Author: Ilona Andrews
Publisher: ACE
Publication Date: May 31, 2011
Format: Kindle
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Other Books in the series:
How I Got It: I bought it
Summary:
Plagued by a war between magic and technology, Atlanta has never been so deadly. Good thing Kate Daniels is on the job.
Kate Daniels may have quit the Order of Merciful Aid, but she’s still knee-deep in paranormal problems. Or she would be if she could get someone to hire her. Starting her own business has been more challenging than she thought it would be—now that the Order is disparaging her good name, and many potential clients are afraid of getting on the bad side of the Beast Lord, who just happens to be Kate’s mate.
So when Atlanta’s premier Master of the Dead calls to ask for help with a vampire on the loose, Kate leaps at the chance of some paying work. Turns out this is not an isolated incident, and Kate needs to get to the bottom of it—fast, or the city and everyone dear to her might pay the ultimate price . . .
Kate Daniels may have quit the Order of Merciful Aid, but she’s still knee-deep in paranormal problems. Or she would be if she could get someone to hire her. Starting her own business has been more challenging than she thought it would be—now that the Order is disparaging her good name, and many potential clients are afraid of getting on the bad side of the Beast Lord, who just happens to be Kate’s mate.
So when Atlanta’s premier Master of the Dead calls to ask for help with a vampire on the loose, Kate leaps at the chance of some paying work. Turns out this is not an isolated incident, and Kate needs to get to the bottom of it—fast, or the city and everyone dear to her might pay the ultimate price . . .
Review:
Since Magic Slays is so shiny and new, I'm only going to post a short review that is SPOILER FREE.
I really enjoyed this book. It's not quite as action packed as previous books. Kate's new business is struggling so she can't really turn down her first client. Unfortunately it's a delicate situation, Kate has to keep things quiet in order to preserve the client's reputation.
There are an assortment of problems running through the background and I can't really go into detail about them without spoiling the story. I felt so bad for Kate for the bulk of the story. She's taking a crash course in relationships and family and it's never smooth. I will say that a lot of painful truths come to light and Kate is hurt badly. There are also positive truths that she finally allows herself to see and it makes a huge difference. What's most important is that she seems to finally have more confidence in herself and the life she is trying to build.
There are some great new characters - I enjoyed Ascanio and Roman and definitely want to see more of both. And the Norse Heritage guys, now I know what I want to be for Halloween! There were new bad guys, but some old ones popped up, too. I would like it very much if Andrews could please have Ted humiliated and dropped down a peg or five in the next book. And if he could have a raging case of genital warts, that would be great too. I really don't like him.
As the stakes get higher and enemies closer, Kate realizes that she can't just stay the course. She'll have to face parts of herself that she's previously ignored in order to protect her family and the city. These new developments not only seem very organic to the story, but the keep the series from getting stale. Characters continue to evolve and every book is fun, filled with action, and I never see the end coming.
Suffice it to say, loved Magic Slays, when can I get book 6?
I really enjoyed this book. It's not quite as action packed as previous books. Kate's new business is struggling so she can't really turn down her first client. Unfortunately it's a delicate situation, Kate has to keep things quiet in order to preserve the client's reputation.
"Lovely. We would have to look for him without making any noise. My investigative technique mostly consisted of going through the list of interested parties and making as much noise as possible, until the culprit lost his patience and tried to shut me up."
While Kate is more comfortable with the sword, she has to use her brains this time around. People always underestimate her smarts and she connects the dots faster than anticipated. Of course she's in over her head, but she keeps it together and asks for help when she needs it.There are an assortment of problems running through the background and I can't really go into detail about them without spoiling the story. I felt so bad for Kate for the bulk of the story. She's taking a crash course in relationships and family and it's never smooth. I will say that a lot of painful truths come to light and Kate is hurt badly. There are also positive truths that she finally allows herself to see and it makes a huge difference. What's most important is that she seems to finally have more confidence in herself and the life she is trying to build.
There are some great new characters - I enjoyed Ascanio and Roman and definitely want to see more of both. And the Norse Heritage guys, now I know what I want to be for Halloween! There were new bad guys, but some old ones popped up, too. I would like it very much if Andrews could please have Ted humiliated and dropped down a peg or five in the next book. And if he could have a raging case of genital warts, that would be great too. I really don't like him.
