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katekat's review against another edition
4.0
Ilona Andrews is one of my favorite authors and the Kate Daniels series is my favorite of all the books that the husband/wife duo write. The writing style is fast paced and engaging and the characters are completely believable despite the fantastical elements that surround all the books. These books are a must read for me and I eagerly devour them and count the months until the next one arrives. I love that despite the occult and romance leanings of these books there is still a generous dose of humor. I highly recommend the Kate Daniels series.
chloecaprice's review against another edition
4.0
Magic Dreams - ♥♥♥♥♥
Ice Shards - ♥♥
Double Hexed - ♥♥♥♥
Blood Debt - ♥♥♥1/2
Ice Shards - ♥♥
Double Hexed - ♥♥♥♥
Blood Debt - ♥♥♥1/2
kyleemccarthy's review against another edition
3.0
Only read the first story by ilona Andrew's and loved it just wish it had been longer
ssminski's review against another edition
3.0
I loved the Kate Daniels series story, but wasn't invested enough in the other series to het really excited about thr novellas. I did really enjoy the Stormwalker novella because I love the setting.
amym84's review against another edition
3.0
Let this be known that I only gave the book three stars because I haven't read the whole book. I only read Magic Dreams by Ilona Andrews. For that story I would give a solid 5 stars. It was a great addition to the Kate Daniels series. This story is told from Dali's point of view. We first met Dali in Magic Strikes. I like how Andrews has definitely given a separate voice to all of her female narrators. Kate is a very take charge, kick-ass female with a hint of vulnerability. Andrea is very by-the-rules and almost military-like with her order training. Dali seems just very peaceful and sweet.
I've heard some reviews about the Dali / Jim relationship in this one and I think that it's handled just how Dali would handle it. She's obviously not Kate and she's not Andrea. I liked the way Andrews wrote the development of Jim and Dali's relationship. I liked the subtlety of both of them obviously liking each other but not being able to say it right away.
Reading this makes me want to go back and read the rest of the Kate Daniels series. There should be an ebook novella coming out sometime in the remainder of this year still and after that we get a full length novel form Andrea's point of view.
I highley recommend anything written by Ilona Andrews.
I've heard some reviews about the Dali / Jim relationship in this one and I think that it's handled just how Dali would handle it. She's obviously not Kate and she's not Andrea. I liked the way Andrews wrote the development of Jim and Dali's relationship. I liked the subtlety of both of them obviously liking each other but not being able to say it right away.
Reading this makes me want to go back and read the rest of the Kate Daniels series. There should be an ebook novella coming out sometime in the remainder of this year still and after that we get a full length novel form Andrea's point of view.
I highley recommend anything written by Ilona Andrews.
anastaciaknits's review against another edition
4.0
I borrowed this book from the library to read on the kindle, because since Sookie ended, I'm looking for a new vampire/witchy type of series to read. As much as I love the genre of paranormal, I don't really read a ton of it. Unfortunately I didn't realize this book jumps in the middle of a bunch of series - anyone who reads my reviews regularly knows that's a personal pet peeve of mine, both with books, and tv/movies. So that dimensions my feelings of the book.
That being said, I did enjoy all of the books, or really shorter shorties within the book. Enough that I will mostly likely read more by the authors, though none of them overwhelmed me so much that I had to get another book by any one of them right now. You can certainly read any of the these stories as a stand alone book, but I felt like I was missing something in each one of these stories.
That being said, I did enjoy all of the books, or really shorter shorties within the book. Enough that I will mostly likely read more by the authors, though none of them overwhelmed me so much that I had to get another book by any one of them right now. You can certainly read any of the these stories as a stand alone book, but I felt like I was missing something in each one of these stories.
reader44ever's review against another edition
4.0
Third read-through, October 27-29, 2016
I don't really have anything to add to what I've said in the below reviews, but I might up my star rating of Magic Dreams. I'll say more once I finish my reread of it.
