Ilona Andrews
Magic Bites (2007)
Kate Daniels works as a mercenary in a world that used to be ours, where technology is losing out to magic. Vampires are not romantic creatures (think the older vampires on Buffy) the vampire faction is held at bay by the shape shifters--neither group can take control, which is probably good for the humans. After discovering that her guardian has been killed, she volunteers to hunt for his killer--knowing that whatever managed to kill Greg--a trained knight-diviner--would almost certainly be more than a match for her.
I thoroughly enjoyed Magic Bites. Although Kate is quite powerful, it is made quite clear that much of her power has come through hard work and training, and that power doesn't necessarily keep her unscathed. She also makes mistakes--real mistakes with real consequences.
The writing was also good. I managed to devour the entire book in several hours, without every being thrown out of the story, even when I stopped to consider some of the differences between Kate's world and our own. The dialog was good, with plenty of sarcasm (my favorite), and the characters were distinctive
I was also fascinated by the world that Ilona Andrews created. Our present is the past in Kate's world, and the technology and science that we take for granted is slowly succumbing to magic--when magic flares up, technology ceases to work. I found it interesting to consider the idea that science and magic could not coexist in peace--that the suppression of one was required for the other to work. I also was fascinated by the idea that in Kate's world, much of modern architecture falls under the auspices of technology, and so the fall of magic would lead to the destruction of skyscrapers and other architecture that only came with the modern age.
Although lots of awful things happen, and the world Kate lives in is built upon the ashes and bones of our world, this book was not nearly as dark as one would expect. Although battling monsters and knowing that evil is real in the world, Kate still somehow manages to remain optimistic to a degree. Not that she's sunshine and flowers, but that despite the world around her, she has a basic attitude that the world and humanity will continue--despite everything.
Although the story arc--discovering who killed Greg and why--is completed, there are plenty of threads left uncompleted for the series to be continued. However, this was done very well, so there is a definite sense of closure to the ending. Which is something that I particularly like in a story. (And why I'm finding it harder and harder to read epic fantasy that goes on for thousands of pages.)
If you like supernatural fantasy, then you should enjoy Magic Bites. Strong herione, lots of danger and magic, and consequences for actions.
Rating: 8/10
Magic Burns (2008)
The sequel to Magic Bites, Magic Burns continues the story of Kate Daniels, magic user, fighter, and no longer mercenary, but instead member of the Order, a group that helps keep the peace in a dangerous and uncertain world.
While taking a case as a mercenary, Kate stumbles upon a mystery that leads her to some of the more dangerous areas of post-flare Atlanta. During this reconnaissance she discovers a young girl searching from her mother who has disappeared. Having lots both of her parents, Kate immediately takes the girl under her wing and tries to protect her.
In addition to this, Kate’s job at the order is as liaison to the Pack, and she continues to have run-ins with Curran, who Kate firmly believes hates her. This was, in my opinion, one of the weakest parts of the story. It is obvious to the reader that Curran’s feelings for Kate are far from hatred, and so Kate’s discovery of the truth was somewhat frustrating to me. I simply had to keep reminding myself that it wasn’t obvious to Kate even if it was obvious to us.
Lucky for me, the focus of the story was upon the search for the man who kept stealing the Pack’s maps, and the source of the undead creatures who kept attacking Kate. And we continue to learn about post-Flare Atlanta and the world that has developed when neither tech nor magic are stable. I still find this a fascinating idea, and very much enjoy the development of the world after the fall of tech.
As with the previous book, the story arc is concluded in the book. Although many threads remain unresolved, they are not left in such a way that they detract from the story or sit as cliffhangers. They are simply ideas and twists that will take a long time to resolve.
All in all, this is an excellent book that I thoroughly enjoyed. Although the romantic element between Kate and Curran was not my favorite part of the story, it wasn’t badly done and didn’t make me want to strange either character, so that was fine. But by and far the strongest part of the story is the development of the post flare world, and the mysteries that Kate must resolve.
Although you could read Magic Burns without having read Magic Bites the previous book is available, so you really should read it first.
Rating: 8/10
Magic Strikes (2009)
Now that Kate is working for the Order (and getting a steady paycheck) she’s working her butt off. A magic flare has caused trouble (as usual) and Kate gets to help deal with the upheaval.
But when she goes to investigate the scene of the death of a shapeshifter, things get difficult and her relationship with the Pack Leader Curran becomes even more complex.
So finally(!) we get to learn a little more about Kate’s past and why she is so secretive about her past and her life and always burns anything that has her blood. Unfortunately, it’s becoming harder and harder for Kate to hide her blood–and her past.
