It's Monday......and boy have I missed a few

From one thing or another...I don't know - the temporary blues, laziness, mental exhaustion...who knows?  I don't.  I haven't been posting much about anything.  I used to regularly post the monday memes, AND the tuesday teaser posts, and then try to write one or two reviews a week.  Then I started slacking on the Tuesday Teasers, which actually are pretty fun.  I miss participating and I should really get back into it.  Then I really slowed down on the reviewing and now I find myself going three weeks without a monday post - I think it's been three weeks, anyway.  At least, I've posted a few reviews lately, though not nearly as many as I should.  Not for the reading I've been doing.  :)

I'm not going to promise, even to myself that I'll do better.  I don't know.  But we'll see.

But for now - it's another Monday coming up.  School has started for our district, which means I'm back to work, and both my grandchildren are attending the school I work at, which is great for me.  I love seeing them everyday.  Makes work just a little more fun.

hosted by Sheila of Book Journey - this is the weekly meme (that I've been missing) where we gather together to see what we've been reading and what others have been reading.  it's a good meme.

Let's see now- just what HAVE I read in the last few weeks...

finished reading:

Omens (Cainesville #1)

Kelley Armstrong

coming out August 20th (Tuesday!)

fantasy

H/B

(Very good book - loved it)

Magic Rises (Kate Daniels #6)

Ilona Andrews

Urban Fantasy

(The series, staying strong)

Frozen: Heart of Dread #1

Melissa De La Cruz & Michael Johnston

Y/A dystopian and SciFi/fantasy mix

coming out September 17, 2013

(pretty good read)

Priceless (Rylee Adamson #1)

Shannon Mayer

Urban Fantasy

(interesting concept)

Recently started/current reads

Velva Jean Learns to Drive by Jennifer Niven

Hammered by Kevin Hearne

In Fury Born by David Weber

The Honor of the Queen by David Weber

I'm focusing right now on Velva Jean Learns to Drive.  It's not my normal genre, but it's a good book.  Once in a while I have to read something totally different - especially after I've read a few kick ass novels in my favorite genres, which I've been able to do this summer.... and speaking of kick ass novels...

Sabaska's Tale is now out in print.  I enjoy the e-books, but there's nothing like holding a novel in your hand, so I am very happy that this one is now in print, because J.A. Campbell is one of my favorite authors - so of course, I want to hold those books!  :)

It's a fun fantasy read, about a girl, a horse and an adventure in which she teams up with Sabaska.  Sabaska is a horse that is more than a horse.  She can travel, as in Travel, between worlds, or dimensions.  There is going to be more books in this series, which is exciting because Campbell has set things up with room for plenty of stories, in plenty of worlds.....Looking forward to seeing what comes next for Sabaska and/or Anna.

Teaser Tuesday!

Some of my favorite writers are writing new and exciting things.

Ilona Andrews (the hubby/wife team) are is continuing the Kate Daniels series and starting a completely new series with Avon - one that doesn't fit any of the current genres... this is something I'm looking forward to.

J.A. Campbell - writer of The Clanless series (there is a third Clanless novel coming) and those fun Doc the Vampire Hunting Dog, is continuing the Dog trend by writing more about Doc's ancester, Brown.  Brown is the dog who helps her owner hunt ghosts...and therefore she is Brown, the Ghost Hunting dog; and there's a SciFi element coming soon to Brown's story.  I love SciFi.  I'm telling you, this woman can write.  She writes fantasy, urban fiction, urban dog fiction, historical dog fiction, young adult, steampunk, dragons, anything she puts her mind on, she can make a story out of it.  Watch out for whatever she comes up with next!  I'm anticipating .....

I'm excited about these upcoming new reads....

but in the meantime...

Tuesday Teaser is a weekly meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.  We read, We post a snippet, We tease.  

No spoilers

click on cover for excerpt

I've been reading Dead Things 

by Stephen Blackmoore

page 185

' "You've got this look on your face like a dog trying to figure out physics."

  "Just thinking. Looks different in the daytime." And when it's not on fire with a burning Toyota  jammed through the front. '

A little different, and interesting... I'm enjoying this so far.  :)

Tonight's LOL Catz are from the Cheezeburger site.  The only one I captioned is the one I used as the Teaser Tuesday badge...  but I wish that I had come up with the other Basement Cat captions, aren't they good?