So I reread Magic Dreams on October 29, 2016, for what is now the 4th time, and it's still *just* a 4-star "very good" story. See my last status update on 10/29/2016 if you want to know why.
Review after second read-through, September 2015:
After reading over my first review (which you can see below), I really can't think of much else I could say about these stories. But I do have a few things to add. ;-)
First though, my rating: an average of the four individual ratings comes out to 4.25 stars, which I'm going to round down to 4, since I really liked this book and only found one of the four to be truly outstanding. Maybe when I read the other series, I'll end up liking the respective stories more? We'll see. ;-)
Also, I haven't yet read any books in the Stormwalker series or the Anna Strong Chronicles. (I have read some of the Otherworld books, though... Love them!) I'm so bad at following up on my desire to read more works by short story authors I read and enjoy. I am making a note to myself to remember the anthologies that have Kate Daniels stories in them and look for the series books by the other authors in the coming months. :-)
Magic Dreams by [a:Ilona Andrews|21748|Ilona Andrews|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1219436898p2/21748.jpg]:
Finished 09/04/2015. 4 stars - very good/really liked
One thing I want to add to my earlier review of Magic Dreams: it makes me laugh out loud on pages 54-55.Dali transforms into her tiger self outside Komatsu Grocery and waits:
:-) Also, I should probably say that I was rereading the entire Kate Daniels series at the time I read this story (which was next up in the chronology) and this is the now-first story that I haven't rated a full five stars. I think it's because I don't really care for Jim (Kate seems to have forgiven him his betrayal in [b:Magic Strikes|4345498|Magic Strikes (Kate Daniels, #3)|Ilona Andrews|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1331615093s/4345498.jpg|4393420], but I'm still not all that happy with him ). And Dali, while interesting, isn't as fun in this story as she was in [b:Magic Strikes|4345498|Magic Strikes (Kate Daniels, #3)|Ilona Andrews|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1331615093s/4345498.jpg|4393420]. I think because we don't really get to see her exhibit her well-known clumsiness and befuddlement. The latter we do see a bit of, but she's not with anyone when she transforms into her tiger self, so the effect isn't as powerful .
And I should probably mention the villain. She was ajorōgumo (Japanese demon: whore spider). I am incredibly arachnophobic, so I read the pages that both mentioned her and on which she appeared by holding the bare edges of the book (my fingers stayed off the text). *shudder* I also had to stay up until dawn and read three more stories of different worlds from two different anthologies before I judged it safe to try sleeping. I don't know if it was the further-reading or the sunlight coming in through my windows, but I did not have one of my too-common phantom spider nightmares. Thank you, God. (*shudder*)
Ice Shards by [a:Yasmine Galenorn|101078|Yasmine Galenorn|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1392583596p2/101078.jpg]:
Read 09/12/2015; 5 stars - outstanding/amazing! :-)
I love this story; it's most excellent. I almost cried at the end: I had tears in my eyes but they didn't fall. I knew Irishad to be innocent, but she actually turned out to be both innocent and guilty. This was a really great twist.
It had been so long since I first read this book that when I saw that this second story also had spiders in it (snow spiders *shudder* ), I worried that the other two stories would have them, too. They didn't, but I did make sure to read the other two during daylight hours just in case. ;-)
And one last thing...I've since read a few books in the Otherworld series and I LOVE them. :-) It was nice to meet up with Camille, Smoky, Rozurial, and Iris, et.al., again.
Double Hexed by [a:Allyson James|156522|Allyson James|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1228714787p2/156522.jpg]:
Read 09/19/2015; 4 stars - very good/really liked
I really like this story. Janet's lover, Mick, is a dragon (a DRAGON!!! I LOVE dragons!). The hex brought out the worst in everyone in the hotel. And as "everyone" includesa dragon, a trickster god, a Nightwalker, a depressed witch, and Janet ... Well, can you say interesting?
