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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
I've rounded up the rating. The reason is that I know I am jaded, very jaded, about the current crop of Urban Fantasy novels, and this feeling influences me when I read them.
I'm torn about this book. There is much to like and much, sadly, to give one pause. Since I always tell my students to end with the positive, I'll start with the negative.
The major problem with this book is that Kate Daniels is Anita Blake before Anita Blake made porn boring. Now this is also a good point because it is the good Anita Blake instead of the bad Anita Blake. It does make one ask the following question, however.
What is it with all these first person point of view female characters with tragic pasts, missing one or both parents, who have a chip on thier shoulder and act in a way that would not be tolerated by anyone? This cliched character is what makes Kitty Norville, the Women of the Otherworld, and Harry Dresden stand out. Some of them might have tragic pasts, but they don't walk around with huge chips on thier shoulders. (And how these women can walk with that big of a chip, I don't know). Don't they realize this chip always makes them do the wrong thing? It makes them look stupid!
Kate Daniels has the required attitude and tattoo. And because she is in many ways Anita Blake, if you have read the early Anita Blake books, you can figure out what is going to happen here. Kate is skilled, powerful, hangs out with men who know what they are doing, and is attractive, though she doesn't know it.
Additionally, I have to ask - why make the werelion a nordic looking handsome dude? Wouldn't it be more likely to be Africian? Why not a wer panther to fit in with setting? How come everyone in a position of power, except for Kate, is male?
Okay, enough nitpicking.
What saves this book are several things.
One, there are some really funny scenes, and while Kate has a chip, she also has a very funny sense of humor. The dinner date scene was really, really funny.
Two, while Daniels doesn't give quite enough description to make the world truly live (and this could be the publisher, not her), it is a very interesting world. I like the idea of the world and Andrews' ideas of magic.
Three, while men hold the positions of power in this book, the female characters outside of Kate are still strong, in particular Maxine, who is awesome. Kate doesn't seem to hate her sex the way that Anita Blake did.
In short, while I'm not going to rush out and buy the series, I will most likely read the second book.
I'm torn about this book. There is much to like and much, sadly, to give one pause. Since I always tell my students to end with the positive, I'll start with the negative.
The major problem with this book is that Kate Daniels is Anita Blake before Anita Blake made porn boring. Now this is also a good point because it is the good Anita Blake instead of the bad Anita Blake. It does make one ask the following question, however.
What is it with all these first person point of view female characters with tragic pasts, missing one or both parents, who have a chip on thier shoulder and act in a way that would not be tolerated by anyone? This cliched character is what makes Kitty Norville, the Women of the Otherworld, and Harry Dresden stand out. Some of them might have tragic pasts, but they don't walk around with huge chips on thier shoulders. (And how these women can walk with that big of a chip, I don't know). Don't they realize this chip always makes them do the wrong thing? It makes them look stupid!
Kate Daniels has the required attitude and tattoo. And because she is in many ways Anita Blake, if you have read the early Anita Blake books, you can figure out what is going to happen here. Kate is skilled, powerful, hangs out with men who know what they are doing, and is attractive, though she doesn't know it.
Additionally, I have to ask - why make the werelion a nordic looking handsome dude? Wouldn't it be more likely to be Africian? Why not a wer panther to fit in with setting? How come everyone in a position of power, except for Kate, is male?
Okay, enough nitpicking.
What saves this book are several things.
One, there are some really funny scenes, and while Kate has a chip, she also has a very funny sense of humor. The dinner date scene was really, really funny.
Two, while Daniels doesn't give quite enough description to make the world truly live (and this could be the publisher, not her), it is a very interesting world. I like the idea of the world and Andrews' ideas of magic.
Three, while men hold the positions of power in this book, the female characters outside of Kate are still strong, in particular Maxine, who is awesome. Kate doesn't seem to hate her sex the way that Anita Blake did.
In short, while I'm not going to rush out and buy the series, I will most likely read the second book.
Awesome urban fantasy with a badass main character and a unique take on several of the types of supernatural creatures. I think most urban fantasies I've read have a first book that exists mostly to set up the whole setting, and that's the vibe I got here. I can't wait to read book 2.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Disclaimer: I bought this book for book club. Yay reading buddies! All opinions are my own.
