“My friends and customers know I love science fiction and fantasy. But even when SFF is set on Earth, it tends to take place in great big cities where I do not live. So imagine my joy when I realized that bridge in on the cover of Magic to the Bone was MY bridge, my dearly loved Big, Green & Gorgeous, the St. Johns Bridge. Magic To the Bone is the first in Devon Monk’s fun, gritty urban fantasy series. Each book touches down at least briefly in St. Johns—and something is going on here, though we readers won’t find out what until the series is complete. Here’s the quote I love, though, from book 4, Magic On the Storm: ‘Do you know where?’ ‘The bridge.’ ‘What is it about that bridge?’ I scrubbed at my arms, but the itching only got worse. ‘Too many weird things happen there.’ Shame didn’t answer. We were over the railroad track and into St. Johns. Even in the darkness, St. Johns looked like it always looked. Magic never prettied it up to make it into something marketers would approve of. St. Johns wore her face bare, and even if she wasn’t perfect, she was more beautiful because of her flaws. Broken-down, homey, unapologetic, St. Johns wore many faces. All of them the truth. Crossing the railroad track made my teeth hurt. Not like there was no magic in St. Johns, but like there was far too much magic here.'”—Nena, St. Johns Booksellers, Portland
Face Out
Magic to the Bone by Devon Monk
May 6, 2011