Darkfever

First read: 3 stars (12/19/2013)

Second read: 4 stars (11/01/2015)

The Skinny:

Everything is idyllic in the life of Mac; she has her cute clothes, her pink nail polish, and most importantly, her family. That is, until the day she is notified of her sister’s murder. Armed with nothing but her own determination, Mac sets out to find her sister’s killer. What she ends up discovering is something that her wildest dreams could not have invented.

My Thoughts:

After finishing Darkfever the first time, I was left feeling extremely underwhelmed. It seemed that everyone…EVERYONE…loved the book. What was wrong with me? I remember thinking that Mac was silly and that Barrons was a complete ass. I just did not buy in to it all.

I’m happy to say, ladies and gentleman, that I enjoyed my second reading infinitely better. Mac while still frivolous, appeared less so!? Barrons, still an ass, yet also mysterious and intriguing!?

Beyond the fact that I found the characters infinitely more enjoyable this time around, I was also more caught up in the entire Fever world. The world that Moning creates is unique and exciting. Danger, in the form of various Unseelie Fae, is lurking around virtually every corner.

I also, kinda, sorta want more V’lane. He didn’t play a huge role in this book, but he certainly shook things up. What is his purpose? I need to know!

I experienced Darkfever very differently this time around, and I can say that I want more. I want to know where the Sinsar Dubh is. I want to know WHAT Barrons is. I want Mac to kick some more ass. I guess I’m greedy. Oh, well.

Overall:

I’m glad that I gave this series another shot, because my interest has been rekindled. I am hoping that book #2 follows suit and that my love affair will continue. Is it safe to say I have Fever “fever”? Only time will tell.

Magic Breaks

5/5 stars

All you have to do is say, “Hugh, Please.”

“Stick a thumb up your ass and twirl on it.”

The Skinny:
In this installment, Kate is back to her usual kick-assery and she is trying her damndest to protect the pact. The problem is this is getting harder and harder to do, especially when her all-powerful father is thrown into the mix.

Review time:
My love for this series seems to grow after each book I read. Much of this love can be attributed to Kate, who is one of the snarkiest, most badass characters I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. Also, each installment is rife with intense situations that made me want to speed read to the end.

This book was no different; Kate was present in all of her glory, and I was flipping pages fast enough to give me paper cuts. The thing is, I felt that the problems Kate and her companions were faced with in Magic Breaks were even more intense than in previous books. The whole scene involving Kate and Ghastek had me biting my fingernails. The part where Kate was (view spoiler)[ mourning her broken sword (hide spoiler)] practically had me in tears. Curran’s reunion with Kate squeezed my heart into a little ball. All of the Kate Daniel’s books have included their own heart-pounding moments, I just found them to be more intense in Magic Breaks.

As hinted at previously, Kate totally kicked some major ass in this book. The part where Kate had to save her friends totally showcases how awesome she is. I do not want to spoil anything, so I will stop my love-affair of this scene after a brief quote:

He wanted a demonstration of what I could do with the sword, and he must’ve known I couldn’t resist the bait. Very well. I would oblige.

And boyyyy does she oblige!

The end of Magic Breaks has me wondering what the heck is in store for Magic Shifts. Obviously things are not resolved with Roland and co., yet I don’t know exactly what is going to happen with that whole situation. Also, Kate and Curran are in a different sort of predicament now, so I’m wondering how that is going to play out?!

Side note: Guys, I can’t review this book without mentioning Cuddles. Cuddles is the resident fur-baby in Magic Breaks. Because Grendel was missing from the story, it seems that Ilona Andrews added a stand-in. All I can say is: I loved Cuddles.

Overall:
It seems as if many people didn’t like this book as much. The loudest reason was that Kate and others in the book were ‘not themselves.’ Maybe I just didn’t see the problems, but I thought this book was friggin awesome! Magic Breaks embodied everything that I can expect from a Kate Daniels novel, while also turning up the feels and intensity.

Magic Strikes

5/5

Book one: pretty frigging good

Book two: pretty frigging amazing

Book three:

Needless to say, I loved Magic Strikes. It has made the Kate Daniels series, unless Ilona Andrews royally fucked up in the books I haven’t read… (BAHA…inconceivable), one of my favorite Urban Fantasy series of all time. This may seem like a bold statement, seeing as I haven’t read the entire series and all, but it most definitely is not – these books are that awesome!

Magic Strikes has been my favorite book overall because of the equal mix of badassery, intrigue, and sexual tension. I bought a paper copy of this book and folded over 15 pages that contained quotes I liked. 15 pages.

Because I have nothing of real value to add that hasn’t already been said about this book, I will leave you with some quotes I particularly liked:

“His Majesty needs a can-I girl anyway. And I’m not it.”
“A can-I girl?”Andrea frowned.
I leaned back. “Can I fetch you your food, your Majesty? Can I tell you how strong and mighty you are, your Majesty? Can I pick out your fleas, your Majesty? Can I kiss your ass, Your Majesty? Can I…”
It dawned on me that Raphael was sitting very still. Frozen like a statue, his gaze fixed on the point above my head.
“He’s standing behind me, isn’t he?”

