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Review: Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews

Tiffany — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 23:50:51 +0000

Magic Slays
Ilona Andrews
Release: May 31st, 2011
Purchase Book: Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes & Noble | Nook Version | Kindle Version
Rating: 5 Stars

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 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, and 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 calls to ask for help with a vampire on the loose, Kate leaps at the chance of some paying work. Turns out this is not an isolated incident, and Kate needs to get to the bottom of it—fast, or the city and everyone dear to her might pay the ultimate price . . .

I’ve talked about how much I absolutely love Kate Daniels before. This series started out rough, but has grown into one of my absolute favorites. It is easily ranked in the top 5 of my OH MY GOD YOU MUST READ THIS SERIES list, if I were keeping one (I am). I don’t simply love this series because Kate is a BAMF, she is, but also because the series itself is continuously growing and changing. Every book has been better than the last and Magic Slays is no different.

Things are different for Kate in Magic Slays. She is no longer living on her own fighting bad guys, fighting Curran, fighting herself. Instead she has accepted her role as Curran’s Mate and lover and finally moved into the Pack’s Keep. There is a certain level of security that comes with being mated to the Beast Lord and living in a fortified castle, however Kate has never been one to sit back on her laurels in style and comfort. Having quit the Order and working for her own agency, a seemingly simple case of a loose vampire and missing person quickly turn into a situation that threatens Kate, her family, and the Pack.

There were so many things I liked about this installment in Kate’s story. Magic Slays is more than just scary monsters being tossed at our heroine left and right, at parts it even has a slight ‘crime novel” feel to it. The romantic tension between Kate and Curran is lessoned slightly, as we are no longer wondering will they or won’t they, and there is an honesty and ease between them that is hard to put words around. They laugh, they argue, they fight (literally), and there are moment’s of doubt, but it is somehow all very natural. Their spats are some of my favorite scenes in the book because the sarcasm and dialogue are delivered so well, yet I was never once distracted from the overall plot. Additionally, I felt the side characters were utilized in a way to fully enrich the ongoing story and lay the groundwork for future novels in a way that I hadn’t noticed before. Kate really is no longer alone and she finally seems willing to accept that.

Kate and Curran’s relationship is a perfect foundation of humor, tension, and tenderness upon which sits a riveting and suspenseful story. I bit off at least three of my fingernails, gasped several times, and went on to whisper “oh my god, they wouldn’t do this…. no!” at least once. Additionally, an older and wiser Kate is thrown a curveball or two that will leave readers wanting more while setting up future books nicely. I agree with Danielle at AlphaReader entirely, this book does feel like the calm before the storm. It is not an all consuming read, but it was enjoyable and well done.

Magic Slays was one of my highly anticipated reads for this year and I am happy to say that it delivered on all of my expectations. There was never a paragraph I wanted to skip or a description I rolled my eyes at. The foreboding at the end was absolutely perfect and I can not wait to see where Kate finds herself next time and who she is faced with. I have a guess. It is taking all of my willpower not to type it.

Favorite Quote

I made a mental note to punch Jim in the arm the next time I saw him. “Thought it was funny, did he?”

“I didn’t think it was funny.”

I bet. “People were about to die and I could save them. There was a girl . . . Anyway, I’m not hurt. I’ll be home for dinner.”

“As you wish,” he said.

My heart made a little jump. I love you, too.

The tension in his voice eased. “You sure you don’t need your Prince Charming to come and save you?”

The knot in my stomach evaporated. My Prince Charming, huh. “Sure, do you have one handy?”

“Oh, I think I could scrounge one up somewhere. As often as I have to rescue you . . .”

“I’m going to kick you in the head when I get home. Repeatedly.”

“You could try. You probably need the exercise since you sit on your butt in the office all day.”

“You know what, don’t talk to me.”

“Whatever you want, baby.”

Now he was just jerking my chain. I growled at the phone.

FTC Disclaimer: This book was purchased by me.

Review: Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews

Tiffany — Thu, 20 May 2010 22:22:25 +0000

Title: Magic Bleeds (Kate Daniels, book 4)
Author: Ilona Andrews
Release: May 25th, 2010
Purchase this book: Amazon | Book Depository | No Kindle Version Yet
Goodreads Entry: here
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Rating: 5 Stars

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…

I am going to do my very best to keep this review spoiler free…. I didn’t want to be spoiled and I know you don’t either (well with the exception of KC that is, she is a bad girl).

Magic Bleeds has Kate still working for the order in her own way. When a big bad evil doer comes to town and starts driving shapeshifters wild and infecting people with contagious diseases it is up to Kate to take care of business in the best way she knows how. Things get even more dangerous for Kate and those she loves as her identity gets harder to hide and her family ups the stakes.

If I were a super kick ass heroine, I would totally be Kate. She is funny, sarcastic, courageous, and loyal… but she will also kick your ass if she needs to. She takes the shit life gives her and keeps on going no matter the cost, all the while somehow managing to avoid becoming bitter and spiteful (one of my pet peeves with UF heroines). All of this and more is true of Kate in book 4 of the series. She is the Kate we know and love, but she is growing increasingly vulnerable and wiser.

