Magic Dreams

Ilona Andrews is one of those authors where they could publish their grocery list and it would be amazing. They are one of my very favorites for urban fantasy and fantasy and I’ve been slowly working my way through the KD world novellas to help cope with the fact that Kate is over and Julie is not yet ready to come into the world (SOMEDAY!!! Oh how I ship my Julie and Derek!) This could aptly be called ‘White Tiger and the Search for the Golden Snail’ or awesome nerd girls kick butt! What a fun Dali and Jim novella!

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.

I laughed, I cried. Korean, Japanese and Indonesian culture and characters. I loved Dali's comparatively different approach to danger (magic brains) and other things from Andrea (bullets) and Kate (magic sword). Jim's low key but effective presence and reasons for being unusually submissive around Dali made complete sense. I could not be happier. My copy is highlighted to death. A most excellent shortie. I very rarely rate them 5 stars. Happy, happy, happy!

This is the novella I've been wanting! The story of Dali and Jim. It is something that was teased in one of the earlier novels, but I've been wanting this story. It is the romance of two unlikely people and I loved it.

I have loved Dali from the moment we met her. She is so quirky! She's a shifter, one of the most celebrated in the shifter world. But she's a vegan. Yes, a vegan shifter. And shifting isn't easy for her. And on top of that, she is practically blind. She has self-esteem issues of the highest sort and compensates by drag racing, despite her eyesight. I love her. And then there's Jim. Usually surly, he's the head of security for the King of the Beasts. And, for once, he has to rely on someone else to help him. Enter Dali.

The show more romance is sweet and rife with all those bizarre issues that exist in relationships. And then if the romance is between shifters? Well, things only get more complicated.

Overall: This is a great side story to the series. They are two very different characters and their relationship is just one I rooted for. show less

Ilona Andrews is one of my favorite authors and the Kate Daniels series is my favorite of all the books that the husband/wife duo write. The writing style is fast paced and engaging and the characters are completely believable despite the fantastical elements that surround all the books. These books are a must read for me and I eagerly devour them and count the months until the next one arrives. I love that despite the occult and romance leanings of these books there is still a generous dose of humor. I highly recommend the Kate Daniels series.

This was a reread. I think I've read Magic Dreams at least five times now. For being only about 70 pages long this is a pretty well detailed story. Several shifters have turned up missing and everything about their disappearance screams magic is the cause. Since Dali is the only shifter who's well-versed in magic, Jim seeks out her help. Dali was a refreshing narrator primarily because she doesn't rely on her physical fighting skills. Instead, she's forced to use her intelligence and magic abilities which is a nice contrast to Kate and Andrea. Plus, I just love Jim and Dali's relationship and suspense plot is pretty awesome. I can't wait to read their book when it comes out in a couple of years.

Anyone who has read my reviews should know, of course, that I am a HUGE Ilona Andrews "Kate Daniels" series. This short story centers on Jim and Dali, and as Dali is one of my favorite secondary characters, this is a huge plus to me.

The Andrews team always writes wonderful female characters, and Dali is no exception. I adore her. You would expect a weretiger to be strong, vicious, centered, and nobody you would want to mess with. Instead, Dali is tiny, half-blind, and suffers from amnesia whenever she changes over - with interesting consequences in and of itself. She, like me, adores cars and speed. No matter what anyone says, she is most happy when she is out ripping along the highly hazardous Buzzard Highway at high speed, racing the show more wind.

I really hope the team comes up with other short stories based on characters from the series. Their character development is so strong, their world building so believable, that it is quite a treat to imagine a whole series of short stories based on secondaries. If you get the chance, check out all the anthologies you can get your hands on which include Andrews stories, you won't be sorry! show less

Anyone who has read my reviews should know, of course, that I am a HUGE Ilona Andrews "Kate Daniels" series. This short story centers on Jim and Dali, and as Dali is one of my favorite secondary characters, this is a huge plus to me.

The Andrews team always writes wonderful female characters, and Dali is no exception. I adore her. You would expect a weretiger to be strong, vicious, centered, and nobody you would want to mess with. Instead, Dali is tiny, half-blind, and suffers from amnesia whenever she changes over - with interesting consequences in and of itself. She, like me, adores cars and speed. No matter what anyone says, she is most happy when she is out ripping along the highly hazardous Buzzard Highway at high speed, racing the show more wind.

I really hope the team comes up with other short stories based on characters from the series. Their character development is so strong, their world building so believable, that it is quite a treat to imagine a whole series of short stories based on secondaries. If you get the chance, check out all the anthologies you can get your hands on which include Andrews stories, you won't be sorry! show less