role in my book buying habits. And this book's cover art was one of the major convincing points which made me pick this book up and buy it. The cover was very attractive to my fantasy reader's eyes!

What I don't like:
The main protagonist is described as a kick-ass chick. But for a kick-ass chick, Allie keeps making stupid mistakes which could get irritating to read... but the author's "voice" is sooo good that even an irate reader like me can forgive that fault.

Emperical interpretation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 4
Ending = 4.5
World building = 5
Cover art = 4.5
Pace = 4
Plot = 4

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries


Other Books In The Series: