Magic to the Bone by D. Monk

I’ve been wanting to read Magic to the Bone by Devon Monk for what seems like ages. Not only have I been hearing great things about the series, but this just sounds like something that would be right up my alley. So, I figure that if this series is even half as good as I’ve been hearing then it’s certainly must be a winner.

Using magic means it uses you back, and every spell exacts a price from its user. But some people get out of it by Offloading the cost of magic onto an innocent. Then it’s Allison Beckstrom’s job to identify the spell-caster. Allie would rather live a hand-to-mouth existence than accept the family fortune—and the strings that come with it. But when she finds a boy dying from a magical Offload that has her father’s signature all over it, Allie is thrown back into his world of black magic. And the forces she calls on in her quest for the truth will make her capable of things that some will do anything to control…

In the Allie Beckstrom world, magic and the way that it’s used is key. Anybody can use it, but the catch is that it’ll use you right back. You need to be prepared for the consequences, and as a hound Allie deals with the consequences everyday. One of the worst being memory loss. She’s basically a magical bounty hunter. Any time someone uses magic illegally Allie is called in to trace the magic back to it’s caster.

I loved the idea of magic being two fold. No matter if a spell is used for good purposes or for bad. They only thing that matters is the amount of power that’s put into it.  I found this to be a unique enough idea that the story was exciting, but similar enough to other urban fantasies to keep me interested.  It was out there just enough to draw me in. The plot was fast moving and mysterious. I could never really tell who was on Allie’s side. Even the people that she relied on were slightly suspicious. So, it made for an interesting experience when I was trying to figure out who it was that could be trusted. That definitely added to the feel of Magic to the Bone, and made me anxious to get to the end.

Also, I loved Allie’s personality. She was slightly snarky, but well meaning. There was a bunch of entertaining dialogue between herself and the love interest in the story, Zayvion Jones. The chemistry between the two was great. The fact that Zay was so mysterious about almost everything made things interesting.  I couldn’t help but wonder what exactly he was mixed up in, and what part does he play in everything that was happening to Allie. That’s were the distrust comes in. His actions say that he can be trusted, but there’s a lot that Allie has yet to learn about Zay. Things that have been, and could potentially be, harmful to her.  So I suppose it’s good that her memory can be spotty at times. That way she won’t be so conflicted on how she feels about him.

Was Magic to the Bone by Devon Monk the winner I thought it was going to be? Absolutely! The book was everything that I love about Urban Fantasy. It had quirky and unique characters, a plot that was fast paced, and it left me wanting more. I’m certainly going to be checking out the next in the series.

Read Order:
Magic to the Bone
Magic in the Blood
Magic in the Shadows
Magic on the Storm
Magic at the Gate (11/2/2010)

Also reviewed by:
Ink and Paper
Dead Book Darling
Darque Reviews
Vixen’s Daily Reads
Robots and Vamps

3 Comments

  1. @Nicola O: I loved the first book, so I can only imagine what this last one was like. :)

    @Violet: No problemo, this book was really good for all of those reasons. I would love to know what you think of it. =3

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