Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews
Magic Slays has a poignancy and genuine darkness that was a change from the preceding books in the series. Unfortunately,it also has some problems, for instance the complete ignoring of everything that happened in Magic Dreams. That being said, Kate shows vulnerabilities and weaknesses that made her a far more believable character. The villain was of a sort I had been waiting to see since the main construct of the series was introduced. The tension between Kate & Curran was more believable than in the past. Overall, perhaps less enjoyable because of the afore-mentioned darkness, but a better book. 4 stars just for that.
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Tag Archives: down south
Review: Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews (Kate Daniels #5)
Review: Magic Dreams by Ilona Andrews (Kate Daniels #4.5)
This is a review of Magic Dreams, #4.5 of the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. Unfortunately, there is not a standalone version, hence the review of this anthology.
Magic Dreams was sad. I like Dali’s character and it turns out her life is more sad than I thought. The villain was the saddest I have seen in this series to date. Even Jim was sad, although that could have had something to do with, well, spoilers. Anyway, sad. I enjoyed it overall and was quite angry that it was in no way acknowledged in the fifth book. Also sad. It’s all sad.
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Review: Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews (Kate Daniels #4)
Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews
I remember really enjoying Magic Bleeds when I first read it. A month later, I had to work hard to remember what happened during the first 2/3 of the book and why I liked it so much. I suppose that might sum up my feelings on the book best. It started out very exciting, became repetitive, then had a badass ending. One thing that I did appreciate very much was the change in Kate’s relationship with the Order. Her relationship with the chief villain was also well done. Unfortunately, this book has proven too forgettable for the 3.5 I would like to have given it. Still glad I read it.
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Review: Magic Mourns by Ilona Andrews (Kate Daniels #3.5)
Magic Mourns by Ilona Andrews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Magic Mourns is probably my favorite of the Kate Daniels novellas. Andrea Nash is not a character to whom I paid much attention prior to this read. In addition to watching her try to come to grips with some stuff in her life, we also see her chasing down Cerberus. With the assistance of Raphael the sexy werehyena and Thanatos, Angel of Death, who happens to be a guy living in a trailer park named Teddy. How could that not be awesome?
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Review: Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews (Kate Daniels #3)
Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews
Magic Strikes is my favorite of the Kate Daniels novels to date. I chalk this up to really liking Derek’s and Dali’s characters. Derek in particular gained more dimension in this installment. Dali was really funny, while also plucky. At risk of spoilers, all I am going to say is that there are gladiator games and Kate & Curran end up on opposing sides of an issue in a much more concrete way than they have before. Simon also receives an interesting treatment. Overall, I enjoyed this read quite a bit.
Review: Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews (Kate Daniels #2)
If anything, I enjoyed Magic Burns more than Magic Bites. As I was told it would be, it was clarified that Curran is a lion, so I was glad of that, but obviously that was not all. Kate developed a little bit more dimension than in the first book, and overall I found the plot more compelling. Some of my favorite supporting characters of the series appeared. There was an epic battle. There was also an annoying child, but you can’t have everything. Overall, a solid book that led to me reading the remainder of the series in less than a week.
Review: Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews (Kate Daniels #1)
A friend highly recommended this, so another friend & I decided to buddy read it. I have to say, I enjoyed it, although there were definite flaws, hence the 3.5 rating. To get them out of the way first, the flaws: too much talk about badassery at the beginning of the book but not enough actual ass kicking and far, far too much talk about her braid and lack of beauty. I don’t care what she looks like, damn it. *sigh* Losing argument, I know. As for the things I enjoyed: the fact that she seemed to slightly change her mind about some other people but not drastically, the fact that she’s not even remotely invincible, and the fact that she fucked up the relationship with the doctor rather than it being revealed that he’s just drastically inferior to Curran, speaking of whom, does not sound like a lion in the books so why is he a lion on the covers?
If you even remotely like urban fantasy with female leads, give this a shot. It’s neither steampunk nor a romance.
Lists: Best Books Read in 2011 – # 2
Best Books Read in 2011
2. The Christ-Haunted Landscape: Faith and Doubt in Southern Fiction by Susan Ketchin
The Christ-Haunted Landscape takes its name from a quote by Flannery O’Connor: “I think it is safe to say that while the South is hardly Christ-centered, it is most certainly Christ-haunted.” Having grown up in the South, this rang true. Rarely do I spend so much time thinking about a book while reading it or take 5 months to do so. Comprised of interviews with and excerpts from the works of 12 authors, this book reminded me of where I am from. I recommend it to anyone interested in writing or in the interaction between beliefs and reality.
3. Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson
4. The Forever War by Dexter Filkins
5. Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
6. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
7. The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler
8. Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
9. A Great & Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
10. The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett
Review: The Kill Sign by Marvin Shackelford
Armchair / Shotgun No 2 by Marvin Shackelford
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
“The Kill Sign” by Marvin Shackelford is excellent in a way that is somewhat uncomfortable to read. It’s gritty, which is overused as a descriptor, but I am going to leave it here. It has that dark sort of griminess the South and any other rural, neglected area filled with neglected people has. The kind where you see it or read about it and it strikes you as reality on some deep level, but you don’t want to feel like you’re a part of it. The kind of place where incredible beauty or incredible ugliness can erupt from nowhere. The uncomfortable comes from realizing how like this sort of desperate broken person we all are on some level. Kind of a reminder of something largely forgotten which is also uncomfortable to admit. This and his other stories remind me of what the South is really like outside of the cities.
Disclaimer: Marvin Shackelford has been one of my closest friends for nigh 15 years. I don’t give the rating or review for that reason, but seemed like something I should mention.