Magic to the Bone (Allie Beckstrom, Book 1)
by Devon Monk
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Book Summary Information
Author: Devon MonkEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-11-04
ISBN: 0451462408
Number of pages: 368
Publisher: Roc
Book Reviews of Magic to the Bone (Allie Beckstrom, Book 1)
Book Review: Couldn't put it down!
Summary: 4 Stars
_Magic to the Bone_ is a breath of fresh air in the urban fantasy genre, in much the same way that Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels series is a breath of fresh air. Instead of the same tired werewolf/vampire soap opera that so many novels perpetuate, _Magic to the Bone_ is more concerned with the ramifications of adding magic to modern society and exploring the realistic consequences. Magic, in Devon Monk's universe, has been recently discovered, and along with it, the price of its use. Every time someone uses magic, there is a backlash of sorts: the caster might suffer a days-long migraine, lose memories, or gain a scar. Of course, the next thing humanity researched was how to Offload a spell's cost onto someone else. (There's a chilling offhand line about how one of the legal, sanctioned methods of doing this is to redirect the backlash to the inmates of a penitentiary.)
The story begins as our heroine, Allie Beckstrom, discovers a child near death from an illegal Offload, and senses her father's magical "signature" in the spell that is affecting the boy. Allie is the black-sheep scion of a great business/magic empire, and confronting her father about the spell means speaking to him for the first time in seven years. It goes badly, and when Daddy turns up dead, Allie is the prime suspect.
What follows is an exciting and often poignant story that follows Allie as she attempts to stay alive, deal with a suddenly complicated love life, and solve a mystery. Along the way, she learns far more about magic and its uses than what is taught in the official magic schools. We meet several delightful secondary characters that I'm looking forward to seeing again, and unlike many other urban fantasy writers, Monk doesn't set up Allie as the only worthwhile female character in the book. She allows Allie a wonderful best friend and a fascinating woman who might become another good friend someday.
It was perhaps a bit too easy to figure out whodunit, though I must admit I didn't figure out *why*, though it should have occurred to me. I do wonder why it took Allie so long to figure out that if one magical signature could be forged, so could another magical signature that was left at another crime scene, but that's a small quibble.
I have mixed emotions about the romantic plot. On the one hand, I'm not sure whether I believe that Allie would open up to Zayvion as quickly as she does, but on the other hand, the circumstances are weird enough and harrowing enough that it might just work. I have to admit that I groaned a little when Monk introduced a plot device that both draws the couple closer and gives both of them a "power-up," but it's not Monk's fault that I'm a little weary of the "magical sexual synergy" type of plot. And for what it's worth, it's done well. I thought the sex scenes were perfect, in that they focused more on the flow of energy between Allie and Zayvion, and less on the tab A-slot B stuff.
I also have to applaud Monk for not forgetting about a small "Chekhov's gun" that she introduced early in the story. Allie, knowing she's prone to memory loss due to magic, carries a notebook with her to keep track of important things. I kept noticing throughout the book that she wasn't writing in it, and thought Monk had just forgotten to incorporate the notebook into the story. I should have had more faith! Allie's absentmindedness has consequences later.
_Magic to the Bone_ isn't completely perfect, but Devon Monk shows the potential to be a standout writer in the subgenre. Most importantly, I could not put this book down; I read it in two nights, with only work and sleep coming between me and the pages. Well done.
Summary of Magic to the Bone (Allie Beckstrom, Book 1)
Devon Monk is casting a spell on the fantasy world...
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...
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...
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