Contrary to my first time through, this time I did not take exception to "the highly sexed relationship between Janet and Mick." Maybe because I read the four stories over two+ weeks, so all four stories seemed truly independent? Could be, but I liked their relationship this time around. Plus, Mick's a dragon. In Janet's place, I'd have done the same. ;-)
Blood Debt by [a:Jeanne C. Stein|329391|Jeanne C. Stein|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1242217564p2/329391.jpg]:
Read 09/19/2015; 4 stars - very good/really liked
I really like this story, too. In it, Anna iscalled before a tribunal to answer for the murder of a black witch. The tribunal's sentence is rather more complex (and devious) than either Anna or Samual expect. It's great fun. :-)
Review after first read-through, June 11-14, 2013:
4 stars - very good/really liked
I really enjoyed this book. The various stories were incredibly interesting, and while some I liked more than others, all were good. :)
Magic Dreams (4 stars), [a:Ilona Andrews|21748|Ilona Andrews|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1219436898p2/21748.jpg]'s contribution, made for a fun read. I enjoyed it especially thanks to the foreshadowing in [b:Magic Bleeds|6479550|Magic Bleeds (Kate Daniels, #4)|Ilona Andrews|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1407110429s/6479550.jpg|6670775]:the hint that Jim liked Dali in a romantic way . I wasn't as keen over Dali's turn at narration, though. For some reason, she fell flat as a narrator for me, though I did (and still do) like her as a character.
Magic Dreams was also the only story of the four that I read as part of the series in which it is set. The other three stories were pretty great, but while I've heard of their series, I haven't yet read them.
Of the other three stories, I enjoyed Ice Shards (5 stars) by [a:Yasmine Galenorn|101078|Yasmine Galenorn|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1392583596p2/101078.jpg] the most. I loved the characters and the setting/world. Methinks I'll be starting this series soon. :)
Double Hexed (3 stars) by [a:Allyson James|156522|Allyson James|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1228714787p2/156522.jpg] was fun and intriguing, but the highly sexed relationship between Janet and Mick turned me off. I think I'll need to read at least book one in the series, [b:Stormwalker|7052533|Stormwalker (Stormwalker, #1)|Allyson James|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388455433s/7052533.jpg|7303479], before making a final do-I-like-it-or-not determination. The sex seemed out of place in this collection.
[a:Jeanne C. Stein|329391|Jeanne C. Stein|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1242217564p2/329391.jpg]'s Blood Debt (4 stars) introduced me to Anna Strong. I may actually have met her in an earlier-read anthology, but I can't remember. This story, while good and highly enjoyable, still hasn't brought the Anna Strong series to the forefront of my to-be-read list.
All in all, this collection of stories made for a solid anthology. I look forward to reading more from each of these authors. :)
I don't really have anything to add to what I've said in the below reviews, but I might up my star rating of Magic Dreams. I'll say more once I finish my reread of it.
So I reread Magic Dreams on October 29, 2016, for what is now the 4th time, and it's still *just* a 4-star "very good" story. See my last status update on 10/29/2016 if you want to know why.
Review after second read-through, September 2015:
After reading over my first review (which you can see below), I really can't think of much else I could say about these stories. But I do have a few things to add. ;-)
First though, my rating: an average of the four individual ratings comes out to 4.25 stars, which I'm going to round down to 4, since I really liked this book and only found one of the four to be truly outstanding. Maybe when I read the other series, I'll end up liking the respective stories more? We'll see. ;-)
Also, I haven't yet read any books in the Stormwalker series or the Anna Strong Chronicles. (I have read some of the Otherworld books, though... Love them!) I'm so bad at following up on my desire to read more works by short story authors I read and enjoy. I am making a note to myself to remember the anthologies that have Kate Daniels stories in them and look for the series books by the other authors in the coming months. :-)
Magic Dreams by [a:Ilona Andrews|21748|Ilona Andrews|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1219436898p2/21748.jpg]:
Finished 09/04/2015. 4 stars - very good/really liked
One thing I want to add to my earlier review of Magic Dreams: it makes me laugh out loud on pages 54-55.
