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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
Very enjoyable. What you expect to happen, happens, but the journey is fun.
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Its not a secret that I adore Ilona Andrew's Kate Daniels novels. Her best friend Andrea Nash hasn't really been a very important character to me. I was happy enough to read ANY other Ilona Andrews book but I wasn't expecting to enjoy the story as much as I did. Andi made a very strong heroine and I enjoyed her story a great deal. She and Kate's stories both had some similarities of course. Their world is the same, post-turn Atlanta. They are co-owners of the same business. Their supporting casts are made of the same characters. I will admit that occasionally the narrator blurred in my mind a little...she could have been Kate or Andrea. Except Andrea is a shapeshifter and she can heal extremely quickly. She is also fighting against joining the local bouda pack ran by Aunt B. Andrea's relationship with Raphael was also similar to Kate and Curran's but in a pretty great way. The tension and sarcastic interplay between both couples makes for a great reading experience. It also allows the reader to really feel like they know these characters. I have to say that I wasn't the biggest fan of the actual shapeshifter murder storyline here. It just wasn't as interesting as most of Andrew's other books. I actually couldn't wait for non-action scenes because I liked them more than the action ones which is very unusual for me. I did end the book with a big old smile on my face and I would definitely be excited for more books about Andrea and Raphael.
"Gunmetal Magic" came with a hundred page novella "Magic Gifts" told from Kate's perspective. Now this story was an absolutely five star treat. The plotline is more intriguing in this short that I thought the plotline was in "Gunmetal Magic". Here a young boy gets bound by a magic necklace that is slowly choking the life from him. Add in some side drama involving the Order and we have a very exciting novella to finish out this offering from Ilona Andrews. Andrea is fine, but Kate just sparks. Kate remains one of the strongest, most entertaining heroines in urban fantasy today.
"Gunmetal Magic" came with a hundred page novella "Magic Gifts" told from Kate's perspective. Now this story was an absolutely five star treat. The plotline is more intriguing in this short that I thought the plotline was in "Gunmetal Magic". Here a young boy gets bound by a magic necklace that is slowly choking the life from him. Add in some side drama involving the Order and we have a very exciting novella to finish out this offering from Ilona Andrews. Andrea is fine, but Kate just sparks. Kate remains one of the strongest, most entertaining heroines in urban fantasy today.
I just love these guys. It was nice to see Andrea take the stage in this installment. I had no idea she was so bad-ass until this book. I wish I wasn't so freaked out by guns, so I could become an excellent marksman just like her. Also, she makes me want to learn to shoot a high power crossbow.
Andrea and Raphael's story. Andrea was trying to survive from day to day and Raphael was being an ass by bringing his current flame to meet his ex. oh yeah it didn't go well. Half of the time, Andrea spent crying over her ex and the other half was spent kicking whoever comes in front of her except Roman. Raphael didn't let go any chance of letting us know that he was an alpha and would do everything to get back his mate.
it was enjoyable but I kept missing Kate and Curran. I kept turning pages to catch a glimpse of my favorite couple. Andrea and Raphael were not bad, it's just they were not in the league of Kate and Curran. And if you have read those two then everything else pales in comparison, even the best friend and the super hot bouda.
it was enjoyable but I kept missing Kate and Curran. I kept turning pages to catch a glimpse of my favorite couple. Andrea and Raphael were not bad, it's just they were not in the league of Kate and Curran. And if you have read those two then everything else pales in comparison, even the best friend and the super hot bouda.
Have to say I really enjoyed Andrea's story more than I thought I would... not sure why but I've never been a huge Andrea fan, but she definitely grew on me in this book and the back & forth with her and Raphael was a riot! Definitely looking forward to next book in either of these series, didn't realize how much I missed them!!! :)
Part of me knew that I wouldn't enjoy this as much as the main Kate Daniels series. A lot of that lies with the fact that Andrews chose the character of Andrea to anchor the first entry of the spin off. You see, Andrea is very much just 'Kate Lite', she doesn't really bring much to the overall world, and doesn't really offer much of a different view. In a word, she's boring. The romance angle with Raphael is even somewhat of a redux of the whole Kate/Curran storyline. It mostly just feels unnecessary.