Book: Magic Bites
Author: Ilona Andrews
Book Series: Kate Daniels Book 1
Rating: 4.5/5
Recommended For...: Urban Fantasy readers, fantasy, paranormal, romance, vampires, shape-shifters, adult readers, magic
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publication Date: May 27, 2007
Publisher: Ace
Pages: 260
Recommended Age: 18+ (language, police brutality, death, violence, gore, dead parents, racist term, sexual content, religion, incest, sexual assault)
Explanation of CWs: There is a lot of cursing in this book. There are mentions of police brutality. There is a lot of violence, death, blood gore, and mention of dead parents. There is a racist term in this book due to the age of the book (g****). There is some sexual content mentioned in this book. There is some mentions of the Christian religion. There is one mention of incest and sexual assault.
If This Was a Taylor Swift Song: Bad Blood
Synopsis: Ilona Andrews invites you to experience the first novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series featuring the intriguing fantasy world of mercenary Kate Daniels… When the magic is up, rogue mages cast their spells and monsters appear, while guns refuse to fire and cars fail to start. But then technology returns, and the magic recedes as unpredictably as it arose, leaving all kinds of paranormal problems in its wake. Kate Daniels is a down-on-her-luck mercenary who makes her living cleaning up these magical problems. But when Kate’s guardian is murdered, her quest for justice draws her into a power struggle between two strong factions within Atlanta’s magic circles. The Masters of the Dead, necromancers who can control vampires, and the Pack, a paramilitary clan of shapechangers, blame each other for a series of bizarre killings—and the death of Kate’s guardian may be part of the same mystery. Pressured by both sides to find the killer, Kate realizes she’s way out of her league—but she wouldn’t have it any other way…
Review: I thought this book was so inventive and really well done. The book takes place after this magic apocalypse and our MC is a woman who was just informed of their quasi-adoptive father's death in the line of duty against magical beings. Her journey to find out what happened takes her to far reaching areas of Atlanta and we're along for that journey. I loved that the author took a lot of care and attention to name a lot of places in Atlanta that the magical beings now inhabit and I loved the feel of the story. I thought the world building was well done and the pacing on point.
The only issue I really had with the book is that I felt like the ending battle scene and the scenes after that went rather quickly. It was a lot of set-up for a very quick 10 page ending. However, I can't wait for the next one.
Verdict: It was good! I liked it a lot.
Book: Magic Bites
Author: Ilona Andrews
Book Series: Kate Daniels Book 1
Rating: 4.5/5
Recommended For...: Urban Fantasy readers, fantasy, paranormal, romance, vampires, shape-shifters, adult readers, magic
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publication Date: May 27, 2007
Publisher: Ace
Pages: 260
Recommended Age: 18+ (language, police brutality, death, violence, gore, dead parents, racist term, sexual content, religion, incest, sexual assault)
Explanation of CWs: There is a lot of cursing in this book. There are mentions of police brutality. There is a lot of violence, death, blood gore, and mention of dead parents. There is a racist term in this book due to the age of the book (g****). There is some sexual content mentioned in this book. There is some mentions of the Christian religion. There is one mention of incest and sexual assault.
If This Was a Taylor Swift Song: Bad Blood
Synopsis: Ilona Andrews invites you to experience the first novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series featuring the intriguing fantasy world of mercenary Kate Daniels… When the magic is up, rogue mages cast their spells and monsters appear, while guns refuse to fire and cars fail to start. But then technology returns, and the magic recedes as unpredictably as it arose, leaving all kinds of paranormal problems in its wake. Kate Daniels is a down-on-her-luck mercenary who makes her living cleaning up these magical problems. But when Kate’s guardian is murdered, her quest for justice draws her into a power struggle between two strong factions within Atlanta’s magic circles. The Masters of the Dead, necromancers who can control vampires, and the Pack, a paramilitary clan of shapechangers, blame each other for a series of bizarre killings—and the death of Kate’s guardian may be part of the same mystery. Pressured by both sides to find the killer, Kate realizes she’s way out of her league—but she wouldn’t have it any other way…
Review: I thought this book was so inventive and really well done. The book takes place after this magic apocalypse and our MC is a woman who was just informed of their quasi-adoptive father's death in the line of duty against magical beings. Her journey to find out what happened takes her to far reaching areas of Atlanta and we're along for that journey. I loved that the author took a lot of care and attention to name a lot of places in Atlanta that the magical beings now inhabit and I loved the feel of the story. I thought the world building was well done and the pacing on point.
