Magic in the Blood by Devon Monk

"Allison Beckstrom knows better than most that when magic's involved, nothing is free. She's had to pay its price of migraines and forgetfulness while working as a Hound, tracing illegal spells back to their casters. And even though magic has stolen her recent memory--including her history with the man she supposedly fell in love with--Allie isn't about to give up on Hounding or the city she cares about. Then the police's magic enforcement division asks her to consult on what seems to be a straightforward missing-persons case. But what begins as a way to make rent leads Allie into grave danger when the trail she's following draws her into the dark underworld of criminals, ghosts, and blood magic. There, Allie discovers it will take more than just magic to survive...."--p. [4] of cover.

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.

I so hoped to like the second book in the Allie Beckstrom series but it seemed to completely derail. The first book is excellent for a supernatural/urban fantasy thriller and I wonder if it shouldn't have been a stand-alone novel.