Mini Reviews [26]

Magic Breaks (Kate Daniels, #7)

by Ilona Andrews

Narrated by Renee Raudman

Synopsis (via Goodreads): No matter how much the paranormal politics of Atlanta change, one thing always remains the same: if there’s trouble, Kate Daniels will be in the middle of it…

As the mate of the Beast Lord, Curran, former mercenary Kate Daniels has more responsibilities than it seems possible to juggle. Not only is she still struggling to keep her investigative business afloat, she must now deal with the affairs of the pack, including preparing her people for attack from Roland, a cruel ancient being with god-like powers. Since Kate’s connection to Roland has come out into the open, no one is safe—especially those closest to Kate.

As Roland’s long shadow looms ever nearer, Kate is called to attend the Conclave, a gathering of the leaders from the various supernatural factions in Atlanta. When one of the Masters of the Dead is found murdered there, apparently at the hands of a shapeshifter, Kate is given only twenty-four hours to hunt down the killer. And this time, if she fails, she’ll find herself embroiled in a war which could destroy everything she holds dear...

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Have I mentioned how much I love this series? I love it even more when I take a break between books, because then the repeated information (reminders and relevant facts for new readers) doesn't feel as unnecessary. I understand why they do recaps and re-explain how the world works, but it makes binge-reading the series more difficult. I wish the repeated information was condensed at the beginning of the book (for new readers and people that need to refresh their memories), so it doesn't impact the reading experience of people who are already intimately familiar with the world and characters. 

Warning: possible spoilers if you haven't read the other books in the series.

As for this book specifically, I was thrilled when Kate finally confronted her father. Confronted might not be the right word, but he's no longer an enigma. We get to see him, some of his powers, and we also learn a little more about his history. He definitely knows more about Kate than she thought he did, and I'm curious if everything we've learned about him previously is the truth. There's a lot of mystery surrounding Kate's escape as a baby, and this is the first time she's really getting to ask questions. Roland is also super powerful. I thought Kate and Curran could take on anything, but Roland might be more than the two of them can handle. I think it'll take a collective effort from the world (or at least everyone in Atlanta) to stop him, if he decides to do something dangerous.

I really liked the ending for this book! It gave us some closure, but we also know it's not the end. There is still more to Kate and Curran's story, and I cannot wait to see what happens next!

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Diamond Fire (Hidden Legacy, #3.5)

by Ilona Andrews

Narrated by Renee Raudman

and Emily Rankin

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Nevada Frida Baylor and Connor Ander Rogan cordially invite you to join their wedding celebration. Summoning, weather manipulation, and other magical activities strictly forbidden.

Catalina Baylor is looking forward to wearing her maid of honor dress and watching her older sister walk down the aisle. Then the wedding planner gets escorted off the premises, the bride’s priceless tiara disappears, and Rogan's extensive family overruns his mother’s home. Someone is cheating, someone is lying, and someone is plotting murder.

To make this wedding happen, Catalina will have to do the thing she fears most: use her magic. But she’s a Baylor and there’s nothing she wouldn't do for her sister's happiness. Nevada will have her fairy tale wedding, even if Catalina has to tear the mansion apart brick by brick to get it done.

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It was so easy to fall back into this series! The characters were familiar, and I really enjoyed Catalina's perspective. Renee Raudman (narrator) starts the book off with Nevada, but we quickly switch to Emily Rankin (also a narrator) and Catalina. I thought the transition was done really well, and I think Emily Rankin is going to be an amazing narrator for the next three books in this series. I'm also anxious to see what adventures Catalina will go on! Her sister, Nevada, finally found love and happiness with Conner, and their journey has been one of my favorite stories! Ilona Andrews is a dynamite duo, and I hope they write books forever.

Diamond Fire was a quick read, but it told a big story. Catalina has always felt uncomfortable using her powers, because it makes it hard for her to trust the intentions of others. It means her love life is nonexistent, even though we see a potential for something (cannot wait to see how that develops). Catalina starts using her powers more frequently in this book, because she wants to keep people safe, and we see how beneficial her abilities are to investigations (which is the family business, so that's nice). I'm happy her confidence grew as the story progressed, and now she has someone willing to show her the ropes. I'm sure we'll see her develop more control over the course of the next few books, and I really loved her personality in this one.

