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A review by kzimm2024
Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews
5.0
Why do I not remember this terrific story?? I have proof I read it in 2018 but no review and 4 stars. Silly Krista. Anyway- Jan 2024 re-read and 5 stars. Loved it. Kate & Curran forever.
This one shows us what mated life for them looks like, the power struggle and the painful fact of the violent life they live. Kate has a new job, Julie gets attacked (and saved), we get new characters (hey- where was Raphael during this fight??) and Kate learns new powers. Its so good.
Highlights and spoilers ahead!
When they discover Julie has run away from school again:
I kissed his lips and picked up my sword. “Thank you. And tell them not to spoil her with fried chicken if they have to pick her up.”
Curran shook his head. “I can’t promise that. I’m not a complete bastard.”
---------
The phone rang. Now what? I marched to my desk and picked it up. “Yes?”
Curran’s voice filled the phone. “Are you okay?”
It was completely absurd, but hearing him instantly made me feel better. “Yeah.”
The tension in his voice eased. “You sure you don’t need your Prince Charming to come and save you?”
The knot in my stomach evaporated. My Prince Charming, huh. “Sure, do you have one handy?”
Enter Andrea to the Cutting Edge:
“Would you like to work here with me?” Andrea stared at me. “We have no clients and the pay is shit.”
Kate is now "Consort" and is navigating life at the Keep:
“I know it’s late, but could you find a book for me? It’s called The Slavs: Study of Pagan Tradition by Osvintsev.”
Barabas sighed dramatically. “Kate, you make me despair. Let’s try that again from the top, except this time pretend you are an alpha.”
“I don’t need a lecture. I just need the book.”
“Much better. Little more growl in the voice?”
“Barabas!”
“And we’re there. Congratulations! There is hope for you yet. I will look into the book.”
I hung up the phone and glared at Curran. “What’s so funny?”
“You.”
“Laugh while you can. You have to sleep eventually, and then I’ll take my revenge.”
“You’re such a violent woman. Always with the threats. You should look into some meditation techniques . . .”
I jumped on the couch and put the Beast Lord into an armlock.
Julie meets Ascanio :)
Julie grabbed his arm, twisted it, flipping him over on his stomach, landed on Ascanio’s back, pulled a plastic tie from her pocket, and locked his wrists.
I wanted to jump up and down, clapping.
We’d practiced this takedown over the Christmas break and she had done it perfectly.
-------------
“Oh no.” Julie clicked her tongue. “Did the mean human girl pick on you? Does the little bouda boy want his mommy?”
“Untie me!”
“Awww, the little baby is crying. Boohoo. Does the baby need his bottle and his teddy?”
Original highlight, LOL:
“A dollar for your thoughts.”
“The usual price is a penny, not a dollar. Had I known how bad you were with money, I would’ve reconsidered this whole mating thing.”
A device threatens to kill all magic, so they need to find it and destroy it. It brings tensions to the surface :)
“NO.” Curran strode to the car, heading down the street away from the temple.
“No what?” I knew what, but I wanted him to spell it out. That way I could shut him down better.
--------------
I stared at him. “The mass transit is gone. No planes, no reliable roads. The world is big again, Kate. He will never find us.”
“What about the Pack?”
His upper lip trembled, betraying the edge of his teeth. “Fuck the Pack. I gave them fifteen years of my life. I fought for them, bled for them, and the moment my back was turned, they attacked my wife. I owe them nothing.” Whew!
Tidbit for future stories, Rowena comes to visit Kate:
Note to self: avoid being in debt to the witches like the plague.
“Whatever it is you want, Kate, I will do it. No matter how foul. Even if it means debasing and humiliating myself . . .”
Fantastic. Who did she think I was, exactly? “I guess we will start with humiliation, move onto debasing, and perhaps do some torture for a spiffy finish.”
Before the big fight, I like how they know their strengths:
I petted my sword. Every second counted.
“Does Curran not involve you in his strategic sessions?” Ghastek asked.
“Nope, I’m just here to look pretty.”
Curran didn’t need me. I wasn’t a general; I was a weapon in need of a target. Arranging large groups of people into an attack force wasn’t my thing.
And after the fight:
Curran dropped next to me. “Hey.”
It’s hard to jump while sitting down. I still managed. “Why do you sneak up on me like that?”
“It’s funny.”
“It’s not.” I leaned into him and he put his arm around me.
“It’s hilarious. It’s almost as funny as your snoring.”
“I don’t snore.”
He nodded with a wide grin. “It’s a quiet peaceful kind of snoring. Like a small cuddly Tasmanian devil. Kind of cute when sleeping, all claws and teeth when awake.”
