Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, Book 1)

SummaryWhen the magic is up, rogue mages cast spells and monsters appear, while guns refuse to fire and cars fail to start. But then technology returns, and the magic recedes as unpredictable 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 Master 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...The GoodThis is the kind of book that grabs you from the beginning. Unlike many authors, Andrews (a wife and husband team who wrote this book) doesn't bog down the book with elaborate explanations of her world. She integrates the basics throughout the whole book as to not bore the reader with pages of explanation.What was even better was the actual world Andrews created. I have never come across another concept like this before. It made it more exciting to read because I never knew what was next. It was as if the normal rules did not apply, so the limits were endless.But the best part, the thing that made me almost cry when it was six in the morning and I still hadn't gone to bed because nothing was going to come between me and my book, not even unconsciousness, was the characters.Kate is the kick-assiest (yup, not a real word, but it has a ring to it) protagonist ever. She is fearless, has mad fighting skills, and does what the hell she wants.Curran. Oh, Curran. He is the Beast Lord in every sense of the word. He's strong, brutal, and knows how to push Kate's buttons (and vice versa).The dialogue is down right hilarious. I literally laughed out loud for half of the book. I like those type of characters that don't hold anything back.The combat scenes where excellent. Very clear, concise, and interesting. Gory at times, but I like that.The air of mystery around Kate Daniels is by far the most tantalizing part. It's obvious there is more to her history that has yet to be revealed, which only guarantees people will be picking up book #2 Magic Burns.The BadI can truly say there was nothing I disliked about this book. I guess some could find it a little too gritty and gory, but I think it made the book interesting and raw.The SnugglyThere was a little sexual tension but there is no sex.OverallThis is one of my favorite books (and series) I have ever read. The characters are the best part and the action is beautifully written. I actually became a writer because of this series. My protagonist is slightly based off of Kate Daniels because I believe she is one of the best characters ever created.

This book is a delight to read and very well written. Its the kind of book that is so well written you brain can go on autopilot and really engage in what is happening. I don't find myself jarred back to reality by poor writing or a weird character move. Illona Andrews knows her characters and they act true to themselves. Only six pages I could already tell I liked the main character, Kate Daniels. Immediately I could tell Kate is a badass rebel with a fun and sarcastic sense of humor. The writer does an excellent job of revealing part of who Kate is early on so we can connect with her and want to follow her story. The author doesn't do by listing facts or having other characters go on a weird and transparent tangent about her. They put Kate into situations early on that reveal what she is like and who she is and are also really engaging to read. At the same time, Kate isn't perfect and can be endearingly annoying. If she was perfect I would roll my eyes and put the book down, but she's not and I found myself wanting to power through the other books in the series.The romance in the series is a slow burn. Depending on your preference that could be annoying or very satisfying. I really enjoyed where she took the relationship (which one??? READ MORE BOOKS TO FIND OUT! :) in the later books. The slow burn ends up being more realistic than many book relationships and the tension between the two while they figure it out is SEXY and HOT. This book is pretty clear of smut but one of the next books things... heat up... :) :) ;) so if that's not your thing, beware.Illona Andrews is a really good world builder and this book is no exception. I found the world building in the Hidden Legacy books a little more understandable and easy to follow than the Kate Daniels series. Although it is a little harder to follow in Kate Daniels, it is no less interesting. The idea of magic and tech is really cool I just wish I understood it a little better. This is helped by the following books which explain things a little more in depth.All in all it was a really good first book with clever writing, lovable main characters, and a really interesting plot. The following books get better because the things that make this book good are allowed to grow and develop. I would definitely recommend it if you enjoy authors like Sarah J. Maas, Sarah Maclean, Kresley Cole, etc. I hope you enjoy it!

The author created realistic characters whom you want to root for (or not in a few cases). Funny moments, snarky language, plot twists, and even though the clues were there, I didn't put them together any quicker than the lead. For me, that makes a great book. I can't wait to read the rest of the series!

Me gustan mucho los libros de Ilona Andrews porque en ellos puedes encontrar de todo (aventura, amor, peleas, drama) y este libro es una buena forma de iniciar el mundo de Kate Daniels y Curran.

I loved this book! Raced through it and enjoyed the awesome world building.

L’Urban Fantasy è ormai un genere consolidato, ci sono trappole in cui è facile cascare, e tanti autori e autrici preferiscono soluzioni ‘di cassetta’ quando partono con una serie.Non è QUESTO, il caso.Kate Daniels, mercenaria, è una mercenaria solitaria, con un passato tutto da scoprire, una tosta e senza tanti grilli per la testa. Non è alla disperata ricerca dell’amore di turno, e ogni altro personaggio che incontra esiste in funzione del suo lavoro. La sua spada si chiama ‘Slayer’, l’omicida, ed è tutto un programma!Questa NON E’ una storiella da ‘twilight’, non è un rosa. E’ pura adrenalina, momenti divertenti, e un mondo pericoloso e pieno di misteri.Benvenuti…a vostro rischio!

If You are a lover of magic sort of fiction you will like this book. Was packaged well.

Synopsis [by Goodreads.com]: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…ReviewI'm just rereading the series and I can only confirm what I already thought a few years ago: this is the best UF series I know, with the best world-builing, the coolest heroine and just the right amount of humor to prevent the book [and the series as a whole] from becoming too dark.Because the premises are rather dark: in a not too far away future, the world shifts between magic and tech. After centuries of the world being subject to only the tech side of everything [= times as we know it: no magic, everything can be described in scientific terms and there is only our known plane of existence], one day magic came back with a vengeance and destroyed [electronic] life as we know it. Now magic and tech alternate with all consequences - and the heroine Kate Daniels lives as a mercenary who gets hired, when the magic shift leaves dangerous beasts and creatures in it's wake.This world-building is a huge part of the brilliance of this series: it's totally well thought-out and described, it's consistent and there is never the easy way out[when there is a tech-shift, there are no wards to prevent the beasts from coming inside and magical beings are weaker, whether it would help Kate or not if it were revesed now, she has to work with what there is]. The post-magic-shift world is an important factor in the story, as if post-shift Atlanta were another character.The characters, their backstories and their banter and dialogue are just great. I do love other UF heroines as well - Mercy Thompson, October Daye or Jessica McClain being only a few of the really great ones - but there is none like Kate Daniels. She is a loner and from time to time her loneliness gets so palpable, I felt it myself. Yet she does not once lament her life or her chosen fate. She acknowledges that her life it is pretty bad at times and does not gloss over the fact that she probably does not have a long life. That means, she isn't ignorant, yet goes on, because: what else is there to do?The bits and pieces we get about who and what Kate is, are perfectly interspersed in the story: instead of info-dump, we get the information whenever it fits into the action or dialogue. Oh and action there is. Kate is a kick-a**-heroine, who fights a great deal, both phyiscally and magically and I love that about her. A lot of "people" underestimate her at the beginning and get their eyes opened. And it's hilarious at times to read Kate's comments on that and the overall occurrances as well. Her 1st person POV made me crack up many times.The other characters do not play as intense a role here as they do in the following books, but they are real people, whom I liked to read about.When world- and character-building are as fantastic as they are done here, it should be hard to focus just as much at the story, but this is not the case here: the crime Kate tries to solve, the death of her Guardian [and last family-like-person in her life], is interesting, kept me on my toes and is wrapped up nicely at the end. There is an overall story arc indicated, but I was happy that the story in this book is properly finished.And even re-reading it for the third time and knowing what is going to happen, I could not lay the book down. Yes, the book and the series are that good.