Mini Reviews: Magic Burns and Magic Strikes, Ilona Andrews

These are books 2 and 3 of the Kate Daniels series and these reviews may contain spoilers for the first book.  See my Magic Bites review for book 1.

Magic Burns

Normally, magic and tech waves alternate in Kate Daniels’ Atlanta.  This time, however, a magic flare is coming, which means that every magical situation gets even more dangerous.  Gods can walk the earth and magic users have more power than they imagined possible.  Kate’s mission starts simply, with retrieving some stolen maps for the Pack, the weres.  But then she finds a teenage girl whose mother is missing, a man who can disappear at will and regenerate body parts, and a strange hole in the ground.  Kate discovers that two gods are struggling to take a place on earth, and she’s caught right in the middle.

As with the first one, I liked this book.  The additional character of Julie was a great touch and allowed a softer side of Kate to be exposed.  She’s a properly tough girl and it’s hard to get in to her real self, but Julie is clearly paving the way.  I also thought the book had an appropriate dangerous feel, and it’s all very dark.  Andrews doesn’t spare any details, unlike some other urban fantasy novelists, and the world gives off a feel of neglect and violence.  A good addition to the series, I thought, and I wanted to pick up the next one immediately.  I also like the sort-of growing relationship between Kate and Curran.  It’s strange, but I was definitely curious as to where it was going.

Magic Strikes

Kate now works for the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid, and she’s been very busy as a consequence, not only working but avoiding werelion Curran.  She can’t avoid the weres forever, though, especially when her friend Derek is discovered nearly dead, and no one knows if he’ll recover.  Kate has to investigate the Midnight Games, a dangerous illegal operation, in an attempt to figure out what’s wrong with him.  The game is much larger than that, and involves someone Kate wishes she’d never have to deal with again.

Whereas I liked the two previous books in this series, I loved this one and it may actually have become my favorite urban fantasy series in the space of one book.  About halfway through, I realized I adored these characters.  I love Kate’s blend of badass snark and wishing for something else that she’s convinced herself she can’t have.  The interactions between all of the major players shine, and I now am a huge fan of the possibility between Kate and Curran.  Their relationship has proceeded in such an out-of-the-ordinary way, but it’s exactly that which I like.  And the story here was just so enthralling and for a 300 page book, had an amazingly epic feel, which of course is a huge draw for me.  It’s desperate and violent but I was glued to the page, heart pounding.  Kate’s backstory is revealed and a lot from the previous books starts to make sense, including her attitude.  And with all of this is Kate’s trademark humor which had a smile on my face, even when she was hurt so badly she couldn’t move.  It’s a perfect blend.  I don’t know how I’m going to wait until May for Magic Bleeds but I’m so glad I started reading this series, and I have a feeling I’m going to read everything the husband and wife team of Ilona Andrews writes.

I am an Amazon Associate. I purchased these books.