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4.28 AVERAGE
4.28 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What an explosive book! So much happened! I laughed, I cried, I wanted to kill people, help people, hug them. So glad I've finally read this series but now I have to wait and see what happens next - just like everyone else :(
Okay, so far this one started off as my least favourite in the Daniels series. I found the beginning to be contrived and just so overly-dramatic that I sighed my way through it. But we all need a catalyst to the prime Daniels action, don't we?? And so, after maybe the first 30 pages or so, we got to the meat.
And some meat it was, folks. Shoo-wee!
There were moments of this story that I absolutely thrilled at, and yet ultimately I feel like it lacked some of the wind in the sails that normally accompanies this series, resulting in my 3/3.5 star review. Not my favourite, although it did have some wonderful bits that ultimately make up still a decent story.
And some meat it was, folks. Shoo-wee!
There were moments of this story that I absolutely thrilled at, and yet ultimately I feel like it lacked some of the wind in the sails that normally accompanies this series, resulting in my 3/3.5 star review. Not my favourite, although it did have some wonderful bits that ultimately make up still a decent story.
6th read, 1/4/24: Yes, I've read this book 6 times since 2017. I have to say that I agree with my past self that this book slapped and continues to slap to this day. It's not my favorite in the series any more but it's only because the books just keep getting better with every additional story. I do wish that my prediction of seeing more Andrea had come true, though. Her and Raphael got significantly more busy running Clan Bouda and I miss her lunches with Kate. I don't think we got to see enough of her until Magic Binds. I do very much enjoy the characters who have stepped into that secondary character gap though, including Ascanio and Roman. And Desandra! Coming out of left field from this book to be such a fan favorite. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my personal favorite villain, Hugh. This series has a special place in my heart, but his whole arc is a big part of that. I'm loving this reread and I'm glad I decided to start my year with this one.
1st read, 2/19/17: Okay, so...that was the best book of this series by far, and definitely one of my all-time favorites. I cried like a baby towards the end. But holy shit, holy shit Ilona & Andrew, you really pulled a magic donkey with that ending! I just stared at the book and said "holy shit" for about 10 minutes. Is that even possible? Like okay to do that? I can't say you rushed the ending and had magic save the day because that was so carefully done and executed so well, I just...I'm trying to wrap my head around it. It was beautiful, that's what it was. Beautiful, and sad, and heartwarming and heartwrenching at the exact same time. I'm in shock and completely ecstatic in the same breath. Well, okay, it's more of a squee than a breath, but you get the imagery. So let's get down to the facts.
What I loved:
1. George & Mahon. Together, and separate. I *think* George was briefly mentioned in the other books, but her character development in this one was unparalleled. It was great to see her so closely and I would love to see much more of a character like that. With Mahon, I was iffy of him at first, similar to Kate; however, this book made it clear that while he harbors traditional feelings towards the whole deal, he both accepts and respects her. And that is huge for him. I'm proud of him. I get the feeling Barabas is, too.
2. Hugh d'Ambray. He is a devious sonovabitch, 110% pure asshole. That goes without saying. What I loved about him in this book, though, was how well you illustrated just how much him and Kate have in common. Before now, it was all, "Hugh is Roland's warlord. Voron trained him. He trained me, too, but Hugh is evil incarnate. I will grind his bones to dust. Did I mention he's an asshole? Those flowers were an ass move, Hugh. Way to go." But HERE, actually spending time with his character, he's like Kate's brother! They are so similar, it's excruciating. Their sparring was absolutely beyond comparison. It's exactly as he said: they're two birds of the same feather. Voron's feather. Asdfghjkl.
3. The reality of the fight. Most of the time, it's good guys in, good guys win, all the bad guys die, and then maybe one really hurtful casualty on the side. And I was really worried that was going to happen in this book, with how Doolittle and George turned out. I'm going to hell for saying it, and I know it, and I loved this character so much and I bawled my eyes out and it was like my heart shattered into a million tiny pieces, but truly, killing off a major character was one of the best decisions you could've made. It really brought reality back into this fight. When there's a war, people die. And not just the bad guys. I know you kind of established that with Bran (I cried when he died, too) but this one hit close to home with everybody, not just Kate. And I think part of them, and the series, needed the fact reasserted to them. People die in the real world. People are going to die here. That's the way the world works - fiction and real life.
4. An Ill-Advised Rescue. We had some Jim after all! Fuck yeah!!
What I didn't like:
1. First is just a minor thing: using the phrase "fresh as a daisy" a few times. I'm not really complaining, it just peeved me a little. And it plays into the second number.
2. Lorelei was an extremely shallow character. A trope, really. Plot-filler. Have you seen Red 2? She was Catherine-Zeta Jones's Russian lady...Katja. Almost exactly. If Lorelei was Russian, I would've smacked someone, they are literally that similar. I can't dive into it too much without spoilers, but seriously, go watch Red 2 and compare Katja to Lorelei. It's almost uncanny. And why I didn't like the way she (either of them, really) was written.
3. Okay, definitely go watch Red 2. That movie and this book have a lot in common. It's okay because I love both, but I'm critiquing the same things in both. Like #4.
4. I felt like this book focused a lot on Kate & Curran's relationship (and not just the sex), which I really liked, but then after that it was like the confrontation slash fight scenes were too sped up. When the fight got really down and dirty it was drawn out and described impeccably, but the way it started was like "wait, hold up, how did we get from here to there?" I just barely managed to follow it. A clearer dive into the fight would be helpful. Not that it was bad, just a bit unclear.
What I'm looking forward to in the next book:
1. Andrea. I want to say I have high hopes for her, but truly I don't know what to expect. I just know that she is going to have a major role in the next book. Her new responsibility is going to be very, very interesting to see played out. (Can't avoid that consequence, Ilona!)
