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| US Cover |
When the magic is up, rogue mages cast their spells and monsters appear while guns fail to fire and cars refuse to start. But then technology returns and the magic fades as unpredictably as it arose, leaving all kinds of paranormal problems in its wake.
Kate Daniels is a down-on-her-luck mercenary who makes a living cleaning up those magical problems. But when Kate's guardian is murdered, her quest for justice draws her into a power struggle between two strong factions within Atlanta's magic circles.
The Masters of the Dead, necromancers who can control vampires, and the Pack, a paramilitary clan of shape-changers, blame each other for a series of bizarre killings - and the death of Kate's guardian may be part of the same mystery. As Kate's pressured by both sides to find the killer, she realises she's way out of her league - but she wouldn't have it any other way.
The Kate Daniels Series:
A Questionable Client (Short Story in the Magic Graves anthology)
Magic Bites
Magic Burns
Magic Strikes
Magic Mourns (Novella included in the Must Love Hellhounds anthology or available separately as an ebook)
Magic Bleeds
Magic Dreams (Novella included in the Hexed anthology or available separately as an ebook)
Magic Slays
Magic Tests (Short Story included in the An Apple for the Creature anthology)
Magic Gifts (Novella available for a limited time as a free ebook from the authors and included in the print version of Gunmetal Magic)
Gunmetal Magic (Kate Daniel's World book 1)
Retribution Clause (Short Story in the Hex Appeal anthology)
Small Magics (Anthology containing previously published stories including A Questionable Client, Magic Tests and Retribution Clause as well as 2 other stories not set in the Kate Daniels world)
Magic Rises
Magic Steals (Novella included in the Night Shift anthology)
Magic Breaks
Magic Shifts
Magic Stars (Novella, Grey Wolf book 1)
Magic Binds
Iron and Magic (The Iron Covenant book 1)
Magic Triumphs
Visit Ilona Andrews' website for more information
Review:
In Magic Bites we are introduced to an interesting new world where magic and technology can't coexist. When the magic is high electronics everywhere start to fail and with the magic levels constantly fluctuating it is impossible to rely on technology to keep you safe. We are also treated to an unusual form of vampires - these aren't your sexy vamps that appear frequently in urban fantasy but are instead evil beings who are constantly in a state of blood lust and are only able to function under the control of a necromancer. They certainly make lethal pets and I have to admit the necromancers are almost as scary!
Main character Kate Daniels is a loner, she has a few trusted colleagues but doesn't make friends easily and prefers to do things her own way. As a magic user she could choose to work for the Order of Knights, an organisation that offers aid to people with magical problems, but not one to stick to the rules she is happier as a mercenary drifting from job to job. When her guardian is murdered she is determined to track down his killer but with clues pointing to both the necromancers and the pack (shape shifters of all kinds) she doesn't know where to start. It looks like she may have to turn to the Order of Knights for assistance if she wants to figure things out. With disappearances amongst both the pack and the necromancers each are blaming the other and look to be on the verge of war. Kate must discover who is to blame before humans get caught in the crossfire.
Like any first book in a series there is a lot of time spent setting the scene and introducing us to the world which meant the first part of the book is a little on the slow side but the action really picks up towards the end and made for a thoroughly enjoyable read. I liked Kate but I was particularly intrigued by Curran, the leader of the pack. I've heard a lot of good things about Curran and although we don't know a lot about him at the moment I have high hopes for future books. There is definitely chemistry between him & Kate but I liked the fact that this wasn't over done in the first instalment and gives us something to look forward to as the series progresses. Magic Bites is a promising start to a series and I'm looking forward to reading more, we have a lot more to discover about Kate and the world she lives in and I'm sure it will be an interesting journey!
Source: Purchased
Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.
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| UK Cover |
Hello
ReplyDeleteIs this a reprint. Sure I read this book a while ago - but it had a girl on the front cover with a lion in the background. Sounds very similar. Could be wrong.
Good review though.
Thanks
Lynn
@ Lynn - I don't know if this is a reprint but it is the UK cover so perhaps that's why it's different to the one you read? I must get around to buying the next one in this series!
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