Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, book 1) by Ilona Andrews
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Edition Reviewed: Paperback
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle
Goodreads: Magic Bites (1)
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 . . .
Review:
Mouthy women who know how to take care of themselves are the kind of ladies that Urban Fantasy fans have come to love and crave from the genre. Kate Daniels has definitely taken one of the top places since her debut, and several books later she's still one of the most highly recommended bad ass babes around.
Magic is coming back after a 4,000 year absence, in a alternative Atlanta, GA. Where during Tech time magic is down and technology is in full control. During Magic technology doesn't work and it's back to a buggy wagon if you don't have car that runs off magic and water. Everything isn't black and white though, some magic can still get through tech time and visa versa. The world is strange and delightfully NEW! Mercenaries fight monsters for a price, Crusader knights still battle, shifters come in tons of fun varieties, necromancers control vampires (who are anything but sexy and romantic), and any kind of demon/creature could pop up at any moment going all Godzilla.
The world is really well fleshed out. The mesh of technology and magic is suburb, where the lights of the modern day go out and magic lanterns spark on. The two blend so well together, but magic and technology still battle for control. The creatures all have a mythology behind them that you can understand, but like the magic there's still an unpredictability that leaves you guessing.
Still, I must be upfront that this is not the strongest series starter I've read. The killer was obvious right from the beginning, to the point that the killer handed Kate all the evidence and clues she needed. Kate isn't fleshed out enough for my taste. Sure I loved wondering what kind of awesome wit would pop out of her mouth next, but the reader really doesn't get to know her. It may have been something to do with the short page count and the tons of action crammed into a tight bundle. And there's no complaining about the action!
This is a great setup novel to get the key players in and get readers ready to really start on the series. Kate's secret of what she is and why she's protecting that secret was driving me up the walls by the end of Magic Bites. The tension between The Beast Lord, Curran, and Kate is just firing up here—I wanna see these two Alphas butt heads! The wide range of paranormal critters make for a colorful cast that I just can't get enough of. Even with the drawbacks that only make this a good series starter, the potential is there. So much potential that I've continued to buy anything that the author duo put out.
Sexual Content: Lots of creepy sex talk from the villain and raping of victims, readers who are not used to darker fantasy might find content disturbing. Lots of sexual humor.
3/5- Adored it, just a few minor details held it back.
| Previous book(s) in series: | ||
| Reviewed on BW: | Amazon: | Goodreads: |
| Magic Bites (1) | Magic Bites (1) | Magic Bites (1) |
4 comments:
Nice review.
I'd like to encourage you to keep reading - this series gets SO Much better!! The 3rd book onwards, Kate is awesome, the story pulls you in, and many things happen :)
Do keep reading Kate and Ilona andrews!
I will! I've purchased every book to date so I'll read them all.
I love this series. Number 1 isn't the best book, but it only gets better. I pre-order the books every year, lol. :D
It's always good to have a series that addicting!
Post a Comment