Magic to the Bone

This book had all the makings of an UF that I generally enjoy, mysterious yet helpful love interest, stubborn kickass heroine, interesting magic system, complex murder mystery YET, all of these things go wrong and I honestly pushed myself to finish.

For starters, the author is very VERY repetitive. At one point I was describing what the narrator was describing and another time I was explaining what something was. And I'm so tired of hearing, “I've never seen magic used like this” and variations. I get that this is a new thing but, so many time and all about pretty much the same stuff. Or, the guy's “tiger eyes” always tiger– never any other variation. Although, I want to comment on their instant attraction and her jumping into bed with him only to afterwords say she couldn't trust him with her secrets and didn't know if he would hurt her I can't because most books do the instant attraction thing now with no reason why they like the other.

Possible spoilers so the rest in the spoilers section.
[spoilers]
Now to tackle what I wrote in the beginning.
1. Mysterious and helpful guy? Yes he was but, that was it. He had no other features except his zen or the one time calm zen.... I don't want to hear the word ‘zen' for a while.

2. Stubborn kickass female? Yeah, but dear god! Every time she was in a fight she got hurt to the point of near death. The narrator made her sound in pain the whole time so, this might also cloud my judgement. But SHE WAS SO STUBBORN! not in the funny or understandable way just full on – Never trusting the man she likes (loves????), Always going to Mama's & wanting to go there? even though the woman does NOT want her there, and just practically killing herself to prove she doesn't need anyone. There is stubborn and then there is having almost died and unable to move alone and still saying “I'm fine.”

3.Interesting Magic System? ... I want more explanation only because it is continuously changing on us but, I liked it ! ++

4.Complex Murder Mystery? So, okay... yes BUT, no. The reader knows the whole time who did it although not the actual person. Then it is pretty easy to figure out it is the ONE MAN we know of that is shifty. But, the thing is the book is going along trying to figure out how Allie's dad died which is good and all but, it brings me back to stubborn repetition! Allie finally figures out that Cory? the hand can fake signatures and faked hers on her father BUT! she never puts together that it WASN'T her dads real signatures but a forgery. Did blood magic where he couldn't lie yet, she believes he did the WHOLE BOOK and actually, she never says “Oh, I guess he didn't do it.” NEVER.
When she still brought this up at the end I practically screamed in my car. but, Mama said she knew who did it blah blah blah... I was kinda hoping for some kinda of “Wow, I judged my dad wrong” No.


The actions of the characters made no sense and there are still many many loose strings. Many, I don't want to pull because I”ll just be annoyed. For example, The main dude pretended to be on the bad guys team... why? never explained. mostly how he was able to get on their side...
Why Allie gets chased by a Hound when on route to police yet when she gets away she didn't go to the police station?? (sequence of events–I get it but, no it made no sense)
Going from no magic to magic gridded land hurts once but then on the train it didn't??
Also, no one has questioned why they don't feel the lack of magic in Northern Portland like how they do near Nola's place? Really? I could have told them there was probably magic in Northern Portland. [/spoiler]

So, I barely finished the book.And I don't recommend it.

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Magic to the Bone

In the world of Allie Beckstrom magic is a new technology. And if you use magic, it uses you as well. People must always remember to set a disbursement spell to offload their magic or suffer the consequences. Allie carries a notebook everywhere to record snippets of her life in the event magic steals any more memories. As a Hound, Allie has no choice but to use magic to see the trails left behind by those who misuse magic. When a boy is nearly killed by an illegal magical offload, Allie is called in to Hound the one responsible. But what she finds will send her down a road that even her keen senses won't see coming.

What really drew me into this book was the magic system. If you don't set a disbursement spell, magic will cause you pain in whatever way it chooses. The bigger the spell, the worse it will be. But even with a disbursement, you have to choose how you will feel the pain. And given that magic is a new technology, there is plenty of room for the system to expand. Devon Monk sets the stage for corporations to build new tech and discover new ways to use magic.

Now with most urban fantasy reads, there is romance tossed into the mix. Magic to the Bone is no different. Be advised the romance isn't slow burning. It is more along the lines of instant attraction. But don't let that stop you from reading this book if the type of romance isn't your cup of tea. It certainly isn't mine, but the characters and world kept me reading.

Allie is one of those strong female leads that are quick to bite back. She grew up privileged, but refuses to acknowledge it and forges her own path. And she doesn't hesitate to help those who need her Hounding, even if they can't afford it. You'll see many instances where she puts the needs of others above her own, even if she knows she will take a beating.

Magic to the Bone is a fast-paced urban fantasy read. I highly recommend it to those who enjoy a strong female lead and unique magic systems. The romance bits can be a bit steamy, but overall I enjoyed visiting this world.

Not as strong a start as House Immortal, but I enjoyed this book. It seemed like there was a lot and nothing happening for a chapter or two, but that might be because I was a little confused.