Magic Rises (Kate Daniels, #6) in Audiobook Junkies

May 19, 2013 Melindeeloo rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy-romance, reread, 2025-audio

I really enjoyed revisiting this in Graphic Audio. I love this series and it is even better when brought to life by a full vocal cast. Highly recommended. FYI - and maybe it's due to the fact that it's been a while since I read the series - but the recap that I found a bit info-dumpy in print didn't strike me that way this time in audio.

Review from first read
Magic Rises takes us on another great journey to the Kate Daniel’s universe where magic randomly overcomes technology and mythical creatur I really enjoyed revisiting this in Graphic Audio. I love this series and it is even better when brought to life by a full vocal cast. Highly recommended. FYI - and maybe it's due to the fact that it's been a while since I read the series - but the recap that I found a bit info-dumpy in print didn't strike me that way this time in audio.

Review from first read
Magic Rises takes us on another great journey to the Kate Daniel’s universe where magic randomly overcomes technology and mythical creatures again walk the Earth. This time that journey is a literal one as Kate and Curran and an entourage of trusted pack members head to Europe to guard a pregnant wolf-shifter.

Saying that Curran’s last visit with the European packs did not go well is a gross understatement, but with the nearly impossible to obtain ‘panacea’ - the only cure for shifter children who have ‘gone loup’ - offered as payment for keeping shifter Desandra alive until the birth of her twins, Kate and Curran deliver themselves into what they know is a trap on the slim chance that they can actually walk away with the bait. While all of the political landmines of dealing with the three shifter factions that have a vested interest in the upcoming birth keep Kate and companions on their toes, it is the end result of the surprising encounter with the individual who baited the trap that pushes Kate to her limits and gives her a chance to stretch her magical muscles. I liked getting a glimpse of just what Kate might be capable of in the long run - wow. And just as interesting as seeing ‘who’ Kate could become, there is another player – who is far more than he initially seems - who opens up the whole world of the series to exciting new possibilities befitting the title.

Still, even with those glimpses of promise for Kate and the larger world, this series wouldn’t be anywhere near as entertaining if weren’t for all of the great characters surrounding Kate. As much as I love Kate and Curran together, it is Kate’s interactions with Barabas, Doc, Aunt B, Andrea, Raphael, Mahon, George, Saiman, and Derek that really bring Magic Rises to life. Plus, if Kate didn’t have all of those connections, she wouldn’t have as much to lose either. So when circumstances work to undermine the foundation of the new life she’s built for herself as Consort of the Pack, I could really empathize with her hurt and frustration. (view spoiler)

Since Magic Rises is book six in the series and a recap is needed to bring new readers up to speed, there is little bit of ‘info-dumpy-ness’ near the start of the book. This is just a minor nit - the Andrews are so good at weaving the story here that, even though I am generally not much of a re-reader, I spent the weekend with Kate and read Magic Rises twice back to back and I am still having a hard time leaving this world behind. It was just that good.

ARC received from the author but I also purchased my own nicely formatted copy for my keeper shelf. ...more

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Dec 16, 2014 ☕️Kimberly (Caffeinated Reviewer) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Caffeinated Dates with Magic Rising

First Date: Teens in the pack often have difficulty with change and end up going rapid. It is heartbreaking and no lie I was crying right along with Kate and the mothers. An opportunity to act as arbitrators for a European pack in exchange for a miracle drug has Kate and Curran traveling the high seas. Selecting who will go was serious but also hilarious and I loved all the political maneuvering.

“I tried to picture a female version of Jim and got Jim in a dress

Caffeinated Dates with Magic Rising

First Date: Teens in the pack often have difficulty with change and end up going rapid. It is heartbreaking and no lie I was crying right along with Kate and the mothers. An opportunity to act as arbitrators for a European pack in exchange for a miracle drug has Kate and Curran traveling the high seas. Selecting who will go was serious but also hilarious and I loved all the political maneuvering.

“I tried to picture a female version of Jim and got Jim in a dress instead. The image was disturbing.”

Second Date: We have not even debarked and some little hottie Mc-shifter has set her sights on Curran. Oh but lordy this is going to be fun and dangerous. Kate internal commentary is hilarious let us just hope she keeps her cool. Court politics, death threats, group hunts and a strange beast is going to make things interesting. Hugh D’Ambray is present and his verbal exchanges with Kate were a dance of hate, respect and connection.

"Outside the windows the day was bright: golden sunshine, blue sky, pleasant wind...I wanted to punch the happy day in the face, grab it by the hair, and beat it until it told me what the hell it was so happy about.”

Third date: Miscommunication, Angst and Heartbreak abound. With all that is happening and trying to fulfill their duties, poor Kate is beginning to doubt everything about her relationship with Curran. It is killing me, well not really. I am annoyed at the lummox and the angst. I personally would have killed the little minx and chewed her to bits. Were-beasts of every type imaginable and not imaginable make it on stage and we see battles, damage and even death. This last date was heinous and had me standing still while cleaning to take it all in. Lords above and below something Doolittle does nearly broke my heart. The book ended and then Andrews gave us a deleted scene addressing something that happens during the actual story that was not fully addressed. I was delighted and appreciative.

