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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Okay. So. This was a good book. Did it give me the same heart-fluttering, squealing-out-loud and not-being-able-to-put-down-the-book-at-all experience as the rest of the Kate Daniels series? Unfortunately not.
Andrea Nash has just been kicked out of the order, broken up with her boyfriend Raphael and killed a bunch of huge-ass spiders in her basement. Basically, she's not having a good time. It gets worse when some shapeshifters that's working for her ex-boyfriend are found dead. Andrea gets thrown into solving this mess, which isn't only dangerous but also even more complicated since it has to do with the Pack, and as beastkin, Andrea just isn't sure what to do about that situation. But she sure as hell isn't going to do what anyone wants anymore.
The books [a:Ilona Andrews|21748|Ilona Andrews|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1219436898p2/21748.jpg] writes has a hard hold on my heart. Simply put, I fucking love them. And that is very much thanks to the amazing character that is Kate Daniels. And while [b:Gunmetal Magic|12288282|Gunmetal Magic (Kate Daniels, #5.5)|Ilona Andrews|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1331230049i/12288282._SY75_.jpg|17264774] takes place in Kates world and we even meet Kate multiple times, she was not the narrator. And that made such a big difference to me as I am not nearly as fond of Andrea.
Andrea is a good enough main character, but there is just something about her that doesn't really feel right to me, which I actually felt throughout this entire book. I've always seen the Kate Daniels books as quite feminist - they're diverse, has lots of badass ladies in it and powerful messages about self-love and surviving your traumas - but to me, Andrea had a not very pleasant habit of looking down at other women. Especially those that were traditionally feminine. This is something I absolutely loathe and which affects how I view people and chararacters a lot.
Also, I didn't love the romance. I actually like Raphael, but in this book he just felt too much. I know they're shapeshifters and have some animalistic habits, especially when it comes to relationships - and this is something we've explored a lot in the regular books - but I often did feel here that Raphael just needed to back off.
“My tablecloth was missing in action and long, jagged scratches covered the table's surface.The scratches looked suspiciously like letters. I climbed on a chair and looked at it from above. MINE. Oh, that's great. Fantastic. So mature. Perhaps he would pull my pigtails next or stick a tack on my seat.”
I even almost sometimes wanted her to go with Roman instead. God, that man was probably my favorite part of this book.
“You will not pass!” Roman thundered.
Great. Now he had decided he was Gandalf.”
This turned into quite a negative review, but those were the things I had some issues with. [b:Gunmetal Magic|12288282|Gunmetal Magic (Kate Daniels, #5.5)|Ilona Andrews|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1331230049i/12288282._SY75_.jpg|17264774] was still a really good book with amazing lore as always, fast-paced action and fun dialogues. It just wasn't on the same level as the ones that have my favorite Kate narrating them, and me missing her probably made this rating a bit lower than it actually deserved.
To summarise, if you adore this series and the wonderful [a:Ilona Andrews|21748|Ilona Andrews|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1219436898p2/21748.jpg], I would still recommend you to read this. Just maybe not expect it to be as good as the regular ones.
Andrea Nash has just been kicked out of the order, broken up with her boyfriend Raphael and killed a bunch of huge-ass spiders in her basement. Basically, she's not having a good time. It gets worse when some shapeshifters that's working for her ex-boyfriend are found dead. Andrea gets thrown into solving this mess, which isn't only dangerous but also even more complicated since it has to do with the Pack, and as beastkin, Andrea just isn't sure what to do about that situation. But she sure as hell isn't going to do what anyone wants anymore.
The books [a:Ilona Andrews|21748|Ilona Andrews|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1219436898p2/21748.jpg] writes has a hard hold on my heart. Simply put, I fucking love them. And that is very much thanks to the amazing character that is Kate Daniels. And while [b:Gunmetal Magic|12288282|Gunmetal Magic (Kate Daniels, #5.5)|Ilona Andrews|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1331230049i/12288282._SY75_.jpg|17264774] takes place in Kates world and we even meet Kate multiple times, she was not the narrator. And that made such a big difference to me as I am not nearly as fond of Andrea.
Andrea is a good enough main character, but there is just something about her that doesn't really feel right to me, which I actually felt throughout this entire book. I've always seen the Kate Daniels books as quite feminist - they're diverse, has lots of badass ladies in it and powerful messages about self-love and surviving your traumas - but to me, Andrea had a not very pleasant habit of looking down at other women. Especially those that were traditionally feminine. This is something I absolutely loathe and which affects how I view people and chararacters a lot.