I really really really like Kate. Despite the powers that were gifted her by her blood, she works hard to maintain her skills, and we learn precisely how hard she had to work to gain those skills. And the powers given by her blood are no easy gift either, and require work and suffering on her part.
But even more I am fascinated by the world in which Kate lives: a world where magic and technology take turns being dominant, and where the resurgence of magic completely destroyed the world as we know it. We are also starting to see more of the political structure of this new world, and it’s both frightening and fascinating. Even though this is the third book in the series, there is more to discover about Kate’s world with every book.
I highly recommend the Kate Daniels series. Could you read Magic Strikes without having read the previous books? For the story, yes. However, as Kate’s history and background are slowly being uncovered over the course of the series, I would recommend going back to the start of the series to learn about Kate’s powers and abilities as the series unfolds.
Rating: 8/10
Magic Bleeds (2010)
Things never go right for Kate Daniels. She makes dinner for Curran, and he never shows up, and when she calls looking for him, she’s blown off.
Then heading back to work after a long day, she’s called to check out an emergency, and things go downhill from there. There seems to be a rogue mage loose in the city spreading chaos and pestilence, and the odds of stopping this monster don’t seem good. To make it worse, more and more people are learning about Kate’s secret, and that makes her very very nervous.
The one thing I don’t like about this story is there is boinking. Bleh. It’s not badly done, and you knew it was coming, but it’s never my favorite parts of these types of stories.
Otherwise, I continue to like Kate, I like how she works, I like that she takes damage in her fights, and I like that she knows her limits, but doesn’t care and does what needs to be done anyway.
I was also very pleased with the ending. Yes, it was a bit heavy handed getting there–you knew events were coming, but to have them all happen at once seemed a bit much–but it was very much where the story needed to go.
All in all, recommended if you’ve been reading the series so far. If you aren’t, I recommend going back and not beginning the series here. There are lots of revelations and discoveries, most of which will make more sense if you know at least part of the backstory and are comfortable with the world in which Kate lives.
Rating: 7/10
Magic Slays (2011)
I’m starting to get nervous. We’re reaching the part of the series where it feels as if we are beginning to build to the final confrontation.
Which often means cliff hanger endings.
And I hate cliff hanger endings.
But so far so good.
Kate and Curran are (sort of) luxuriating in wedded bliss, although there continue to be fights about Kate’s work and the danger she places herself in. Especially when the Red Guard hires for a case that has ugly and dangerous written all over.
Things I really liked: Andrea is back. Do I like what happened to her? No. Is what happened reasonable. Very much so. Is her reaction realistic? Even more so.
Kate and Curran’s relationship. They are still working out their relationship and how two powerful individuals are going to compromise. There are fights, and there are misunderstandings, but within the context of their histories and their personalities, these are reasonable and expected things, and I like the balance of reality with the HEA, and the fact that they recognize the need to talk about their problems like grown-ups. Kudos for having them act (mostly) like grown-ups.
Kate’s recognition that she desperately needs to be trained. She is strong, but there is no way she’ll be able to confront her father without a LOT more hard work. So I was glad to see that appear finally–and in a very interesting way, at that.
Was there anything I didn’t particularly like? Well, I had a really hard time groking the invention, and not just how it worked, but how it could permanently do what it did. I also am not sure how I feel about the resolution of the situation with Julie. But I need to think about it more to decide if I believe it or not.
But all in all, it was another very good entry into the series.
Can you start the series here? Possibly, but I don’t recommend it, not just because of the world building in previous volumes, but also because of the character building, and the relationships between those characters. That’s something that’s hard to get entering this far in the series.
Whereas going back and starting at the beginning would be quite the rewarding experience.
Rating: 8/10
Magic Gifts (2011)
I actually finished this a couple weeks ago, but somehow forgot to write about it.
For Christmas, the husband and wife team of Ilona Andrews made a novella, Magic Gifts, available for download from the website for a limited time. I of course downloaded it and once I figured out how to move it to my Kindle, read it.
Magic Gifts is a Kate Daniels novella. Kate and Andrea are still trying to get their business, “Cutting Edge Investigations”, off the ground. Unfortunately for them, they are only getting the cases that no one else wants.
After a particularly rough (and disgusting) day, Curran offers to take Kate out to dinner. Unfortunately, things never go as planned.
Adding to Kate’s problems, Jim is hounding her about dealing with the Mercenary Guild. (Kate’s aunt killed the head of the guild, and they’ve lacked a leader ever since.)
