Ego vos mergam, nec merger a vobis. I sink you, that I will not be sunk by you. Solid 4 stars...I'm now a fan of Stacia Kane. Unholy Magic started of a little slow but around the half way mark all the pieces that were building came and fit together. Trust me I still am learning about this fascinating world. In this review I wanted to highlight some of the beautiful and edgy writing that Kane displayed. Her descriptions of drug use and the human experience really affected me and drew me close to my favorite characters.Chess:She shuddered, resisted the urge to bury her face in his chest and inhale him like a line of speed. Chess is still messed up and in Unholy Magic we see her drug use escalate and is shocking to read and in a way watch such a talented women fall. I mean, she hasn't hit 'rock bottom' yet but, we all know that's coming.It was hard enough to feel emotions when she was high, let alone emotions intense enough to make her weep. Hell, that was one reason why she kept taking the fucking things, wasn’t it? Terrible:He smelled good. Tobacco and pomade, bourbon and beer mixed with something she couldn’t define, and the scent of smoke in the air and the snow itself, faintly metallic but pure at the same time. For a second Chess saw the two of them as if she wasn’t in her body, saw them leaning against the little shed, their bodies almost touching, two black silhouettes against the dusky sky. We learn so much more about Terrible in this book, his secret makes him so vulnerable. We also get to see a darker side to him, he's anger and pain are bubbling up and about to rush over the edge. "...causen I ain’t lookin for charity, an I ain’t lettin you go after. Once … once ain’t enough for me, dig?” He may be, hands down one of the most interesting urban fantasy characters out there. Little bits of him remind me of Curran (another favorite) but he's so more dark than Curran ever could be and hidden beneth the broad shoulder and unattractive profile (Kanes, words, not mine ;) I know that Terrible has the ability to love so completely it just might heal Chess. Well that's my hope at least. His lips against hers sent shivers down her spine, out through her limbs, heat welling up inside her, and the only way to get rid of it was to give it back to him the same way—like a secret. Like trust.
