lrn22's review
3.0
A quick, fun, urban fantasy. Looking forward to reading more of Kate’s adventures in this world.
mraymer9's review against another edition
3.0
Urban fantasy novels are not my usual cup of tea; in fact, they’re not even my unusual cup of tea. Ilona Andrews’s Magic Bites departs from my typical reading in too many ways to count, but my wife loves this series so dearly that I had to give it a shot. And what a pleasant surprise! This book––the first in a series by a wife/husband writing duo––made me reconsider some of my assumptions about fantasy-based genre fiction. Not only was it fun and highly imaginative, but legitimately intelligent as well.
Magic Bites draws its power primarily from Andrews’s clever world-building. Set in a futuristic version of Atlanta where magic has begun to undermine the dominance of science and technology, the story is both a commentary on our modern relationship with science as well as an attempt to escape the rational confines of modernity. As Andrews puts it, “Magic could not be measured and explained in scientific terms, for magic grew through destroying the very natural principles that made science as people knew it possible” (52).
In this world, magic and technology take turns being “up” or “down”––when magic is “up,” magical tools, spells, and beings become more powerful, and the same becomes true for technology when magic is “down.” Fluctuations between these two systems of cosmic accounting can be sudden or gradual, minor or extreme. This narrative mechanism not only keeps the reader on his or her toes, but also provides metaphorical punctuation marks for emotional and conflictual developments.
It’s a compelling premise, but it wouldn’t go far without Andrews’s simple but effective storytelling. The events in Magic Bites are derivative without being dull or pretentious, and Andrews injects just the right balance of humor and horror. This magical landscape is gritty and grisly rather than glitzy, with a spectrum of unnerving features that would be repellent if they weren’t so enticing. At its heart, Magic Bites is a police procedural with the hard-nosed, rational detective work turned on its head. Andrews does an admirable job of employing magic to thwart expectations while always intimating that the magical world does indeed have rules––just not the ones we’re used to. The project is as ambitious as it is self-effacing, aware of its limitations even as it seeks to exceed them.
Andrews also succeeds on the characterization front. Kate Daniels may not be the most original protagonist, but she’s damned likable––a refreshing contrast to the Twilight-esque bimbos who lack brains and swoon at the first sight of a handsome face and a six-pack. Daniels is too smart, too busy, and in too much danger to indulge in schoolgirl vapidity. She is a true pragmatist who invariably puts the real world first and forces her fantasies to take a backseat. Andrews surrounds Daniels with a variegated array of friends, foes, and weirdnesses that coalesce into an adventure that is simultaneously believable and delightfully absurd.
I look forward to joining Kate Daniels on at least one or two more occasions, and will perhaps read the entire series.
This review was originally published on my blog, words&dirt.
Magic Bites draws its power primarily from Andrews’s clever world-building. Set in a futuristic version of Atlanta where magic has begun to undermine the dominance of science and technology, the story is both a commentary on our modern relationship with science as well as an attempt to escape the rational confines of modernity. As Andrews puts it, “Magic could not be measured and explained in scientific terms, for magic grew through destroying the very natural principles that made science as people knew it possible” (52).
In this world, magic and technology take turns being “up” or “down”––when magic is “up,” magical tools, spells, and beings become more powerful, and the same becomes true for technology when magic is “down.” Fluctuations between these two systems of cosmic accounting can be sudden or gradual, minor or extreme. This narrative mechanism not only keeps the reader on his or her toes, but also provides metaphorical punctuation marks for emotional and conflictual developments.
It’s a compelling premise, but it wouldn’t go far without Andrews’s simple but effective storytelling. The events in Magic Bites are derivative without being dull or pretentious, and Andrews injects just the right balance of humor and horror. This magical landscape is gritty and grisly rather than glitzy, with a spectrum of unnerving features that would be repellent if they weren’t so enticing. At its heart, Magic Bites is a police procedural with the hard-nosed, rational detective work turned on its head. Andrews does an admirable job of employing magic to thwart expectations while always intimating that the magical world does indeed have rules––just not the ones we’re used to. The project is as ambitious as it is self-effacing, aware of its limitations even as it seeks to exceed them.
Andrews also succeeds on the characterization front. Kate Daniels may not be the most original protagonist, but she’s damned likable––a refreshing contrast to the Twilight-esque bimbos who lack brains and swoon at the first sight of a handsome face and a six-pack. Daniels is too smart, too busy, and in too much danger to indulge in schoolgirl vapidity. She is a true pragmatist who invariably puts the real world first and forces her fantasies to take a backseat. Andrews surrounds Daniels with a variegated array of friends, foes, and weirdnesses that coalesce into an adventure that is simultaneously believable and delightfully absurd.
I look forward to joining Kate Daniels on at least one or two more occasions, and will perhaps read the entire series.
This review was originally published on my blog, words&dirt.
bean_there_done_that's review against another edition
4.0
2nd read (after 7 years!)
Kate is as great as I remember her being, all that sass and ass-kicking. I was wincing every time she got injured, but I knew in the end, she'd come up as the winner.
I remember reading this book the first time and not realizing Curran ends up playing a bigger role in the series. Heck, Kate dislikes him, and the only love she has for him is a love of making him annoyed. So color me surprised later when Kate and Curran actually have sexual tension, haha. I'm really glad Ilona Andrews didn't rush the romance and spent time developing the plot and world instead.
This reread didn't end up as good as I remember it being, but I think it's because the later books are just too amazing.