Butterflies were small and light, and very magic sensitive. For some reason I made them feel safe and they gravitated to me like iron shavings to a magnet. They ruined my ferocious badass image, but you'd have to be a complete beast to swat butterflies.
If a baby deer frolicked out from between the buildings trying to cuddle up, I would roar. I wouldn't bite it, but I would roar. I had my limits.
:-) Also, I should probably say that I was rereading the entire Kate Daniels series at the time I read this story (which was next up in the chronology) and this is the now-first story that I haven't rated a full five stars. I think it's because I don't really care for Jim (
And I should probably mention the villain. She was a
Ice Shards by [a:Yasmine Galenorn|101078|Yasmine Galenorn|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1392583596p2/101078.jpg]:
Read 09/12/2015; 5 stars - outstanding/amazing! :-)
I love this story; it's most excellent. I almost cried at the end: I had tears in my eyes but they didn't fall. I knew Iris
It had been so long since I first read this book that when I saw that this second story also had spiders in it (
And one last thing...I've since read a few books in the Otherworld series and I LOVE them. :-) It was nice to meet up with Camille, Smoky, Rozurial, and Iris, et.al., again.
Double Hexed by [a:Allyson James|156522|Allyson James|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1228714787p2/156522.jpg]:
Read 09/19/2015; 4 stars - very good/really liked
I really like this story. Janet's lover, Mick, is a dragon (a DRAGON!!! I LOVE dragons!). The hex brought out the worst in everyone in the hotel. And as "everyone" includes
Contrary to my first time through, this time I did not take exception to "the highly sexed relationship between Janet and Mick." Maybe because I read the four stories over two+ weeks, so all four stories seemed truly independent? Could be, but I liked their relationship this time around. Plus, Mick's a dragon. In Janet's place, I'd have done the same. ;-)
Blood Debt by [a:Jeanne C. Stein|329391|Jeanne C. Stein|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1242217564p2/329391.jpg]:
Read 09/19/2015; 4 stars - very good/really liked
I really like this story, too. In it, Anna is
Review after first read-through, June 11-14, 2013:
4 stars - very good/really liked
I really enjoyed this book. The various stories were incredibly interesting, and while some I liked more than others, all were good. :)
Magic Dreams (4 stars), [a:Ilona Andrews|21748|Ilona Andrews|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1219436898p2/21748.jpg]'s contribution, made for a fun read. I enjoyed it especially thanks to the foreshadowing in [b:Magic Bleeds|6479550|Magic Bleeds (Kate Daniels, #4)|Ilona Andrews|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1407110429s/6479550.jpg|6670775]:
Magic Dreams was also the only story of the four that I read as part of the series in which it is set. The other three stories were pretty great, but while I've heard of their series, I haven't yet read them.
Of the other three stories, I enjoyed Ice Shards (5 stars) by [a:Yasmine Galenorn|101078|Yasmine Galenorn|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1392583596p2/101078.jpg] the most. I loved the characters and the setting/world. Methinks I'll be starting this series soon. :)
Double Hexed (3 stars) by [a:Allyson James|156522|Allyson James|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1228714787p2/156522.jpg] was fun and intriguing, but the highly sexed relationship between Janet and Mick turned me off. I think I'll need to read at least book one in the series, [b:Stormwalker|7052533|Stormwalker (Stormwalker, #1)|Allyson James|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388455433s/7052533.jpg|7303479], before making a final do-I-like-it-or-not determination. The sex seemed out of place in this collection.
[a:Jeanne C. Stein|329391|Jeanne C. Stein|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1242217564p2/329391.jpg]'s Blood Debt (4 stars) introduced me to Anna Strong. I may actually have met her in an earlier-read anthology, but I can't remember. This story, while good and highly enjoyable, still hasn't brought the Anna Strong series to the forefront of my to-be-read list.
