Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Review: Magic Bleeds (Kate Daniels #4)

"Atlanta would be a nice place to live, if it weren’t for the magic. When the magic is up, rogue mages cast their spells and monsters appear, while guns refuse to fire and cars fail to start. But then technology returns, and the magic recedes as unpredictably as it rose."

Magic Bleeds, by Ilona Andrews, is the fourth novel in the Kate Daniels series. It takes place in futuristic Atlanta where magic has overtaken technology. Supernatural beings and experienced mages roam the land. When the magic is up, guns refuse to start and cars fail to start. The process repeats itself unpredictably. Thus, society has had to readjust infrastructure and protocols according to the new times.

Kate Daniels works for the Order of the Knights of Merciful Aid, officially as a liaison with the mercenary guild. She also cleans up the paranormal problems no one else wants to handle—especially if they involve Atlanta’s shape-shifting community. When she receives an order to investigate a fight at the Steel Horse, a bar midway between the territories of the shape-shifters and the necromancers, Kate quickly discovers something powerful has entered Atlanta. Worse, this foe is related to her notorious father, whose powerful magic created the first vampire thousands of years ago.

This battle may be too much for Kate and Curran, the Lord of the Beasts. Panic spreads throughout Atlanta when mysterious deaths and diseases appear in sequences. With Kate trying to keep her special blood a secret, she may have no choice but to take on family.

[Warning: this section contains spoilers] Andrews never ceases to amaze me with her vivid storytelling skills in the world of Kate Daniels. I believe this was the climax of the series -- will Kate stay with the Order (whose policies she always had doubts), or switch sides to the Pack (while not entirely open to non-shape-shifter members, she does have much support and clout in the community)? I think she made the best decision (the Pack) given her extreme circumstances. She met her greatest foe (her aunt, Roland's sister) and learned a lot about her family background.

Kate also found love in Curran, the Beast Lord. Together, they've been through the best and worst of times. Although Kate didn't want to admit it, she truly desired companionship with him. She always used her occupation as a mercenary for the Order as an excuse to avoid hurting other people and keep her family blood a secret. Curran and Kate work well together as couple, and I look forward to their romantic moments. His strong desire to rescue Kate and stay by her side sealed the deal.

Stay tuned for the next novel in the Kate Daniels series, Magic Slays
.

1 comment:

mobb said...

love this series.:)