Magic Bites – Ilona Andrews
March 21, 2010 in Reviews
- Mass Market Paperback: 272 pages
- Ilona Andrew’s Website
- List Price: $7.99 US/$9.99 CDN
- Publisher: Ace (March 27, 2007)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0441014895
- ISBN-13: 978-0441014897
Buy Magic Bites at:
Atlanta would be a nice place to live, if it weren’t for magic…
One moment magic dominates, and cars stall and guns fail. The next, technology takes over and the defensive spells no longer protect your house from monsters. Here skyscrapers topple under onslaught of magic; werebears and werehyenas prowl through the ruined streets; and the Masters of the Dead, necromancers driven by their thirst of knowledge and wealth, pilot blood-crazed vampires with their minds.
In this world lives Kate Daniels. Kate likes her sword a little too much and has a hard time controlling her mouth. The magic in her blood makes her a target, and she spent most of her life hiding in plain sight. But when
Kate’s guardian is murdered, she must choose to do nothing and remain safe or to pursue his preternatural killer. Hiding is easy, but the right choice is rarely easy…
Kate Daniels is a Mercenary in Atlanta, but it’s not the Atlanta you normally think of. This version of Atlanta is magical, with vampires & shapeshifters constantly battling for control along with all sorts of paranormals. Vampire’s in this world are scary, they’re yellow, shriveled & frankly horrifying. When a magical wave hits, certain things stop working (phones & cars) as do wards. Masters of the Dead control the vampires, because once a vampire is undead…he’s basically dead and controlled by a necromancer. In the first book of the Kate Daniels series, we get to know a bit about Kate but not enough to know why she burns anything that comes into contact with her blood. When Kate’s Guardian and family friend is killed, Kate does anything to find out who killed him, even when it puts her own life at risk.
This series came highly recommended to me by Shiloh Walker & Kindle Vixen which led me to jump and order them, solely on one sentence…. Curran is hot. Curran being the Beast Master, the leader of all shapeshifters. Imagine my surprise when there were no love/romance/sex scenes. Ahem ladies. Ha. There was a little heat between Kate & Curran, but really this is a straight Urban Fantasy full of action.
While a fast paced UF, I found myself confused more than a few times. The worlds Ilona Andrews builds are nothing like you’ve ever read, even the vampires are so different you think they should be named zombies instead. Which is fine, but sometimes the details are overwhelming. The world building, while amazingly detailed is at times a bit complex and you have to really pay attention to details.
Though I wasn’t too fond of this book, I’ve heard it gets much better so I’ll keep going and keep you all posted! Only because Kate’s a great character, full of attitude to challenge Curran who’s just as full of attitude himself.
I’ve never read these book but I wonder about them. I had a friend tell me when they first came out that I wouldn’t enjoy them but I still wonder. I’m not sure still. Confusing worlds make it a struggle to stay in the book. Off to do more wondering I guess.
I’ll keep you posted when I start book 2, but I don’t think that’ll be for awhile.
Yeah, it’s not a fantastic series, just a solidly good series. Well worth picking up after you’ve run out of four star books.
I probably would have given it four stars simply for the lack of a heavy romance angle. That’s been extremely hard for me to find lately in UF titles. It’s not so much that I’m anti-romance as I am anti-bad/cliched romance.
You couldn’t have told me this BEFORE I started the book? Geeze!
Not a fantastic series?? Buzz I am not sure we can be friends anymore.
This is one of my absolute favorite of the series, tho I think I gave book 1 a 3 also. Not the best first book, but I enjoyed the rest way more. And book for has sex! woot! LOL
I reserve fantastic and other equally good terms for Dresden, Hollows, Nightside, and maybe three or four other series. I’m a bit stingy with my praise.
oh I agree with you on Dresden and Hollows…. haven’t read Nightside. I absolutely love Kate Daniels tho, definitely one of my top 10 series.
Dresden, Hollows, Felix Castor are all fabulous… The Nightside books could have a drinking game that went with them – or at least the first book could. Every time the authors uses the phase “in the Nightside” (said in a dramatic deep male voice) you take a drink. You could get completely smashed reading the book.
Guess I should have read your review! LMFAO
You usually give me solid recommendations, but T..this didn’t do anything for me except freak me out!
Stick with it, it does get better. Trust me. I found Magic Bites to be a bit slow, but lordy once you get to the 2nd and 3rd book where Kate interacts more with Curran, you’ll be staying up all night to finish ‘em.
Meh. LOL
I heard that the first one was not the best one, but that it indeed gets better… I still do not know, but want to read it =)
KV told me that too, after I started it! lol
I have an award for you here.
Thanks Jennifer!
Book one is the slowest, but it sets a lot of the ground work. After that, books 2 & 3 were great. I can’t wait for book four. Apparently it is where a lot of suff comes out about Kate. It is one of my top five series of all time!!! Keep reading, you will love it.
I am trusting you all that it does get better!
It does. Even Ilona Andrews says that the first she was not 100% happy with. I stil like the first one. It makes me laugh thinking about the pasty body of the beast king up against a glass container talking to Kate.
Keep reading. This is one of my favorite series. I was a little confused by the world building too but it gets easier to as the series goes on, at least for me.
I thought we learned about the blood burning thing in the first book. Hmmm…I think those of us that love the series have trouble even remembering what each book specifically had in them because they all roll into one cool story as you read them. Their world is pretty unique with the vamps especially. I consider it dark fantasy…so it’s not a happy world. BAHAHAHA
Curran IS hot…but it’s not a flat out erotic sex kind of hot- it’s more of a sexy alpha type of hot:)
Hey, you like Patricia Briggs…it’s more like Adam, that kind of relationship…sort of. I’m not helping am I?
How you wound me. The Kate Daniels series is fabulous and Magic Bites so deserves more than 3 stars. Yes yes, it’s my opinion, but Kate and Curran are amazing together – I love their courting ritual. I seriously love Ilona Andrews and rush out to get the next novel whenever I can.
Naa I disagree Jackie, I absolutely love this series, its one of my top 10, maybe top 5 – but book 1 was lackluster and I gave it a 3 too at one point. There was virtually no relationship between Kate and Curran in the book, in fact I finished the book thinking there wouldn’t be a romance angle at all. They absolutely are amazing in the follow ups, but even Ilona Andrews herself admits that she sometimes tells people to start with book 2.
I admit, I haven’t read Magic Bites in awhile, but I just know that I love this series.
ah, i think if you read Magic Bites again you would see it, especially compared to the later books. I almost didn’t pick up book 2 because it was just so-so for me. I am glad I did tho and I already made Nat get them too.
What courting? Curran kissed her for good luck in book one and that was it. And nope, IMO it didn’t deserve anymore than 3 stars out of me.
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