Magic to the Bone

Liked this book very much, unique world building, decent explanations thereof. Excellent expression of female sexual agency, though the memory loss of those experiences smacks of punishment for that agency. That part I'm not cool with.

The magic seems to parallel technology in this series, which is an interesting choice on the writer's part. It deeply resembles turn of the century Victorian fiction with it's deep seated fear and excitement about technology and the ways it can be used and abused. I like the dark and gritty feel of the books.

This book deals directly with the issues faced by a single female trying to make it on her own, specifically in a way that differs dramatically than that of her parents. When I broached my UF project show more with her, one of my profs asked me who I thought the target audience for the genre was. I think effectively: me. It targets "adult" women under the age of say, 40, who are negotiating a path through a world that really is kind of an old boys' club. Sound familiar? Women who are single, or at least unmarried negotiating love lives, dating, work, sexism, assault, and identity. I think the genre targets a generation that was raised just outside the idea that they would grow up, get married, have kids and be house wives. Some of us did think that and discovered it wasn't the case and that, while out of adolescence and so called young adulthood, we still don't have the damn world figured out and sure thought we should know what we are doing with our lives by now.

But these women start out the novels between 21 and 25 and it goes from there. Anita Blake is going on 30 now I think. UF deals with the idea that we may not live happily ever after, that we have to fight and live for ourselves, that we have to daily negotiate a world where monsters are real, whether that monstrosity takes the form of magic (metaphor), or the all too human monsters that we the readers are intimately acquainted with. I think these books target a disillusioned generation effecting and experiencing a changing world that can be at once exhilarating and frightening; some days we are on top of it, others it smacks us back. These books support the idea that with some luck and good decision making skills we might find a long term partner, and that in the mean time there is nothing wrong with an action packed roll in the sack. The degree to which the genre is sex positive varies, but it is there. That aspect, in and of itself, is a new and constructive thing. show less

Liked this book very much, unique world building, decent explanations thereof. Excellent expression of female sexual agency, though the memory loss of those experiences smacks of punishment for that agency. That part I'm not cool with.

The magic seems to parallel technology in this series, which is an interesting choice on the writer's part. It deeply resembles turn of the century Victorian fiction with it's deep seated fear and excitement about technology and the ways it can be used and abused. I like the dark and gritty feel of the books.

This book deals directly with the issues faced by a single female trying to make it on her own, specifically in a way that differs dramatically than that of her parents. When I broached my UF project show more with her, one of my profs asked me who I thought the target audience for the genre was. I think effectively: me. It targets "adult" women under the age of say, 40, who are negotiating a path through a world that really is kind of an old boys' club. Sound familiar? Women who are single, or at least unmarried negotiating love lives, dating, work, sexism, assault, and identity. I think the genre targets a generation that was raised just outside the idea that they would grow up, get married, have kids and be house wives. Some of us did think that and discovered it wasn't the case and that, while out of adolescence and so called young adulthood, we still don't have the damn world figured out and sure thought we should know what we are doing with our lives by now.

But these women start out the novels between 21 and 25 and it goes from there. Anita Blake is going on 30 now I think. UF deals with the idea that we may not live happily ever after, that we have to fight and live for ourselves, that we have to daily negotiate a world where monsters are real, whether that monstrosity takes the form of magic (metaphor), or the all too human monsters that we the readers are intimately acquainted with. I think these books target a disillusioned generation effecting and experiencing a changing world that can be at once exhilarating and frightening; some days we are on top of it, others it smacks us back. These books support the idea that with some luck and good decision making skills we might find a long term partner, and that in the mean time there is nothing wrong with an action packed roll in the sack. The degree to which the genre is sex positive varies, but it is there. That aspect, in and of itself, is a new and constructive thing. show less

A friend of mine loaned me the 2nd book in the series and I thought I'd read number 1 first so I checked this out. She said she didn't finish the 2nd one as it didn't make sense since she hadn't read #1, so good choice.

Urban fantasy is not really my genre, but I thought I'd give it a go. It was fun! Fast paced, hard boiled, tough talking chick as the main character, it was a real quick read.

Thankfully, no chapter long love scenes! In fact, if you didn't care for the action, just read a page or two, it changes like the weather.

The plot? Its about an alternative Portland that runs on magic. Allie is a Hound and she finds out if someone is practicing illegal magic for pay. Then everyone wants to kill her. Of course. And she meets a show more mysterious guy. Of course.

If you're into this sort of thing, its a fun and not too stressful of a read. Something to read at your mother in law's at Christmas. show less

Picked this up yesterday at the used book store. Our heroine is a Hound, who sniffs out magic, back to the one who did it. She lives in a modern, urban world where magic exists, and is distributed through the cities much like electricity is in our modern, urban world. But in her world, using magic means paying a price - pain commensurate with the usage, and sometime holes in the memory, too. But it is possible to redirect, or offload, that price

She is called to the "bad part of town" to use her Hound senses to search out who offloaded a sh*tload of magic onto a 5-year-old boy, nearly killing him. The signature of that offloading leads her to her father, who was instrumental in making magic commercially viable. On the way, she discovers show more she's being followed by an intriguing, somewhat mysterious man named Zayvion Jones. They join forces to figure out what is really going on.

