The Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews: 1-2-3

I’ve been doing a little extra reading lately, trying to catch up with the cool kids on series books that I haven’t read yet.  There are so many amazing series and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read reviews and said, “I really need to start this series”.  So, I’ve committed to doing just that.  Now, I’m not delusional, I know I’ll never catch up with every amazing series my favorite genres have to offer, but there are a few series that have been on my TBR long enough.  The time has come and I am dedicated!  First series on the agenda is the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews.  I thought I’d post a few thoughts on each book I’ve read so far.

Magic Bites

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…

I like that cover!  I think Kate sports that badassedry attitude I picked up from her right away.  Slayer looks a little bigger than what I pictured though.  And I love that the lion in the background is huge!  Curran’s character is bigger than life and he might just scare me a little.  I like it!

This is the first book in the series and while I enjoyed it I admit I did wonder what all the excitement was about.  I wasn’t wow’d.  But then again, that tends to happen for me quite often with the first book, especially in Urban Fantasy.  With such complicated worlds to set up, and so much information I sometimes feel a little overwhelmed and I think that’s what happened in this case.  I loved Kate’s character right away. It was clear from the start she would become on of my favorite UF heroines.  If I hadn’t read all the excitement about Curran, I wouldn’t have given him much thought at all.  But since I’ve read reviews and know that he and Kate develop an interesting relationship, I probably paid him more attention than I would have otherwise.  Overall, enjoyable.

Magic Burns

As a mercenary who cleans up after magic goes 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 is 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 man not survive…

Magic Burns showed me exactly what I have been missing out on.  Wow, this book really picked up the pace and I couldn’t put it down.  I loved the gritty, violence and the amazing UF world.  One of the stand out characteristics of this series is the secondary characters.  While Kate dominates the story line the secondary characters are strong, vivid and really make the story for me.  However, without spoiling, I’ve quickly learned to try not to get too attached to them.

Magic Burns was a thrill ride!  I totally jumped on Team Curran with this book and by the time I finished I was frantically reaching for the the next one.  I may have had to wipe a tear from my eye first though.  I’m so glad I’ve been able to read this series back to back, I don’t think I could wait for a long stretch in between.

Magic Strikes

Drafted into working for the Order of Merciful Aid, mercenary Kate Daniels has more paranormal problems than she knows what to do with these days. 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…

Woah, momma!!

OMG.

Squeee!!!

Wow.

*Falls on floor*

This is what I said and did while reading this book.  Yes, I was animated and verbal.  As I said before I love the secondary characters in this series and Derek is one of my favorites.  His relationship with Kate is amazing and I love how he idolizes The Beast Lord.  He’s just a good kid all around and with him being the focus for a period of time in this book I was riveted.  I literally gritted my teeth.  Here is one of my GoodReads updates:

“This is the most gruesome book I’ve ever loved! I feel violent.”

I wanted revenge man and I wanted it bad.  Kate has a moment where she is just stripped bare and I nearly fell apart for her.  Oh yes, and I can’t overlook the sexual tension that has been building between Curran and Kate.  Wow.  Omg.  *fans self*  Seriously, if you have not read this series, do it now.  Do it today!  Oh, and I’ll leave you with three words: One Naked Dinner. LOL  Read the book!

I’ve just started Magic Bleeds and I’ve read some rave reviews on it.  I want to take it slow because with this book I will be all caught up and waiting will be hard.  But I have a feeling a I will devour it.  I just know I will.  In fact why am I sitting here typing when I could be with Curran and Kate?