Magic Burns

I've procrastinated forever in writing this review. Magic Burns is one of my frequent re-reads, and I'm not sure I can do it justice.

What keeps drawing me back? An interesting heroine that is confident, skilled in her field, funny, occasionally lonely, caring despite herself and lives according to an ethical code? Action that builds from the somewhat ridiculous (a salamander pyromaniac) to the tragic (spikey dogs) to epic (a battle between shapeshifters and gods)? Relationship building that gives equal importance to girlfriends, adopted family and potential romance? A sophisticated vision of a post-apocalypic Atlanta that shifts from magic to tech? Vampires that are not romantacized and moreover, most empathetically, do not sparkle? show more Hard to say, but it's a favorite. If they ever release it in hardcover, I'll buy it in a flash, because my paperback is worn out.

Kate is the heroine of the series, and one of my all-time favorite characters.

She's anything but a sweet talking diplomat:

"Negotiate. He [Jim] wanted me to engage a lunatic who had already burned four people into smoking meat. Okay, I could do that.
'Alright, Jeremy,' I yelled into the night. 'Give me the salamander and I won't cut your head off!'"

She's got a gift of understatement:

"His nose no longer looked broken. No blood, either. Wonderful. Not only could he teleport, but he also regenerated while he did it. If he started spitting fire, we'd be all set."

She knows a losing battle when she sees one:

"I looked at his face and saw the decisive thrust of the adolescent jaw. No intelligent life there. I turned to Julie."

She's creative:

"The vampire started at me, his mouth slack as Ghastek assessed his options. I took a couple of forms from my desk, put them in the vamp's mouth, and pulled them up by their edges.
'What are you doing?' Ghastek asked.
'My hole puncher broke.'
'You have no respect for the undead."

And sometimes, very rarely, she has nothing to say:

"She [Julie] shrugged. 'Sex. Red knows a ritual that would give him my powers if I do sex with him.'
I stared at her, speechless. There were so many things wrong with what she said that my brain experienced a momentary shutdown."

But don't be misled, she isn't all sarcasm, and her confrontations with evil aren't marked by trading witticisms. But there's enough humor to ease the way in to the serious stuff.

Five stars, again and again.

Re-read May, 2017, because my cousin was borrowing it. Idk, maybe I needed to make sure it was good or something, before I lent it to her? Or just in case she didn't return it?

Cross posted at http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/04/04/magic-burns-kate-daniels-2-by-ilona-an... show less

Magic Burns
4.5 Stars

An exciting and fast paced plot with well-developed characters and intense world building.

The Kate Daniels books are rapidly becoming my favorite UF series. Kate is a kick-ass heroine who inadvertently finds herself looking out for a young girl whose mother has disappeared. As she follows the bizarre clues, Kate must contend with Celtic Gods and their minions who are determined to gain a foothold on Earth while at the same time fighting her feelings for Curran, the Beast Lord of the shape-shifters.

The post-apocalyptic world established in book #1 is fleshed out more in this installment as magic grows in power due to the Flare, which occurs once every seven years. The dark and gritty descriptions of modern show more civilization's gradual decay as a result of succumbing to the power of magic are original and absorbing.

The incorporation of entities from Celtic mythology adds an extra layer of suspense to the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the witch coven. While this storyline is exhilarating and action-packed, the resolution is only partially complete as it is never 100% clear what happened to Julie's mother and the other members of her coven. That said, the villains are suitably disgusting and disturbing, and the ultimate confrontation between the forces of good and evil at the climax of the book is well-written and thrilling.

More information is also provided regarding Kate's past and her mother's death but numerous questions remain unanswered, such as the precise origin and nature of her powers and the reasons for her animosity toward Roland (the leader of the People). It will be interesting to see how this plays out in future books.

Finally, the interactions between Kate and Curran are another highlight of the book. The slow build up of tension between them is captivating and their push-pull dynamic is very entertaining - it is great to see the Beast Lord put in his place every so often. show less

"Magic Burns" does exactly what book two in a series should do, it delivers even more impact that book one: "Magic Bites"

In "Magic Burns" Ilona Andrews moves her focus from the creating an alternative Atalanta, devastated by waves of magic that neutralize tech and strengthen the powers of magical creatures, to developing her main character, Kate Daniels.