As the stakes get higher and enemies closer, Kate realizes that she can't just stay the course. She'll have to face parts of herself that she's previously ignored in order to protect her family and the city. These new developments not only seem very organic to the story, but the keep the series from getting stale. Characters continue to evolve and every book is fun, filled with action, and I never see the end coming.
Suffice it to say, loved Magic Slays, when can I get book 6?
Some quotes I liked:
"What's with the beard and the horse mane? You look like a "Rent-a-Villain."
The volhv's eyes widened. He raised his hand at me. "Well you don't look... female... in your pants."
"That's a hell of an insult. Did you think of it all by yourself or did you ask your god for help?"
"He heaved a dramatic sigh. We could do this like civilized people. But no, now I'll have to go to your office and unleash plagues on things, and set things on fire, and condemn things. Nobody wants that. Just give me the staff and we'll call it even. I am trying not to be the bad guy here."
Andrea raised her hand. "This is the hand that slapped Aunt B."
"Maybe you should have it gold-plated."
"Here, you can touch it, since you're my best friend."
"What's with the beard and the horse mane? You look like a "Rent-a-Villain."
The volhv's eyes widened. He raised his hand at me. "Well you don't look... female... in your pants."
"That's a hell of an insult. Did you think of it all by yourself or did you ask your god for help?"
"Maybe you should have it gold-plated."
"Here, you can touch it, since you're my best friend."
Verdict:
Magic Slays marks another turning point in Kate's life. She's dealt some unexpected and painful blows but she pulls herself together and kicks butt, breaks bones, and cuts off heads. It's another fast paced read filled with great characters, humor, and plot twists that I didn't see coming.
Related Links and Reviews:
Posts
10 comments:
"And if he could have a raging case of genital warts, that would be great too."
June 2, 2011 11:14 AMHAHAHAHA! I agree completely. I'm not a fan of Ted, and clearly this book will not make me any fonder of him:) Super excited to read this one, thanks for the spoiler free review!
Hi Jennifer, I am so envious that you already have the book! I love this series and am looking forward to reading it myself, so I only skimmed your review. But from the look of things, an unknown paranormal being is on the loose here. Love that.
June 2, 2011 12:10 PM@ Jenny - He doesn't actually appear, but you hear about some of the stuff he's done. I'm totally down with Andrea shooting him like she wanted to. :)
June 2, 2011 12:10 PM@ Aurian - Can't say anything because that would be telling! I enjoyed it a lot, so glad I could download it on the Kindle. :)
June 2, 2011 12:19 PMI loved the way all of a certain group were related, I thought it was hilarious. Also, Andrea's ex better watch out, she has a new fan, which is going to make the next book very interesting!
June 2, 2011 5:15 PMIt was a great episode in this series, and I'm so glad it ended the way it did as far as the tragedy. It would have been rough going if it had ended another way.
Did you catch the part about the voice in her head during the ceremony? Now THAT was really interesting.
What if Daddy isn't as evil as she's been led to believe?
@ L. Blanchard - I had been wondering if that was Roland. And that family, they were hysterical! I had been worried about that particular sad part, but it worked out well.
June 3, 2011 12:20 AMAnother series on my TBR list. I better get crackin'!
August 10, 2011 10:30 AM@ The Book Vixen - Woman, I can't believe you haven't read this series before. It's so good, Andrews has become an autobuy for me, but her Kate Daniels series is my favorite.
August 10, 2011 11:34 AMI know! I really want to read this series but you know how the saying goes (so many books, so little time...).
August 10, 2011 11:58 AMI’ll be honest, this probably wasn’t my favorite Kate book; it seemed like for every step forward there were several more back, and the action was bread-crumbed a bit much for me. However getting to see all of the magical factions interact and have Kate and Curran get both of their heads on straight was more than worth it to me. Add that to some kick-butt side scenes, new characters to play with and enough Russian mythology to roll in, and even without being the best Kate book, it is still an example of urban fantasy as it should be written.
March 21, 2012 10:57 PMPost a Comment