Kate is as great as I remember her being, all that sass and ass-kicking. I was wincing every time she got injured, but I knew in the end, she'd come up as the winner.
I remember reading this book the first time and not realizing Curran ends up playing a bigger role in the series. Heck, Kate dislikes him, and the only love she has for him is a love of making him annoyed. So color me surprised later when Kate and Curran actually have sexual tension, haha. I'm really glad Ilona Andrews didn't rush the romance and spent time developing the plot and world instead.
This reread didn't end up as good as I remember it being, but I think it's because the later books are just too amazing.
bewoelkt_aber_heiter's review against another edition
4.0
Read: 2011 (Print, 5 Sterne) | Reread: 2020 (Hörbuch, 4 Sterne)
Im Vergleich ist der erste Band noch schwächer, wenn man weiß, wie überirdisch genial die Reihe noch wird, aber Kate ist einfach nur die Kaiserin der Urban Fantasy! Ich konnte mich gar nicht mehr daran erinnern, wie präsent Curran hier schon ist, daher habe ich all das Gezänk zwischen den beiden und den Reread insgesamt doppelt genossen.
Im Vergleich ist der erste Band noch schwächer, wenn man weiß, wie überirdisch genial die Reihe noch wird, aber Kate ist einfach nur die Kaiserin der Urban Fantasy! Ich konnte mich gar nicht mehr daran erinnern, wie präsent Curran hier schon ist, daher habe ich all das Gezänk zwischen den beiden und den Reread insgesamt doppelt genossen.
hattubel's review against another edition
3.0
"I finally got my knight in shining armor. Too bad he was a teenage werewolf."
kimonawhim's review against another edition
4.0
“He finished the bandage and was examining it critically.
"You know those things are unreliable." His voice held just a touch of reproach.
“Eleven out of twelve work fine. I’d say that’s better chances than getting an orgasm with a blind date and women still try.”
Kate Daniels, a witty, stubborn mercenary who has a hard time controlling her mouth even against the most frightening of creatures. Her traits might be mistaken for arrogance or pure bitchiness, but I quickly grew to like her as a badass. A real one, not a bundle of pure cliché. She knows when to handle something on her own, or when to ask for help. She doesn't act stupid for the hell of it. Kate lives in an urban fantasy world; a type of world I am not much used to. I'm pretty new to the genre, but reading Magic Bites impressed me, I liked it more than I imagined I would. It was really easy to picture the world, the characters and their behaviors.
...Which brings me to Curran and his light romance with Kate. I disappoint myself in saying that I'm looking forward to reading part two, partially to see what happens between the two of them. From the moment these characters met, I felt the need to read more in the interaction between them. I love it when that happens. It's slow, but that's a good thing, because that means their relationship, or so I hope, gets to build up. It didn't overlap the main story line, the writer didn't make a huge fuss out of it, and so I got to enjoy the story even when the two of them weren't together. I'd describe it as paranormal mystery, with a lot of blood and a lot of magic.
Sadly, it is almost 3 AM and my eyes are pretty much begging for sleep, but I'm looking forward to reading part two of Kate Daniels. I hope Ilona Andrews keeps to a dark shaded story line, but I can't imagine it otherwise. :)
4/5.
"You know those things are unreliable." His voice held just a touch of reproach.
“Eleven out of twelve work fine. I’d say that’s better chances than getting an orgasm with a blind date and women still try.”
Kate Daniels, a witty, stubborn mercenary who has a hard time controlling her mouth even against the most frightening of creatures. Her traits might be mistaken for arrogance or pure bitchiness, but I quickly grew to like her as a badass. A real one, not a bundle of pure cliché. She knows when to handle something on her own, or when to ask for help. She doesn't act stupid for the hell of it. Kate lives in an urban fantasy world; a type of world I am not much used to. I'm pretty new to the genre, but reading Magic Bites impressed me, I liked it more than I imagined I would. It was really easy to picture the world, the characters and their behaviors.
...Which brings me to Curran and his light romance with Kate. I disappoint myself in saying that I'm looking forward to reading part two, partially to see what happens between the two of them. From the moment these characters met, I felt the need to read more in the interaction between them. I love it when that happens. It's slow, but that's a good thing, because that means their relationship, or so I hope, gets to build up. It didn't overlap the main story line, the writer didn't make a huge fuss out of it, and so I got to enjoy the story even when the two of them weren't together. I'd describe it as paranormal mystery, with a lot of blood and a lot of magic.
Sadly, it is almost 3 AM and my eyes are pretty much begging for sleep, but I'm looking forward to reading part two of Kate Daniels. I hope Ilona Andrews keeps to a dark shaded story line, but I can't imagine it otherwise. :)
4/5.
hazmatzo's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
This was one of the better sleuthing urban fantasy books I’ve read. Someone recommended it to me as Dresden Files, but with better women characters. Did have a similar feel.
Surprised to find out this was a husband wife team.
The thing that stuck with me the most was surprisingly a self-description of the main character where she talks about the functionality of her body and coming to terms with that. It was surprisingly resonant and not something you see in books normally.
Surprised to find out this was a husband wife team.
The thing that stuck with me the most was surprisingly a self-description of the main character where she talks about the functionality of her body and coming to terms with that. It was surprisingly resonant and not something you see in books normally.
rouxfille's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the author's Innkeeper series and I'm willing to give this series more of a try ... But I found the world-building a bit onerous and I'm frustrated with the strong sense that the author is withholding information from the reader (what is with Kate's blood?; why is she so special?; who is her dad/are her dads?). Hope it picks up more!