“You snore worse. At least I don’t turn into a lion in my sleep.”
“I only did it once.”
“Once was weird enough, thank you.”
On to the next!
This one shows us what mated life for them looks like, the power struggle and the painful fact of the violent life they live. Kate has a new job, Julie gets attacked (and saved), we get new characters (hey- where was Raphael during this fight??) and Kate learns new powers. Its so good.
Highlights and spoilers ahead!
When they discover Julie has run away from school again:
I kissed his lips and picked up my sword. “Thank you. And tell them not to spoil her with fried chicken if they have to pick her up.”
Curran shook his head. “I can’t promise that. I’m not a complete bastard.”
---------
The phone rang. Now what? I marched to my desk and picked it up. “Yes?”
Curran’s voice filled the phone. “Are you okay?”
It was completely absurd, but hearing him instantly made me feel better. “Yeah.”
The tension in his voice eased. “You sure you don’t need your Prince Charming to come and save you?”
The knot in my stomach evaporated. My Prince Charming, huh. “Sure, do you have one handy?”
Enter Andrea to the Cutting Edge:
“Would you like to work here with me?” Andrea stared at me. “We have no clients and the pay is shit.”
Kate is now "Consort" and is navigating life at the Keep:
“I know it’s late, but could you find a book for me? It’s called The Slavs: Study of Pagan Tradition by Osvintsev.”
Barabas sighed dramatically. “Kate, you make me despair. Let’s try that again from the top, except this time pretend you are an alpha.”
“I don’t need a lecture. I just need the book.”
“Much better. Little more growl in the voice?”
“Barabas!”
“And we’re there. Congratulations! There is hope for you yet. I will look into the book.”
I hung up the phone and glared at Curran. “What’s so funny?”
“You.”
“Laugh while you can. You have to sleep eventually, and then I’ll take my revenge.”
“You’re such a violent woman. Always with the threats. You should look into some meditation techniques . . .”
I jumped on the couch and put the Beast Lord into an armlock.
Julie meets Ascanio :)
Julie grabbed his arm, twisted it, flipping him over on his stomach, landed on Ascanio’s back, pulled a plastic tie from her pocket, and locked his wrists.
I wanted to jump up and down, clapping.
We’d practiced this takedown over the Christmas break and she had done it perfectly.
-------------
“Oh no.” Julie clicked her tongue. “Did the mean human girl pick on you? Does the little bouda boy want his mommy?”
“Untie me!”
“Awww, the little baby is crying. Boohoo. Does the baby need his bottle and his teddy?”
Original highlight, LOL:
“A dollar for your thoughts.”
“The usual price is a penny, not a dollar. Had I known how bad you were with money, I would’ve reconsidered this whole mating thing.”
A device threatens to kill all magic, so they need to find it and destroy it. It brings tensions to the surface :)
“NO.” Curran strode to the car, heading down the street away from the temple.
“No what?” I knew what, but I wanted him to spell it out. That way I could shut him down better.
--------------
I stared at him. “The mass transit is gone. No planes, no reliable roads. The world is big again, Kate. He will never find us.”
“What about the Pack?”
His upper lip trembled, betraying the edge of his teeth. “Fuck the Pack. I gave them fifteen years of my life. I fought for them, bled for them, and the moment my back was turned, they attacked my wife. I owe them nothing.” Whew!
Tidbit for future stories, Rowena comes to visit Kate:
Note to self: avoid being in debt to the witches like the plague.
“Whatever it is you want, Kate, I will do it. No matter how foul. Even if it means debasing and humiliating myself . . .”
Fantastic. Who did she think I was, exactly? “I guess we will start with humiliation, move onto debasing, and perhaps do some torture for a spiffy finish.”
Before the big fight, I like how they know their strengths:
I petted my sword. Every second counted.
“Does Curran not involve you in his strategic sessions?” Ghastek asked.
“Nope, I’m just here to look pretty.”
Curran didn’t need me. I wasn’t a general; I was a weapon in need of a target. Arranging large groups of people into an attack force wasn’t my thing.
And after the fight:
Curran dropped next to me. “Hey.”
It’s hard to jump while sitting down. I still managed. “Why do you sneak up on me like that?”
“It’s funny.”
“It’s not.” I leaned into him and he put his arm around me.
“It’s hilarious. It’s almost as funny as your snoring.”
“I don’t snore.”
He nodded with a wide grin. “It’s a quiet peaceful kind of snoring. Like a small cuddly Tasmanian devil. Kind of cute when sleeping, all claws and teeth when awake.”
“You snore worse. At least I don’t turn into a lion in my sleep.”
“I only did it once.”
“Once was weird enough, thank you.”
On to the next!