The picture of Kate that emerges is a compelling mixture of aggression, vulnerability, deeply rooted ethics, ferocity, loneliness, empathy, isolation and a dark, intoxicating, power that could save or destroy her.

In other words, Kate is someone you want to know more about, who is likely to surprise you, but who doesn't walk through the world unscathed, killing those who piss her show more off.

"Magic Burns" starts small with Kate trying to capture a crazy arsonist using a magical salamander to burn things down and escalates through encounters with a Celtic warrior, to a Fomorian controlling Wraiths, to a full-scale battle between the Weres and a demonic army.

Along the way we learn a lot more about how Were society functions, including a fascinating visit to the Hyena Clan that gave an original and plausible view of their... proclivities and lifestyle choices. We see Kate adopting a surrogate mother role to an abandoned child, working closing with an Order member with a secret, and slowly starting to understand the meaning of Curran's behaviour towards her. I know that the Kate/Curran love interest attracts a lot of attention but I don't see it as central to the series in terms of being a romantic interest. For me, it is more about showing that both Kate and Curran need to constantly to exert control to remain who they want to be and not be overwhelmed by what their power might make them.

I thought the most memorable relationship in the book was between Kate and the Celtic Berserker. As Kate spends time with him, she sees that he is not really human any more. Perhaps he never was. He has spent centuries in the service of God, killing her enemies and counting his success by the number of enemy heads he has stored in his home. He has no contact with people, no understanding of how to talk to women, no concept of right and wrong. In seeking to become the ultimate warrior he has allowed himself to become his God's attack-dog. This by itself is an interesting idea. I used to be fascinated by the unromantic brutality of "Slaine", the Celtic Berserker in "2000AD". Ilona Andrews takes that brutality to it's logical conclusion. What lifts the encounter is that Kate, who could so easily become a modern, wittier, sexier version of the hollow-souled Berserker, feels empathy with the warrior and engages with him in a way that, by the end of the book, enables the warrior to reclaim some of his humanity.

It is the thought that sits behind this kind of plot-line that makes this series so strong... together with witty dialogue Curran to Kate “You don't cause problems. You cause catastrophes.” , Kate's bravado - using a vampire's fangs as a hole punch, great action scenes from one-on-one combat to full-scale battles, constant playful (I think) disrespect for the ability of males to think and a pace that is perfectly judged.

That's the second five-star read in the series. I may have to invent a whole new rating just to deal with what happens when this series gets even better. show less

Magic Burns is the second book in the Kate Daniels series and I loved it just about as much as I did the first. Magic comes and goes unpredictably in the world of Kate Daniels, but every seven years there is a magic flare. During those times, the magic runs wild and brings with it even bigger magical issues.

Because of the flare, the stakes are higher for Kate. The flare is the one time that ancient gods and goddesses can manifest on earth and they take advantage of that. Once on earth, it is a battle for power and Kate is stuck right in the middle of it.

I love the characters in these books. Kate is smart and fierce and surprisingly funny. Her love-hate relationship with Curran, the Beast Lord, is equal parts hilarious and sexy as sin. show more We learn a bit more about Kate and her past in this book, although I still have more questions than answers. That just makes me even more ready for the next book.

I think Curran might almost be my favorite part of this book. He has no idea what to think about Kate. She's stubborn and unyielding and he has no idea how to handle. As the Beast Lord, he is used to subservience, but he doesn't get that with Kate. She has zero problem mouthing off to him and as much as that frustrates him, he loves it, too.

