Magic Slays

Okay, this is easy. Since I'm a fanboy, it's super easy to write reviews because I can usually just do a gonzo.

Suffice to say, it's really fun to be getting into the characters. There might have been a little hiccup with Curran in this one... like there ain't hiccups in all of them... but it's nice to see the interplay.

I can't believe that Derek is actually growing on me, at long last. But Julie? Awwwww.... pooooooor kid! This is definitely going to bite everyone in the butt. I know it.

Urban fantasy, when done well like this, is really some of the most effortless reads out there. It gets rather special for me, though, when we get a who's who of mythology showing up, like Greek gods overcharging for body bags and large refrigerated show more units, or Baba Yaga giving cute little gifts to little girls. Hmmm.. wait... she has a tendency of doing that anyway... oh well. :)

The switchover back to tech comes at a very nice time for me. I really wanted a good return to that world-building quirk, and I couldn't be happier. I love mad geniuses. :)

And as always, great apocalyptic shit for the end. Total popcorn madness. :) show less

Magic Slays is the fifth in the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. It's another solid entry to the series.

As magic and technology continue their unending cycle for dominance, Atlanta remains as deadly as ever. Kate has quit her job at the Order and opened her own paranormal investigation business. It turns out that rebuilding your reputation from the ground up is no easy task and it's making clients hard to come by. So when one of the Masters of the Dead calls for help when a vampire gets lose, Kate jumps at the chance. A Master of the Dead losing control is rare enough but when it turns out not to be an isolated incident, Kate knows there is something very wrong. She must get to the bottom of things quickly before the situation goes show more from bad to worse.

I'm mostly enjoying Kate and Curran's evolved relationship. The dynamic has changed a bit as you'd expect given the situation with Curran having some serious jealousy and possessiveness issues any time Kate even looks at another male that he has GOT to get over. I like that Kate is still learning to navigate the Pack and it's not always easy. I did miss many of the side characters but am happy to say that Andrea's back!! She's a great side kick for Kate. The dialog continues to be sarcastic and funny and there is action galore. About the only downside is the bad guys. Andrews didn't pull from myths as deeply as in previous books instead using a secret society angle as the big bad. While the threat they represented was quite dire, it felt less personal as it was more generalized instead of being tied directly to Kate and her crazy family. The very end of the book leaves us with a great hook for the next installment, which looks like it might finally start leading to Roland. show less

"Magic Slays", the fifth Kate Daniels book, shows that an Urban Fantasy series can stay fresh and engaging and keep the reader hungry for more.

Sometimes, at this point in a series, the plots start to repeat or the relationships stall, or the world-building becomes so Byzantine that the up-close-and-perosnal relationship with the characters is lost. "Magic Slays" suffers from none of these problems.

The plot is kept fresh by confronting Kate with a strong, credible threat that is quite different from the challenges she has faced before. This time the enemy is human, not supernatural, which adds a chilling edge of hate to the mix.

Kate's relationship with Curran has moved on. It's still tempestuous, fuelled by high-octane mix of lust, love, show more adrenaline and violent anger but it's now framed by the fact that Kate and Curran are mated. There is still room for misunderstanding and anxiety and even guilt but there is a realistic sense of progression.

We get more insights into Pack life as Kate comes to terms with her status as the female Alpha: living with being addressed by titles that make her uncomfortable, taking responsibility for training a delinquent young Pack member, meting out justice in Pack disputes while navigating the politics of revenge; moving from violent dominance to real leadership.

Kate is one of the most kick-ass heroines there is: tough, deadly, define, she takes turns snark into a martial art.The challenge with a character like Kate is to keep her credibly vulnerable. This is done in "Magic Slays" by changing Kate's understanding of the motives of the people who, from childhood onward, raised her to survive and to kill and by putting Julie, her adopted child, at risk.

Like its predecessors, "Magic Slays" has a fast-paced plot that is packed with vividly violent action scenes. This time, with humans involved, the carnage is at a higher level than usual. This isn't video-game violence. It destroys lives and breeds grief and hatred. show less

This is the fifth book in the Kate Daniel series and if you haven’t read the first four books, starting here would be a mistake. Not because you’d be lost, Andrews provides enough details for the first-timer and for readers who may have let a bit too much time lapse between books, but because you’d miss all the fun.