I do like the overall idea of telling different stories within Kate's Atlanta though, as I think it is one of the best urban fantasies out there for world building and there are a lot of opportunities to tell different stories. Hopefully, Andrea just has the one entry and Andrews switches up the character every novel from here on out...maybe some Derek, Saiman or even Aunt B entries in the future?
I do like the overall idea of telling different stories within Kate's Atlanta though, as I think it is one of the best urban fantasies out there for world building and there are a lot of opportunities to tell different stories. Hopefully, Andrea just has the one entry and Andrews switches up the character every novel from here on out...maybe some Derek, Saiman or even Aunt B entries in the future?
Set in Kate Daniels World, Gunmetal Magic is a story following Kate's friend and business partner at Cutting Edge, Andrea Nash.
Andrea's a shapeshifter who managed to hide the fact for years while she was in the Order but when she was injured her secret came out and flipped her world upside down and inside out. She was fired from the Order, she locked herself away from everyone and her relationship with Raphael fell apart.
Now she's got several problems to solve and she's in a little bit of a time crunch. First of all, because she's a shapeshifter she has a matter of days to decide if she's going to fully embrace the other half of herself and join the Pack in Clan Bouda (hyenas) or leave Atlanta, She's been called to solve the murder of 4 shapeshifters, and she has to decide if she wants to take the chance to repair her relationship with Raphael.
Andrea also gets help from Roman--a black volhv (a dark priest) who decides to show up to a huge confrontation in Eeyore pajamas. Who wouldn't like a character like that?
Saving the day will mean saving most of Atlanta, but only if Andrea and Raphael can fully face the depth of their feelings for each other and if Andrea can admit that accepting all of yourself doesn't make you weak.
Included in the back of Gunmetal Magic is the novella Magic Gifts which was originally featured on the website. This novella features Kate and Curran as they attempt to have a nice romantic dinner in the city. Unfortunately, things don't go quite as planned and their romantic evening gets interrupted by death, vampires and Neo-Vikings. The two books take place at roughly the same time although the novella starts a little before Magic. While I don't think you have to read one over the other first, events in Magic make a little more sense once you read Gifts.
Andrea's a shapeshifter who managed to hide the fact for years while she was in the Order but when she was injured her secret came out and flipped her world upside down and inside out. She was fired from the Order, she locked herself away from everyone and her relationship with Raphael fell apart.
Now she's got several problems to solve and she's in a little bit of a time crunch. First of all, because she's a shapeshifter she has a matter of days to decide if she's going to fully embrace the other half of herself and join the Pack in Clan Bouda (hyenas) or leave Atlanta, She's been called to solve the murder of 4 shapeshifters, and she has to decide if she wants to take the chance to repair her relationship with Raphael.
Andrea also gets help from Roman--a black volhv (a dark priest) who decides to show up to a huge confrontation in Eeyore pajamas. Who wouldn't like a character like that?
Saving the day will mean saving most of Atlanta, but only if Andrea and Raphael can fully face the depth of their feelings for each other and if Andrea can admit that accepting all of yourself doesn't make you weak.
Included in the back of Gunmetal Magic is the novella Magic Gifts which was originally featured on the website. This novella features Kate and Curran as they attempt to have a nice romantic dinner in the city. Unfortunately, things don't go quite as planned and their romantic evening gets interrupted by death, vampires and Neo-Vikings. The two books take place at roughly the same time although the novella starts a little before Magic. While I don't think you have to read one over the other first, events in Magic make a little more sense once you read Gifts.
Enjoyable, but I didn't find it quite as engrossing as a Kate Daniels book.
The story was very interesting but became a bit long and then abruptly everything was wrapped up. It doesn’t quite measure up to the best of the Kate books, and could probably have been shorter without sacrificing anything essential, I mean I got bogged down in too much setting and character description towards the end.
Also, the timing of Andrea and Raphael’s reconciliation felt anticlimactic, and without the romantic suspense the action plot ran out of steam for me by the conclusion.