Review: Magic Slays

Magic Slays
Ilona Andrews
Urban Fantasy
Kate Daniels/Book 5
ACE/June 1, 2011

*Spoilers for Previous Books*

From the back cover ~

Plagued by a war between magic and technology, Atlanta has never been so deadly. Good thing Kate Daniels is on the job.

Kate Daniels may have quit the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid, but she's still knee-deep in paranormal problems. Or she would be if she could get someone to hire her. Starting her own business has been more challenging than she thought it would be - now that the Order is disparaging her good name. Plus, many potential clients are afraid of getting on the bad side of the Beast Lord, who just happens to be Kate's mate.

So when Atlanta's premier Master of the Dead asks for help with a vampire on the loose, Kate leaps at the chance of some paying work. But it turns out that this is not an isolated incident. Kate needs to get to the bottom of it - and fast, or the city and everyone dear to her may pay the ultimate price...

This is a series that not only continues to grow and develop but stays fresh and keeps the reader engaged in the characters lives. In Magic Slays, Kate and Curran are both still fairly new at this "mate" thing. They are adjusting to living together at the Keep. The adjustments Kate makes are more obvious but Curran has some adjusting to do too.

It's been a month since Kate opened her business, Cutting Edge Investigations and to say things have been slow is an understatement. That's about to change when Kate finds herself in the thick of blood, guts and what may be a whole shitload of trouble. Thankfully she's not alone. Her BFF Andrea shows up looking for work and Kate, being no one's fool, hires her. Yes! Love the friendship and camaraderie that Kate and Andrea share. The banter between Kate and Andrea is that of good friends with a long history. I enjoy seeing this side of Kate, she's more relaxed.

Circumstances heat up fast when Kate comes under attack. There were a number of players this time around, some new, but Andrews keeps everything following in a nice orderly fashion so I had no problem keeping track of who's who. One new secondary character had the name Leslie. My name. Now, I rarely see my name in books so I was thrilled when I saw it here. Then as the story progressed, not so thrilled. As you can guess, Leslie isn't very nice. Oh well. We do get to see a favorite character of mine, Saiman. There are some shady dealings going on and wouldn't you know it, Saiman just happens to be involved. Kate and Saiman have a tenuous relationship, given that Curran has some violent tendencies when it comes to Saiman. But it's fun to see Kate and Saiman interact with Saiman having a healthy fear of Curran and Kate thinking Saiman is a bit nuts.

There are small, quiet moments in amongst the fighting, bleeding and dying. One such moment is when Kate is having a hell of a week and Curran isn't there with her but he's left her a message. ~

I took my scraps of paper, headed upstairs and dialed 1000. Curran's voice filled the room. "Hey. It's me."

I landed in the chair. Hearing him was like coming home in a downpour and finding the lights on and the house warm. I was in so deep, I couldn't even see the surface anymore.

Kate's totally gone over Curran but she's at the point where she's finally okay with it. Lord knows she fought it long enough but now she's actually getting comfortable being the mate of the Beast Lord. That's not to say she still doesn't have some issues but ultimately, she loves him. Period.

We see not only Kate and Curran's relationship progressing but also Kate's relationship with her adopted daughter Julie. Julie can be a handful but she's a teen and has more than her share of teen issues. Kate only wants the best for Julie and to keep her safe. I love how Julie brings out those maternal instincts in Kate. She's certainly come a long way since the beginning of the series when she was more of a loner badass. Now she's a badass with a mate and a kid!

Kate also discovers more of her family history which leaves her stunned. It's a revelation that came at the right time for Kate. She now has a lot of support around her and doesn't have to deal with the family drama alone. I really like how the progression of Kate's world of family and friends has developed. Relationships are not easy for her but she's smart enough to realize how important these people are to her.

There are plenty of big bads in Kate's world and Andrews continues to pull myths from various cultures and blend them into one fascinating and believable creation. I'm always excited to see who might show up next in the fight. And those fight scenes are some of my favorites. In Magic Slays there are plenty of well choreographed fights but there are also heartbreaking scenes of pain and loss. It is, at times, a very emotional read.

Magic Slays is everything you'd want in a story. There is love, friendship, family, action and humor. I can't wait to see where Kate, Curran and the gang lead us next.

Rating: A

Books in this series ~

Magic Bites
Magic Burns
Magic Strikes
Magic Mourns (Must Love Hellhounds anthology)
Magic Bleeds
Magic Dreams (Hexed anthology)
Magic Slays

Review: Magic Bleeds

Magic Bleeds
Ilona Andrews
Urban Fantasy
Kate Daniels/Book 4
Ace/June 2010

*Spoilers for previous books*
*Strongly recommend reading series in order*

From the back cover ~

Atlanta would be a nice place to live, if it weren’t for the magic. When the magic is up, rogue mages cast their spells and monsters appear, while guns refuse to fire and cars fail to start. But then technology returns, and the magic recedes as unpredictably as it rose.

Kate Daniels works for the Order of the Knights of Merciful Aid, officially as a liaison with the mercenary guild. Unofficially, she cleans up the paranormal problems no one else wants to handle—especially if they involve Atlanta’s shapeshifting community.