This is quite a long story, for a free novella. Some residual issues (ie the Mercenary Guild) are tied up and we meet some new creatures inhabiting the areal. The only thing that was not resolved was Andrea’s problems. However, she had those issues coming into the story, so their lack of resolution wasn’t an issue for me.
The story is no longer available for free download, but I’m sure that at some point in the future it will be available for purchase.
Rating: 8/10
On Edge (2009)
Let me get it out of the way first thing: This is a kissing book.
Yes, I know, I know. I usually hate kissing books.
And in my defense, I didn’t know it was a kissing book when I ordered it. I saw Ilona Andrews had a new series coming out, and ordered the book sight unseen. But as soon as I saw the cover of the book, I knew it was a kissing book.
How did I know this you ask? Because there’s a guy’s head floating on the cover. Floating man head = kissing book.
But I really like Ilona Andrews writing, so I put myself in the frame of mind for a kissing book and dove in.
And finished the book in a single evening.
Yes, it’s a kissing book, but its a very well done kissing book, and it was smooching with a plot thrown in, but instead was a very good fantasy story that happened to have smooching and a HEA and all that other romance stuff. (I just used the term romance. I hope I didn’t give me blog cooties.)
Rose lives on the Edge. Not the metaphorical edge, but a place where magic and the mundane are combined, and where those who are able, can cross from one world to another. Unfortunately, living on the Edge means a struggle to survive, and with two younger brothers to care for, Rose struggles more than most. To make things even more difficult, Rose has a very strong magic–and rather that keeping her safe and allowing her to succeed, the strength of her magic has caused her nothing but problems since she was 18; magic doesn’t work in the mundane world, so she has to work an off the books job to survive.
What first drew me into the story was the nod to the folk/fairy tale of the knight who must succeed in three impossible tasks to win the heart of the princess. Not that Rose is a princess–far from it–but I liked the parallel, and then the way the story diverged and went its own way for the original tale. After all, modern women should be self-rescuing princesses.
Although this is romance in the world of fantasy, with all the obstacles between the destined lovers, the obstacles felt real, and the stupidity of the characters was not one of the obstacles.
Additionally, the world building is very very good. As much as I love her Kate Daniels series, the world building in the first book is not as good as it could be–I had a very difficult time picturing the world in which Kate lives. In On Edge, however, the world building is excellent. I understood the world in which Rose lives, and the rules made sense.
Yeah, there was boinking, but really, by the time we got there, I didn’t mind so much.
Rating: 8/10
Bayou Moon (2010)
Yes, yes, I know. Two floating head books in a row. But not only was I on vacation, but this is an Ilona Andrews book, and I love those.
The first book in The Edge series had Rose attempting to survive on the Edge and raise her two younger brothers, and Declan barging in and–in the end–helping her save herself. Instead of continuing with Rose’s story, the main characters in Bayou Moon are William (who appeared in the first book) and Cerise, a resident of the Mire and soon to be the defacto head of the Mar clan, which comes with some nasty clan rivalries that are ready to boil into an open war.
I actually liked Bayou Moon very much, despite the fact I thought it had a couple of flaws. First, William’s character sometimes felt inconsistent. His child-like side disappears quite quickly, and his inability to relate to Cerise and her family on a person-to-person basis seemed inconsistent with his training, especially the spying.
Cerise was a wonderful and strong lead and although you knew she was going to fall in love with William (this is a floating head book) you know she’s going to do it on her own terms.
But, it was still a fun read and a perfect distraction.
Rating: 7/10
Published by Ace
Fate’s Edge (2011)
I have to say I’m glad I didn’t notice the floating man head until after I finished the book, because that floating man head totally doesn’t look like how I pictured Keldar.
Keldar is a rogue. That floating head? Just… doesn’t look smart enough to pull off the part.
But aside from that….
Audrey Callahan was born and raised a grifter, but she’s managed to escape from her family and go straight.
Kaldar Mar, the cousin of Cerise from Bayou Moon, is working for the Mirror, in the hopes of taking down The Hand–the group that destroyed much of his family.
And from previous books, Jack and George are the brothers of Rose, and are having a hard time dealing with the fact that as Edgers they will never be accepted by the weird, regardless of the nobility of their brother-in-law and ward. And Gaston is another of Cerise’s cousins, now training with Kaldar to become a mirror agent.
For a romance (and this is a romance and boinking book) it’s unusual to make two main characters teenage boys who happened to be main characters in a previous book, but it worked very well for this book. In On the Edge we spent a lot of time with George and Jack, and it was good to spend time with them again, and see how they’ve grown and come to deal with their sister’s happily ever after.
