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.
Tag Archives: fantasy
Review: Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews (Kate Daniels #3)
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: Worst Books Read in 2011 – # 8
Worst Books Read in 2011
8. The Black Company by Glen Cook
As I suspected at the time, The Black Company proved utterly forgettable. I also hated the naming convention and it felt like I was reading an idea for a book rather than the book itself.
Also, the big, bad wizard people had flying carpets. Seriously. Shame on you, Glen Cook. Shame on you.
9. A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
10. The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale
Lists: Best Books Read in 2011 – # 9
Best Books Read in 2011
9. A Great & Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
A Great & Terrible Beauty earned its place on this list by showing me that young adult paranormal fantasy can be enjoyable. I remain surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It’s genuinely good. Unfortunately, the second is kind of awful, but the third is also great.
Lists: Best Books Read in 2011 – # 10
Best Books Read in 2011
10. The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett
In this case, The Color of Magic stands in for the Discworld series as a whole. For Christmas last year, my boyfriend gave me the first two and I was hooked. The series is not as consistently good, but I have enjoyed the majority of the books I have read to date. It also has the benefit of each book being able to stand alone or mixed & matched by its dominant characters.
Review: Heartless
Heartless by Gail Carriger
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Oh, goodreads, why do you let a few people keep the rest of us from having half stars. By rights, Heartless should get 3.5/5 or 6/10 stars. As it is, because I like the series & goodreads is lame, I’m giving it 4. In this latest addition, we see a lot more of the same. The primary plot is nowhere near as interesting as some of the things we learn about our primary and supporting characters. Some of them have pasts much deeper and more complicated than we previously knew. We also learn more about Alexia’s father. Naturally, these are the tamer aspects, but, you know…spoilers! Regardless of the ways this book went flat, I definitely am looking forward to the release in March of the next in the series.
Review: Blameless
Blameless by Gail Carriger
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
I don’t know quite how I would explain why I love Gail Carriger‘s Parasol Protectorate series so much, but I really do. While not so good as the others, Blameless has that same mixture of wit and “d’aww” reaction that I enjoyed in the previous books. As always, Alexia is involved in crazy adventures and Conall rages about wildly. Well, that isn’t all, but it does take up a fair amount. Basically, I continue to recommend these books to those who like Regency romances, even though these are set in Victorian times, as well as those who like light urban fantasy. There’s a little something for everyone here. For me, it’s on to Heartless! (Oh yes, ladybugs and pesto both play major roles in this. What’s not to love?)
Review: Changeless
Changeless by Gail Carriger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
While not quite as good as Soulless, Changeless was a delightful read and exactly what I needed to cleanse my brain after reading American Psycho. Gail Carriger writes good, funny yarns. There is a definite amount of repetition, but it can be forgiven. I can’t bring myself to say that her stories and characters are original, but there is a certain freshness to her stories. Perhaps it is the way her points of view are written or the very, very mild inclusion of a few steampunk elements. Regardless, I look forward to continuing the series. I mean, how often are Victorian romances & fantasy mixed without being tedious? Not often enough, I say.
Review: Soulless
Soulless by Gail Carriger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book brings together so many things I love: kickass female heroines who don’t dress like they belong in a film mockery of an S&M video, food, vampires and other such magical types, love, dirty scenes, and the London Season. Didn’t see that last one coming, did you? Well, it’s true. Gail Carriger manages to fit all these things into Soulless, a book that is more funny than sincere, more romance than steampunk, and less creepy than you might think when you realize what the main couple has to overcome. Basically, I recommend it, despite being skeptical when I picked it up. It’s fun in so many ways.