Review: Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews

Title: Magic Strikes [Amazon|GoodReads]
Author: Ilona Andrews [Website|Twitter|Facebook]
Standing: 3rd in the Kate Daniels series.
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Published: February 20th, 2009 by Ace
Format: Kindle edition; 322 pages.
Source: Purchased.
Spoilers!: This review contains spoilers for the first two books in the series, Magic Bites (reviewed here), and Magic Burns (reviewed here), so go read those first!

Drafted to work for the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid, mercenary Kate Daniels has more paranormal problems these days than she knows what to do with. And in Atlanta, where magic comes and goes like the tide, that's saying a lot.

But when Kate's werewolf friend Derek is discovered nearly dead, she must confront her greatest challenge yet. As her investigation leads her to the Midnight Games- an invitation only, no-holds-barred, ultimate preternatural fighting tournament- she and Curran, the Beast Lord, uncover a dark plot that may forever alter the face of Atlanta's shapeshifting community.

One day Ilona Andrews sat down and thought Hmmm….you know what would make the Kate Daniels series even more awesome? Gladiators! And then she proceeded to write one of the greatest Urban Fantasy books out there. I realize as someone who has read barely any Urban Fantasy I can’t really say that with authority, but you know what? Haters can shove it, it’s true.  I loved this book, and I can see why so many people were telling me this was the point in the series I wanted to get to.  Of course I greatly enjoyed Magic Bites and Magic Burns, but Magic Strikes is where everything really clicks into place, finds its pace, and doesn’t let go.

In Magic Strikes we get all of the characters we’ve loved from the past two installments, and my love of Kate Daniels with her biting snark, quippy lines, and fast blades grows and grows with every page.  Ilona Andrews has this amazing ability to incorporate cliché lines and phrases in a way that don’t make her books seem passé, it makes them seem real.  You get attached to her characters because you can really see and understand how they think, and Kate and crew think like some of the best heroes around. 

Magic Strikes’ plot line surrounds the one thing the Pack is well and truly not allowed to screw with—The Midnight Games.  But what fun would a Kate Daniels book be without Derek, Jim, Curran, Rafael, and Andrea?  Easy answer: none.  Okay strictly speaking, Andrea isn’t a member of the Pack, and Magic Bites was plenty of fun without her and Rafael, but seriously?  Bouda fun is the kind of fun I like to see, and now that I’ve had a taste, I don’t want a book without it.  Here is where I would say ‘You here me, Ilona?!’, but she’s already obliged me by writing Gunmetal Magic.  I DIGRESS.

So if you’ve seen the movie Gladiator, or you know, read some Roman history, you have a pretty good idea of what The Midnight Games entails.  And if you’ve played World of Warcraft (yes I am revealing just how nerdy I am to ya’ll today), you have an even better idea because essentially it’s arena fighting between individuals and teams that are all sorts of freaky.  We’re talking vamps, shapeshifters, minotaurs, magic users, trolls, golems…you know, all of those things that go bump in the night locked in an arena to rip each other to shreds for your viewing pleasure.  Couple that with a dark plan to rid Atlanta of the Pack, some revelations about Saimon, more excellent mythology, some good ol’ fashioned street fighting and subterfuge, and you’ve got one heck of a fast-paced plot that had every cell in my body screaming AWESOME while I read.

But of course, there’s also the reality that Ilona Andrews is a total and utter tease.  And I kind of love it.  I am now officially so in love with Curran, I can’t even stand it.  He cares about Kate so much, it’s ridiculously obvious to pretty much anyone but her, and I love the developments in their relationship that we see in Magic Strikes.  I want to gab about it for pages, but I don’t want to be all spoilery, so I’ll shut my trap and save my fawning for the next book.  Let’s just suffice it to say that Kate and Curran are quickly moving up the list of my all-time favorite couples, and I can’t wait for more.

Likelihood that I'll be back for more:  100%, already have the next book on hand and ready to go.

Recommended for: Fans of urban fantasy, butt-kicking women, hate/love slow-burn relationships, and anyone who’s spent a good deal of time playing arenas in WoW.