2. My other bouda babies. Raphael, Ascanio, all of my boooooys. They should have big parts, too.
3. Maybe some more Dali? I feel like she could help Kate a lot with the magic stuff. Maybe. Kate needs a magic buddy. She's made a lot of friends, hell yeah, but a close magic buddy is something important.
4. I BET IT'S A RAT WHO IS THE RAT IN THE PACK COUNCIL. I would laugh at the irony. But really. That definitely needs to be a main focus: the shift in pack hierarchy. And not just adding Princess D to the wolf clan. Because something big is going down in the pack for fuckin' sure. Can't wait to see how that shit rolls.
5 stars for my two dears, the Gordons. Keep writing on!
1st read, 2/19/17: Okay, so...that was the best book of this series by far, and definitely one of my all-time favorites. I cried like a baby towards the end. But holy shit, holy shit Ilona & Andrew, you really pulled a magic donkey with that ending! I just stared at the book and said "holy shit" for about 10 minutes. Is that even possible? Like okay to do that? I can't say you rushed the ending and had magic save the day because that was so carefully done and executed so well, I just...I'm trying to wrap my head around it. It was beautiful, that's what it was. Beautiful, and sad, and heartwarming and heartwrenching at the exact same time. I'm in shock and completely ecstatic in the same breath. Well, okay, it's more of a squee than a breath, but you get the imagery. So let's get down to the facts.
What I loved:
1. George & Mahon. Together, and separate. I *think* George was briefly mentioned in the other books, but her character development in this one was unparalleled. It was great to see her so closely and I would love to see much more of a character like that. With Mahon, I was iffy of him at first, similar to Kate; however, this book made it clear that while he harbors traditional feelings towards the whole deal, he both accepts and respects her. And that is huge for him. I'm proud of him. I get the feeling Barabas is, too.
2. Hugh d'Ambray. He is a devious sonovabitch, 110% pure asshole. That goes without saying. What I loved about him in this book, though, was how well you illustrated just how much him and Kate have in common. Before now, it was all, "Hugh is Roland's warlord. Voron trained him. He trained me, too, but Hugh is evil incarnate. I will grind his bones to dust. Did I mention he's an asshole? Those flowers were an ass move, Hugh. Way to go." But HERE, actually spending time with his character, he's like Kate's brother! They are so similar, it's excruciating. Their sparring was absolutely beyond comparison. It's exactly as he said: they're two birds of the same feather. Voron's feather. Asdfghjkl.
3. The reality of the fight. Most of the time, it's good guys in, good guys win, all the bad guys die, and then maybe one really hurtful casualty on the side. And I was really worried that was going to happen in this book, with how Doolittle and George turned out. I'm going to hell for saying it, and I know it, and I loved this character so much and I bawled my eyes out and it was like my heart shattered into a million tiny pieces, but truly, killing off a major character was one of the best decisions you could've made. It really brought reality back into this fight. When there's a war, people die. And not just the bad guys. I know you kind of established that with Bran (I cried when he died, too) but this one hit close to home with everybody, not just Kate. And I think part of them, and the series, needed the fact reasserted to them. People die in the real world. People are going to die here. That's the way the world works - fiction and real life.
4. An Ill-Advised Rescue. We had some Jim after all! Fuck yeah!!
What I didn't like:
1. First is just a minor thing: using the phrase "fresh as a daisy" a few times. I'm not really complaining, it just peeved me a little. And it plays into the second number.
2. Lorelei was an extremely shallow character. A trope, really. Plot-filler. Have you seen Red 2? She was Catherine-Zeta Jones's Russian lady...Katja. Almost exactly. If Lorelei was Russian, I would've smacked someone, they are literally that similar. I can't dive into it too much without spoilers, but seriously, go watch Red 2 and compare Katja to Lorelei. It's almost uncanny. And why I didn't like the way she (either of them, really) was written.
3. Okay, definitely go watch Red 2. That movie and this book have a lot in common. It's okay because I love both, but I'm critiquing the same things in both. Like #4.
4. I felt like this book focused a lot on Kate & Curran's relationship (and not just the sex), which I really liked, but then after that it was like the confrontation slash fight scenes were too sped up. When the fight got really down and dirty it was drawn out and described impeccably, but the way it started was like "wait, hold up, how did we get from here to there?" I just barely managed to follow it. A clearer dive into the fight would be helpful. Not that it was bad, just a bit unclear.
What I'm looking forward to in the next book:
1. Andrea. I want to say I have high hopes for her, but truly I don't know what to expect. I just know that she is going to have a major role in the next book. Her new responsibility is going to be very, very interesting to see played out. (Can't avoid that consequence, Ilona!)
2. My other bouda babies. Raphael, Ascanio, all of my boooooys. They should have big parts, too.
3. Maybe some more Dali? I feel like she could help Kate a lot with the magic stuff. Maybe. Kate needs a magic buddy. She's made a lot of friends, hell yeah, but a close magic buddy is something important.
4. I BET IT'S A RAT WHO IS THE RAT IN THE PACK COUNCIL. I would laugh at the irony. But really. That definitely needs to be a main focus: the shift in pack hierarchy. And not just adding Princess D to the wolf clan. Because something big is going down in the pack for fuckin' sure. Can't wait to see how that shit rolls.
5 stars for my two dears, the Gordons. Keep writing on!
Weird one in the series. Really cool story but some characters did things out of character for them and that was confusing.
Can’t stop, won’t stop. This series is so good. I really enjoy how believable it is. Like Kate is super powerful, but she’s still in training and there will always be challenges for her. I like how she’s realistic wounded as she’s technically human. I also really enjoy seeing her get stronger and meeting tougher enemies in every book.