Shame Flynn and Terric Conley have an uneasy alliance. They are Soul Complements, the only magic users left who can "break magic" after a magic apocalypse rendered almost all magic practically useless. Shame wields Death magic while Terric wields Life magic. Soul Complements are powerful when they work together but if one dies, the remaining Soul Complement is psychotic at best. Unfortunately, Shame and Terric are still battling Eli Collins, the rogue Soul Complement who is creating human bombs. Can Shame and Terric find a way to work together in time to stop Eli? Or is magic about to have a sudden and very dangerous resurgence in the hands of the wrong people?

STONE COLD is the second book in Devon Monk's Broken Magic series, which is a spinoff on the Allie Beckstrom series. I would highly suggest reading at least the first book in the Broken Magic series prior to reading STONE COLD. STONE COLD picks right up where Hell Bent left off and the action doesn't relent long enough for any past reminiscing. Instead, Devon Monk plunges the reader headlong into the clash between the magics and the diabolically catastrophic machinations of Eli.

I love the imaginative world building of Devon Monk! We have magic, Life, Death, human zombie bombs, and even Stargate- like gateways where characters are instantly transported to other places. However, it is Shame's own internal battle with who he is that steals the show. Shame inadvertently does some horrible things and his mortification seeps through the pages of the book and right into this reader's heart. How can I not like a character who sees himself plunging headlong into the abyss and still refuses to give up until he sets things right?

STONE COLD appears to be the conclusion to this fast paced spin off series and I'm going to miss Shame, Terric, and all the rest of the characters. Devon Monk does a spectacular job at wrapping up all the loose ends while keeping the intensity level high. I couldn't read STONE COLD fast enough!

Book Summary

Marked by Life and Death magic, Shame Flynn and Terric Conley are “breakers”—those who can use magic to its full extent. Most of the time, they can barely stand each other, but they know they have to work together to defeat a common enemy—rogue magic user Eli Collins.

Backed by the government, Eli is trying to use magic as a weapon by carving spells into the flesh of innocents and turning them into brainless walking bombs. To stop him, Shame and Terric will need to call on their magic, even as it threatens to consume them—because the price they must pay to wield Life and Death could change the very fate of the world...and magic itself.