Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews

7 reviews

hailstorm3812's review against another edition

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adventurous funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

I liked this more than the first one. I am always a fan of accidental child acquisition and the world is starting to come in focus more and more. Intersted to see where it goes.

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rorikae's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

‘Magic Burns’ by Ilona Andrews is the second installment in the Kate Daniels series. 
This installment further delves into the world first introduced in Magic Bites. Kate discovers a young girl who has lost her mother. While attempting to help her locate her mother, Kate discovers that a flare is imminent and that gods are gearing up to take advantage of the flare to manifest and wage war. 
In this second installment, I feel that the world of Kate Daniels is really coming into focus. We get to spend more time with Kate and the rest of the cast of characters that were first introduced in the initial installment. Their characters are coming into better focus as well as the world. I can already tell that this series is likely going to thrive in its worldbuilding and the character growth that happens over multiple books. The first book made me interested, but I can definitely feel my investment in the series and the characters growing in this second installment. I’m excited to continue to book three. 

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wickedgrumpy's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

And so I continue my re-read of the series.

It's surprising how much a long series can blend into itself and warp when you think things happen.  This is furthered by the offshoots and novellas for different POVs.  This time around I'm going to try reading everything in chronological order rather than publication order.

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beccaand's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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booksthatburn's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Kate starts watching over Julie, a young girl whose mom has vanished while worshipping in a coven who can't keep their crows straight (a dangerous thing in a world alternatingly drenched in magic and tech). Julie is one of my favorite characters in the series and her first appearance here sets the tone of their relationship for the next few books. This also is the first book to feature Andrea, an excellent markswoman who loves the Order and guns. The dynamic between Kate and Curran is emotionally charged in a way that currently is tilting towards mutually consensual violence but Curran seems to be making subtle (and not-so-subtle) moves in a more sexual direction that Kate hasn't yet reciprocated. 

This picks up on the last known status of a bunch of plot threads but isn't trying to wrap them up, really (except for Crest). It continues Kate's entanglements with the Pack and the People, and shows her involvement with the Mercenary Guild and the Order but isn't focusing on them as much this time around. There's a new storyline featuring some new characters (a few who won't continue past here and some who will be series regulars), but even that has a connection to a minor character who appeared in MAGIC BITES. That storyline has a major thing that is both introduced and resolved in this book. There are several things explicitly left for later which involve changes to the status quo. The main character is still Kate, her voice is consistent with the previous book. It might make sense to start here because this is laying so much groundwork of its own, but the dynamic between Kate and the Pack (specifically but not only Curran) definitely benefits from being read after the first book, since otherwise Curran's strong personality can be a bit off-putting when it lacks the context of Kate's opening salvo to their interactions in MAGIC BITES.

This book begins with a map theft and stays pretty focused on the characters important to that initial incident, while building out the world in specific ways. This introduces the witch covens as an important power in the city, shows some factions within the Pack, and deals with a different set of gods that are upsettingly more relevant during the Flare. Bran, Andrea, and Julie provide three completely different sets of problems and opportunities, keeping this from feeling like just a stepping stone to later books. 

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brennaa's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0


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angelareads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

For me this was an improvement compared to the first book. I really enjoy some aspects, though it is a little too gruesome for me occasionally. I'm looking forward to continuing the series!

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