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Find the synopsis for Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane (Underland Chronicles, #2) here.
Find the synopsis for Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods (Underland Chronicles, #3) here.
Find the synopsis for Gregor and the Marks of Secret (Underland Chronicles, #4) here.

I've really enjoyed reading this series to my kiddos! We're on the last book now (Gregor and the Code of Claw) and had stop due to uncontrollable crying (mine). I don't think I'll be able to keep reading this one to them before bed, because my tears make them think something is wrong with me. It's hard to explain that nothing is physically wrong, just Suzanne Collins shredding my heart. She has a knack for making you love characters, and then destroying you with them later on.

This series does have some darker aspects, so I've had to be selective about what I read out loud. They're still a little young to hear about mass murder and excessive violence. It's meant for middle grade readers, and I think it's perfect for that age, but there is a lot of death and sadness (feelings a five-year-old might not be ready to address). 

I love everything about this series. The characters, the world, the individual prophesies -- all amazing, detailed, and expertly executed. I try to figure the prophesies out as I read, but nothing is clear until the very end (not for me or the characters). The giant bats, rats, and cockroaches are all very unique and interesting. Boots, Gregor, Luxa, Henry, Ares, Temp, Ripred, Twitchtip -- I really do love them all! Everyone brings something to the story, and this series wouldn't be the same without every single one of them. Collins has created a story that I will remember for the rest of my life, and one that I look forward to revisiting in the future.

Magic Strikes & Magic Bleeds (Kate Daniels, #3-4) by Ilona Andrews

Narrated by Renee Raudman

Synopsis (via Goodreads): When magic strikes and Atlanta goes to pieces, it’s a job for Kate Daniels…

Drafted to work for the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid, mercenary Kate Daniels has more paranormal problems these days than she knows what to do with. And in Atlanta, where magic comes and goes like the tide, that’s saying a lot.   

But when Kate’s werewolf friend Derek is discovered nearly dead, she must confront her greatest challenge yet. As her investigation leads her to the Midnight Games—an invitation-only, no-holds-barred, ultimate preternatural fighting tournament—she and Curran, the Lord of the Beasts, uncover a dark plot that may forever alter the face of Atlanta’s shapeshifting community…

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I am devouring this series! I would have posted my review for Magic Strikes a few days ago, but our home computer decided to crash. I’m currently using the iPad, which is infinitely more difficult to write reviews on. 

Ilona Andrews is a wonderfu duo! I discovered them when a friend recommended Burn for Me, and instantly fell in love with their writing. Once I’d read all of the available books in the Hidden Legacy series, I looked for something else written by them and stumbled across Kate Daniels. Hooray for me!

This is going to be a review for both Magic Strikes and Magic Bleeds, since I listened to the latter in less than twenty-four hours. It’s still fresh on my mind, so there's a chance my thoughts would overlap. Also, before you read any further, you should know there might be spoilers for the earlier books in this series. Some of the information is relevant to my review!

Listening to these two books one after the other made me aware of a few things I’d missed in the past. For example, the authors use the word “preternaturally” quite a lot. It’s not a word I see or hear too often, so it started to stand out in this series. Someone is preternaturally fast or they have preternatural strength, and I’ve started noticing every time it’s used. It has already been said a few times in Magic Slays, which I am listening to right now.

This series has a slow burn romance, and I’ll admit to being sexually frustrated on their behalf. Kate refuses to believe that Curran’s feelings are real, and she doesn’t want to risk her heart just to have it broken. We can see that Curran’s intentions are authentic, but Kate is stubborn and they’re both frustrating. They would rather play games and challenge one another than have a heartfelt conversation. I’ve enjoyed watching these two come together and seeing how their relationship developed over three books. Their status was still unclear at the start of book four, but something finally happened. Phew! I was beginning to think they’d be at odds the entire series. Despite wanting them to get together a lot sooner, I’m happy their relationship wasn’t rushed. Their feelings are legitimate, and they’re willing to destroy the world for each other.

Once you've read the first few books in a series, some of the details can start to feel repetitive. I understand and appreciate that each book can stand on its own, but reading them consecutively made some of the information feel tedious and unnecessary. Some of it varied slightly, but I would still tune out until something else happened. I really hope I don’t have to listen to how the shapeshifter society works (or what happens when they don’t follow the code) in any of the following books. 

