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A review by jess_78
Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews
4.0
Review posted: Happily Ever After - Reads
This book had my heart breaking for Andrea on page one. I knew I was in for an emotional ride with this heroine. Andrea has been a presence in this series as Kate’s best friend, and we’ve gotten bits and pieces of her story as the series has progressed. But to hear the details of Andrea’s childhood, being abused, beaten, tortured by members of her own pack because she’s a beastkin did a number on her (and me) as she still relives portions of her past that keep her up at night. It’s certainly shaped her into the woman she is today. So much so, that her loyalty to her previous employer, the Order, ruined her relationship with the man she loves, Raphael. She chose the Order over him and his clan and they still haven’t been able to mend the broken pieces of their relationship. The story opens with four murders at one of Raphael’s job sites and Andrea is put on the case.
Gunmetal Magic is Andrea’s show – we get an up close and personal look at what makes her tick, what drives her and just how big a heart she really has. She’s devastated that things with Raphael haven’t been cleared up and they still find ways to hurt each other early on when their paths cross as Andrea starts tracking clues to who murdered the four people. There’s a lot of detail surrounding the murders and how they relate to ancient artifacts, history, Gods and a resurrection that Andrea and her friends have to try and find a way to stop. I found some parts of this plot to be a bit confusing, keeping track of who’s who, and what everyone wants, it’s certainly a book that had me taking my time trying to keep everything straight. One thing is always certain in this series, there’s a lot of humor, the fighting is fierce and there are usually injuries. Andrea suffers her share along with Raphael, Roman (a man who Kate has called “the dark wizard”) and Kate. Needless to say, Doolittle was busy patching people up in this one.
Above all the fighting and searching for the killer(s), was Andrea and her journey. I loved seeing all the different sides to her. We get to see her as best friend to Kate, a sort of mentor to Ascanio, a little flirty with Roman and most important, together with Raphael and finding her place with Aunt B and her clan. Andrea has fought against what she is for so long, she finally embraces her beastkin side and stops denying who she is. I liked seeing her a bit vulnerable and really understanding how hard it’s been for her to be apart from Raphael, who she knows deep down is her mate. As is the case with most relationships in this series, Andrea and Raphael have some crazy mating ritual. It’s so amusing and puts a smile on my face to see Andrea and Raphael do insane things to each other all in the name of love. Even though we have to go through some relationship angst at the start, I just kept counting down until that time when they both finally get their act together.
This was an overall nice read, the murder plot ended up taking a back seat to the character interactions for me. I found myself loving the scenes that Andrea had with all the players and especially found myself drawn to Roman. I love this guy. He’s snarky, playful and I definitely want more from him in the future. I started the story feeling so horribly for Andrea and ended up loving the place and life she found for herself.
This book had my heart breaking for Andrea on page one. I knew I was in for an emotional ride with this heroine. Andrea has been a presence in this series as Kate’s best friend, and we’ve gotten bits and pieces of her story as the series has progressed. But to hear the details of Andrea’s childhood, being abused, beaten, tortured by members of her own pack because she’s a beastkin did a number on her (and me) as she still relives portions of her past that keep her up at night. It’s certainly shaped her into the woman she is today. So much so, that her loyalty to her previous employer, the Order, ruined her relationship with the man she loves, Raphael. She chose the Order over him and his clan and they still haven’t been able to mend the broken pieces of their relationship. The story opens with four murders at one of Raphael’s job sites and Andrea is put on the case.
Gunmetal Magic is Andrea’s show – we get an up close and personal look at what makes her tick, what drives her and just how big a heart she really has. She’s devastated that things with Raphael haven’t been cleared up and they still find ways to hurt each other early on when their paths cross as Andrea starts tracking clues to who murdered the four people. There’s a lot of detail surrounding the murders and how they relate to ancient artifacts, history, Gods and a resurrection that Andrea and her friends have to try and find a way to stop. I found some parts of this plot to be a bit confusing, keeping track of who’s who, and what everyone wants, it’s certainly a book that had me taking my time trying to keep everything straight. One thing is always certain in this series, there’s a lot of humor, the fighting is fierce and there are usually injuries. Andrea suffers her share along with Raphael, Roman (a man who Kate has called “the dark wizard”) and Kate. Needless to say, Doolittle was busy patching people up in this one.
Above all the fighting and searching for the killer(s), was Andrea and her journey. I loved seeing all the different sides to her. We get to see her as best friend to Kate, a sort of mentor to Ascanio, a little flirty with Roman and most important, together with Raphael and finding her place with Aunt B and her clan. Andrea has fought against what she is for so long, she finally embraces her beastkin side and stops denying who she is. I liked seeing her a bit vulnerable and really understanding how hard it’s been for her to be apart from Raphael, who she knows deep down is her mate. As is the case with most relationships in this series, Andrea and Raphael have some crazy mating ritual. It’s so amusing and puts a smile on my face to see Andrea and Raphael do insane things to each other all in the name of love. Even though we have to go through some relationship angst at the start, I just kept counting down until that time when they both finally get their act together.
This was an overall nice read, the murder plot ended up taking a back seat to the character interactions for me. I found myself loving the scenes that Andrea had with all the players and especially found myself drawn to Roman. I love this guy. He’s snarky, playful and I definitely want more from him in the future. I started the story feeling so horribly for Andrea and ended up loving the place and life she found for herself.