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katieinca's review against another edition
4.0
It was refreshing to shift POV. Andrea's fun, and we're probably overdue for a look inside her head. Lots of fun gross monsters, whee.
But Andrea and Kate are similar enough that I sometimes forgot that this wasn't Kate, which was disorienting. Especially considering that this is packaged along with a novella, told from Kate's POV, covering some of the same timeframe. Oy.
But Andrea and Kate are similar enough that I sometimes forgot that this wasn't Kate, which was disorienting. Especially considering that this is packaged along with a novella, told from Kate's POV, covering some of the same timeframe. Oy.
brendalovesbooks's review
4.0
Not as good as the main Kate Daniels series, but I still really liked this.
kzimm2024's review against another edition
5.0
Original read in May 2018, 5 stars but no review
Re-read Feb 2024, 5 stars holds but I do wish I had remembered that a 2nd novella is snuck in there and then I wouldn't have bought "Magic Gifts" again separately...
Andrea has had just the worst childhood. Unless people understand that and that the "Pack" could mean the same thing to her, there is no understanding. Thankfully there is this gem of a story that helps us see Andrea and all her emotional baggage she has to work thru to find a happy ending. She is a worthy friend to Kate, such a badass. I love how she comes in to her own.
We all know this is a story of her and Raphael and that this is their reconciliation after a 3rd act break-up, so no spoilers there right? 29 highlights for this story and so I will touch on the relationships rather than the murder mystery that Andrea is trying to solve. And we get more Ascanio, Aunt B and ROMAN! I didn't know how much I enjoyed his character until re-reading this combined with the weekly serials currently released, bravo!
Highlights-
Starting with a reunion with Raphael who brings a bimbo to the show:
“I got your message,” Raphael said.
And I’ve got yours, loud and clear. Inside me, the other me, the one that grew claws and fangs, howled in helpless fury. She didn’t understand nuances. She understood only that the person who loved her and cared for her had betrayed her and now she hurt.
He was mine. Mine! The other me screamed inside me, tearing at the walls to be let out. I struggled to keep her in check, imposing logic over emotion. Moving on was one thing. Moving on I could understand. It would break my heart, but I would understand it.
This was a giant “fuck you” spelled out in glowing letters.
--------------
“We’re engaged to be engaged,” Rebecca said. “We’re waiting until the end of the physical year to officially announce.”
“You mean fiscal year?” Dear God, she was a moron.
“Yes, that’s what I meant.”
Thankfully we get clarity later but man I would be SO hurt by that, not sure I could come back.
Andrea ends up working with Ascanio:
“Why two bows, mistress?” Ascanio asked, sinking a sudden English accent into his words.
“The crossbow has more power but takes longer to reload.” I strung the longbow. “Sometimes you have to shoot fast. And can you go ten minutes without being a smartass?” I grabbed the quiver.
“I don’t know, I’ve never tried, mistress.” He shook his head. “But arrows bounce from monsters.”
“These don’t.”
-----------
“But if you have doubts, why don’t you go stand over there. I’ll shoot you and we’ll find out if it hurts.”
-----------
Kate leaned back against her chair. “Where is the bane of my existence?”
“In the shower, freshening up.”
“Oh God, who did Ascanio screw now?”
“No, no, he’s covered in blood.”
“Oh good.” She sighed and stopped. “The kid is covered in blood and we’re relieved. There is something wrong with us.”
And this!!!:
“How did your day go?”
“I got some head. It was vamp, but still.”
I stared at her. Kate was the last person I would have expected to make that joke. Well, someone had loosened up since mating. “That good, huh.”
“Yup.”
Insight to her horrible childhood, to be hunted like this:
I kicked off my blanket in disgust. I’d dreamt of being beaten. The memory of the dream fluttered in front of me, still vivid.
It was my eleventh birthday, and the older boudas had chased me into an old farm equipment store. I’d hid in a metal drum trough, the kind used to feed the pigs. They’d found me, poured kerosene into the drum, and set me on fire.
And I could go on and on with highlights, mostly involving ROMAN- so good and funny:
Roman dismounted next to us, his staff in his hand. He wore a tank top and black pajama pants with an Eeyore pattern.
“I have had it with this shit,” he announced. “I got woken up in the middle of the night, didn’t get any sleep again, rode across the whole damned city, nu na cherta mne ato nuzhno."
---------------
“Your pajamas have Eeyore on them.”
“I like Eeyore. He’s sensible. A sober outlook on life never hurt anyone.”
---------------
Raphael stepped forward. Roman did, too. They stood dangerously close.
“I asked you a question,” Raphael said, his voice saturated with menace.
