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bookfessional 's review for:
Magic Bleeds
by Ilona Andrews
Geez, friggin', Louise . . .
Just in case you've somehow missed my enthusiasm for Kate #3, MAGIC STRIKES, I'll say (at least) one more time that it is my favorite installment in a UF series ever.
And it is.
But MAGIC BLEEDS gets 5 stars too.
It's maybe my second favorite installment in a Urban Fantasy series ever. It's been too long since I've read BITTEN by Kelley Armstrong (best first installment in an UF series ever), to say for sure . . . but it's a close thing, either way.
And I love MAGIC STRIKES and MAGIC BLEEDS for similar, yet very different reasons.
One of my favorite (and simultaneously least favorite) things about blogging is that it's made me think about why I like or dislike something in a book. Sometimes I miss the simplicity of finishing a book, saying, "I love it, it RAWKED," then moving on to the next thing, but on the whole, I think I get more out of the books I read now.
For example, this is probably the fifth time I've read Kate #4, but it's the first time I've realized that the more one of these books touches on her family history, the more I like it. Same goes for how direct the link between the Bad Guy and that history (Roland) is.
In book 3, the Bad Guys were Roland's flunkies.
In MAGIC BLEEDS . . . well, I can't tell you who the Bad Guy is, but suffice it to say, NOT a flunkie. And for those of you (like me) who devour every, single speck of Kate lore, you will be so ridiculously happy with this book. Just after the mid-way point, is History of Roland 101. Back to Bad Guy though, this one is both enthralling and terrifying. Bad Guy is crazy. No, really. Total psychopath. But at the same time Bad Guy is . . . "ruthlessly intelligent."
MAGIC BLEEDS is full of these insightful, little life lessons, and for the first time, you begin to understand what Kate is up against. Her enemy is THOUSANDS of years old, with THOUSANDS of years worth of not just knowledge, but application of that knowledge.
Seriously fantastic villain and history lesson aside, there are a multitude of other reasons to love this book. Most of those reasons can be boiled down to Kate being Kate and Curran being Curran. It's not a spoiler to tell you that Curran doesn't show for the naked dinner, b/c it's the very first thing that happens in this book. Now imagine all the various ways that could play out, and you start to get an idea of the epic awesomeness of this book. YEP. It's that good. LOVE it.
My other reviews for this series:
A Questionable Client (Kate Daniels, #0.5)
Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, #1)
Magic Burns (Kate Daniels, #2)
Magic Strikes (Kate Daniels, #3)
Magic Mourns (Kate Daniels, #3.5)
Magic Dreams (Kate Daniels, #4.5)
Magic Slays (Kate Daniels, #5)
Magic Tests (Kate Daniels, #5.3)
Magic Gifts (Kate Daniels, #5.4)
Gunmetal Magic (Kate Daniels, #5.5)
Retribution Clause (Kate Daniels, #5.6)
An Ill-Advised Rescue (Kate Daniels, #5.8)
Magic Rises (Kate Daniels, #6)
Magic Steals (Kate Daniels, #6.5)
Magic Breaks (Kate Daniels, #7)
Magic Shifts (Kate Daniels, #8)
Magic Stars (Kate Daniels, #8.5, Grey Wolf, #1)
Magic Binds (Kate Daniels, #9)
Iron and Magic (Kate Daniels, #9.5)
Magic Triumphs (Kate Daniels, #10)
Curran POV Collection
Just in case you've somehow missed my enthusiasm for Kate #3, MAGIC STRIKES, I'll say (at least) one more time that it is my favorite installment in a UF series ever.
And it is.
But MAGIC BLEEDS gets 5 stars too.
It's maybe my second favorite installment in a Urban Fantasy series ever. It's been too long since I've read BITTEN by Kelley Armstrong (best first installment in an UF series ever), to say for sure . . . but it's a close thing, either way.
And I love MAGIC STRIKES and MAGIC BLEEDS for similar, yet very different reasons.
One of my favorite (and simultaneously least favorite) things about blogging is that it's made me think about why I like or dislike something in a book. Sometimes I miss the simplicity of finishing a book, saying, "I love it, it RAWKED," then moving on to the next thing, but on the whole, I think I get more out of the books I read now.
For example, this is probably the fifth time I've read Kate #4, but it's the first time I've realized that the more one of these books touches on her family history, the more I like it. Same goes for how direct the link between the Bad Guy and that history (Roland) is.
In book 3, the Bad Guys were Roland's flunkies.
In MAGIC BLEEDS . . . well, I can't tell you who the Bad Guy is, but suffice it to say, NOT a flunkie. And for those of you (like me) who devour every, single speck of Kate lore, you will be so ridiculously happy with this book. Just after the mid-way point, is History of Roland 101. Back to Bad Guy though, this one is both enthralling and terrifying. Bad Guy is crazy. No, really. Total psychopath. But at the same time Bad Guy is . . . "ruthlessly intelligent."
"Why call them half-breeds?"
"It's a convenient term. It drips with contempt. Your're a soldier who faces a monstrosity. It's stronger and faster than you, it looks like a nightmare, and when it takes a wound that would kill a normal man, its fellows push you back and fifteen minutes later the creature you wounded is back on its feet. Where will your courage come from?"
I leaned toward her. "But if you think the creature is an abomination, a half-breed, who is less than you, you might reach deep inside and find a pair..."
"Exactly."
MAGIC BLEEDS is full of these insightful, little life lessons, and for the first time, you begin to understand what Kate is up against. Her enemy is THOUSANDS of years old, with THOUSANDS of years worth of not just knowledge, but application of that knowledge.
Spoiler
I think the Andrews are particularly clever here when they make Kate an almost mirror image of her aunt. It lends credulity to Kate living through the inevitable showdown with Roland--yes, Kate is infinitely less experienced, but as Erra said, "Blood ran true," and Kate has proven on numerous occasions that she is adaptable and quick on her feet.Seriously fantastic villain and history lesson aside, there are a multitude of other reasons to love this book. Most of those reasons can be boiled down to Kate being Kate and Curran being Curran. It's not a spoiler to tell you that Curran doesn't show for the naked dinner, b/c it's the very first thing that happens in this book. Now imagine all the various ways that could play out, and you start to get an idea of the epic awesomeness of this book.
Spoiler
There is nothing better than an affectionate Curran . . . except for maybe a throwing-you-on-the-floor-to-have-his-way-with-you Curran. But hey, LUCKY you, you don't have to decide, you get them BOTH. Oh yeaaah.My other reviews for this series:
A Questionable Client (Kate Daniels, #0.5)
Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, #1)
Magic Burns (Kate Daniels, #2)
Magic Strikes (Kate Daniels, #3)
Magic Mourns (Kate Daniels, #3.5)
Magic Dreams (Kate Daniels, #4.5)
Magic Slays (Kate Daniels, #5)
Magic Tests (Kate Daniels, #5.3)
Magic Gifts (Kate Daniels, #5.4)
Gunmetal Magic (Kate Daniels, #5.5)
Retribution Clause (Kate Daniels, #5.6)
An Ill-Advised Rescue (Kate Daniels, #5.8)
Magic Rises (Kate Daniels, #6)
Magic Steals (Kate Daniels, #6.5)
Magic Breaks (Kate Daniels, #7)
Magic Shifts (Kate Daniels, #8)
Magic Stars (Kate Daniels, #8.5, Grey Wolf, #1)
Magic Binds (Kate Daniels, #9)
Iron and Magic (Kate Daniels, #9.5)
Magic Triumphs (Kate Daniels, #10)
Curran POV Collection