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
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
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
Books by Ilona Andrews:
Kate Daniels: Magic Bites (2007), Magic Burns (2008), Magic Strikes (2009)
The Edge: On Edge (2009)
Must Love Hellhounds (2009)