He strained to say something else. I leaned toward him. He focused on me. “Rape,” he promised. “Many, many times. Until you bleed…”
“I’m so flattered.”
He raised his hand and traced a short line over my chest. “Carve out your heart…won’t cook in in the fire…eat it raw…”
We weren’t getting anywhere.

He growled, closing his eyes. “What are you doing?”
“Pulling on death’s whiskers,” I murmured…

Go forth and read this series if you haven’t already. THE HYPE IS REAL!

Magic Bites, Ilona Andrews

4/5 Don’t-take-no-shit stars

The Skinny:

Kate, a mercenary that deals in all things paranormal, is shocked to learn that Greg, her guardian, has been killed. With memories of him in her mind, Kate sets off to find Greg’s killer. What she hasn’t bet on, is just how dangerous and tangled finding his killer will be.

The Review:

Just recently I finished reading The Edge series, also by Ilona Andrews. I really enjoyed those books because they were hella fun to read, but also well written; the magical system was unique, and the worlds of The Edge and The Broken were a cool element. These books were my first introduction to Ilona Andrews, and I was pleasantly surprised. I figured that the rest of their books would be pretty similar, so I was looking forward to reading more, particularly when I found out there was a superbly-amazing-awesome buddy read of Kate Daniels that was about to take place. Jumping on the band wagon, as I so often do, I began reading with a smidge of excitement.

My ‘smidge of excitement’ quickly blossomed into a fucking sparkly, flower of excitement.

Guys…what I’m about to say might shock and stun some of you…I liked this book MORE than any in The Edge series.

I can’t quite put my finger on why I liked this so much.

Could it be that I loved Kate’s snarky sense of humor?
I lost my patience forty-five minutes into our conversation and pretended to fall asleep.

Or maybe the total hottie that is Curran?
“She is here,” Curran said. “With me. Tonight, while you’re waiting for your corpse to get soft, think of me and her. Think of her begging me for it.”

No, wait. Possibly the awesome magic??
Magic could not be measured and explained in scientific terms, for magic grew through destroying the very natural principles that made science as people knew it possible.

Or maybe it was just everything together?
I loved how Kate didn’t really give a rat’s ass about most things, especially being unladylike. I liked how there was the tiniest hint of romance, but that it wasn’t all encompassing. I was engaged by many of the secondary characters, and I didn’t want their presence erased from the book (this is surprising because I sometimes find secondary characters to be a nuisance and want them to be gone).

Overall:

I’m happy I was able to start this series with some awesome buddy-readers. I felt that this book was one of the better paranormal books I have read. Really looking forward to book #2 (especially if it’s as awesome as book #1). Don’t disappoint me book #2!!!

Fate’s Edge

4/5 stars

This review is dedicated to all my IA loves :* The tangent: I have been reading The Edge series with a bunch of wonderful IA lovers. I did not review the first two books because real life was smacking me in the face. I decided to review the 3rd book for three main reasons: A) It has been my favorite of the series. B) oOSarahOo is being her normal annoying self (AKA amazing) C) Life stopped bitch slapping me in the face. (Thanks life!) By Sarah being her normal annoying self, I mean that she won’t get off my back about reviewing this. For the purpose of the following picture I am playing myself, and Sarah is playing the role of the frog. Oh, and Sarah… JK. You can have him. But, don’t touch William. The crappy review: There are several reasons why this book has been my favorite. 1) I feel more comfortable with the world of The Edge, The Weird, and The Broken. The first book took some adjusting time, and by the second book I was getting the hang of it. Now I feel like I’m a goddamn weird/broken/edge expert (that doesn’t sound good does it? I SWEAR I’m mentally stable). 2) I felt like this story had a more developed feel to it. It really seemed as if IA were in the zone with this one. I felt that the story line was complete, and that the tie-in of past characters was virtually seamless. Which, btw I really appreciate; I love revisiting the old characters, especially George and Jack. 3) The funny moments in the book were seriously funny!!! “How’s it hanging?” Jack asked. “How am I supposed to answer that?” George looked at him. “ I don’t think Kaldar said anything about that. I guess ‘good’? I don’t get it. What’s hanging anyway?” George shook his head. “Your stuff, you nimwit.” His stuff…Oh. Ha! “In that case, it’s hanging long!” 4) And the romance was both sweet and HOT. “I stole it because I am obsessed with you.” Emotion vibrated in his voice. “I wanted something of yours because that is all I could get.” When two people marry, they surrender a small part of themselves.” 5) I’m sure there is some reason I liked this book that I’m forgetting, so that should go in this spot. She flicked her fingers, hitting him lightly on the nose. “You’re so easy.” “No, just smitten.”