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Review: Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews

Title: Magic Burns [Amazon|GoodReads]
Author: Ilona Andrews [Website|Twitter|Facebook] 
Standing: Book two in the Kate Daniels series, following Magic Bites.
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Published: April 1st, 2008 by Ace
Format: Paperback; 260 pages.
Source: Borrowed from my local library.
Spoilers!: This review contains spoilers for the first book in the series, Magic Bites, (reviewed here), so go read that first. 

Down in Atlanta, tempers — and temperatures — are about to flare…

As a mercenary who cleans up after magic gone wrong, Kate Daniels has seen her share of occupational hazards. Normally, waves of paranormal energy ebb and flow across Atlanta like a tide. But once every seven years, a flare comes, a time when magic runs rampant. Now Kate’s going to have to deal with problems on a much bigger scale: a divine one.

When Kate sets out to retrieve a set of stolen maps for the Pack, Atlanta’s paramilitary clan of shapeshifters, she quickly realizes much more at stake. During a flare, gods and goddesses can manifest — and battle for power. The stolen maps are only the opening gambit in an epic tug-of-war between two gods hoping for rebirth. And if Kate can’t stop the cataclysmic showdown, the city may not survive…

There’s something really gratifying to me about picking up a book that I know will be a solid read.  I know I’m not going to fall head over heals, but at the same time, I know it’s going to be fast paced, thrilling, intriguing, and downright fun.  That was my expectation picking up Magic Burns, the second installment to Ilona Andrews’s Kate Daniels series, and that’s exactly what I got.  Color me a satisfied reader.

One of the things I am loving most about this series is its pacing.  It’s like one of those good T.V. series.  You know the kind.  The ones that have an overarching plot that you’re totally invested in, but at the same time, each individual episode has a completely enthralling story that you love diving into and having nicely wrapped up by the end.  For me, that’s kind of what it’s like reading Kate Daniels.  I’m kind of a sucker for delayed gratification...sucker or masochist, but let’s not draw those lines.  I am loving the small tidbits of Kate’s past and family history that we’re getting each book, along with the almost painfully slow development of her inevitable relationship with Curran.

I love Kate more and more with every page.  She’s pigheaded, she never gives in, she does incredibly stupid things that will often end terribly for herself in order to get the job done, and I love it.  She sees herself as someone who gets paid to get the job done right, and while that’s true, the story of Magic Burns gave us some deeper insight into Kate’s hidden underbelly.  Once she takes responsibility for something and someone, and in this case it is a girl, she will do everything in her power to follow through.  Part of me was like, ‘screw this Kate!’, because she was doing it all based on a fairly small favor she owed to a pretty horrible teenaged boy, but I’ll give the woman credit, she goes above and beyond.  

And so do her friends.  In Magic Burns we get to meet Andrea, her gun-happy coworker who shares a lot of Kate’s code, while completely being her own mysterious mess.  I was instantly a fan, and am so excited to know that Ilona Andrews’s forthcoming book, Gunmetal Magic, will be starring this woman.  Of course, Andrea’s not the only one, Derek also goes out of his way to protect Kate.  He’s kind of that annoying self-appointed side-kick.  You can’t help but love him, even when he’s being a bit of a lap dog (no pun intended)(okay, pun intended a little).  And then of course, there’s Curran.  Talk about a love/hate relationship.  Both Curran and Kate are incredibly stubborn and sharp tongued no matter the situation.  They’re either going to end up killing each other or tearing each others clothes off, which makes them a volatile pairing I just can’t wait to see ignite.  

Favorite scene ever?  Kate’s panties exposed in the hospital wing with a nice little bow on them, and Curran noticing.  All in all, I thought Magic Burns was a solid follow-up to Magic Bites.  I enjoyed the different mythology weaved into the story, and am quickly becomming more and more invested in this series.

Likelihood that I'll be back for more:  Oh goodness yes!  I’m dying for Magic Strikes to come in for me at the library.  I see it in the catalog just sitting on another library’s shelf and them not sending it to me.  I’m about to drive myself over to said library and get it myself, forget waiting on inter-libary loan!

Recommended for:  Any urban fantasy fans looking for a butt kicking protagonist with a heart of gold.  

