Magic Burns (Kate Daniels, Book 2)
by Ilona Andrews
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Book Reviews of Magic Burns (Kate Daniels, Book 2)
Book Review: Super Reader
Summary: 4 Stars
This is an improvement on the last entry.
The first book, was, well, a first book, and pretty rough and ragged in places, as far as the writing goes, I think.
This is considerably more polished. As far as I know, 'Ilona Andrews' is a actually a name for a literal pair of writers, at least if the copyright to Ilona and Andrew on the inside page is anything to go by, let alone the story by them from Andromeda Spaceways Infilght Magazine.
I'd be guessing from this book, let alone the blog, that the female of the species is doing most of the heavy lifting as far as the ideas and writing goes, and perhaps the male half is doing more of the cutting and polishing. Hard to say which part improved, perhaps both.
You also begin to find out that Kate Daniels is a bit more than a competent low-rent fighter with good knowledge and a high resistance to intimidation score. Along with the third rate Stormbringer she carries around (although third-rate is probably ok if you don't fancy slaying hundreds of people and sucking down souls to activate your superpowers) It appears she may have a hidden magical superpower or two, plus a more complicated origin story than just a kid with average parents.
Here she gets involved in a plot with witches and werewolves, and has a kid to protect, and a mother to find.
This leads her to clash with a beast man, vampires, and others, before it gets really weird.
Everything gets all Celtic mythology with cauldrons and crows, whether real, humans named after, or goddesses of. Plus demons.
If you want to see a 'warp spasm' illustrated, you could check out some 2000AD that has Slaine the berserker in it, as well.
I'd read the next one.
3.5 out of 5
Book Review: Enjoyable, not earth-shattering
Summary: 4 Stars
If you liked Magic Bites you'll enjoy reading this. If you didn't read Magic Bites, you won't feel like you've missed anything. Which is good for a new reader; trouble is, I wasn't. So there was a heck of a lot of exposition that was repetitive. It wouldn't have been as distracting if it was repetitive only within itself as a book. However, there were multiple times when I experienced deja vu. "Didn't I already read this? Oh wait, that was the first one."
I don't bookmark if I put a book down; usually, I can find where I left off almost as quickly as if I had marked the page. This one, I needed to pull out an old receipt to mark my page because I couldn't keep track of whether or not it was something I'd already read.
I also couldn't decide if I was being underestimated as an audience or overestimated. The sense of deja vu made me feel underestimated, as if Andrews didn't think I was intelligent enough to remember the realities of Kate's world. But the hints and allusions to Kate's past made me feel like I was supposed to be putting together pieces of her mystery; these tiny clues had the feeling of great significance. Except, I had no clue as to what the significance was. Instead of intrigued, I was annoyed--I kept going back to find out what I had missed that would give this reference meaning. And kept finding nothing.
That said, it's an enjoyable read. Andrews has a really interesting take on magic, mythological creatures and what our world will become. The characters and story are addictive and I won't hesitate to buy the next one. But I'll save it for a beach day or a lazy afternoon when I want to fill the time with something entertaining; not for after a long day at work when I just want to be swept away into someone else's life.
Book Review: Burns Better than Bites...
Summary: 4 Stars
I gave Magic Bites a four star review. I can't quite give this one a five star review but its still better than the first one. A solid 4 1/2 were such a thing possible on Amazon. I think this book beneifts from the fact that a lot of the characters and the world is established. The thing that made this story just shy of perfect for me is the fact that things happen so fast occassionally I have to back up and see what I missed. However, the confusion I had in reading the first book wasn't an issue with "Magic Burns". I liked the plot a little more here as well. A pre-teen girl's mother has gone missing and Kate becomes involved only to find out that the girl's mom is a part of a witches coven. Now the witches are missing and some baddies are searching for the girl. Enter some of my favorite characters from the first book, Dereck the teenage were and Curran, the were lion (Lord of the Beasts) and I was in for a treat. This book isn't nearly long enough, but action was packed into ever pages. In this series, there is no down town, no unimportant side plots, few moments where there isn't something hot on the page. I loved seeing Kate become so human and feeling. She protected the orphan girl like she was her own. She uses her body and her mind in her quests, but she is still realistic and sometimes makes mistakes. She chides herself from time to time when she does something not quite right and I really identified with that. I also truly enjoyed the tension between Curran and Kate. I love the speed (SLOW) that we are seeing things move between them. The last scene, the last page, is one of the most fun, and cutest things I have read in a long time. Start this series now, if you haven't already. I can't imagine an urban fantasy fan wouldn't enjoy this wholeheartedly.Book Review: Three things about Kate Daniels
Summary: 5 Stars
* Weird sh@t is attracted to her
* She doesn't do 'humble'
* She has cute bows on her panties
Intrigued? You should be. If you're a strong fan of kickbutt urban fantasy heroines, you need to meet Kate.
Kate lives in an alternate Atlanta in a world where magic has returned and it comes in waves with technology. Aside from double coping skills, she's got two jobs--one with the Order and One with the Merc Guild. Add to that, two mortgages and enough trouble on her plate that she needs a clone or two to give her a hand.
Someone's stealing valuable maps from the weres and she's got to get them back. A misguided coven makes an alliance with the wrong Celtic God and Kate's stuck with the coven leader's daughter. And the girl comes with all the troubles teenage girls are prone to--and then some. You see, she's a virgin and her boyfriend wants to try and use her for some powerful mojo.
What I'm most impresed with Ilona Andrews' sophomore effort is that she's taken a great start in "Magic Bites" and made it better. Clearly, she's done her mythological research and synthesized it into her manuscript seamlessly. Strong fantasy and titilating romance blend with enough elements of both to keep both camps happy.
"Magic Bites" was an impressive entry into the urban fantasy genre. "Magic Bites" establishes Ilona Andrews as an author who's going to keep honing her craft until she reaches the top of the charts. I wish her every success in that endeavor and I'll be waiting for the next installment.
Magic Bites (Kate Daniels Series, Book 1)
Book Review: Excellent urban fantasy
Summary: 5 Stars
Magic has returned to the world, but it comes in waves. When it flares, it is out of control; when it flows it works. The world obviously has changed since the return with cities devastated as the magic hates tech and skyscrapers and either destroys them or changes them into something else.
In Atlanta Kate Daniels works for the Order and the Mercenary's Guild who helps people in need. She takes down a killer in an underground garage but an unknown person does the actual kill using a special dart. A member of the shapeshifting Pack asks her to find maps stolen from them. The thief used the same dart that killed the man in the garage.. Kate returns to the scene where she got the dart. There she follows a clue to a child Julie, who is looking for her mom, a witch belonging to a nearby coven. Each vanished without a trace. Kate takes Julie home with her, but that proves no haven as sea demons attack. She next brings the child to the Order. She finally meets the dart thrower Bran who informs her that she, the witches and the shifters are caught in the middle of a war between two gods.
This urban fantasy is a spellbinding compelling read. On this alternate earth, vampires, shifters and other paranormals co-exist with humans; often not in harmony. Kate has a secret agenda and apparently has powers and a secret that are hinted at throughout the exciting story line. She makes the tale work as this alternate Atlanta seems genuine as a fascinating culture built around magic feels plausible. However it is Kate who will bring fans back for future tales.
Harriet Klausner