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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
I'm very fond of Roman... hoping to see more of this side of him in other novellas (since I already read 9/10 KD books). ♡
I loved this book and the new Andrea is even more badass than the old one ! It was time she freed herself. No one should be ashamed to be what they are.
I loved this book and the new Andrea is even more badass than the old one ! It was time she freed herself. No one should be ashamed to be what they are.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
-- A Romantic Book Affairs Tête-à-Tête Review
Summary, in which Paula and I break our opinion down into this lovely gem:
PAULA: I do love it. A little disappointed with the lack of Raphael in the book. Wish we got more of him but I understand that this is Andrea’s book and it’s about her trying to figure herself out. And boy when she makes up her mind, she goes all the way. I love that she just runs around in her beast form for half the book. Go Andrea! I am happy with the book though. It’s definitely an “A” – I mean really – the dynamic duo puts so much into these books and it shows. The writing is extremely intelligent.
LETITIA: It has definitely been great to see Andrea grow to love and accept herself. She's a balls to the wall type of gal--goes from being a closet shifter to walking around with her furry boobies on display! LOL But I agree with you, I treasure and adore every scene with Raphael. I want more of him. He can scratch MINE into anything I own...
PAULA: He can tattoo MINE on my butt for all I care!
LETITIA: Hm. If I let Raphael tattoo MINE on my butt, there might not be any skin left showing. Running out of butt real estate for my book BFs to mark...
PAULA: Nice. You said “butt real estate” hee hee…
For our unabridged opinions on all things Gunmetal Magic, click here!
Find us on Twitter and Facebook too!
Summary, in which Paula and I break our opinion down into this lovely gem:
PAULA: I do love it. A little disappointed with the lack of Raphael in the book. Wish we got more of him but I understand that this is Andrea’s book and it’s about her trying to figure herself out. And boy when she makes up her mind, she goes all the way. I love that she just runs around in her beast form for half the book. Go Andrea! I am happy with the book though. It’s definitely an “A” – I mean really – the dynamic duo puts so much into these books and it shows. The writing is extremely intelligent.
LETITIA: It has definitely been great to see Andrea grow to love and accept herself. She's a balls to the wall type of gal--goes from being a closet shifter to walking around with her furry boobies on display! LOL But I agree with you, I treasure and adore every scene with Raphael. I want more of him. He can scratch MINE into anything I own...
PAULA: He can tattoo MINE on my butt for all I care!
LETITIA: Hm. If I let Raphael tattoo MINE on my butt, there might not be any skin left showing. Running out of butt real estate for my book BFs to mark...
PAULA: Nice. You said “butt real estate” hee hee…
For our unabridged opinions on all things Gunmetal Magic, click here!
Find us on Twitter and Facebook too!
Fast-paced action-adventure fantasy romance with a sprinkle of lore. Classic Ilona Andrews book, easy to read and easier to enjoy.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse
I still don't like Andrea's POV as much as I like Kate's, but I. fucking. love. Roman. He's just so so great. I also enjoy the storyline of this one in general, it's interesting and a fun read.
This one had more emotional depth and character growth than the Kate books. I like it more and definitely ship the main couple more.
I enjoyed reading things from Andrea's point of view; it made a nice change. I did want to bash her and Raphael's heads together, though!
The Re-read before Magic Breaks Continues
Another great re-read down and I continue on. Just a few more stories so go. I really loved the hoemance between Kate and Andrea in this. There Dialogue together is such a good time.
“Kate leaned back against her chair. "Where is the bane of my existence?"
"In the shower, freshening up."
"Oh, God, who did Asciano 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.”
While I always love the main characters in these the richness of secondary characters is what make all of these novels great.
Andrea and Raphael have some serious competition for favorites between Jim, Asciano, Roman and Barabas not to mention the times His Furiness and Kate and they steal the show.
Original review Nov 4, 2013
3.75 Stars
I totally love that Jim needs Andrea’s help with the murders of some shape shifters at a work sight because;
I can’t ask the Consort to look into it, because A) she and Curran are working on something else and B) when the Consort gets involved, half of the world blows up.”
Haha well isn’t that true. So Andrea is needed to solve the murder at a work sight owned by Raphael. To say that she has some unresolved issue with him is an understatement. She disappeared while dealing with the fall out of her being Beastkin and losing the job she fought so hard to keep. Her relationship was never resolved one way or another.
This is very much a book about Andrea becoming comfortable with her animal aspect. She was a Knight and that was all she knew for so long. She was ashamed of being Beastkin to the point of implanting herself with a bit of magic so she could never change shape. Now with all of that gone, she is trying to figure out how to be a PI with Kate and accept who she really is.