All in all, this collection of stories made for a solid anthology. I look forward to reading more from each of these authors. :)
shells's review against another edition
4.0
*Hexed, by Ilona Andrews, Yasmine Galenorn, Allyson James and Jeanne C. Stein.
These are four stand-alone stories from ongoing series each of these authors write.
-Magic Dreams by Ilona Andrews is from the point of view of a minor character in the Kate Daniels series. There are cameo's from the main characters, however it is Dali's story. I read the Kate Daniels series and love it. It's been categorized as Urban Romance/Fantasy. It's an alternate version of earth, where magic exists but it battles with technology. I love the magic aspect of it.
-Ice Shards by Yasmine Galenorn centers around the character of Iris, who battles alongside the three sisters from her Otherworld Series. This one, though stand-alone, is better read in conjunction with the Otherworld series, in my opinion. Then you can understand a little more about each person in this world, and why they are there. Though the story is Iris's story, and her friends are there for a reason, they are more or less a hindrance and background filler if you don't know the background. I enjoyed it, and I really enjoy the Otherworld series. This series has been labeled as Paranormal Romance, I believe. I love the paranormal aspect of it.
-Double Hexed by Allyson James is a new world for me. This one appears to focus on the main characters of the original Stormwalker series. They are trapped in a hotel that the main character owns, and struggle to control their magical natures, that all but one character possess. It is a good stand-alone, that didn't leave me completely confused, but instead, left me wanting to check out the series for myself. This one is also Paranormal Romance.
-Blood Debt by Jeanne C. Stein is also new to me. It too focuses on the main character from the series, this one the Anna Strong Chronicles. Anna is a vampire, but she can walk around in the daylight. She fights to keep humanity safe from others with abilities and powers. This story is centered around her, and a few witch companions. They did something in the past for which Anna has been summoned to stand trial. But the trial isn't fair and they are using an innocent person as leverage to get her there. If she can't save herself, his life is also forfeit. The past event happened in a previous book of the series, though the author explains enough for us to understand, without rewriting that book. This one is also a series I would like to check out.
These are four stand-alone stories from ongoing series each of these authors write.
-Magic Dreams by Ilona Andrews is from the point of view of a minor character in the Kate Daniels series. There are cameo's from the main characters, however it is Dali's story. I read the Kate Daniels series and love it. It's been categorized as Urban Romance/Fantasy. It's an alternate version of earth, where magic exists but it battles with technology. I love the magic aspect of it.
-Ice Shards by Yasmine Galenorn centers around the character of Iris, who battles alongside the three sisters from her Otherworld Series. This one, though stand-alone, is better read in conjunction with the Otherworld series, in my opinion. Then you can understand a little more about each person in this world, and why they are there. Though the story is Iris's story, and her friends are there for a reason, they are more or less a hindrance and background filler if you don't know the background. I enjoyed it, and I really enjoy the Otherworld series. This series has been labeled as Paranormal Romance, I believe. I love the paranormal aspect of it.
-Double Hexed by Allyson James is a new world for me. This one appears to focus on the main characters of the original Stormwalker series. They are trapped in a hotel that the main character owns, and struggle to control their magical natures, that all but one character possess. It is a good stand-alone, that didn't leave me completely confused, but instead, left me wanting to check out the series for myself. This one is also Paranormal Romance.
-Blood Debt by Jeanne C. Stein is also new to me. It too focuses on the main character from the series, this one the Anna Strong Chronicles. Anna is a vampire, but she can walk around in the daylight. She fights to keep humanity safe from others with abilities and powers. This story is centered around her, and a few witch companions. They did something in the past for which Anna has been summoned to stand trial. But the trial isn't fair and they are using an innocent person as leverage to get her there. If she can't save herself, his life is also forfeit. The past event happened in a previous book of the series, though the author explains enough for us to understand, without rewriting that book. This one is also a series I would like to check out.