When she’s called in to investigate a fight at the Steel Horse, a bar midway between the territories of the shapeshifters and the necromancers, Kate quickly discovers there’s a new player in town. One who’s been around for thousands of years—and rode to war at the side of Kate’s father.

This foe may be too much even for Kate and Curran, the Lord of the Beasts, to handle. Because this time, Kate will be taking on family…

Ah, one of my favorite Urban Fantasy series and one of my favorite kick ass heroines. I bought Magic Bleeds when it came out back in June (wow, time flies) and I kept reading great/glowing/awesome reviews. So what did I do? I set it aside. I just couldn't make myself pick it up. Funny how that can happen. You would think I would be dying to read it but no, those glowing reviews made me a little leery. I finally read it simply because I got tired of it sitting there, taunting me. And because I was in the mood for some Kate and Curran. Did it blow me away? Not exactly. It did enjoy it but also had a few problems. Nothing major and certainly nothing that would make me stop reading the series. But... Magic Strikes still holds my favorite spot.

Kate is waiting and waiting. She isn't exactly known for her patience so for her to wait on someone for nearly three hours says a lot about that person. In this case it was Curran she was waiting on. Magic Bleeds picks up weeks after Magic Strikes and Kate is making good on her bet with the Beast Lord. Or at least she's trying to. Right off we see Kate's softer side, her vulnerable side where Curran is concerned. It was important to get that out there because Kate isn't one to show that side very often. We might see it when Andrea, Kate's best friend, is involved. Or Julie, Kate's adopted niece. But otherwise Kate tends to keep her emotions to herself, unless she's pissed, then she'll let you know. This sets the tone for Kate and Curran through the first part of the book. She's decided to treat him as the Beast Lord, not as her boyfriend/mate/lover. It's business, not personal, not any more.

The shit has hit the fan as Kate finds out when a group of bad boys stir up trouble in Atlanta. This part of the story is complex and at times seems to go from one crisis to the next with Kate running from here to there, trying to figure out what the heck is going on. There were a lot of antagonists to keep track of. Honestly, I can't remember them all. There were times when I felt like I needed to slow down my reading so I could take in everything that was happening. The sheer number of enemies coming out of the woodwork made me think Kate really deserved a bonus and maybe an employee of the month award.

There seemed to be more talk of mythology, deities and magic this time around. I'm not sure if that's the case but that's how it came across to me. Those were parts I could have done with less of. The mythology is interesting but only in sparse amounts. I'm more interested in the characters and the action than a history lesson on the deities attacking Kate. The action scenes were fierce and intense. Lots of blood, guts and body fluids being stepped in and mucked about. You knew some of those stains just weren't coming out. There were also scenes of detective and diplomacy type work for Kate. She got very little down time and very little sleep. When she wasn't fighting she was playing office or pack politics. Kate did have help but often times it seemed like it was Kate against the world.

Kate and Curran - readers have been asking for some major Kate and Curran action for some time now. Magic Bleeds had it but... I'll admit, I was expecting more. Maybe it was all the build up - yes, Kate and Curran finally get together but it felt too brief, too much of a side story as opposed to a integral part of the main plot. But I'll take what I can get.

We do learn more about Kate's family history and about what Kate will face in the future. This is not a series that should be read out of order. The overall story arc is far more effective when reading the series in order. Kate is certainly a character that has grown since book 1. Her relationships are evolving and we are getting to see more and more of what's under that hard, outer shell of hers.

While I wasn't blown away by Magic Bleeds, I still found it an enjoyable read and will certainly be reading Magic Slays when it come out next May.

Rating: B+

Curran POV...

Ilona Andrews (actually Gordon) has posted an excerpt of Curran's POV. It's when he first meets Kate. Go here to read.

Kate Daniels Book 4 Prologue...

There is a contest at Bitten By Books for favorite shapeshifter and Ilona Andrews said if Curran won (as if there was any doubt) she would post the prologue for the next Kate Daniels book! It's up and you can read it here. This is a spoiler if you haven't read the last book.

*Today is the last day to enter the giveaway for The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie. Click on the bookcover on the left to go to the blog post to enter. I'll post the winner sometime tomorrow. Good Luck!

Kate Daniels 4 Excerpt...

Go, read, enjoy...

Excerpt from the 4th Kate Daniels book by Ilona Andrews.

Review: Magic Strikes

Title: Magic Strikes
Author: Ilona Andrews
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Kate Daniels/Book 3
Published: April 2009

*Spoilers if you haven't read the first two books*

Kate Daniels, former mercenary, is now working for the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid. It's been two months since she lost a good friend and gained a daughter. Since then she's been working for the Order and trying to keep her distance from the pack, specifically Curran, the Beast Lord of Atlanta. But all roads eventually lead home or in Kate's case they lead to Curran.