As a series, these books are similar to Marjorie Liu‘s Dirk & Steele series, where you have a group of character’s whose stories are related yet can be read separate from one another. Which I like very much.
To be more specific, I really enjoyed Fate’s Edge. Audrey is a fabulous heroine, skilled and self-reliant and although she has a somewhat ugly history, it hasn’t broken her. And of course I have a soft spot for rogues, and Kaldar most definitely belongs to that class.
All in all I am thoroughly enjoying this series, and highly recommend it.
Despite the boinking.
Rating: 8.5/10
Must Love Hellhounds (2009)
Charlaine Harris, Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, Meljean Brook
I picked up this anthology solely because I saw Ilona Andrews had a story in it. Charlaine Harris also usually writes decent short stories, but not always. But I figured, I like everything I’ve read by Ilona Andrews, and there should be at least one other decent story in there, so it’s worth it.
The book opens with Charlaine Harris story, “The Britlingens Go to Hell.” First off, this is not a Sookie story, which I liked, because I think authors need to branch out if they’ve been writing a lot of a single characters. Unfortunately, the story felt a bit uneven to me. The world building was not as good as I expect for a story set in a work that is very much not our own. There were plenty of nice touches, but overall it felt like it needed a bit more polishing before being released into the wild.
Two mercenaries are hired to act as bodyguard for a man who needs to go to Hell. I particularly liked the mercenaries/bodyguards. They were rough and strong and no nonsense. And Hell had the potential to be an interesting place–once I made sense of it. I also liked the surprise characters who appeared halfway through the story. I thought that was a nice touch.
What can I say about the second story, “Angels’ Judgment”? By the second page of the first chapter (I found the prologue interesting) I felt like cheezy porno music should be playing in the background. The story was little but “OMG HE IS SO HAWT!” “OMG SHE IS SO HAWT!” “MUST BOINK!” and random bits of plot thrown in here and there as a break from the boinking. It was obvious from the second page that the characters would have sex. I just didn’t realize that the story would be like listening to the brain of a 16 year old male, with sex coming up every thirty seconds. What made it all the more frustrating was that there was almost no explanation of the relationship between vampires and angels, which made the story even less believable. OK, angels make vampires. Because why? Who knows! Probably so they can have sex if the rest of the story was anything to go by.
Third was Ilona Andrews’s story “Magic Mourns” set in the same world as her Kate Daniels books, but featuring Kate’s fellow knight Andrea, and the were Raphael. Kate is still recovering from her misadventures in the last book, so in the meantime Andrea is taking her calls, and ends up heading out when someone calls in to report a dog as big as a house chasing a were. There were a lot of things I really liked about this story. First, I liked that we got to learn more about two important but secondary characters in the series. Second, Ilona Andrews did a very good job with the world building–I think she did a better job in this novella actually than she did in the first Kate Daniels book. There’s not much detail about why things are the way they are, but there are succinct explanations of how things are.
The final story, “Blind Spot” by Miljean Brook, I liked, though not as well as “Magic Mourns.” Maggie has been sent by her boss to “rescue” Geoff Blake, who had been attempting to rescue his sister, but had instead been caught by the demon who had kidnapped his sister. The world building was good in this story, which is good because the characters and their abilities are complex. Although I have to admit that Sir Pup is my favorite of the lot of them. The story is interesting, as is the discovery of the different characters and their pasts. I looked up some of her other books, and their listed as paranormal romances, so although I enjoyed “Blind Spot” very much, I’m not sure about reading a romance series–with boinking. We’ll see.
Rating: 7/10
Dark and Stormy Knights (2010) edited by P.N. Elrod
I can’t help myself–I love anthologies. And fantasy anthologies with writers who write their fantasy with a healthy does of mystery? Sign me up! All anthologies have high and low points, but overall this was a fairly strong group of stories.
The book starts off with a current favorite author, Ilona Andrews. This is a Kate Daniels story, only set in the past, when Kate was still working for the Mercenary Guild. And we get to see how she met Saiman, which is a story well worth reading. Plus, this glimpse into Kate’s past was quite interesting. I have to admit that as much as I have been enjoying the series, I really really like independent Kate.
The second story is by Jim Butcher, but is not a Dresden story (although Harry is mentioned). Instead the main character is John Marcone, who we met in an earlier Dresden book. Justine is in trouble, and comes to Marcone for sanctuary as he is a signer of the Accords. Unfortunately a really nasty monster is after Justine, and Marcone doesn’t really have that much to gain by helping her. What was especially interesting about this story was seeing characters like Harry from the eyes of outsides.
