I realized there was something missing in my life since 2007, nothing too dramatic… just… slightly off, a feeling of knowing an answer to a question never asked or forgetting an appointment that never gets put in my calendar – then – finally – lightening strikes – an author I adore mentions Ilona Andrews – interest piqued – I look her up even though my reading load is already astronomical – I check out the Kate Daniels series – Magic Bites, the first book in the series, released in 2007 – mystery solved. I downloaded. I read. Instant #ilonafan (need a t-shirt…). My youngest child just moved out to attend college… you know what means?… I’m an empty-nester with a sixteen book series (including novellas) to wallow in – ALL. BY. MYSELF. Have the past eleven years been kind of difficult without Kate in it? Sure… but I have her now💞
*Note 1 – I recognize I am probably the only person on the planet that is just starting this journey – but just in case💙
As my eleven-year-old sleuthing gig finds closure, on to the review. [… I am three-quarters through the second book already #WhyThisReviewIsNotDone] Kate Daniels lands at 8.5 on the Richter scale – horrifically destructive to personal plans, work obligations, cooking, cleaning, laundry, cleanliness (no… hygiene should never take a back seat), and reading the gigantic stack of books on my desk… There are some books with the world as we know it but magical editions, completely new worlds, some altered worlds with fantastic creatures and suped-up humans – there are some books that take hundreds of pages to understand the layout, who the principal players are and lock in a mental picture of the landscape – Kate Daniels is old and new, rule-bending mercs and the law-abiding Order, razor-edged shifters, turtle dwelling witches and corpse ugly vampires – and you get all this without the need of an Encyclopedia Britannica! Whatever Ilona Andrews uses in her ink (…I’m not suggesting mind-altering magic font or anything…) allows her readers to fully immerse – at the speed of light – you are there. #ColorMeImpressed
*Note 2 – Character development – nothing is missing – from what drives them, their fears, insecurities, their strengths and magic abilities, all the way to the color of the bow on Kate’s undergarments – from an intense stare that means a thousand different things to a drumstick that made my mouth go KFC ready but that Kate never got to taste (the agony!).
Conclusion – Kate is a one-woman tsunami (… so many mysteries still yet to unearth) and though she tries to stand alone in most fights, she has queued up quite a nice lineup of heavy-hitting friends. Yes, Kate is the main but this author has made each character so intrinsic to the overall story that the reader will never mind the focus going elsewhere.
*Note 3 – Vampires in this series are NOT dream worthy. I repeat, disregard all preconceived Twilight fantasies…
I hope you enjoyed this first foray into Kate Daniel’s World! If you would like to receive an email when I post new reviews, Subscribe Now! If you would like to order Magic Bites, I have placed the Amazon.com link below. Thank you for visiting and come again!
