Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loved it! Just be warned there are some pretty heavy content warnings due to Andrea's backstory.
So this was sort of a detour from the Kate Daniels series, told from Andrea's pov. I had a hard time at first, because I don't like Andrea and Raphael as much as I like Kate and Curran, but I ended up hooked (per usual). I felt like Andrea's character wasn't super consistent (she really didn't show the temper that she has in other books) and I had a hard time rooting for Raphael, who is a self-professed asshole. However I did enjoy it and I liked the Egyptian gods and that was fun.
I spent the first two thirds of the book being extremely angry with Andrea's boyfriend for his creepy stalker shit. Then I reached a point where I decided that these two assholes deserve each other. Then I was able to let go, and ask myself more important questions like: does Andrea have a dick when she's a hyena? I decided she probably does and Raphael is probably into it.
So maybe I do ship it, a little.
So maybe I do ship it, a little.
Aquí hasta los "sidekicks" son geniales y tienes la capacidad para tenerte con el corazón en la mano.
Lo bueno de tener a Andrea de protagonista, aparte del cambio de voz y de que sus métodos son distintos a los de Kate a la hora de sacarse los problemas de encima, es la oportunidad para saber más sobre los cambiaformas. Kate nos muestra mucho, pero con Andrea es mucho más personal, más visceral y más en primera persona.
Grande, muy grande.
Lo bueno de tener a Andrea de protagonista, aparte del cambio de voz y de que sus métodos son distintos a los de Kate a la hora de sacarse los problemas de encima, es la oportunidad para saber más sobre los cambiaformas. Kate nos muestra mucho, pero con Andrea es mucho más personal, más visceral y más en primera persona.
Grande, muy grande.
Originally posted at Paperback Wonderland.
I liked it, it was a great addition to the series. I honestly prefer Andrea and Raphael to Kate and Curran.
This is actually a 3.5. It would be a 4 but I couldn't help but compare it to [b:Magic Dreams|13627865|Magic Dreams (Kate Daniels, #4.5)|Ilona Andrews|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1335771977s/13627865.jpg|19233926]... Magic Dreams was a definite 5 - not for the characters, exactly, [a:Ilona Andrews|21748|Ilona Andrews|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1219436898p2/21748.jpg]'s characters are all amazing, but the atmosphere, the mythology, the pace, everything was superior in Magic Dreams.
I'm probably being unfair, because had I read this one before it would get a higher rating.
But enough boring talk.
I felt the pacing was uneven in this one, it dragged for a bit at times. The villain was also a bit meh for me.
Other than that everything was great, as I said, I love Andrea and Raphael - Kate's past always tends to make me feel a bit disconnected from her, it's too much, too unbelievable (yeah, this is fantasy, but there are limits...), she's too awesome, sometimes going dangerously near Mary-Sue territory, the same with Curran. Andrea's past seems painfully real, she's easier to relate to. In fact, all of this series' secondary characters tend to feel more realistic than the protagonists. That's not to say I dislike Kate, I like her, she's by far the best heroine in current urban fantasy because she might be the only one who doesn't get those "too stupid to live" moments that tend to plague the genre, but you give me a taste of excellence in the book, you can't fault me for favouring it.
On that note I'd love it if Doolittle got his own book. But let's be real, I'll buy anything [a:Ilona Andrews|21748|Ilona Andrews|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1219436898p2/21748.jpg] writes.
I liked it, it was a great addition to the series. I honestly prefer Andrea and Raphael to Kate and Curran.
This is actually a 3.5. It would be a 4 but I couldn't help but compare it to [b:Magic Dreams|13627865|Magic Dreams (Kate Daniels, #4.5)|Ilona Andrews|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1335771977s/13627865.jpg|19233926]... Magic Dreams was a definite 5 - not for the characters, exactly, [a:Ilona Andrews|21748|Ilona Andrews|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1219436898p2/21748.jpg]'s characters are all amazing, but the atmosphere, the mythology, the pace, everything was superior in Magic Dreams.
I'm probably being unfair, because had I read this one before it would get a higher rating.
But enough boring talk.
I felt the pacing was uneven in this one, it dragged for a bit at times. The villain was also a bit meh for me.