The fourth story was Rachel Caine‘s story, “Even a Rabbit Will Bite.” I wasn’t particularly thrilled with her Weather Warden series, so I wasn’t expecting much from this story. Interestingly, it’s a short stand-alone story that I ended up liking very much. Lisel is the last Dragonslayer, and she is to train her replacement to kill the last remaining dragon. An elderly woman is rarely the hero of the story, so I especially liked that twist.
Jack Flemming makes another appearance in P.N. Elrod‘s story “Dark Lady.” A woman shows up looking for Jack, to beg him for help saving her fiancee from the mob. Unfortunately, he double crossed Gordy (Jack’s sort of boss) so there’s not much Jack thinks he can do for her, but being a sucker for a damsel in distress, he tries to help her anyway.
Lilith Saintcrow‘s story, “Rookwood & Mrs. King” was a vampire story, only without the romantic swoony vampires. Which was a nice change. A woman asks Rookwood to kill her husband, and Rookwood starts to refuse until she tells him her husband is undead and haunting her.
The final story was Carrie Vaughan‘s “God’s Creatures” which stars Cormac early in his career, before meeting Kitty. Again, I liked stepping into a characters past, and I also liked learning more about a secondary character–a nice twist that brings you into the world that already exists, but doesn’t do anything to ruin the ongoing storyline if you’re not familiar with the author.
Yes, there were other stories, but they weren’t particular favorites. but the stories mentioned above are well worth the price of the book, especially if you’ve not read stories by these authors before.
Rating: 8/10
Published by St Martin’s Griffin
Under Her Skin (2009)
with Jeaniene Frost and Meljean Brook
So, this was the first full book I read on the Nook. I love Ilona Andrews and also really like Jeaniene Frost, so I figured I couldn’t go too wrong for three bucks. These are three short paranormal romances, focusing on shape shifters, but also with strong female leads.
The first story is “Pack” by Jeaniene Frost. Marlee is hiking in Yellowstone when she is attacked by a pack of wolves–werewolves of course, as these are paranormal stories. She is rescued and given medical treatment, but they pack refuses to let her go, aware that she may have become infected during the attack. She also finds herself falling for the man she sees as one of her captors–the pack enforcer named Daniel who claims she would be a threat to her friends and family if she returned home infected and undiagnosed, but also a threat to the pack if she returned and told people there was a pack of werewolves hiding in all but plain sight.
I like Jeaniene Frost’s writing, and so thoroughly enjoyed the story.
The second story is “In Sheep’s Clothing” by Meljean Brook. Emma is attacked driving through a storm on the way to her aunt’s house. When her friend and rescuer–the local sheriff arrives–she seems unharmed but understandably shaken up by the attack. This story and the first focus on the time right after a mere mortal is bitten by a were and the changes that manifest almost immediately. What I particularly liked was that Emma was NOT too stupid to live, but instead did everything she could to save herself. I like heroines like that. There were other things like liked about the story (hard to talk too much about a short story without giving everything away) but over all, it was for me the weakest story in the collection. This was also the only story that had boinking. Are those two facts related? Probably.
The final story–and the reason I bought the collection–was Ilona Andrews’ story “Grace of Small Magics.” None of the characters are were-wolves, so this story has quite a different feel from the previous too, as there are no familiar elements upon which to hang these characters and this world.
Grace discovers her family is indebted to another family, and that she is required to help this family perform a magical service of some sort, though she knows nothing about the family or what service she could possible provide. This story was the action/adventure/quest tale, and once I realized there wasn’t going to be a werewolf and once I paid more attention to the world building, I very much enjoyed the story. Again, strong female lead who does her part in rescuing herself. Always a favorite.
Yes, these are three relatively short stories, but the stories by Jeaniene Frost and Ilona Andrews were definitely worth the price of admission.
Only drawback about these stories is you can only get them in ebook format.
Rating: 8/10
Silent Blade (2009)
Meli is an assassin who has inherited gifts from her family that make her an excellent assassin. However, after years of killing for her family, she has decided to retire. And she enjoys her retirement until her family asks her for one last death–the death of the very man who ruined her life.
A fun story and a nice distraction.
Rating: 7/10
Published by Samhain Publishing Ltd
Books by Ilona Andrews:
Kate Daniels: Magic Bites (2007), Magic Burns (2008), Magic Strikes (2009), Magic Bleeds (2010), Magic Slays (2011), Magic Gifts (2011)
The Edge: On Edge (2009), Bayou Moon (2010), Fate’s Edge (2011)
Anthologies: Must Love Hellhounds (2009), Under Her Skin (2009), Dark and Stormy Knights (2010)
Novellas/Short Stories : Silent Blade (2009)
