fantasy book reviews science fiction book reviewsurban fantasy book review Devon Monk Allie Beckstrom 7. Magic on the LineMagic on the Line by Devon Monk

I’ve got to hand it to Devon Monk: she scares the daylights out of me, in a really good way. Earlier this year she sent chills down my spine with the blood-and-steam magic of Dead Iron. The latest ALLIE BECKSTROM installment, Magic on the Line, is just as chilling, for at least three reasons:

One, something has gone terribly wrong with magic. Allie gets sick every time she tries to cast spells; and worse, one young acquaintance has died and another has become deathly ill from a mysterious ailment connected to the ghostly Veiled.

Secondly, the Authority is cracking down on the magical community of Portland after the chaos of the last few books. Monk creates a terrific vibe of paranoia and persecution as the new Portland overseer, Bartholomew Wray, begins a reign of terror.

Finally, the holes in Allie’s memory come back to haunt her when she hires the services of a mad scientist/doctor, and he seems to know her. Very well. Even though as far as she knows, she’s never met the man before.

In addition to being a spine-tingling read, Magic on the Line is a turning point for the series. Allie changes, becoming more hardened. Zayvion changes, as he weighs the letter and spirit of his oaths against the new Authority policies. And by the end of the book, Allie and her friends face a whole new set of challenges, without a lot of the advantages they previously had. It’ll be a very different series from here on out.

Magic on the Line is a great addition to the ALLIE BECKSTROM series; it advances the plot dramatically… and will have you looking over your shoulder for Veiled and creepy Authority goons.

Allie Beckstrom — (2008-2013) Publisher: Using magic means it uses you back — and every spell exacts a price from the user. Some people, however, get out of it by Offloading the cost of magic onto an innocent, then Allison Beckstrom’s job is 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 she is thrown back into the world of his black magic.

Devon Monk: 1. Magic to the Bone 2. Magic In the BloodDevon Monk: 1. Magic to the Bone 2. Magic In the Blood 3. Magic in the ShadowsDevon Monk: 1. Magic to the Bone 2. Magic In the Blood 3. Magic in the Shadows 4. Magic on the StormDevon Monk: 1. Magic to the Bone 2. Magic In the Blood 3. Magic in the Shadows 4. Magic on the Storm 5. Magic at the GateDevon Monk: 1. Magic to the Bone 2. Magic In the Blood 3. Magic in the Shadows 4. Magic on the Storm 5. Magic at the GateDevon Monk: 1. Magic to the Bone 2. Magic In the Blood 3. Magic in the Shadows 4. Magic on the Storm 5. Magic at the Gate 6. Magic on the HuntDevon Monk: 1. Magic to the Bone 2. Magic In the Blood 3. Magic in the Shadows 4. Magic on the Storm 5. Magic at the Gate 6. Magic on the Hunt 7. Magic on the LIneDevon Monk: 1. Magic to the Bone 2. Magic In the Blood 3. Magic in the Shadows 4. Magic on the Storm 5. Magic at the Gate 6. Magic on the Hunt 7. Magic on the Line 8. Magic Without MercyDevon Monk: 1. Magic to the Bone 2. Magic In the Blood 3. Magic in the Shadows 4. Magic on the Storm 5. Magic at the Gate 6. Magic on the Hunt 7. Magic on the LIne 8. Magic Without Mercy 9. Magic for a Price

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  • Kelly Lasiter

    KELLY LASITER, with us since July 2008, is a mild-mannered academic administrative assistant by day, but at night she rules over a private empire of tottering bookshelves. Kelly is most fond of fantasy set in a historical setting (a la Jo Graham) or in a setting that echoes a real historical period (a la George RR Martin and Jacqueline Carey). She also enjoys urban fantasy and its close cousin, paranormal romance, though she believes these subgenres’ recent burst in popularity has resulted in an excess of dreck. She is a sucker for pretty prose (she majored in English, after all) and mythological themes.

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