Also, I didn't love the romance. I actually like Raphael, but in this book he just felt too much. I know they're shapeshifters and have some animalistic habits, especially when it comes to relationships - and this is something we've explored a lot in the regular books - but I often did feel here that Raphael just needed to back off.
“My tablecloth was missing in action and long, jagged scratches covered the table's surface.The scratches looked suspiciously like letters. I climbed on a chair and looked at it from above. MINE. Oh, that's great. Fantastic. So mature. Perhaps he would pull my pigtails next or stick a tack on my seat.”
I even almost sometimes wanted her to go with Roman instead. God, that man was probably my favorite part of this book.
“You will not pass!” Roman thundered.
Great. Now he had decided he was Gandalf.”
This turned into quite a negative review, but those were the things I had some issues with. [b:Gunmetal Magic|12288282|Gunmetal Magic (Kate Daniels, #5.5)|Ilona Andrews|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1331230049i/12288282._SY75_.jpg|17264774] was still a really good book with amazing lore as always, fast-paced action and fun dialogues. It just wasn't on the same level as the ones that have my favorite Kate narrating them, and me missing her probably made this rating a bit lower than it actually deserved.
To summarise, if you adore this series and the wonderful [a:Ilona Andrews|21748|Ilona Andrews|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1219436898p2/21748.jpg], I would still recommend you to read this. Just maybe not expect it to be as good as the regular ones.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A- I love this book, this world, these characters and this series. I've been waiting for this book for months and it was everything I wanted and more. I can't wait to see what happens next in the Kate Daniels world and I need more Curran in my life!
God, I am so obsessed with this series and with Ilona Andrews' writing in general. They do know their craft and they are taking it to a even higher level of proficiency.
adventurous
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:
Yes
I always liked Andrea... but damn, now I just love her!
World-building was as we're used to in all the other books by the author, top notch. All environments and scenes were well detailed. Most of them were familiar haunts, some were fresh and new but still fit in perfectly in the world. Very well done.
Character building was great. We already know most of the players in this instalment, but getting to know them on a deeper level: their history, their feelings, fears, ... opened up a whole new side to them. Andrea and Raphael are such a great team when they don't try to overdo it (and each other) :)
Kate and Curran were on the scene now and again, but only to connect with the continuing story. I also liked that Ascanio seems to be maturing, manning up and following orders. And I looooove Roman!!! Really hope we get to see a lot more out of the volhv priest.
Pacing and flow were great. While there was a lot of action in this one, there was more than enough time in between for Andrea and Raphael to go at each other's throat, a lot of conversation and of course the natural continuation of the story.
The book in itself was well written, I have found no (noticeable) errors. There is sex in this book though not described in great detail (you know they had sex and that's it), so is safe to read should you find this important.
All in all another great story in the Kate Daniels world. This is not a novella but a full novel to be read between Magic Slays and Magic Rises. Loved it, Andrea is a badass woman and she proves it time and time again in this book. Excellent reading! And as always, have the next book on my TBR pile...
World-building was as we're used to in all the other books by the author, top notch. All environments and scenes were well detailed. Most of them were familiar haunts, some were fresh and new but still fit in perfectly in the world. Very well done.
Character building was great. We already know most of the players in this instalment, but getting to know them on a deeper level: their history, their feelings, fears, ... opened up a whole new side to them. Andrea and Raphael are such a great team when they don't try to overdo it (and each other) :)
Kate and Curran were on the scene now and again, but only to connect with the continuing story. I also liked that Ascanio seems to be maturing, manning up and following orders. And I looooove Roman!!! Really hope we get to see a lot more out of the volhv priest.
Pacing and flow were great. While there was a lot of action in this one, there was more than enough time in between for Andrea and Raphael to go at each other's throat, a lot of conversation and of course the natural continuation of the story.
The book in itself was well written, I have found no (noticeable) errors. There is sex in this book though not described in great detail (you know they had sex and that's it), so is safe to read should you find this important.
All in all another great story in the Kate Daniels world. This is not a novella but a full novel to be read between Magic Slays and Magic Rises. Loved it, Andrea is a badass woman and she proves it time and time again in this book. Excellent reading! And as always, have the next book on my TBR pile...
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.5 Stars.
I loved it. Not quite as much as I adore Kate (totally awesome the novella inside!!) but Andrea is awesome. Roman is lots of fun.
I loved it. Not quite as much as I adore Kate (totally awesome the novella inside!!) but Andrea is awesome. Roman is lots of fun.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
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:
Complicated
Nice to see the KD world from someone else's POV. Andrea had a believable journey and eventually accepted herself fully. Plus the plot was exciting and introduced some intriguing new mythical elements.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Violence