Overall: This is a great series and I feel like it is just getting better! show less

Kate Daniels is getting the hang of her new life as a representative of the Order of Merciful Aid, but she's always happy to do a little mercenary work on the side. When Jim, her ex- mercenary partner and jaguar shapeshifter, asks her to handle a little problem with fire salamanders, she happily agrees. But of course, since this is Kate, things start getting weird. When she investigates the location where the rogue salamanders appeared, she finds an apparently bottomless pit that stinks of enchantment--not a good sign when waves of magic keep submerging the city. And that's when it get complex: a rogue coven of witches has vanished during a forbidden rite, and Kate ends up with one of their children in tow. Creepy purple undead show more creatures are stalking Kate and her charge, and there seems to be no way to avoid them. And as if that's not enough, a supernaturally fast thief has managed to break into the shapeshifter's keep, and now Kate is dragged back into contact with Curran, the dangerous and alluring Beast Lord. Here we go again....

I really enjoyed reading this, but for me, I think it's the weakest of the series, mainly because it butchers an area of mythology that I'm actually pretty familiar with; more about that later. I'm not sure what about these books destroys my ability to write even a semi-coherent review, but all I have is more comments from the peanut gallery.

-I adore this world. So much. There are so many wonderful little details; for example, when the magic hits, the refrigerators stop working, so people either use special slow-melt enchanted ice or snow-sprite eggs. There is a State Undeath Commission to regulate the creation of vampires. Waves of magic stultified the development of technology and actually changed the development of the world. This is exactly how great Urban Fantasy should work: the advent of magic should warp the culture. There are tons of wonderful examples scattered throughout: the people of the world watch movies off mini-discs (a short-lived pre-DVD invention) and have never encountered cellphones, laptops, ipads, google, or sundry other technologies. It's both meticulously created and incredibly unique in the urban fantasy genre.

-I love how one of Kate's standard problem-solving methods is to cut off a head or two. Several times in the series, she's stuck with the problem of moving a very heavy body and ends up just taking the head instead. She's always so pleased with herself for thinking of it that it always makes for a hilarious moment.

-I'm still not happy with Curran, and I'm still uncomfortable with the pretty distinct Female Gaze in here. These things will never change, but I've already ranted about them here and here, and there's really nothing else to say, except that this is the book with the infamous "you will beg me before [sleeping with me] and thank me after" lines come in. Ick.

-I like Julie as a character. Book 2 is the traditional point at which Our Hero ends up being landed with a stray dog or other random pet; cue comic relief and heartwarming moments. It is very fitting that Kate would one-up this by being landed with a stray child.

-The entire time, I was waiting for hover for spoiler to turn into something nasty. Preferably with scales. hover for spoiler I'll continue to wait; it just has to happen. Either that or he sells the pack out to Adonis for a magical facelift or something.

-Fun fact: while "Irish" does indeed imply "Celtic", believe it or not, "Celtic" does not imply "Irish." Y Mabinogi is not a collection of stories about King Arthur. It is a collection of four major Welsh myths (well, you know what I mean--people and cultural identity that would eventually be fused into the Welsh), and while the Irish do appear briefly, it's mainly to serve as evil antagonists to the brave men of Cymru. It is not the case, as Kate claims, that "everyone knows" that Taliesin was a famous Irish bard, mainly because he was a famous Welsh bard. And while the etymology of Morfran is in doubt, his identity as the son of Ceridwen from the Welsh (not Irish, WELSH) myth of Taliesin is not in question. Yeah, I know, it's an urban fantasy book and deviates from reality. But at least the claim in the book is that she's talking about our world's mythology, and I'm a little OCD, so I tend to brood about such mistakes. Mae hynny'n llawer o wallau--mae hi'n ddiflas. Cymraeg yn wahanol na gwyddelig. (Cymraeg yn well). (Mae'n flin 'da fi, fy gramadeg yn ddrwg, siarad tipyn bach) Grrr.

-I don't actually have issues with it, but I'm not really sure why everyone makes the Fomor into "sea demons"; being forced into the sea by the De Danann doesn't make you into a fishman. I'd also love to someday read a story that portrays them positively, since it seems to me that their only crime was being an indigenous population who happened to be in the way of the De Danann.

-Let's talk about strawmen, morals, and choices. hover for spoiler

As always, Kate's voice is hilarious. Here's a few (a very few) of her trenchant remarks:
"Negotiate. [Jim] wanted me to engage a lunatic who had already turned four people into smoking meat. Okay. I could do that. 'Alright, Jeremy!' I yelled into the night. 'Give me the salamander and I won’t cut your head off!'"

