Salute Your Shorts: Magic Mourns by Ilona Andrews

Salute Your Shorts is a weekly (ish) feature here at Bunbury in the Stacks highlighting and reviewing short stories and novellas. Everyone is welcome to join at any time, just grab the pic above and shoot me a link in the comments so that I can include your post in a roundup.

Title: Magic Mourns in Must Love Hellhounds [Amazon|GoodReads]
Author: Ilona Andrews [Website|Twitter|Facebook]
Standing: Magic Mourns is a Kate Daniels novella between books 3 and 4.  This anthology also includes 3 other novellas which are part of the Guild Hunter, Sookie Stackhouse, and The Guardians series.  As I have not read these other series, I did not read the other 3 novellas.
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Published: September 1st, 2009 by Berkley Trade
Format:  Paperback; 361 pages. Magic Mourns alone is around 90 pages. 
Source: Borrowed from my local library.
Alternative Source: Magic Mourns is also available to purchase as an e-book single here.
Spoilers!: This review contains very minor spoilers for Magic Bites (reviewed here), Magic Burns (reviewed here), and Magic Strikes (reviewed here).  One could, theoretically, read this story without having read other Kate Daniels novels.

The phone rang again.  “Order of the Knights of Merciful Aid, Andrea—“
”Can I speak to Kate?”  An older male voice tinted with country accent.
”I’m filling in for her.  What do you need?”
”Can you take a message for her?  Tell ‘er this is Teddy Jo callin’ down from Joshua Junkyards.  She knows me.  Tell her I was drivin’ on through Buzzard, and I saw one of them fellers she hangs out with, the shapeshifters, run like hell through the Scratches.  Right below me.  There was a big dog chasin’ him.”
“How big was the dog?”
Teddy Jo mulled it over.  “I’d say as big as a house.  A one-story.  Maybe a bit bigger.  Not as big as one of them colonials, you understand.  A regular-person house.”
”Would you say the shapeshifter was in distress?”
”Hell yeah, he was in distress.  His tail was on fire.”
”He ran like his tail was on fire?”
”No, his tail was on fire.  Like a big, furry candle on his ass.
Bing.  Green five, shapeshifter in dire distress.  “Got it.”

When I picked up Magic Mourns, I was expecting Kate.  What I got was Andrea.  The shift in narrators was a surprise for me, but not an unwelcome one.  I love me some Kate, but I’ve really enjoyed Andrea’s character in the past two books, and knowing that Gunmetal Magic is coming out this summer with her PoV, I was pumped for the preview.  And friends, Magic Mourns did not disappoint! 

Often, when you pick up new narration by the same author, it’s incredibly similar.  However, Ilona Andrews really took me by surprise with Andrea.  She doesn’t write the same for this character at all.  Sure, it’s still written very well, but Andrea’s thought process is different to Kate’s.  We see that not only in her mental dialog, but because it is written in first person, we see it in every word.  Andrea’s narration isn’t full of well-known phrases and clichés, it’s not as clipped, moody, or sharp; it is another strong butt-kicking chick with a wry sense of humor, and I am now more than ever a fan of Andrea’s.

I’m going to say after the past three books, Ilona Andrews kind of owed us this one.  Magic Mourns tells the story of Andrea dealing with duty without Kate.  When she receives word of the (supposedly) giant dog chasing a shapeshifter outside of the city, she heads out to check the scene.  There she finds, much to her dismay, Rafael.  Rafael running from what is, indeed, a three headed dog the size of a house.  Andrea doesn’t particularly want to work with Rafael, but she doesn’t want to leave the guy either.  She wants to create a better bond between herself and the Pack, hoping that she can earn a position of trust similar to Kate’s, making relations easier for everyone. 

As always, we get a fun and unique play on mythology (Greek this time), but with it comes the gratification of Andrea and Rafael, and how their relationship differs from Kate and Curran’s.  Andrea and Rafael, unlike the other couple mentioned, actually acknowledge and talk about the issues between them.  For better or worse, at least they have some form of communication going.  Magic Mourns also gives us better insight into Andrea’s past.  We’ve known she is beastkin, but other than the stigma involved, we’ve been a little blind to what that really meant for her growing up.  I was incredibly interested to have her past laid bare, appalling as aspects of it may be.  Where Ilona Andrews has been giving us snippets of Kate’s past and relationship with Curran slowly over 3 novels, it was really quite satisfying to learn so much about another character in such a short period of time.  Not that I’m complaining about Kate’s pacing, quite the opposite, I love it, but that doesn’t mean I don’t need to be thrown a bone every once in a while.  Andrea’s story was well paced, informative, and the perfect balance between action and romance.

Overall, Magic Mourns is a must read for Kate Daniels fans, particularly those preparing to enjoy Gunmetal Magic!

Get a second opinion:
Janicu’s Book Blog (review of entire Must Love Hellhounds anthology)
Literary Escapism (review of entire Must Love Hellhounds anthology)
All Things Urban Fantasy (review of Magic Mourns)

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.

Get a second opinion:
Chachic’s Book Nook
Janicu’s Book Blog
Book Harbinger
Angieville

Review: Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Title: Every Other Day [Amazon|GoodReads]
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes [Website|Twitter]
Standing: Stand alone novel.

Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Sci Fi
Published: December 27th, 2011 by EgmontUSA
Format: Hardcover; 329 pages.  
Source: Borrowed from my local library.

Every other day, Kali is a normal human girl; but every other day, she is something else entirely.  Since puberty, Kali has had the experience of change every day at dawn from girl to...well she’s not quite sure what.  She only knows she is a hunter, with the drive, instincts, and skill to track and kill preturnatural beings like hellhounds, basalisks, and zombies.  She can locate any weapon, heal incredibly fast, and her blood is poison to the creatures she fights.  When Kali notices a distinct marking on one of the cheerleader’s backs, indicating that a chupacabra has marked her for death, Kali knows her only option is to lure the creature to attack her instead...hopefully she’ll last till dawn when she’ll have the power to kill it.  

So let me give you three reasons why I was doing mental cartwheels after finishing Every Other Day:

1. The character names were awesome, best of the year so far.  I mean it takes some serious balls to name your half-Indian kid “Kali”, and I mean that in the most I-tip-my-hat-to-you-madam kind of way.  Oh, and did I mention that she’s half-Indian?  Yay for multicultural main characters!
2. It’s not a series!  I feel like it is so rare to find YA lit in any genre other than contemporary that doesn’t come as a set.  I found the existence of Every Other Day as a stand alone so refreshing.  Though I’ll be honest, I picked this book up because Melissa Marr was talking about it and she wants us all to bug Jennifer to write more and I am so on that team!  I would love to read a sequel, or even another story set in the same world--love it!
3. Attention readers:  this book is essentially CLICHE FREE!  I was so impressed.  When I open a YA Urban Fantasy book, I have some expectations.  Every Other Day didn’t meet those expectations in an amazingly good way!  Obviously I love what I’ve come to expect from the genre, or I wouldn’t read so much of it, but I love it even more when an author can totally surprise me and take the road less travelled.  Huzzah!

Jennifer Lynn Barnes’s characters are very real, and I was surprised at who I came to like and who I didn’t.  Kali is incredibly strong, and even though she unwittingly has a hero complex, it’s seated in a sense of duty and her attachment to the human part of her that wouldn’t be there if she was entirely something else.  You feel for the girl, not only does she not have any idea what she is, but as far as she knows she’s the only one.  I found it interesting that even in her solitary state she’s always saying things about “people like me” as if she also has an unconscious knowledge of her kind.  Besides which, she’s a badass:

The goddess Kali

The crunching sound  wasn’t exactly pleasant, and the hellhound’s breath was killer, but other than that, I wasn’t really bothered.  People like me?

We didn’t feel pain.

My blood splattered everywhere, but messy eater or not, the hellhound managed to get some of my flesh in its mouth, and the moment my blood touched its tar-black tongue, the beast froze, paralyzed.  I jerked what was left of my arm out of its mouth and managed to drag myself out from underneath its carcass as it fell.

Game.  Set.  Match.

My prey wasn’t dead, not yet, but it would be soon.  Even now, my blood was spreading through the hellhound’s nervous system, a toxin every bit as lethal as a serpent’s venom.  I wasn’t planning on waiting for the creature to die from the poison, though.  It couldn’t move.  It couldn’t fight back.

Might as well cut off its head.

Kali’s dad kind of sucks at parenting, but I appreciate that even as a largely absent parent, he’s still very much in the story.  As we grow to better understand the Kali-dad relationship, it actually becomes fairly deep and heartwrenching:

“There comes a moment in ever kid’s life when they look at their parents and realize that they’re people--stupid and fallible and as breakable as the rest of us.”

Bethany and Skylar are the best!  Skylar is “just a little” psychic, and a tough scrappy girl with five older brothers.  She reaches out to Kali when Kali doesn’t even realize she needs someone, and in the short span of two days becomes more dear to her than she could have thought possible.  Bethany is your classic popular girl, and somehow manages to become one of my favorite characters despite this...or maybe because of this?  The events of the book don’t change who Bethany is, she doesn’t really grow as a person, but you (and Kali) come to realize that despite being a bit of a rich spoiled snob, she’s a good person who’s had her own shiz to deal with and I totally respect that.  Skylar’s brothers are great, even Elliot who I didn’t like one bit made me happy because his role was unexpected to me.  And I’m not saying anything about Zev, because that is for you to discover.

Every Other Day had me doing a lot of mental fist pumping, laughing, and I even teared up at one point. The world Jennifer Lynn Barnes has created is totally genre bending, providing a scientific explanation and basis for what in most books are considered paranormal or fantasy creatures like manticores, dragons, chupacabra, etc. It's a world where everyone knows these things exist, heck, hellhounds are on the endangered species list (though Kali insists they are so not endangered). It managed to be simultaneously familiar yet totally unique, and I thought it was fantastic. You can read a full excerpt here.

Likelihood that I'll be back for more: Um...no question!  I’ll be picking up Raised By Wolves sooner rather than later because it’s come to my attention that Jennifer Lynn Barnes is awesome and I can always use more awesome in my life.

Recommended for: People who enjoy YA urban fantasy but are sick of all the cliches. Buffy fans--this book had a similar sense of humor, and Kali was every bit as cool as a slayer!  

Real life repercussions of reading this book: So for some reason “every other day” is close enough in my head to “every day” in my head that I had the song “Calendar Girl” in my head the entire time I was reading.  And now you will too.  Ha!