Roman’s voice turned icy. “And I told you to fuck yourself. Which part wasn’t clear?”
--------------
“You asshole,” I punched him in the shoulder.
“Gentle! I bruise easily.” He rubbed his carved biceps and I caught a glimpse of a tattoo on his arm: a skull wearing a beret. Army Ranger. Now I had seen everything.
There is a massive fight, an Egyptian god, possession of Andreas body for said god, 2 times near death for Andrea and then this sweet moment:
He opened the box. A white engagement ring with a band shaped like a beast’s paw lay on a small velvet pillow, with a beautiful sapphire clasped in its tiny white claws.
“I’m fucked up,” he said. “I have many faults. But I promise if you marry me, I will love you and take care of you for the rest of our lives.”
I stared at him.
“If you put up with me, I will put up with whatever you can throw my way,” he said. “Bad days, good days, ‘I’ll cut you if you look at me the wrong way’ days. I’ll take them all.”
I knew I had to say something.
“If you kill her with this after everything I’ve done,” Doolittle said behind me. “You will never leave this swamp.”
And we get our HEA :)
Re-read Feb 2024, 5 stars holds but I do wish I had remembered that a 2nd novella is snuck in there and then I wouldn't have bought "Magic Gifts" again separately...
Andrea has had just the worst childhood. Unless people understand that and that the "Pack" could mean the same thing to her, there is no understanding. Thankfully there is this gem of a story that helps us see Andrea and all her emotional baggage she has to work thru to find a happy ending. She is a worthy friend to Kate, such a badass. I love how she comes in to her own.
We all know this is a story of her and Raphael and that this is their reconciliation after a 3rd act break-up, so no spoilers there right? 29 highlights for this story and so I will touch on the relationships rather than the murder mystery that Andrea is trying to solve. And we get more Ascanio, Aunt B and ROMAN! I didn't know how much I enjoyed his character until re-reading this combined with the weekly serials currently released, bravo!
Highlights-
Starting with a reunion with Raphael who brings a bimbo to the show:
“I got your message,” Raphael said.
And I’ve got yours, loud and clear. Inside me, the other me, the one that grew claws and fangs, howled in helpless fury. She didn’t understand nuances. She understood only that the person who loved her and cared for her had betrayed her and now she hurt.
He was mine. Mine! The other me screamed inside me, tearing at the walls to be let out. I struggled to keep her in check, imposing logic over emotion. Moving on was one thing. Moving on I could understand. It would break my heart, but I would understand it.
This was a giant “fuck you” spelled out in glowing letters.
--------------
“We’re engaged to be engaged,” Rebecca said. “We’re waiting until the end of the physical year to officially announce.”
“You mean fiscal year?” Dear God, she was a moron.
“Yes, that’s what I meant.”
Thankfully we get clarity later but man I would be SO hurt by that, not sure I could come back.
Andrea ends up working with Ascanio:
“Why two bows, mistress?” Ascanio asked, sinking a sudden English accent into his words.
“The crossbow has more power but takes longer to reload.” I strung the longbow. “Sometimes you have to shoot fast. And can you go ten minutes without being a smartass?” I grabbed the quiver.
“I don’t know, I’ve never tried, mistress.” He shook his head. “But arrows bounce from monsters.”
“These don’t.”
-----------
“But if you have doubts, why don’t you go stand over there. I’ll shoot you and we’ll find out if it hurts.”
-----------
Kate leaned back against her chair. “Where is the bane of my existence?”
“In the shower, freshening up.”
“Oh God, who did Ascanio screw now?”
“No, no, he’s covered in blood.”
“Oh good.” She sighed and stopped. “The kid is covered in blood and we’re relieved. There is something wrong with us.”
And this!!!:
“How did your day go?”
“I got some head. It was vamp, but still.”
I stared at her. Kate was the last person I would have expected to make that joke. Well, someone had loosened up since mating. “That good, huh.”
“Yup.”
Insight to her horrible childhood, to be hunted like this:
I kicked off my blanket in disgust. I’d dreamt of being beaten. The memory of the dream fluttered in front of me, still vivid.
It was my eleventh birthday, and the older boudas had chased me into an old farm equipment store. I’d hid in a metal drum trough, the kind used to feed the pigs. They’d found me, poured kerosene into the drum, and set me on fire.
And I could go on and on with highlights, mostly involving ROMAN- so good and funny:
Roman dismounted next to us, his staff in his hand. He wore a tank top and black pajama pants with an Eeyore pattern.
“I have had it with this shit,” he announced. “I got woken up in the middle of the night, didn’t get any sleep again, rode across the whole damned city, nu na cherta mne ato nuzhno."