The Kate Daniels series is one that I almost missed. I had heard good things about the first book, Magic Bites, but was hesitant to start a new series. Thankfully, I spotted Magic Bites at the library and gave it a go. I was hooked! While Magic Bites was good, Magic Burns was even better and Magic Strikes blew me away! This is not a series you want to start anywhere but at the beginning. Andrews does a good job of filling in back story but the characters have gone through so much growth and change, especially Kate, that you really don't want to miss out on that.

Kate must help out her friend Derek, a werewolf and a member of Curran's pack. While trying to help Derek she must also make a deal to assist Saiman, a shape shifter with the ability to shift into just about anything he wants. He also has a thing for Kate, one that she has absolutely no intention of reciprocating. Saiman convinces Kate to accompany him to the Midnight Games where she finds out just how brutal the world of underground fighting is. She also finds out that her old partner Jim is somehow involved in the same mess Derek was in. After Derek is severely beaten and left for dead Kate and Jim devise a plan to find the ones who beat Derek. They get way more than they planned and end up fighting in the Midnight Games tournament.

The creatures that Kate and her teammates have to fight in the tournament are a variety of scary and bizarre. The Reapers are their main opponents and they are after the Wolf Diamond, the prize in the tournament. The Reapers have no intention of losing and are determined to defeat Kate and Curran's team at any cost.

The Masters of the Dead and the vampires they control were not featured prominently in Magic Strikes but they are some of the scariest vampires I have ever read. They totally creep me out.

A lean shadow skittered from the alley, followed by another. Emaciated, hairless, loping on all fours in a jerky, uncoordinated gait, they crossed the street before me and paused. They had been human at some point but both had been dead for more than a decade. No fat or softness remained on their bodies. No flesh-only steel-wire muscle beneath thick hide. Two vampires on the prowl. And they were out of their territory. page 7

The fight scenes leave you breathless and make you feel like you are there, in the Pit with Kate and crew. While reading those scene I was on the edge, worried about these characters that I have come to know and love. I was worried for their safety and wondered if they would all make it out of the Pit alive or if one of them would fall. I really wasn't sure that one of them wouldn't end up dead. That's what Andrews does, makes the reader feel for these characters until they become more than just characters in a book. They become as close to real as they can possibly be. When Kate is in the Pit you can literally feeling the magic swirling around as she describes what she is experiencing ~ the ebb and flow of the powers. Feel the sand, smell the blood, the fear. The need to kick ass and kill something. The reader experiences it all through Kate.

Of course I have to mention my favorite shape shifter Curran. He can be a man of few words but when he does speak everyone listens. He's had his eye on Kate for some time but she's trying her best to stay out of his path. The romance continues to develop between them but is muted at first. The sexual tension and Curran's pursuit of Kate is on going with Kate determined to deny of her feelings for Curran, to a point. Curran is persistent and slowly works at breaking down Kate's resistance.

Kate, royally pissed off at Curran~

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I looked for something heavy to hit him with, but the room was mostly empty. There were surgical instruments but no heavy, blunt objects capable of causing the kind of pain I wanted.

He straightened.

"He was silver!" I snarled in his face. "I had it under control. What was going through your head? Here's a toxic silver golem; I think I'll jump on his back! That's a damn good idea!"

He scooped me up and suddenly I was pressed against his chest. "Were you worried about me?"

"No, I'm ranting for fun, because I'm a disagreeable bitch!"

He smiled.

"You're a moron!" I told him.

He just looked at me. Happy golden lights danced in his eyes. I'd learned exactly what those sparks meant. Fury fled, replaced by alarm.

"Kiss me and I'll kill you," I warned.

"It might be worth it," he said softly. page 276

There is a secondary romance in the works with Andrea and Raphael. Andrea is also a member of the Order and Raphael is a werehyena that is mad for Andrea. She, on the other hand, wants nothing to do with him. Raphael is stubborn and is intent on winning Andrea. Their encounters were humorous and it didn't hurt that Raphael is completely adorable in his quest to win Andrea.

Magic Strikes is funny, emotional, mesmerizing to the point that I didn't want to put it down. The brilliance of the writing kept me on edge and at times left me there, teetering on the brink. Just when I thought I knew where the authors were going I ended up like Kate, wanting someone to pinch me.

I blinked a couple of times and held my arm out to Jim. "Pinch me."

Claws sliced my flesh. Ow.

I stared at a couple of red dots on my forearm, licked them, tasting the sharp bite of magic on my tongue. Yep. Real. I did just see a golden palace fly off. page 162

The world building is once again an indulgence for the readers' senses with the descriptions of Atlanta, it's citizens and structures all playing a part in the story. I could go on about the amazing world that Kate and her friends inhabit but I'll stop here. Just know that when you read Ilona Andrews be prepared for an incredible journey filled with a kick ass heroine, action scenes that leave you breathless and sexual tension that torments and teases, leaving you wanting more.

I can not recommend this series enough. All kinds of good stuff can be found at the author's website. Ilona Andrews (who is actually a husband and wife writing team) also has a new series coming out this fall starting with On the Edge. I blogged about the cover here and you can read an excerpt here.

Go out and get Magic Bites, Magic Burns and Magic Strikes. You won't be sorry.

Rating: A+