Andrea is stronger in this book than the others. I really enjoyed how she took charge of the investigation and how well she adjusted through the course of the book to the life she will have as a Beastkin.
I really enjoyed seeing Roman again. I thought that he was a particularly interesting character in Magic Slays and for a Dark priest he is pleasantly charming. When Andrea called him to help her get out of a bind
The dark scary servant of all evil was on his way to rescue me. Somehow that thought failed to make me warm and fuzzy
But he is great for some comic relief of sorts and the banter between Roman and Raphael just cracked me up. Ah boys and their testosterone.
Andrea’s resolution with Aunt B as well really showcased how far Andrea’s character has come. When those two women go head to head it is definitely a battle of wills. Aunt B remains one of my favorite side characters of the series. She is a strong, clever woman who positions herself well by thinking things through more than by force. She is able to remain strong without being bitchy and that is a tough line not to cross.
I enjoyed the general plot line and the use of Egyptian mythology. I usually like it a little better when Illona Andrews uses other mythologies in the books just because they usually aren’t as mainstream. But they did the Egyptian mythology well and believably. I didn’t become bored with it as sometimes happens to me in this type of story.
This book is for anyone that likes the world Illona Andrews has made for the Kate Daniels series, like me and just can’t get enough. It shouldn’t be read if you have not read books 1-5 of the Kate Daniels series as you would be completely lost. I really recommend reading this one before starting Magic Rises but it isn’t completely necessary. Magic Rises just doesn’t explain the Andrea/Raphael relationship and how they got there, you just know they did.
Another great re-read down and I continue on. Just a few more stories so go. I really loved the hoemance between Kate and Andrea in this. There Dialogue together is such a good time.
“Kate leaned back against her chair. "Where is the bane of my existence?"
"In the shower, freshening up."
"Oh, God, who did Asciano 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.”
While I always love the main characters in these the richness of secondary characters is what make all of these novels great.
Andrea and Raphael have some serious competition for favorites between Jim, Asciano, Roman and Barabas not to mention the times His Furiness and Kate and they steal the show.
Original review Nov 4, 2013
3.75 Stars
I totally love that Jim needs Andrea’s help with the murders of some shape shifters at a work sight because;
I can’t ask the Consort to look into it, because A) she and Curran are working on something else and B) when the Consort gets involved, half of the world blows up.”
Haha well isn’t that true. So Andrea is needed to solve the murder at a work sight owned by Raphael. To say that she has some unresolved issue with him is an understatement. She disappeared while dealing with the fall out of her being Beastkin and losing the job she fought so hard to keep. Her relationship was never resolved one way or another.
This is very much a book about Andrea becoming comfortable with her animal aspect. She was a Knight and that was all she knew for so long. She was ashamed of being Beastkin to the point of implanting herself with a bit of magic so she could never change shape. Now with all of that gone, she is trying to figure out how to be a PI with Kate and accept who she really is.
Andrea is stronger in this book than the others. I really enjoyed how she took charge of the investigation and how well she adjusted through the course of the book to the life she will have as a Beastkin.
I really enjoyed seeing Roman again. I thought that he was a particularly interesting character in Magic Slays and for a Dark priest he is pleasantly charming. When Andrea called him to help her get out of a bind
The dark scary servant of all evil was on his way to rescue me. Somehow that thought failed to make me warm and fuzzy
But he is great for some comic relief of sorts and the banter between Roman and Raphael just cracked me up. Ah boys and their testosterone.
Andrea’s resolution with Aunt B as well really showcased how far Andrea’s character has come. When those two women go head to head it is definitely a battle of wills. Aunt B remains one of my favorite side characters of the series. She is a strong, clever woman who positions herself well by thinking things through more than by force. She is able to remain strong without being bitchy and that is a tough line not to cross.
I enjoyed the general plot line and the use of Egyptian mythology. I usually like it a little better when Illona Andrews uses other mythologies in the books just because they usually aren’t as mainstream. But they did the Egyptian mythology well and believably. I didn’t become bored with it as sometimes happens to me in this type of story.
This book is for anyone that likes the world Illona Andrews has made for the Kate Daniels series, like me and just can’t get enough. It shouldn’t be read if you have not read books 1-5 of the Kate Daniels series as you would be completely lost. I really recommend reading this one before starting Magic Rises but it isn’t completely necessary. Magic Rises just doesn’t explain the Andrea/Raphael relationship and how they got there, you just know they did.