---------------
“Your pajamas have Eeyore on them.”
“I like Eeyore. He’s sensible. A sober outlook on life never hurt anyone.”
---------------
Raphael stepped forward. Roman did, too. They stood dangerously close.
“I asked you a question,” Raphael said, his voice saturated with menace.
Roman’s voice turned icy. “And I told you to fuck yourself. Which part wasn’t clear?”
--------------
“You asshole,” I punched him in the shoulder.
“Gentle! I bruise easily.” He rubbed his carved biceps and I caught a glimpse of a tattoo on his arm: a skull wearing a beret. Army Ranger. Now I had seen everything.
There is a massive fight, an Egyptian god, possession of Andreas body for said god, 2 times near death for Andrea and then this sweet moment:
He opened the box. A white engagement ring with a band shaped like a beast’s paw lay on a small velvet pillow, with a beautiful sapphire clasped in its tiny white claws.
“I’m fucked up,” he said. “I have many faults. But I promise if you marry me, I will love you and take care of you for the rest of our lives.”
I stared at him.
“If you put up with me, I will put up with whatever you can throw my way,” he said. “Bad days, good days, ‘I’ll cut you if you look at me the wrong way’ days. I’ll take them all.”
I knew I had to say something.
“If you kill her with this after everything I’ve done,” Doolittle said behind me. “You will never leave this swamp.”
And we get our HEA :)
astrodish's review against another edition
3.0
This was so great. I loved it! Never stop writing this world Andrews pleaaassee. I want to live there and soak up all the effortless magic and world building
kblevz's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
subparcupcake's review against another edition
4.0
Andrews does a really good job with alternate POV's. A lot of the time alternate POV short stories and novels leave me wanting.. Not so with Gunmetal Magic. I enjoyed Andrea's story a lot, and didn't find myself even missing Kate's POV. Not that I don't like Kate.. Andrews just did this so well that I didn't have time to care that it wasn't a Kate book. Action, drama, a little bit of romance.. It was the perfect balance. If you like the Kate Daniels series as much as I do, this one won't disappoint.
caitybell's review against another edition
4.0
Andrea is no Kate, but damn if I don’t root for her just as hard. I was timid about reading a spin off that wasn’t from Kate’s POV, but I enjoyed this book immensely. I’ve been waiting for this particular culture (no saying which as a spoiler) to pop up in this series, and now it has! Also, Raphael is a precious cinnamon roll armed with daggers and I would protect him with my life. <3
spellboundbybooks's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-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? Yes
4.25
katyanaish's review
5.0
Re-read Nov 2018
In my pretty much annual re-reads of the Kate Daniels series, I've always skipped over this book. I'm not entirely sure why, because I like it very much. I suppose it is because Kate and Curran are the draw for me. I like to immerse in a story and the main characters. I suppose that's why PNR was never a big draw for me - I want to follow the main characters, and dig in deep on their arcs. One-off books rarely interest me much, and with PNR I generally like the first book very much, but then my interest wanes in latter books of the series, because I'd rather just follow the primary couple and plot line. I like depth.
That all said, I do like this side story with Andrea and Raphael, and even though it doesn't do much (if anything) for the main plot ... I feel like it fills a necessary spot in the main series, because of what went down with Andrea and Raphael in book 4. The detailed resolution of their side plot is really fun. And the purple shag carpet made me laugh so hard I snorted my drink out my nose.
In my pretty much annual re-reads of the Kate Daniels series, I've always skipped over this book. I'm not entirely sure why, because I like it very much. I suppose it is because Kate and Curran are the draw for me. I like to immerse in a story and the main characters. I suppose that's why PNR was never a big draw for me - I want to follow the main characters, and dig in deep on their arcs. One-off books rarely interest me much, and with PNR I generally like the first book very much, but then my interest wanes in latter books of the series, because I'd rather just follow the primary couple and plot line. I like depth.
That all said, I do like this side story with Andrea and Raphael, and even though it doesn't do much (if anything) for the main plot ... I feel like it fills a necessary spot in the main series, because of what went down with Andrea and Raphael in book 4. The detailed resolution of their side plot is really fun. And the purple shag carpet made me laugh so hard I snorted my drink out my nose.
stephxsu's review
4.0
Oh my goodness. I thought that in no way could I like Andrea and Raphael's story as much as I do Kate and Curran's, but the Ilona Andrews husband-and-wife writing duo have this uncanny--seriously, uncanny--way of taking all of your negativity and doubts and cynical comments ("there is no way a Kate-world spin-off can be anywhere as good or swoony) and sweeping it all aside, seemingly effortlessly.