Kate, now the Beast Lord Curran’s wife for lack of a better term, she’s living with the Pack and acting as Alpha to Curran. While she’s still not entirely comfortable with her new position and unsure how to handle her emotions now that she’s allowed herself to admit she loves Curran, she clings dearly to her new business, the only thing she has some control over. Setup with funds from the Pack, Kate is ready to show more work for herself rather than the Guild but finding business is proving harder than she imagined. In an Atlanta full of magical beings, shapeshifters, vampires, witches, and mages, no one is asking for her help. When her first client walks through the door, the gates of hell open below her feet.

One thing I love about these books --- sheer brain candy. That’s a good thing so don’t be turned off. The books are short, entertaining, and Andrews has created an Atlanta full of wonderful characters, most of which are the staples of urban fantasy, but they all feel new. I devour these books and wait patiently for the next installment so I can schedule time on the couch to sit and become absorbed in Kate’s world. She’s brash, doesn’t think things through, acts crazy at times, and takes constant risks even when the people in her life ask her not too.

I waited for four books to see Kate and Curran get together and no I’m not saying that to ruin anything for you if you haven’t read these books yet. You see it coming in book one and when it happens, it works. I know some of you might be saying, “Romance in urban fantasy?” Don’t worry, it’s not out of control and fits with the story without becoming the story.

If you haven’t read these books yet, try them. They’re so fun and if you don’t love urban fantasy, you will when you finish these books. If you want to start at the beginning, the books in order are: Magic Bites, Magic Burns, Magic Strikes, Magic Bleeds, and Magic Slays. show less

Magic Slays passes the open-to-any-page test. Even through the story must be read from the beginning to be appreciated fully, the book doesn't have a single boring sentence.

The pace is fast and every seemly random event is skilfully woven into the main plot. The characters are fascinating and sympathetic. The interaction between Kate and Curran is integral to the story: a natural development of their relationship and the story, rather than a romantic sub-plot afterthought.

I gave it five stars in spite of the level of casual violence - both threaten and actual - which belongs in the world that Andrews' has created.

I'm a fan of the Kate Daniels series, and recently I was looking for a guaranteed re-read. It wasn't too long before Magic Slays caught my eye, especially as the next book in the series is coming out at the end of July (and probably because I shelve my books alphabetically). Now past the giddy first and second reads, it is time for a thorough review. Fans of the series won't be disappointed by its action-packed story, continued world-building, and trademark humor, but I miss the finesse of earlier books.

For me and my sketchy memory, its always worth noting when the jacket blurb gets it wrong--this time by essentially summarizing the first twenty pages. My own non-spoiler synopsis would be a little more comprehensive:
"Andrea returns show more after a two month disappearance, and before long, she and Kate are investigating a kidnapping for Rene of the Red Guard. A successful case for the Guards could make Kate's career. However, the investigation is complicated by several seemingly random instances of magic disappearing. Tracking the solution down will take require connecting the forces of Atlanta more used to fighting than working together. At the same time, Kate is struggling with negotiating her relationship to Curran, her role in the Pack, and how to safely raise Julie in an unsafe world. Kate and her loved ones are about to face one of the greatest threats to their existence."

“Would you like to work here with me?” Andrea stared at me. “We have no clients and the pay is shit.”

Now, the analysis. It took me until the third read to analyze it, but this book feels lacking in the finesse of the earlier ones. I know, I know; subtle may not be the term you think of with UF, but this one felt more extreme, the kickbocking version versus fencing. The emotions are dynamic. The conflict is extreme, and written in a way that starts to feel a little like sermonizing There's more than one instance of someone explaining to Kate "why a small group of people would want to kill everyone else," including Dolittle, Curran and Saiman. The relationship dramas are bold. She does the existential "why would he want me" debate, made worse by taking to the witch . The reveals for Kate fundamentally alter her concept of her own history. Certain events are life-shattering. While some of these concerns are plotting and others characterization, I feel like Andrews usually smooths them better, with appropriate transitions applied and maybe a shade less drama.

