This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Magic in the Blood

Allie’s memory has been torn apart by magic, causing her to forget chunks of time and the people she spent it with. But despite the pain magic has caused her, she still has a job to do. When the police come looking for a Hound, she takes on a missing person’s case. Yet despite what her nose is telling her, Allie feels like something is off about the crime scene. As she digs deeper into the oddly familiar scent of magic, she finds herself caught up in magic steeped in blood and death.

Magic in the Blood allows readers a closer look into the lives of Hounds and the struggles they face. While Allie has mentioned their penchant for substance abuse, being introduced to an entire group of hounds brings her revelations to startling clarity. But when Allie is faced with new Hounds, she’s quick to judge despite personally knowing what they deal with. The reader is also given a new cast of characters to remember, most of which do not play an integral part in the story.

Despite additional characters, the story remains fast-paced and filled with action. And Devon Monk ups the ante by adding in a race against time. When Allie pulls on magic, a new enemy stalks ever closer, threatening to drain her magic. If Allie can’t cast quickly enough, it puts all she works toward at risk.

The world is ever expanding as new magic is introduced in this second novel. And the depths to which death magic is used show a disturbing reality if certain characters attain their ultimate goals. Allie will be placed in compromising situations that will embed themselves in her psyche and leave her feeling violated. These situations are meant to unsettle the reader and at first, do just that. But there are multiple callbacks to the events throughout the book, making them lose their intended emotional baggage.

While there may have been some bumps in the road with Magic in the Blood, I know there is a lot more to come from the series. With such a unique magic system, I’m eager to revisit some of the heavier magic-slinging fights I know are on the horizon. And I can’t wait to be reintroduced to some of my favorite characters along the way. ( )

Series totally fizzled. I enjoyed the first but this was lacking in action, plot and interest in the characters. ( )

This is an urban fantasy book - which is to say, the plot goes like this: Single (and hot) Woman Magician, its her against the world - gets pulled into some sort of magical problem - and saves the city/country/world etc. There is usually a male love interest that is secretive and stays away for the protection of the protagonist.

This book follows the typical path before. I believe its second or third of a series, and our heroine is recovering from something that happened in the previous book, does it matter - probably. My biggest problem with these books is they are like popcorn. After awhile, they all feel the same. This one is no exception. I read this a few months ago, and really don't remember the plot outside of female magic user with a chip on her shoulder and missing parts of her memory inthe previous book, and gets pulled into missing person case from the police.

This doesn't mean you shouldn't read it. It's competently written, with a world that makes sense (I'd remember if it wasn't) and that it is a fairly generic addition to the genre. It works well on a beach, or in an airport, but great literature, it is not. ( )

another great installment in the Allie Beckstrom series. dark and brilliant. can't wait to start the next one! ;) ( )

gritty ( )