Chasing Magic (Downside Ghosts, #5) (Chess Putnam, #5)

by Stacia Kane

[Linda]

This and other reviews can also be found on my blog.

Oh my goodness! Chessiebomb - you are so damaged, and I can't help but loving you anyway. Chess is always fighting her demons, and most of the time, she truly does do the right thing. She tries so hard to be good, but underneath it all is that lack of self-worth that has been instilled in her since she was only a little girl. Even just the hinting of what she has been through is really heavy stuff, and I hope that one day, she will feel worthy of the love she and Terrible shares.

Terrible is terribly wonderful (heh, see what I did there?) he is always on Chess' side, and even comes to Elder Griffin's wedding with her just because she wants him there. How can such a tough, hard guy be so completely sweet and chivalric when it comes to love?

Of course, Terrible and Chess has a lot of things to overcome in Chasing Magic as well, and the title is just right for this book, as Chess literally has to chase magic at one point. I caught myself cheering for both Chess and Terrible, especially towards the end, when they both had to fight for their lives.

And I don't think I have ever felt more sorry for Chess than I did when she met Elder Griffin in his office after she had told him everything about Terrible and the sigil on his heart.

The writing is like a roller-coaster, just when you think the worst fall that can make you scream in a mixture of enjoyment and fear, there is another, bigger one right around the corner. Every chapter, every page had its' fill of both heartache and sweet love, fear and courage, and I just couldn't put my kindle down.

Here are some of my favorite quotes :

Love wasn't one emotion, she didn't think. It was a combination of a whole bunch of them, and each one had a slightly different formula.

Love was like that, and the formulas were always changing. It never sat still and let her get used to it; she didn't feel as if she ever quite had her balance.

Another pause; she could see him trying to come up with another argument and plastered a don't-eve-fucking-try-it look on her face.

"Shit. You so fuckin Pretty, Chessie. True thing. So...ain't even can breathe sometimes."

"Aren't you going to ask what I'm going to do with it?" "You want me to?" "No, I just - no, it's fine." Warmth spread through her chest and up to her face, warmth that had nothing to do with pills or booze or anything else. It was trust heating her from the inside, making her feel like a real live person who mattered. The kind of trust she didn't think he gave to anyone else. The thought made something swell inside her, something wonderful and painful all at once.

She couldn't be good. She couldn't be the person Terrible needed her to be. The person he deserved. Fuck, Lex was right, wasn't he?

I know that all Downside Ghosts fans will love this book, I also know it will be on my to-read-again list, because that's just how good Chess and Terrible make me feel, in the midst of all their problems and what they have to deal with just to stay alive.