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Review: Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews

Title: Magic Bites [Amazon|GoodReads]
Author: Ilona Andrews [Website|Twitter|Facebook]
Standing: Kate Daniels #1
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Published: March 27th, 2007 by Ace Books
Format: Paperback; 260 pages.  
Source: Borrowed from my local library.

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.

I’d been hearing great things about Ilona Andrews’s urban fantasy series for some time, when I was finally pushed into reading Kate Daniels for several reasons.  First, Ilona Andrews released Magic Gifts, a Kate Daniels short, giving it away free to fans as a Christmas present.  I adore authors who do this sort of thing for their fans.  I know short stories as additions to series are gaining popularity, and I think this is a great trend.  It’s even better when it’s done in such a fun way, and this got me to start reading Ilona Andrews’ blog posts.  That was the second thing that got me to pick up Magic Bites.  Ilona Andrews has some thoughts about writing that I can get behind (for example, she has a great stance on review drama), and any time I come to respect an author personally I also find myself very much wanting to promote them professionally.  

So enter Magic Bites, starring Kate Daniels: Badass.  Now, I’m not quite head over heals with this series yet, but I did like Kate, Curran, and the world enough to keep going.  Also I hear it gets really good come Magic Strikes (#3).  Anyway...

The urban fantasy world created by Andrews is, for lack of a better term, awesome.  Kate Daniels is a mercenary in futuristic Atlanta, where a balance is constantly shifting between magic and technology.  When magic is high, tech fails.  Your phone won’t work, your car won’t work, and you better have some good magic guarding your house because not much else will keep the creepos out.  Kate can control a great deal of magic herself, which helps with the whole mercenary gig, but she bristles under authority and dislikes working through official channels.  Much to her chagrin, she finds herself knee deep in official business, and stuck between the Pack and The Masters of the Dead in a mystery that’s more personal than business.

I loved the interesting set up of this world.  The Pack, a group of shapechangers including not only werewolves, but those who change freely into other creatures as well (KITTY!), has its own interesting structure and customs that Kate maneuvers or metaphorically kicks in the balls as she sees fit.  Vampires are animalistic creatures controlled and branded by Masters of the Dead, and Kate knows all of the lowest of the low to squeeze for info when needed:

When in doubt and in need of information, find a snitch and squeeze him.  That was one of the very few investigative techniques I was aware of.  As a matter of fact, that and the “annoy principals involved until the guilty party decides to kill you” pretty much summed it up for me.  Move over, Sherlock.

I hadn’t really read classic urban fantasy like this before.  Most urban fantasy I’d read was YA, which tends to have a different feel.  It kind of clicked for me part way in, that this is a lot like reading modern crime fiction.  Now, I never really got much into that genre, but throw in the fantasy elements, and I was pretty much sold on the whole concept.  I can see why people are such fans of this and the The Edge series, and I can see myself lining up for both of them.

Likelihood that I'll be back for more:  Magic Burns is sitting on my end table just waiting to be picked up!

Recommended for:  Fans of serial crime fiction who are open to fantasy elements, and urban fantasy fans.  People who love a strong female protagonist who is far from dainty.

Real life repercussions of reading this book:  I feel even more lazy and out of shape than normal.  Train to be a badass?  Heck, I need to work on running around the neighborhood without using my inhaler.
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Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Anna and the French Kiss [Amazon|GoodReads]
Author: Stephanie Perkins [Website|Twitter|Facebook]
Standing: Stand alone novel, but there are/will be two companions!
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Published: December 2nd, 2010 by Listening Library/Dutton
Format: Audiobook/Kindle edition.
Source: Borrowed from my local library.
Challenge: Completely Contemp Challenge.

Anna's father, who seems to basically be Nickolas Sparks, decides to ship her off to boarding school in Paris for her senior year to get herself some culture.  She doesn't want to go, and is bitter at her lack of choice, but she finds herself not entirely hating the place once she makes some new friends--particularly Etienne St. Claire.  St. Claire is American born, English raised, and French sired.  And if you don't find that hot, well I don't know what's wrong with you.  Too bad he's taken; not only does he have a girlfriend, but her new friend Meredith's totally in love with him.  Besides, Anna still has feelings about Toph from back home, right?  Ha!  Prepare for a year of awkward.

