Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, #1) in Fallen Into Tijan Books

Nov 23, 2013 JadeShea rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, 4stars-good, favorite-books, paperback-hardcover-owned, urban-fantasy, kickass-heroine, favorite-heroine, favorite-hero, favorite-couple, favorite-author

Magic Bites begins when mercenary Kate Daniels handler is killed. Now she is determined to figure out who the killer is. Even if it means facing down the Beast Lord, and that of the People. She has a long way to go but she also has the skill to do it.

This book was good. I over all enjoyed it, and I look forward to more in this series. The book kept me interested through out the whole thing, and I was constantly wondering what was going to happen next. The only problem I had with the book was so ...more

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Nov 16, 2018 Jamie rated it really liked it

Shelves: paranormal, 2018-read, witchy-magic, vampires, weres-shifters, urban-fantasy, 4-stars, police-swat-sheriff-pi-mercenary, paranormal-mystery-thriller, author-ilona-andrews

Ilona Andrews is a new-to-me author, and Kate Daniels is my first series by her. A close friend has recommended the series several times, and I’m unsure why it took me so long to follow her advice.

Summary:
The world is a place where magic and technology have battled, but neither have won. Instead, they are both entwined in a wicked dance, rising and falling, first one, then the other. When one will hit while the other recedes is hard to say, but one fact is known. Paranormal problems are sure to Ilona Andrews is a new-to-me author, and Kate Daniels is my first series by her. A close friend has recommended the series several times, and I’m unsure why it took me so long to follow her advice.

Summary:
The world is a place where magic and technology have battled, but neither have won. Instead, they are both entwined in a wicked dance, rising and falling, first one, then the other. When one will hit while the other recedes is hard to say, but one fact is known. Paranormal problems are sure to be left in their wake. That’s where Kate Daniels comes in. Kate is a down-on-her-luck mercenary, and she makes her living cleaning up the aforementioned magical problems. She’s good at her job, choosing to live outside the city guarantees she doesn’t see a lot of action. She makes do. When Kate learns her guardian has been murdered, her job takes a backseat to finding justice. Justice doesn’t come easily, though. Not only is Kate required to stay in the city she abhors, but to get the answers she needs, she’s forced into an association with an institution she’s already ran from. To make matter worse, Kate gets stuck in the middle of a power struggle between two of the strong magical factions within Atlanta. The Masters of the Dead use necromantic magic to control vampires, and the Pack consist of a variety of shapechangers with paramilitary training. When Kate realizes the rash of bizarre killings and the death of her guardian may be connected to the problems between the factions, she also realizes she may be in over head. With pressure from both sides, can Kate solve the mystery and reveal who’s behind it before more lives are lost, including her own?

I read the short prequel novella to the Kate Daniels series before reading Magic Bites. I’m really glad I did. While the prequel didn’t explain much of Kate’s world beyond the immediate situation, it did preview the writing style and Kate’s personality. Kate’s world is beyond complex. I guess it could be termed as post-apocalyptic, but unlike any other post-apocalyptic world I’ve read or heard of. In this situation, Magic and Tech, in turn, cover the world in waves, some stronger than others, but always fighting for supremacy. There are a lot of things to consider and absorb, so getting the introduction the prequel provided helped ease the slide into this new world. Kate was a great heroine. She was confident, but not overly so, smart, knowledgeable about a variety of things, and a total badass. I loved that she named her sword Slayer. Despite feeling fear, I liked that she didn’t panic and tried to remain as stoic as possible. Obviously, Kate has magic, but she uses it at little as possible which only makes you want to know why. She lays low and doesn’t release a lot of information, so her origins are a bit of a mystery. We’ll have to read on for answers to be revealed. Kate is a loner, but she still has to interact with others to get the job done. I liked Jim and Saiman. I also liked Corwin, Derek, and Mahon. From other reviews, it seems Curran will be Kate’s love interest, and I just can’t get behind that yet. I didn’t like him much. He was rude, arrogant, and didn’t put a lot of stock in what Kate said. I think she deserves better. That said, I did begin to like him when reading his short POV’s, but he has a lot of work to do in my eyes. Overall, after a bit of a rocky start, this turned out to be the start of a great series. The storyline was interesting and action-packed. I liked that it felt we were investigating right alongside Kate. The twists and turns weren’t completely out of nowhere, but also not obvious. It was very well written which can sometimes be hard when there is a writing team. I’m eager to get to know Kate more, and follow her on her future adventures, as well as learn some of her secrets. I also purchased the special edition of Magic Bites and would recommend it for those new to the series. It gives a quick rundown of a few key characters, explains some of the equipment, and gives details of the different factions that aren’t really explained in the book. It really helped with my understanding which made reading a lot easier. ♡ ...more

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