"Nothing kills a party like an oversize metal hedgehog."

"[Curran]'Your panties have a bow.' ...
[Kate] 'What's wrong with bows?...I'm secure enough in myself to wear panties with bows on them. Besides, they are comfy and soft.'"

"I took a couple of forms from my desk, put them into the vamp's mouth, and pulled them up by their edges.
'What are you doing?' Ghastek asked.
'My hole puncher broke.'"

[To Kate] "You don't cause problems. An unpiloted vampire causes problems. You cause catastrophes."

[To Kate] "When I throw you out of the window, I want there to be no doubt the act was deliberate."

"My werewolf was allergic to tortoises."

Somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars. The peanut gallery approves. show less

The world-building is just fabulous. Ilona Andrews is an amazing writing team. Such vivid descriptions and such a creative world. I love the addition of Julie, and I especially enjoyed the furthering of the sparks between Kate an Curran. I was hoping he was the one she might be linked with.

Please excuse typos. Entered on screen reader

Reread 2020: I clearly had forgotten 90% of this book in the time since I last read it, which made for a great reread! Or maybe this series is just so wonderfully detailed it’s impossible to get everything on the first go-round. I loved the salamander of doom in the opening scene. SO FUNNY. Jim ditching Kate for Pack business. Suave Derek. And Andrea!! She’s so one of my favorites. I had forgotten how show more she was first introduced, and this was just terrific.

But my favorite part of this was getting to reread how Kate and Julie first became a mother/daughter team. Kate of course is terrific, and Julie is also a favorite character. Of course, I can say that about nearly every character in this series. I loved getting back to her origin story and since it had been a bit since I read this, I got more out of the details on the second time around. Also, every time Curran, Derek or any of the pack come on the scene, those parts are just great. It’s hard not to just fangirl over everything IA writes, but they’re frankly just amazing and I could read their books again and again and always find something new to enjoy. show less

After finishing Magic Bites and getting hooked on Kate Daniels’ gritty world, I dove straight into Magic Burns. This sequel picks up a couple of months after the first book, and the stakes are even higher as Atlanta braces for a magic flare—a chaotic event where magic surges to dangerous levels and many supernatural havoc ensues. The story is packed with action, mystery, and just enough character development to keep you flipping the pages. If you thought the first book threw you into the deep end, fear not—Magic Burns is here to guide you through its world with more clarity.
What I Loved
Intense and Engaging: Magic Burns wastes no time drawing you into the chaos. The magic flare sets the stage for high-stakes action, from show more jaw-dropping battles to tense confrontations with dangerous adversaries. Andrews keeps the suspense dialed up with twists and turns that make it impossible to put the book down.
Rich World-Building: The first book left me a little disoriented, but this time, the magic system and world are explained more clearly, and Andrews continues to expand on it. I loved the introduction of new magical elements and how the city itself feels alive—constantly shifting and adapting as magic and technology battle for dominance.
Kate Daniels, Unveiled: Kate remains a powerhouse of wit, strength, and independence, but here, we see cracks in her armor. There’s a deeper dive into her guarded personality and the self-imposed isolation she clings to. We get glimpses of her mysterious origins, her magical potency, and the scars that shaped her. Watching her open up to others—especially the Pack—shows real growth and adds emotional depth.
Complex Characters and Relationships: Kate is, as always, a standout heroine, but the supporting cast really shines here. The Pack begins to feel like a found family, and the relationships Kate builds with them add warmth and layers to the story. The dynamics are messy, heartfelt, and occasionally humorous, which helps balance the darker, grittier moments.
Smooth, Immersive Writing: Ilona Andrews’ prose is fluid and engaging, making it easy to get lost in the vivid settings and intense story. It's great writing, whether it's a crazy battle or a quiet moment of reflection.

Read more at https://www.summonfantasy.com/reviews/magic-burns-a-flare-of-action-mystery-and-.... show less