Let’s take a moment to discuss the importance of choosing the right format.  I initially picked up Anna and the French Kiss as an audiobook, and after suffering through 5 chapters I was ready to give up.  I couldn’t stand the narrator, Kim Mai Guest.  To me, the narration came across as very whiney, snobby, made the whole story seem very vapid, and I did not want to hear it.  Needless to say, I won’t be listening to other works like How I Live Now or Wildwood Dancing that are also narrated by Kim Mai Guest.  Now, I do want to emphasize that this audiobook was recommended by multiple people, so don’t let my bad experience make up your mind--just know that if you don’t like it, you can always change formats!  Since pretty much everyone loves this book, I decided I’d switch over to the Kindle edition and push through to see if I could like it better.  This made all the difference!

My judgements and emotions went back and forth a lot throughout this book.  I love boarding school (living vicariously), but I hate Paris (maybe hate is extreme, but I don't like it).  I loved St. Clair (awesome friend), but he was kind of a douche (crappy boyfriend).  Anna was annoyingly naive (come on, no one watches that much film and doesn’t know ‘pissed’ means drunk in Britain), but totally identifiable (more on this later).  There were some teeth grinding cliches (like bending down to pick things up and bumping heads), but the story was very true to life and the crappy decisions many people make in relationships.  In the end, I decided I really liked it, and appreciate Perkins’s honesty and ability to wrangle uncomfortable situations into text in a way that made me scream “WHY AM I SO AWKWARD?”

So...since this is a romance, let’s discuss the leads!  I identified with Anna a lot, in ways that actually made me uncomfortable to remember some of the past decisions I made that hurt my personal relationships.  She’s a film buff, and wants to be a critic, which is awesome.  She’s totally awkward about her Americaness upon moving to Paris, which I can 100% identify with.  I spent my junior year in Europe, and had similar feelings upon moving to New York.  Being from Wyoming, my impression of NYC was largely formed watching episodes of Sex and the City.  I was so nervous to even set foot in the city at first, as Anna was in Paris--filled with complete misconceptions and self-consciousness.  Anna was also awesome in that she didn't turn into a bumbling idiot around the guys she liked. She was still her intelligent, funny, silly self. Finally, I completely loved Anna’s outlook on sex.  She basically states that she wouldn’t have sex with anyone unless, if she were to get knocked up, she wouldn’t be embarrassed to tell said kid who her father was.  YES!  I will totally preach this to my daughters someday.  

And then there’s Etienne St. Claire.  First the good: he’s shorter than Anna (as a 6’ tall woman, I love seeing this sort of thing), he’s totally sweet, funny, and thoughtful, he goes out of his way to make sure Anna feels comfortable and explores Paris.  Then...the bad: he’s so needy that he continues to date his gf, even after he obviously has feelings for Anna because he’s not 100% sure of her feelings, while at the same time actively working to keep any other guy from getting near Anna.  He crosses all the lines.  But then he totally calls Anna on her shit, and there’s totally (at least) two people in this boat, so I guess I can’t funnel all my angsty glares toward him.  Also, yeah, he's going through some crap, and I guess that can make people make stupid decisions. So I forgive the guy.

In the end, I appreciated that this wasn’t a fluffy happy love story, even though it was full of some great humor.  There were a lot of very realistic bumps in the road, and I found myself thinking ‘oh thank goodness I’m not the only one who’s been this stupid’.  

Likelihood that I'll be back for more:  I may have been waffling for the first portion of this book, but by the end I was sold, and will be reading both Lola and the Boy Next Door and Isla and the Happily Ever After.  Does anyone know if Isla will feature the Isla that appeared as a minor character in Anna?  I hope so!

Recommended for:  Girls who need to grow a spine already, Paris lovers, pretty much anyone who likes YA romance. OH WAIT I'M THE LAST PERSON TO READ THIS BOOK.

Real life repercussions of reading this book:  Your vocab word of the day is callipygian.  Meaning having well shaped buttocks.