Magic Bites

Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews 260 pages

Reviewed by Rae C.

I put this book down twice, but only because I absolutely had to! I’m not starting the second book until I have 4 hours of uninterrupted free time.  The heroine, Kate Daniels, lives in a world where our current technological age has been overtaken by magic and supernatural forces.   There are vampires, shapeshifters, necromancers, deities, and ordinary mortals.  When magical energies flood the atmosphere, technology functions badly or not at all, to the point of sometimes collapsing whole buildings.  During supernatural fluctuations, electrical power can go out, and Fey lights come up, and people (supernatural or otherwise) ride horses or use magical vehicles instead of cars.

Kate is special.  Throughout the book we get hints at the origin of her specialness, but we never learn exactly what she is. She’s strong, able to withstand a lot of pain, but she is neither shapeshifter or vampire, and she stays away from supernatural law enforcement agencies like the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid, even though she could have a guaranteed job with them.  She instead chooses to be a Mercenary, until her Guardian is killed by a new kind of monster, unfamiliar even among the supernatural communities.  The People, the vampire organization, and The Pack, the shapeshifter organization, both suspect each other, but neither side wants a war.  Since Kate’s Guardian was a member of the Order, she works with all three groups to solve the murder.

The first couple of chapters has a lot of descriptions and set up for the series, but I didn’t find it slow or dull, although the person that suggested it to me did.  I did find the gore and machismo and action/fighting scenes over done, and written for male readers (probably by the husband in the husband and wife team), and I personally felt like much of it could have been edited without the story suffering.

I appreciated that it was “romance” (paranormal or otherwise) written for women that are mature, satisfied adults that don’t need every chapter to have sex in it.  There’s a lot of hot and juicy bits, but this is not a bodice ripper or panacea for the uninitiated or unfulfilled.

Kate Daniels is a strong, self-contained woman that can take a man if he’s worthy, and leave him if he’s not.  But she's also a tough outsider, a longer by necessity, and a cynic when it comes to men.  I don’t want to give any spoilers, but that is why the situation with Dr. Crest was so bittersweet and achingly emotionally honest.

The story is well-plotted and suspenseful, and only sometimes predictable, and even then, the world Daniels’ inhabits has surprises for the reader.  I loved that the authors did thorough research on esoteric and ceremonial magick, and appreciated the references to obscure mythologies and demons. 

A great book for strong women, looking for adventure in an alternate paranormal world, with a little romance in the mix.  I think fans of Harry Dresden, The Invisible Library, and/or the tv show Buffy the Vampire Slayer would enjoy this book.