The Kate Daniels series started off with a strong, yet lonely heroine who had only one purpose in her life. Magic Bleeds gives the reader a battle hardened but love softened version of that same heroine. The family Kate has unintentionally found and her feelings towards Curran make her vulnerable and soften the hard edges of her personality. Voron’s words of warning constantly play in the back of her mind causing her to doubt whether she can have the things that make her truly happy.

Curran is the ultimate Beast Lord and delivers like you would expect one to in Magic Bleeds. He is pissy, temperamental, sarcastic, dangerous, standoffish, and growly. Very Growly. Very. He will also make your toes tingle and your heart swell in ways I didn’t expect. A relationship between Kate and Curran will never be easy, but book 4 asks the question…. do both of them have the strength to try? And if so, will the big bad evil doers even give them the chance?

Ilona Andrews once again delivers a novel that meshes sizzling romantic tension with nail biting urban fantasy action perfectly. The plot and action sequences always manage to stay center stage, never feeling lackluster in comparison with the “will they or won’t they” subplot. Magic Bleeds reads like a game changer…tying up some long running plot lines while expanding and revealing new ones. I for one can’t wait to see what is coming up next for Kate and how she manages to stay alive, again.

FTC Disclaimer: Book was given to me by the author

Cover Reveal: Dark and Stormy Knights Anthology

Tiffany — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:06:20 +0000

Ilona Andrews is at it again, teasing us poor readers. Today, my birthday, she flaunts this yummy anthology goodness! I can’t even tell you how excited I am to learn about this anthology…. Its all I can do to not cackle with giddiness. Jim Butcher, Vicki Pettersson, Ilona Andrews, and more…. all in one book? An urban fantasy fangirl’s ultimate dream!

It looks like it is set to be published in July 2010 and the paperback is available for preorder from Amazon here. No kindle version yet. Check out Ilona Andrew’s blog for the small snippet from the Kate Daniels story in the anthology.

Cover Reveal: Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews

Tiffany — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:10:34 +0000

omg omg omg fangirl *squeeel* I am so excited for this book – it just is NOT funny. Gorgeous cover! As soon as I saw this on Ilona Andrew’s blog this morning I ran over here to post this. Well ok, honestly, I posted it to the goodreads entry first but the librarian in me made me do it!

If you aren’t reading her blog, you should be. She and her husband are hilarious and often post snippets for us crazy fans. Gordon has even posted his own versions of things from Curran’s perspective a few times. It helps the time between releases pass

Anyway, you can pre-order Magic Bleeds from Amazon here. No kindle version yet. I don’t see a cover blurb yet. Release is set for June 2010.

Review: On the Edge

Tiffany — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 01:15:34 +0000

On the Edge
Ilona Andrews
Release: Sept. 29, 2009
Buy Kindle Version: here
Rating: 5 Stars

Rose Drayton lives on the Edge, between the world of the Broken (where people drive cars, shop at Wal-Mart, and magic is a fairy tale) and the Weird (where blueblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny). Only Edgers like Rose can easily travel from one world to the next, but they never truly belong in either.

Rose thought if she practiced her magic, she could build a better life for herself. But things didn’t turn out how she planned, and now she works a minimum wage, off the books job in the Broken just to survive. Then Declan Camarine, a blueblood noble straight out of the deepest part of the Weird, comes into her life, determined to have her (and her power).

But when a terrible danger invades the Edge from the Weird, a flood of creatures hungry for magic, Declan and Rose must work together to destroy them, or the beasts will devour the Edge and everyone in it . . .

I should be writing an english essay, but this book review is calling my name. If only book reviews could be turned in for some sort of grade…. essay about women’s right movement is surely equivalent to an urban fantasy book review right?

The Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews is one of my favorite urban fantasy series. I barely survive the wait until release day for each Kate Daniel book and when it arrives I easily devour it within 24 hours only to be left waiting again and wishing I had taken more time with it. With that said, I had a hard time getting into the first few chapters of the first Kate Daniels book because Andrews’ use of vampires is so unusual it took some getting used to for me. I experienced something similar with On the Edge. The world was so new and unlike what I was expecting, it took a chapter or two for me to really grasp onto the details and picture it in my head. I think this is probably a limitation of mine, not a flaw in the books. Once I had a good grasp on the world and the rules within it, I was completely sucked into this book and could not put it down.

The world building in the Edge series is fantastic, unlike anything I have read recently. The characters are intriguing and likeable. Rose is strong, brave, clever, and witty. She is heavily weighed down with responsibility yet incredibly loyal. Rose lovingly takes care of her family even at her own expense. She is easy to relate to, especially for readers with kids who will emphasize with her during the seemingly normal (considering all other circumstances) guardian/child interactions. The kids are curious, fun, and enjoyable without being troublesome.

Unlike the Kate Daniels series, On the Edge relies heavily on the romantic tensions building between Rose and Declan (your leading man). The interactions between them are clever, witty, and irresistible… a style Ilona Andrews has become very good at.

The plot was well paced and full of suspense, urging readers to stay up just a little bit longer to find out what happens. Overall On the Edge continues in the tradition of Andrews’ previous books, providing readers with an excellent story, great characters, and many memorable quotes. I will be impatiently waiting for book 2…only 11 more months to go.

FTC Disclaimer: This book was purchased by me