Bought it. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer ...more

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Sep 08, 2011 Carmel (Rabid Reads) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, favourites

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads

In the opening chapters when Aunt B, Saiman, Curran and Kate find themselves stuck on a boat in the middle of the ocean together I just knew that this installment was going to kick butt. Trapping these four in a confined space is a recipe for disaster but throw in a few pirate were-dolphins (yes, you read that right!) and you have yourself a boatload of action right out of the gate! This book has it all; from epic fight scenes, to heart-breaking loss, to one of the most m Reviewed by: Rabid Reads

In the opening chapters when Aunt B, Saiman, Curran and Kate find themselves stuck on a boat in the middle of the ocean together I just knew that this installment was going to kick butt. Trapping these four in a confined space is a recipe for disaster but throw in a few pirate were-dolphins (yes, you read that right!) and you have yourself a boatload of action right out of the gate! This book has it all; from epic fight scenes, to heart-breaking loss, to one of the most messed-up happily-ever-after-for-now's that I have ever read. Magic Rises proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that the Ilona Andrews author duo deserve to be crowned king and queen of Urban Fantasy.

Throughout this series Curran hasn't exactly been subtle about his dislike of all males who look at Kate the wrong way but up until this point we haven't seen much jealousy from Daniels. Meet Lorelei, the pack princess and all-around scheming brat; I think it's safe to say that green is definitely NOT Kate's colour! Unfortunately, Curran acts like a tool for the better part of this book and does absolutely nothing to reassure his mate so her feelings aren't entirely unjustified. There were points in this story where I wanted to rip the Beast Lord a new one for being such a dummy and at times it seemed like Andrews almost enjoyed stringing readers along for as long as she did. Thankfully, the authors more than make-up for their mind games by delivering one heck of a resolution, blood, fire and all!

In a lot of ways this novel felt like Kate's "coming out" party; she had no choice but to tell Julie about her past, a few other pack members overhear some tidbits along the way and then, Hugh d’Ambray shows up at the meeting in Europe. This series is known for its epic battle sequences but Magic Rises really ups the ante in that department. Andrews does a phenomenal job of writing detailed yet intense fight scenes. Kate's arch nemesis goads her into a duel and the result is jaw dropping. Both these characters were trained by Voron so watching them finally face-off was truly something to behold. The action is far from over though and this novel culminates in a battle that's worthy of legendary status.

There are a lot of interesting developments in this installment; Kate learns an important new skill that'll come in handy when she eventually clashes with her father and a pretty significant character dies. I'm still a little upset about that last one. Even Dolittle doesn't make it out of this one unscathed. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Hugh; learning about his past made him seem like less of a monster and his hidden agenda was... unexpected. He's the type of villain you just love to hate and I look forward to round 2 between him and Kate in a future installment. Daniels also adds a few new people to her merry band of misfits which is just one of the many reasons why I love her so.

I continue to be blown away by Renée Raudman's narration of this series; they couldn't have picked a better voice to bring Kate Daniel's story to life in audio. Magic Rises is off-the-charts awesome with plenty of heck yeah and oh shit thrown in for good measure. My only complaint is that the next book doesn't come out until August. AUGUST! ...more

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Oct 06, 2012 Jen (That's What I'm Talking About) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, audiobooks, kate-daniels-series, favorites, my-favorite-books, best-series-ever

Started #audio on July 4, 2014
Finished on July 9, 2014

Original Review from July 2013
My Rating: 5 stars: Personal favorite - a must read (A+)
Originally posted at That's What I'm Talking About
E-ARC provided by publisher for honest review

NOTE: The Magic Rises book also contains the short story "An Ill-Advised Rescue," which centers on the kidnapping and rescue of Saiman by Kate and Derek. The events in the story occur prior to the start of Magic Rises, and the authors recommends you read it first. ...more

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Jul 31, 2011 Linda (un)Conventional Bookworms rated it really liked it

Shelves: fave-author, romance, mythology, adult, i-own, kindle, fave-series, urban-fantasy, magic, strong-female-protgagonist

There were a lot of really amazing things going on in Magic Rises, but I really wish Kate would trust Curran (and vice versa) a little bit more.

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Oct 01, 2011 Melanie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: urban-fantasy, z-2013-audiobooks, z-2013, 5-stars, 5-star-narration, favorites

Listening to audiobook

Originally posted at Hotlistens.com.

This is one of my favorite Urban Fantasy series on the market today. Kate is a kick-ass heroine and Curran is an even more of a badass hero. In this book, we have Kate and Curran traveling out of Atlanta to the edges of the Black Sea to mediate between three packs over the birthing of a set of twins (each twin has a different father from a different pack). They bring a large group from the Atlanta Pack with them, including Derek, Andrea, Listening to audiobook

Originally posted at Hotlistens.com.