The secret fight club was interesting in Magic Strikes. It challenged Kate’s morals and also forced her to spend time with Curran. The hot tub scene was fantastic until Derek popped up. I’ve never disliked Derek, but I really wanted him to disappear for a few minutes. Don’t get me started on what the Andrews duo did to him... it was nearly unforgivable. I’m still not sure if I’ve completely recovered from what they did to a beloved character. 

At the end of Magic Bleeds more people were aware of Kate’s secret, and I’m glad it’s finally out in the open. As a reader, we know what her secret is before the other characters, but Andrews kept readers in the dark for awhile too. 

Kate doesn’t do well with politics, so I’m curious about her new role within the Pack. She kicked ass in the last book (against friend and foe), so it’ll be interesting to see how she handles her new situation. I liked Kate before Magic Bleeds, but I appreciate her so much more now. She stuck with Curran despite the unfavorable circumstances. 

Am I rambling yet? Haha! This is seriously one of my all-time favorite series, and I’m looking forward to diving back into Magic Slays. The balance of power has shifted, and I’m not sure what disaster Kate will have to tackle next. At least now she has friends and people to rely on, and her attack poodle is almost always nearby (hopefully we learn more about him too). I still have a lot of questions after the last book, but the indivual story wrapped up nicely. I’m only halfway through the series, so I have plenty of books to look forward to!

Also, the history and mythology interspersed throughout the story is phenomenal. It’s clear they’ve done their research on people, places, and cultures. The way they slide various gods and deities into their stories feels seamless and completely believable. I cannot wait to see what they come up with next!

If you are looking for a new UF series, look no further! Ilona Andrews is an amazing author duo that writes wonderful stories and creates fantastic characters. You could start with this series or the Hidden Legacy books, because both are marvelous and addictive. Books like this make me wish I didn’t need sleep. 

Narrated by Renee Raudman

Synopsis (via Goodreads): 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 necromance, 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’ll try to clean this post up once we get our computer repaired! All of my icons are on there, and I’m going to be really bummed if we lose all of our files. All my pictures of the kids are on there. 

Magic Burns (Kate Daniels, #2) by Ilona Andrews

Narrated by Renee Raudman

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Down in Atlanta, tempers – and temperatures – are about to flare…

As a mercenary who cleans up after magic gone wrong, Kate Daniels has seen her share of occupational hazards. Normally, waves of paranormal energy ebb and flow across Atlanta like a tide. But once every seven years, a flare comes, a time when magic runs rampant. Now Kate’s going to have to deal with problems on a much bigger scale: a divine one.

When Kate sets out to retrieve a set of stolen maps for the Pack, Atlanta’s paramilitary clan of shapeshifters, she quickly realizes much more at stake. During a flare, gods and goddesses can manifest – and battle for power. The stolen maps are only the opening gambit in an epic tug-of-war between two gods hoping for rebirth. And if Kate can’t stop the cataclysmic showdown, the city may not survive…

“I don't want it to be attributed to a loss of control on my part. When I throw you out of the window, I want there to be no doubt the act was deliberate.”

I LOVE this series! The Ilona Andrews duo never ceases to amaze me, and I hope they write books together forever! I first discovered this writing team when I read Burn for Me, which is part of their Hidden Legacy series. When I ran out of books to read in that series, I went searching for something else to replace it and stumbled across their Kate Daniels books. I read the first book (read my review here) and knew it was going to be wonderful. The world-building is fantastic, the characters are complex and detailed, and the stories have been engaging and action-packed.

Kate is a snarky, no-nonsense character, and I love her personality. She has a big secret that we've only scratched the surface on, and I have a feeling the authors will slowly reveal new details as the story continues. We learn a little more about her with each consecutive book, and I have a vague idea of what she might be hiding. I really like that her thoughts show us how scared or concerned she might be in a situation, but she always sounds confident and gives plenty of attitude. “We were screwed and he didn't even kiss us first.” 

Curran is everything I want in a male character. He's clearly an alpha, and doesn't hesitate to put people in their place. I think he secretly enjoys it when Kate challenges him, despite her clearly being the weaker opponent. Yes, she has magic at her disposal, and she's good with a sword, but Curran is fierce and acts with an animal's instincts. Their back-and-forth banter is one of my favorite things! They like each other, but haven't admitted their feelings to anyone. It's apparent in the way they choose to interact, even if they're never overly obvious about it.

