Magic Burns (Kate Daniels, Book 2)
by Ilona Andrews
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Book Reviews of Magic Burns (Kate Daniels, Book 2)
Book Review: what took me so long to read this series?!
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't know what I was thinking when I blew off this book and didn't buy it. Now I feel dumb.
I get so tired of the female heroine who acts all big and bad and then stumbles, stubs her toe and faints (a.k.a. Rachel Morgan). Kate feels pain, she just doesn't give up. She bleeds and needs to heal, but she's still a work in progress.
I like Kate mostly because she is "real". Sure she's smart mouthed, but even she knows when to bite her tongue and keep her opinions to herself. She's worked hard at being as good as she is, she didn't just wake up weilding a sword. It's taken years of practice and lots of endurance training. (Plus, she doesn't wear tight leather pants with spiky high heeled boots, which, if you think about it, wouldn't be the best outfit for fighting and running).
Curran... sigh... I adore how strong he is, and not just in the physical sense. He's a good leader and understands what he has to do to keep his people under control. People is kind of loose, since they are shapeshifters and can either be ruled by humanity or their animal instincts.
Derek is wonderful. How can you not love someone who is trying to go against all his instincts and rearing as an out of control animal? He's not perfect, but he definately works at it.
Overall, I adore this series. As the series develops, I find it more addicting and funny. We don't get any out of nowhere information, all the clues are there, they're just fed to us slowly.
I doubt anyone who likes Briggs or Harrison will truly enjoy this book (I don't know if they would appreciate a good read)
Book Review: Fall in love with Kate Daniels
Summary: 5 Stars
A flare is coming... A time when the magic will take over for a space of days instead of hours. For Kate Daniels a flare is a thrill and a terror as it extends her abilities but also those of the populace around her. But when a witch coven goes missing, a homeless girl ends up Kate's temporary ward, gods walk the earth and the Beast Lord feeds her chicken soup it's a bit much even for a kick butt mercenary like Kate to handle.
Magic Burns is the second of the Kate Daniels books and picks up where the first left off with Kate serving as a liaison between the Merc Guild and the local Order and doing her best to cover two mortgages and keep herself fed. In Kate's world technology and magic hang in a balance that shifts pretty much on a whim, but every seven years there is a flare when the magic is high and stays that way. Strange things tend to happen during flares and this one is no different as a Celtic god tries to cross over into this world and Kate allies with the the necromancers and the Beast Lord, with whom she already has a strange relationship, part friend, part romantic interest and part chew toy. In this book we also start learning more about Kate's past and just what makes her so potent. It's enough information to both satisfy and start the search for more answers.
The Magic books are well written, though I feel like Burns is stronger the writing team of Andrews having learned from the first book and tightened up the few stylistic issues that I had. I'm thrilled over the result and look forward to the third book due out sometime next year...I hate waiting!
~J
Book Review: Loving this Urban Fantasy Series!
Summary: 5 Stars
Magic is unpredictable in Atlanta. It's always coming and going in waves. Every seven years there is a flare, and Kate Daniels knows that's when the worst of the worst come out to terrorize and try to take over the city. When Kate is asked to help the Pack find some maps that were stolen, she finds out that there is a lot more at stake than some maps of the city. Two Gods are fighting over who will rise above and take over the city. Add to that tensions with Curran, witches messing with magic they know nothing about, and a teenager who is missing her mother and Kate has her hands extra full this go around.
This series is so fun to read. Kate is the ultimate bad ass chick. She's not one to back down from a fight, even when it's in her best interest to do so and I love that about her. She'll even get into a hand to hand battle with the leader of the Pack, Curran. The plot in Magic Burns moves along swiftly, and the addition of a bratty teenage girl really gives Kate a taste of her own medicine, but it also teaches her to be responsible for someone else and makes her realize that she might just be missing something in her life. Companionship.
The tension between Kate and Curran keeps building, and he's showing her more attention than he's ever shown other women. Once the mother of the Coyotes points out that he may be after more than just an alliance, Kate's mind starts to wander and wonder what that would be like.
This series is definitely working it's way to the top of my favorites and I can't wait to read more!
Book Review: Angieville: MAGIC BURNS
Summary: 3 Stars
In this second installment, Kate reluctantly agrees to do a favor for the local Pack and investigate the disappearance of some valuable maps. While hunting down the culprit, Kate gets called in on another favor. This time she winds up shackled with a teenage street urchin whose mother recently joined an amateur witch coven and went missing shortly after. Kate promises to find the girl's mother and, in the process, is caught in the crossfire between two ancient deities vying for power. So pretty much an average day for Kate and the city of Atlanta.
The highlights of MAGIC BURNS are definitely the increased personal interactions between Kate and the various people and creatures who've come into her life. The growing attachment between Kate and Julie (the young girl in her care) develops quickly and the protective stance Kate takes throughout the course of the book is quite touching . Equally compelling is the more slowly developing connection between Curran, the Pack alpha, and Kate. Despite their mutual attempts to avoid each other. The reader gains several insights into these two almost painfully private people and the ending promises more good things to come. In fact, these quiet character-driven scenes were so interesting that I wished there were just a few more. The plentiful action and fighting sequences seem to always take center stage and, though we do get a little more information on Kate's background, it is a very little, and I am (of course) anxious for more. A solid second book, I'm looking forward to the third one.
Book Review: OMG, Wow. This was a fantastic follow-up to her first novel.
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the sequel to "Magic Bites" where we once again are following the adventures of Kate Daniels, a mercenary who cleans up after magic has gone wrong. This time there is a little girl who is mixed up in a power struggle between two gods. This time the same cast of characters that we meet in the previous book return to harass, seduce, and confuse Kate until she doesn't know which way to turn.
This book is heavily steeped in Celtic lore and mythology. We have one Celtic god who wants human form and will do anything he must to achieve that purpose. And we have another god, who has sent a servant to prevent this from happening. Throw in Curran, the Beast Lord, who is showing signs of stranger behavior around Kate, and Ghastek is back as the Master of the Dead controlling his vampires to learn about the new bad in town.
For those who didn't guess about the magic of Kate's blood, that little tidbit is answered in the second book. I'm am interested to know where the author plans to take this series. She left enough unsaid to interest me in looking forward to the next book which has a tentative title of "Midnight Games" and should be released sometime in 2009.
BTW, if you're wondering how did I get a copy of this book when it doesn't release until April 1, 2008. I can't tell you all my secrets, now can I? If you enjoyed the first book, you will not be disappointed with the sequel. This is a must for those who love urban fantasy.
Happy Reading