This is one of my favorite Urban Fantasy series on the market today. Kate is a kick-ass heroine and Curran is an even more of a badass hero. In this book, we have Kate and Curran traveling out of Atlanta to the edges of the Black Sea to mediate between three packs over the birthing of a set of twins (each twin has a different father from a different pack). They bring a large group from the Atlanta Pack with them, including Derek, Andrea, Raphael, Mahon, Doolittle and others who we just meet for the first time along with some other great favorites (I didn’t want to give even small spoilers here). Saiman is even brought along as the owner of the ship for travel (He is forced to do this as a favor he owes Kate. We learn how she earned this favor in a deleted scene at the end of the book). As payment, the Pack will receive over a year’s worth of supply of Panacea, an herbal/magical medicine that greatly reduces the risk of teenagers going loupe.

This book is a highly emotional rollercoaster. At the beginning, we see Julie’s best friend go loupe, where she is stuck halfway between man and beast. Both Julie’s reaction and the mother’s reactions are hard to read while keeping a dry eye. Curran has agreed to attend this meeting overseas to acquire a large supply of the medicine that can cure, not just Julie’s friend, but all the children in the pack.

When we arrive in this new land, there are a lot of surprises. There are some unexpected people in the gathering that different members of the Pack have known from their past (I know it’s vague, but I don’t want to give any spoilers). This doesn’t bode well for our little group. This also tests the loyalty of everyone to loved ones and the Pack itself. We see Kate in probably the most vulnerable position we have ever seen from her and she stands strong through it as only Kate can. This isn’t to say it wasn’t hard for her, just she fought her hardest to do what was required from her as the Consort to the Pack and the Beast Lord, without showing what was really going on inside her head. This is extremely hard for Kate, as she usually wears her emotions on her sleeve.

We also get to meet many new types of strange creatures in this new world. I’ve always loved how Ilona Andrews describes these new, never before seen types of creatures. They are always so descriptive and the way they are described always makes me laugh even as I’m terrified.

This book is one of the more emotional books I’ve read/listened to in a while. There are some areas where I was so upset either for someone or at someone. The ending is bittersweet to say the least. The narration was wonderful as well, which is to be expected since we have the wonderful Renee Raudman who has done all the Kate books up to this point. She does a great job portraying the anger and sadness that goes through Kate throughout the book. I saw that this book made the New York Times #1 bestseller for Mass Market Paperbacks and it is well deserved. This book has hit me harder than any other book in a long while. It will make you watery eyed in some places, make you laugh in others. You will also be cheering on Kate in some great fight scenes. I highly recommend it to all the Kate lovers out there. If you haven’t read this series, you need to start now. ...more

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Dec 30, 2011 Mariana Bezerra rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2018, read-in-2013, uf

I had ups and downs with this book, but the story was so amazing. I liked the different setting and the boat trip was so special, I had no idea about those different kinds of shifters, but Kate and Curran managed to kill them all.

The gang is all together because Curran was invited to work as a bodyguard, but of course Kate decided to went with him and after that the numbers only growed. Andrea and Raphael managed to get inside the group along with Aunt B. But for me the most different and surpri ...more

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Jun 05, 2011 Darcy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: re-read-2024, 2017, 2025, audio-book, uf, listened-to-at-work, shifters, magic, 2013, 2016

I was excited to download the audio book on release day, knew it would make my day at work a good one and not really work.

There was so much good about this one. I really liked seeing Kate and Curran settled in their relationship. It even seemed like they were listening to each other and comprising, the give and take often had me laughing. So you can imagine how upset I was when later in the book things weren't so good for them. I hated Curran for his actions, kept hoping, like others, that he h ...more

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Aug 08, 2013 Kathy Martin rated it it was amazing

MAGIC RISES was an excellent entry into the Kate Daniels series. It was filled with danger and adventure and really tested Kate and Curran's relationship. There are a variety of plot threads woven into this story. First of all, Julie's best friend Maddie is an danger of going loup. A fairly large percentage of were children go loup at adolescence and have to be killed. There is a cure but it is tightly controlled by the European weres who aren't into sharing.

When Kate and Curran are asked to act ...more

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Aug 14, 2013 Lupdilup rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

One of my top 10 listens of 2013 - Plain AWESOME!

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Jul 31, 2013 Marcela (BookaholicCat) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A great addition to a great series.

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Aug 20, 2011 Liza rated it it was amazing

I seriously love this series so much! Was pissed off at Curran through much of the book, even as I knew he had a reason for being an ass. Kate is still one of my favorite character ever!

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May 09, 2012 Tonyalee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, i-needs-it, 2014-read, adult, lol-funny, need-to-buy, 2017-read, read-more-than-once

Wow. I didn't release that I was "reading" this for about 2 months. >.<

I love this series. The World, Kate, Curran and the whole crew. This one was REALLY bad at parts too.

...more

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