Other than that everything was great, as I said, I love Andrea and Raphael - Kate's past always tends to make me feel a bit disconnected from her, it's too much, too unbelievable (yeah, this is fantasy, but there are limits...), she's too awesome, sometimes going dangerously near Mary-Sue territory, the same with Curran. Andrea's past seems painfully real, she's easier to relate to. In fact, all of this series' secondary characters tend to feel more realistic than the protagonists. That's not to say I dislike Kate, I like her, she's by far the best heroine in current urban fantasy because she might be the only one who doesn't get those "too stupid to live" moments that tend to plague the genre, but you give me a taste of excellence in the book, you can't fault me for favouring it.
On that note I'd love it if Doolittle got his own book. But let's be real, I'll buy anything [a:Ilona Andrews|21748|Ilona Andrews|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1219436898p2/21748.jpg] writes.
So when we start, Andrea's life is a mess. She's been kicked out of the Order, she and Raphael are still on the outs and she has so much baggage she sleeps in the closet of her heavily warded apartment. The only positive thing is her job working with Kate at her detective agency, and even that may create more problems than she can handle when a group of Raphael's workers are brutally murdered and she is tasked with finding the culprits.
I have to get this out of the way. I liked "Gunmetal Magic" but that being said, I kind of struggled with it and it's my least favorite installment so far. I was super excited to learn more about Andrea and that still stands, but there were a few reasons this book didn't work for me. The relationship between Andrea and Raphael grated my last nerve. So I get that they both messed up, and I get that they both still have feelings for each other. I even understand there is going to be a huge amount of angst given that they have to work together. I liked angst and hate-to-love relationships. But these two were already mated basically and they were both being stupid and it all became a little to much. I also found myself missing Kate and Curran, even though they do make appearances. And let's not forget - giant snake-people.
As for the positives. The mystery was interesting enough and we get so see some of our favorite side characters. Also, I still like Andrea and feel that she had a lot of character growth during the novel, even if she is still kind of dysfunctional. There was also plenty of action. I just felt myself struggling to pick it up which isn't something I encountered with this series before. But am I glad I read it? Most definitely.
One last note. There simply was not enough Grendel, the giant attack poodle. Since Andrea cared for him so much in the past, I assumed he would be around more. There is an adorable bulldog in the beginning of the book named Chief but he didn't stick around long and basically just worried me. I WANT MORE GRENDEL!
I have to get this out of the way. I liked "Gunmetal Magic" but that being said, I kind of struggled with it and it's my least favorite installment so far. I was super excited to learn more about Andrea and that still stands, but there were a few reasons this book didn't work for me. The relationship between Andrea and Raphael grated my last nerve. So I get that they both messed up, and I get that they both still have feelings for each other. I even understand there is going to be a huge amount of angst given that they have to work together. I liked angst and hate-to-love relationships. But these two were already mated basically and they were both being stupid and it all became a little to much. I also found myself missing Kate and Curran, even though they do make appearances. And let's not forget - giant snake-people.
As for the positives. The mystery was interesting enough and we get so see some of our favorite side characters. Also, I still like Andrea and feel that she had a lot of character growth during the novel, even if she is still kind of dysfunctional. There was also plenty of action. I just felt myself struggling to pick it up which isn't something I encountered with this series before. But am I glad I read it? Most definitely.
One last note. There simply was not enough Grendel, the giant attack poodle. Since Andrea cared for him so much in the past, I assumed he would be around more. There is an adorable bulldog in the beginning of the book named Chief but he didn't stick around long and basically just worried me. I WANT MORE GRENDEL!
This is set in an established universe but with a new main viewpoint character. Kate is still in the story but is not not in the spotlight much. What I found interesting there is a novella after the story that features what Kate is doing before the main story starts and ends when you first see Kate in the main story. Andrea is trying to get over being dumped by the Order of Knights and then because she retreated into herself she alienated her boyfriend so of course the story has a b plot of dealing with that while she is trying to solve a murder at her ex boyfriends work site. Of course everything works out in the end and the mystery gets solved as well. I'm just glad the romance is fixed by the end of the book and not dragged out over several books.
I don't know what to think of this. I knew how this was gonna end but it wasn't really satisfying.
Raphael is however is always a delight.
Raphael is however is always a delight.
Love Andrea and Raphael. Very good read with great humour and action.