I also have to admit that Curran is fairly close to insufferable in this book. Again, I understand; he's the leader of a group of shapeshifters, he has to control his own enormous power, etc. However, he's very controlling of Kate's behavior, manipulative and conditional. What do I mean? The office bordering vampire territory being a surprise to Kate. Dropping the petitions on her. Pushing her to allow Julie to stay with the Pack. Giving her Derek and Ascanio. Just when it seems Kate has stood her ground, he changes his mind after extensive healthy discussion (specifically, the blood transference scene when he says, "If you think that I will every let you pull that fucked-up shit again, then this thing between you and me is done. We are fucking done)." If that isn't a hallmark statement of an controlling partner, then I don't know what is. That final scene pushed my sense of balance between them over the edge.

From my behind the scenes readings of the Andrews blog, they intended to write a book that ramps up both action and consequences. I can commend that as a series arc (side note: series was originally intended to wrap up at book 7, and you can feel that starting here), and think they manage to do that well while still resolving major plot arcs within each book. However, some of it felt a little forced, a little contrived and didn't quite work for me. One of the obvious oddities was Andrea leaving the kids. Why would Kate keep Julie at the office at all, when her whole stress was about keeping her safe? Why would Andrea leave the kids knowing a loose vampire had just been there recently? It seemed more necessary for moving events forward than internally consistent. I was also surprised at how many people were killed by the magic bomb when it's only been a few generations since magic hit. A small point that to me illustrates the extremism: all the males are physically enormously attractive--Rapheal, Ascanio, Barabas, the Russian mage. Its an example of the concept of exceptionalism of all the characters, the larger-than-life perspective of the soap opera mentality.

As usual, there were a few marvelously absurd laughs including knitting vampires and pretty much all the encounters with the Russian mages:

"'Oh, Is that so?' He raised his hand to his goatee.
That does it. 'Yeah. And what's with the beard and the horse mane? You look like Rent-a-Villain.'
The volhv's eyes widened. He waved 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 have to ask your god for help?"

Don't get me wrong, it's an action packed book that kept me planted on the couch, reading until I reached the end. The mystery Kate begins investigating with Andrea is an interesting puzzle. Once again, it was fun meeting new magical types and having them re-interpreted. I did appreciate that the relationship between Kate and Curran avoided the stereotypical "hothead" reaction of the misunderstanding and stomp-off until dramatic reconciliation (although they are doing that with Andrea and Rapheal). Overall, although it isn't my favorite in the series, its still far more entertaining than most of the female UF out there.

Reread 2/23: my comments mostly hold. I'll note the tone of the first half is fairly different from the second half; very witty detective novel in the first and high-stakes, emotional drama in the second. It makes for an odd reading experience. Still don't hate it.

Cross-posted at http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/06/06/magic-slays-by-ilona-andrews/ show less

Oh Kate. Oh Curran. Oh everybody in this book series. After the commitment made by Kate in the last book to Curran, I was worried that some of the fun would drain out. It happens all the time right? Except Kate is still kicking Curran's ass for being an arrogant ass, Curran is still trying to run her life and getting snarly that he can't and the two of them are being constantly admonished for yelling at each other in public.

So really nothing changed except now we get sexy hot tub times when they make up. And some wibbling from Kate in regards to 'Oh no my love is making me weak!', but she quickly squashes those thoughts.

Things just keep getting upped and upped. Last book it was a sociopath aunt, this time its an idiot who could be show more MacGuyver on the dark side and a cult that makes the Spanish Inquisitors look like Girl Scouts with their ambitions. I love how the various plotlines all draw together in messy ways for Kate to untangle. Even Andrea comments on the fact that Kate doesn't get the easy cases. What began as 'Help us find this missing person and/or device' quickly became a problem that all Magic-users had to worry about.

The small things that Kate or Curran would say and do for the other caught me. Andrews concentrates on those sort of things and I think that places it apart from other urban fantasy series that delve into romance. Sure the two know what makes the other coo, but they also know how to bring them down when they're stressed, the words that comfort or the actions that reassure.

Ordinarily I would get tired pretty quickly over a character worrying about their significant other's motivations for being with them. Thing is Kate has a good reason to worry and given some of the secrets she learns through the course of the novel, its understandable that suddenly she'd think 'Is he with me because he wants to be?'. She didn't let this cloud her judgment and Kate never faltered in her belief that Curran would be there for her if she needed it. That wasn't what her worry was about, she didn't need any more reassurance about that.

So then what happens next? Other then the plot involving her father, very little is given over what could happen next. Something is hinted at, and it could be an interesting development to be sure, but until book 6 who know? show less