This was a page-turner. I found myself pulled along, even though I was sleepy. There are a few bedroom scenes, but they felt a bit "added on," as if they had been included because the modern paranormal first-person urban fantasy genre seems to demand it. The action seemed somehow a bit muddled, like the heroine, but it does tie up the loose ends by the end of the book. And then unravels some, to provide a leadin to the next book. I enjoyed this one, but not sure I will pick up the next one in the series (and I am sure there will be a next one). show less

Holey schmokes!!! I mowed through this book rather quickly for many reasons: to make one more book for my book journal this month, to get one more review in for the mini-challenge over at Literary Escapism/League of Reluctant Adults...but, most of all, I couldn't seem to stop reading this superb book! I obviously had to stop to sleep or go to work, dagnabbit (how else does one support a bookholic habit?), but I wished I could have stayed home to continue reading. Some points, I had to sleep from the feeling of exhaustion in response of all that Allie went through on hour-to-hour, minute-to-minute basis.
This is why I love reading the urban fantasy genre, it's dark, action packed, putting the main character into situations they'd rather show more not be in, but take care of anyway because it's how they are wired. They keep going in the positive aiding direction even after the point of exhaustion, after getting injured...they just keep going. Makes me wish I could be that heroic/stoic, but I'm not so I read about the character who are that way.
That's Allie through the book, aiding those weaker than she and in need of help. She gets assistance from the mysterious Zayvion, the Savant Cody, and her best friend Nola who lives in the magic-free countryside. Mostly, though, Allie stands on her own two feet and gets what needs doing accomplished. She learns along the way, even with losing some of her memories of her past through the use of magic. Using magic has its consequences. And Allie knows it only too well.
The atmosphere of the genre seems best set in the Pacific Northwest, rain seems the prevailing weather adding to the dark mystery. Cold, drizzly, always there rain....
I cannot wait to get and read the rest of this series. This one is going on the keeper shelf, it's a fab book that I will revisit and my good book buddy, Jenna, got it for me and had Devon Monk sign it. I don't keep many books, but this one is definitely one of the few that stays in Casa IYamVixen.
Five rain adds to the magic diamonds..... show less

The first 6 chapters didn’t light my fire, although it was nowhere as near as frustrating as Nightwalker. I’d read a review somewhere which described it as dark but to be honest I found it a bit fluffy (I’m still talking about the first few chapters). I prefer my stories/series a little dark and gritty but I didn’t dislike this enough to stop reading, but then again I’m renowned for disliking the first half of the first book in every series I read -I almost stopped reading Halfway to the Grave because Bones’ accent was getting on my nerves and now that’s my favourite series EVER.
Chapter 7 is where things take a turn for the better. Then that was it, I couldn’t put it down. Everything just got better. I enjoyed the show more relationship between Allie and Zay. I have to admit though that Allie frustrates me a little, but I’m hoping that she’s grow over the next few books. I have now read the first 3 books and it is now on my favourite series list show less

Devon Monk has been recommended to me by friends, and even by Amazon based on some purchases I made, but I have an extensive to-be-read pile. Though I picked up a copy some time ago, I hadn’t gotten to it yet. Then, a friend was visiting and looked at the pile. She picked out Magic to the Bone as the “must read next.”

Now I know why.
This novel plays with all the traditions of strong narrative. The main character is beaten about left and right, never really understanding what’s going on but just struggling to stay on her feet long enough to figure it out. If I had to characterize the action, I’d say it’s mostly “done to” rather than “done by” her. That said, the way Allie responds to things, her own personal code mixed show more with a heavy dose of distrust that, despite everything, is stirred with loyalty even in the face of strong evidence to the contrary makes for a strong novel that pulled me in and kept me reading through to the end.

I started this novel just as a nasty cold was claiming the space I call my own. My focus on everything else went flying out the window, but I found whenever I started reading this book, I didn’t want to stop. I didn’t want to put it down to struggle for an inch of progress on all the other things that I needed to do. I think that says more for the novel than most reactions just because it created focus out of thin air when I had none.

The story begins with a loner who has abandoned her father, with good cause, and sets herself apart from almost everything. At the same time, she’s at the beck and call of people who she considers downtrodden but good at heart, often providing her services for free when she can’t even make her rent. As the story develops, we learn not only can she manipulate magic, though that always comes with a price in both pain and lost memories, but that she has a somewhat unique ability everyone has assured her is impossible–she carries her own supply of magic.

This book is an eye-opener for Allie, knowledge which, like magic, comes with its own price, but at the same time she’s not left hanging out in darkness as she gains much in her quest to uncover the truth.

Devon Monk slips sideways on the first person narrative tradition for urban fantasy by bringing in a second, 3rd person, narrator so that the reader knows a smidge more than Allie, but that smidge isn’t enough to spoil the unfolding mystery. Rather, it adds to the picture.

Her other odd choice is the main character’s memory loss as a penalty. It certainly creates trouble for Allie, but I have to wonder if it won’t have even more significance in the books to come.

Anyway, I’m trying to avoid spoilers, but I can tell you it’s much like Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride in that the story careens along its path, dragging you with it at a terrifying rate with glimpses here and there to build a tale. I never felt left behind. I never sat back and wondered if there was a greater story. I was right in the muck with Allie trying to figure things out, and it was a happy place to be.

My list of “always buy” authors has increased by one, and I predict that my to-be-read pile is going to swell up a bit the next time I’m at the book store. show less