I really enjoy all of the secondary characters, no matter how small their roles are within the book. Derek is clearly a teenager, but he has a lot of responsibility within the Pack, and he takes his job very seriously. I like that he's usually assigned to guard Kate (per Curran's orders), and think the two have a lovely working relationship. He's sweet and dependable, always loyal to the Pack, and fiercely protective. 

Ghastek is rarely there as a human, because he's almost always piloting a vampire, but I love his dry sense of humor and how he teases Kate throughout the book. They get along for the most part, but working alongside a vampire is never easy (though there are some benefits). It's eerie what a vampire can do, and there is always the possibility of Ghastek losing control.

Andrea is a new favorite of mine, and I cannot wait to see her in future books! She and Kate share a secret, which only solidifies their friendship, and I hope Andrea is involved in future adventures. Even people that are only mentioned once or twice feel significant. It's really amazing!

I'm always surprised by the story and rarely anticipate the direction it will go. There are vampires, shifters, witches, gods, mythology, giant turtles -- it's almost impossible to imagine what will happen next! I can never listen to the audiobooks fast enough, and I'm always eager for the next one as soon as I'm finished. It's a bummer there is a wait list at my library! 

If you haven't heard of this series or these authors, I highly recommend you check them out! They've written some amazing things, and I look forward to reading whatever they come up with next.

Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, #1) by Ilona Andrews

Narrated by Renee Raudman

Synopsis (via Goodreads): 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 arose, leaving all kinds of paranormal problems in its wake.

Kate Daniels is a down-on-her-luck mercenary who makes her living cleaning up these magical problems. But when Kate’s guardian is murdered, her quest for justice draws her into a power struggle between two strong factions within Atlanta’s magic circles.

The Masters of the Dead, necromancers who can control vampires, and the Pack, a paramilitary clan of shapechangers, blame each other for a series of bizarre killings—and the death of Kate’s guardian may be part of the same mystery. Pressured by both sides to find the killer, Kate realizes she’s way out of her league—but she wouldn’t have it any other way…

“What kind of a woman greets the Beast Lord with 'here, kitty, kitty'?”

Firstly, I think the cover is a misrepresentation of the story. Yes, she's a strong female woman with a sword, and there are shapeshifters, but it doesn't really capture the essence of the story. I love the Ilona Andrews duo, which is what led me to this series after reading their Hidden Legacy books, but I wouldn't have chosen this one on its own. Also, Curran isn't a lion per se... he's much more than that, so I think putting a lion on the cover was a little misleading. The descriptions for his beast form describe him as massive and imposing, and unlike any creature she's ever seen before. I believe she mentions him being gray with faint stripes.

Despite my issues with the cover, I enjoyed this book immensely! Stories like this are my kryptonite -- magic, snarky female characters that kick ass, shifters or shape-changers, and other paranormal creatures. I also really liked the mystery surrounding the Kate, and the subtle threads that were woven into the larger story. Kate is someone or something special, and she is adamant about keeping her blood a secret. If she is injured during a battle, everything has to be destroyed before she can leave. For some reason, Kate cannot leave a single trace of herself behind, and she's also unwilling to share that secret with her companions.

While we don't get definitive answers about Kate and what she is, there are clues and conversations that address the mystery. I'm curious to see what's so special about her, and why her blood is so powerful. Her secret is going to come out eventually, obviously, but I liked that it wasn't the main focus of the book. She's trying to figure out who killed her guardian and friend, which leads her all over the city and puts her in contact with the different factions.

I loved Kate's snarky personality, and that she spoke with bravado even when she was scared. She chose to use sarcasm and humor to get through dicey situations, but she could also back up her words with actions. She might not be as strong as Curran and some of the others, but she could hold her own in a difficult situation. She was such a fun perspective!

I read a few reviews for this one, and I noticed that people didn't like the romance, but I honestly never thought she was romantically interested in anyone. She enjoyed the company and companionship of someone, but he didn't challenge her or understand her world. It was obvious Kate didn't have deep feelings for him, but I'm looking forward to her future possibilities…

Bonus: I wasn't able to solve the mystery before everyone else -- yay!

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was exactly what I wanted, and it took me no time at all to get through the audiobook. I stayed up late and cleaned the house (more than I usually do) just to listen a little longer. I cannot wait to read the next book in this series, and I'm happy there are so many!

Question: For those of you that have read this series, are all of the books from Kate's perspective? Do they switch POVs at some point? Thanks in advance!