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![Magic Bites [Dramatized Adaption ] by Ilona Andrews](https://cdn.thestorygraph.com/ctcgoyw7tuj9380tf480s5cgmexu)
3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Andrews created an amazing first book in a now 10-book series. Their world instantly captures your interest, not only in the magic/tech clash but also with the memorable characters. I would have liked to have seen more female characters develop in this first book, but other than that, I highly recommend this book.
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A good bit of fun, a lot of exposition and world to understand quite quickly. Very early 2000s amount of sass.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Review Update: July 2015 - 5 stars
I've decided to update my review, because as time passes my opinions change. I still think the book starts out slow -- but I appreciated it for what it was this time -- it's a slow build that helps create the world, so by the time you're immersed in the action the author doesn't have to do any world build other than dropping a line here and there. The author does a fabulous job of creating the world and establishing the rules of it. It could be that this read through I knew there was a payoff waiting for me, so I enjoyed the first 30 pages more than the first time I read them. But I'll never be able to say for sure since I can't have a first read again.
I think overall I just enjoy Kate as a character -- she's not some super detective or mega soldier. She's a fighter, she makes mistakes, she's got an attitude that she recognizes gets her into trouble, and she's got determination. She's also got a lot of secrets -- which means there's a lot of potential for more stories to come. I also like that we get to see her interact with someone like Crest, and someone like Curran, as both are characters that treat Kate completely differently.
There is only one thing in this book that stops me, and I know it does every time. It's an incredibly minor thing so it doesn't affect the rating, and I can't specify without going into spoilers but basically -- Kate (and others) blames herself for a misunderstanding that was not her doing and given her attitude it's odd that she lets others blame her for it. Other than that, I enjoyed the story and the longer it went on the more I wanted. It's definitely one of the first Urban Fantasy series I recommend to others.
Review: May 2011 - 4 stars
I really liked this book. It was a little slow for me to get into but by page 30 or so I was hooked. By the end I was desperately looking for the next one. The idea of the story is really interesting and an attention keeping one, and so are the characters. I like the dialogue a lot and I think it makes it more interesting. Definitely a good book for those who like fantasy and I think the author does a great job on creating a very different and intriguing setting.
I've decided to update my review, because as time passes my opinions change. I still think the book starts out slow -- but I appreciated it for what it was this time -- it's a slow build that helps create the world, so by the time you're immersed in the action the author doesn't have to do any world build other than dropping a line here and there. The author does a fabulous job of creating the world and establishing the rules of it. It could be that this read through I knew there was a payoff waiting for me, so I enjoyed the first 30 pages more than the first time I read them. But I'll never be able to say for sure since I can't have a first read again.
I think overall I just enjoy Kate as a character -- she's not some super detective or mega soldier. She's a fighter, she makes mistakes, she's got an attitude that she recognizes gets her into trouble, and she's got determination. She's also got a lot of secrets -- which means there's a lot of potential for more stories to come. I also like that we get to see her interact with someone like Crest, and someone like Curran, as both are characters that treat Kate completely differently.
There is only one thing in this book that stops me, and I know it does every time. It's an incredibly minor thing so it doesn't affect the rating, and I can't specify without going into spoilers but basically -- Kate (and others) blames herself for a misunderstanding that was not her doing and given her attitude it's odd that she lets others blame her for it. Other than that, I enjoyed the story and the longer it went on the more I wanted. It's definitely one of the first Urban Fantasy series I recommend to others.
Review: May 2011 - 4 stars
I really liked this book. It was a little slow for me to get into but by page 30 or so I was hooked. By the end I was desperately looking for the next one. The idea of the story is really interesting and an attention keeping one, and so are the characters. I like the dialogue a lot and I think it makes it more interesting. Definitely a good book for those who like fantasy and I think the author does a great job on creating a very different and intriguing setting.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Disclaimer: I bought this book for book club. Yay reading buddies! All opinions are my own.
Book: Magic Bites
Author: Ilona Andrews
Book Series: Kate Daniels Book 1
Rating: 4.5/5
Recommended For...: Urban Fantasy readers, fantasy, paranormal, romance, vampires, shape-shifters, adult readers, magic
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publication Date: May 27, 2007
Publisher: Ace
Pages: 260
Recommended Age: 18+ (language, police brutality, death, violence, gore, dead parents, racist term, sexual content, religion, incest, sexual assault)
Explanation of CWs: There is a lot of cursing in this book. There are mentions of police brutality. There is a lot of violence, death, blood gore, and mention of dead parents. There is a racist term in this book due to the age of the book (g****). There is some sexual content mentioned in this book. There is some mentions of the Christian religion. There is one mention of incest and sexual assault.
If This Was a Taylor Swift Song: Bad Blood
Synopsis: Ilona Andrews invites you to experience the first novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series featuring the intriguing fantasy world of mercenary Kate Daniels… 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…
Review: I thought this book was so inventive and really well done. The book takes place after this magic apocalypse and our MC is a woman who was just informed of their quasi-adoptive father's death in the line of duty against magical beings. Her journey to find out what happened takes her to far reaching areas of Atlanta and we're along for that journey. I loved that the author took a lot of care and attention to name a lot of places in Atlanta that the magical beings now inhabit and I loved the feel of the story. I thought the world building was well done and the pacing on point.
The only issue I really had with the book is that I felt like the ending battle scene and the scenes after that went rather quickly. It was a lot of set-up for a very quick 10 page ending. However, I can't wait for the next one.
Verdict: It was good! I liked it a lot.
Book: Magic Bites
Author: Ilona Andrews
Book Series: Kate Daniels Book 1
Rating: 4.5/5
Recommended For...: Urban Fantasy readers, fantasy, paranormal, romance, vampires, shape-shifters, adult readers, magic
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publication Date: May 27, 2007
Publisher: Ace
Pages: 260
Recommended Age: 18+ (language, police brutality, death, violence, gore, dead parents, racist term, sexual content, religion, incest, sexual assault)
Explanation of CWs: There is a lot of cursing in this book. There are mentions of police brutality. There is a lot of violence, death, blood gore, and mention of dead parents. There is a racist term in this book due to the age of the book (g****). There is some sexual content mentioned in this book. There is some mentions of the Christian religion. There is one mention of incest and sexual assault.
If This Was a Taylor Swift Song: Bad Blood
Synopsis: Ilona Andrews invites you to experience the first novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series featuring the intriguing fantasy world of mercenary Kate Daniels… 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…
Review: I thought this book was so inventive and really well done. The book takes place after this magic apocalypse and our MC is a woman who was just informed of their quasi-adoptive father's death in the line of duty against magical beings. Her journey to find out what happened takes her to far reaching areas of Atlanta and we're along for that journey. I loved that the author took a lot of care and attention to name a lot of places in Atlanta that the magical beings now inhabit and I loved the feel of the story. I thought the world building was well done and the pacing on point.
The only issue I really had with the book is that I felt like the ending battle scene and the scenes after that went rather quickly. It was a lot of set-up for a very quick 10 page ending. However, I can't wait for the next one.
Verdict: It was good! I liked it a lot.
slow-paced
Trying more audio stuff as I am still cross stitching ferociously in the evenings and I've seen Ilona Andrews' name around quite a bit, but this didn't entirely hit for me... The world was fun enough with the switches between magic and technology but I was never super engaged by the characters or their crime investigation, and there was a lot that felt exposition-y in a way I didn't love. Probably a fan of the genre would get more out of this. Skimming the reviews there seemed to be a consensus that the series gets better so I did decide to go on for a couple more books at least