The only issue I really had with the book is that I felt like the ending battle scene and the scenes after that went rather quickly. It was a lot of set-up for a very quick 10 page ending. However, I can't wait for the next one.
Verdict: It was good! I liked it a lot.
A nice, quick read. Pretty standard urban fantasy.. Bad ass protagonist, baddies to defeat, mysteries to solve. Twists and turns, which admittedly were pretty predictable.. But they usually are. All in all it was an enjoyable read, and I'll definitely continue in the series. I've heard the first is the weakest, so hopefully the later books will be four or five star reads. For this one though.. Three stars. I liked it, but it wasn't anything amazing or mind blowing. Definitely worth a try though!
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This series comes highly recommended. Love how this authors paces their writing. Thoroughly enjoyed this and looking forward to the rest of the series.
**Jan 2024 Reread**
Crazy to think I'm re-reading this again after almost 15~ years. So much nostalgia for me with this series, and even after all this time, it's not hard to see why I fell in love with this world.
Kate is one of my most fav MCs I've read. She acquired a lot of her skills because she studied, she trained hard. Because she had to survive. Even with her bravado she remains grounded and self-aware, and with so many MCs out there that are all talk, Kate actually backs it up and it's so wonderfully satisfying to read. :)
I respect her grit, her wit, and despite all odds, her propensity to run into a really deadly situation so fearlessly because she cares.
Curran was not my favorite in this book but man does he leave a strong impression. ;D
Re-reading this book was like meeting old friends. Looking forward to some of my favorite scenes in this series. While I'm at it, I'll go through all the Curran POVs in order.
Crazy to think I'm re-reading this again after almost 15~ years. So much nostalgia for me with this series, and even after all this time, it's not hard to see why I fell in love with this world.
Kate is one of my most fav MCs I've read. She acquired a lot of her skills because she studied, she trained hard. Because she had to survive. Even with her bravado she remains grounded and self-aware, and with so many MCs out there that are all talk, Kate actually backs it up and it's so wonderfully satisfying to read. :)
I respect her grit, her wit, and despite all odds, her propensity to run into a really deadly situation so fearlessly because she cares.
Curran was not my favorite in this book but man does he leave a strong impression. ;D
Re-reading this book was like meeting old friends. Looking forward to some of my favorite scenes in this series. While I'm at it, I'll go through all the Curran POVs in order.
Husband and wife writing team Ilona Andrews present us with Kate Daniels: a mercenary living and fighting in a world trying to its level best to kill her. A new take on post apocalyptic genre where technology and magic clash, as they have before in the past, and destroy the world as we know it in increasingly frequent waves.
Fast paced, funny, dark, and interesting all describe this book. Fans of Kim Harrison’s Rachel Morgan series or Alex Craft in Kalayna Price’s novels where strong women kick butt in a paranormal world gone pear shaped will like this series.
-Alexis S.-
First in a series. Kate Daniels is a mercenary in Atlanta, where technology is slowly losing the battle against magic. Kate is the perfect heroine in this dystopian novel, as she confronts vampires, werewolves and necromancers to find who killed her guardian. The author has created a wonderfully dark world that I want to return to again.
- Lynn H. -
Fast paced, funny, dark, and interesting all describe this book. Fans of Kim Harrison’s Rachel Morgan series or Alex Craft in Kalayna Price’s novels where strong women kick butt in a paranormal world gone pear shaped will like this series.
-Alexis S.-
First in a series. Kate Daniels is a mercenary in Atlanta, where technology is slowly losing the battle against magic. Kate is the perfect heroine in this dystopian novel, as she confronts vampires, werewolves and necromancers to find who killed her guardian. The author has created a wonderfully dark world that I want to return to again.
- Lynn H. -
Rereading after long while, I am surprised by how good the world building is. Maybe I had really low expectations?
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This started really good, I liked the story and I absolutely adored Kate (definitely the strongest point of the book! a female MC who's powerful but still has to train every day and knows her own limitations?? Hell yeah! Plus, she has the most delightful sense of (dark) humour) but I had two major issues with the book. First, the classic info-dump typical in all first-book-in-a-series - it was boring at times but mostly very confusing. The second issue was how quickly the story turned into a creepy, gory mess - Still, the main story was interesting enough for me to go on reading this series, and I can't wait to see more of Kate!