It's Monday and getting closer to winter break - aka Christmas Vacation

Lately I haven't been reading a lot - but I did manage this week to finish a book - which I thought I was going to finish in two days.  It's been a busy week though, the week of one of my sons' birthday, a couple of days in the middle of the week where we had my grandson for a couple days since his mom was in hospital having a baby, (we got to go see baby, very cool) and then we had my granddaughter this weekend.  My granddaughter went Christmas shopping with me - this year shopping was for only one child, and she helped me pick out presents for her cousin, my grandson.  I already had ordered her present online, so I guess that means I'm done shopping.  I always try to buy presents for the grandchildren to give to each other, and have them wrap them.  Then I try to have at least one thing for them to give their moms, since I think moms should get presents from their kids even if the present is a teeny tiny flower.  Just so they can pick it out, wrap it and think about their mommy on Christmas and Mother's day.

My granddaughter tried very hard to make me tell her what I bought for her, even tried to pull the angry card, then the sad card.  Didn't work.  I told her she shouldn't make me sad by taking away the surprise from me to her.  Seemed to work, she then focused on something else.  I did buy two little polly pocket Disney characters for her, but I told her they were for me.  I tend to collect little toys, so she thought it was totally reasonable that they were for me.  I am going to have Elliott decide if he wants to give it to her or not though.  And I think we're going to find a present for his new baby brother.  We don't have any claims on him, since he's no relation other than being my grandson's baby brother, but when the father handed the baby to me to hold, he did introduce me to the baby as one of his grandmas, which was very generous of him. I love babies, and wouldn't mind being considered one of the grandmas.  I'm not expecting visitation rights, but if they want to share time with the baby and me, I'm all for it.

Back to the reading...

It's Monday, What Are You Reading?  is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey.  One of my favorite bloggy memes around, we go list what we've been reading, share via Mr. Linky at Book Journey and visit other blogs.  It's a good way to find new reads, get a feel for what people are reading.

The one book I managed to finish reading was Steel's Edge, of the Edge series by Ilona Andrews.  From a few things I've read, this might be the end of the series, at least in print from.  I did read a comment from Gordon Andrews (part of the writing team) that said they might continue the series with a few stories in e-book form - which would be great, since I have really enjoyed this series even with the Romancy twist.  Even though they do a bit of the romance in this series, it's not overdone - rather it's a part of the story, with a scene or two of some intense sex, but the whole tone of the book IS NOT all "oh god, this man is so hawt", or the girl is "so sexy, my manhood is harder than steel" etc.  Nope, these books have a good plot, good dialogue, good twists and great stories to tell, with some sex in it - but not the focus.  I'm not sure why people who love UF have complained about them being too romance tinged, they're nothing like some of the UF out there that should be classified as Romance.  Good novels, with good stories.

Currently reading - 

many, many books but a lot of them I've misplaced or am not in the mood to finish.  I might read a book I ordered used (finances are ROUGH right now, so I have to go the used route with some novels, especially with new novels that I haven't experienced writing styles of yet).  I just received a copy of Across the Universe by Beth Revis.  It's supposed to be a SciFi novel, but might also has a bit of romance in the plot - I think.  

Another book I've started this week (off and on reading, can't seem to be doing much more than off and on reading lately) is Blood and Feathers by Lou Morgan.  To tell the truth, I don't even remember buying this book.  Seriously.  I'm beginning to wonder about my brain - menopause seems to make people forgetful, it's doing a number on me at least.  The first two chapters are very interesting.  Teeth appear in a woman's yard.  Not just teeth, but huge teeth sticking out from the lawn.  That's just the start... ahem.  The website for the book is pretty cool - there's a section for the characters, a playlist (seems to be a popular feature for books now, a playlist the author either listens to or envisions for the book.  Not sure if I'm a fan or not, but I could totally get into it if it were on screen.  I'm not against it, though. How can anyone actually be against music, anyway? And it's a nice way to explore new music - new to me - or to actually place a name for the songs I might have already heard)

sigh.....Monday.....it's so hard for me to sleep on Sunday nights, because I know they lead to Monday.  heehee.

really.

Not a fan of Mondays...Friday, now!  That's my day, though my favorite is Saturday!  Love Saturdays.

;)

Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews - review

Gunmetal Magic
Ilona Andrews
Set in the world of Kate Daniels
urban fantasy
2012

******  (6 out of 6)
cover - This is a fitting cover.  I prefer the look of Kate Daniels, but this cover fits, and of course, this particular story isn't about Kate, it's about Andrea - a pale beastkin/hyena.  I love her guns (she's a marksman) and the buildings in the background represent what's happened to Atlanta since the shift.

I have been loving the Kate Daniels series ever since Magic Bites first came out.  That was a book that jumped off the shelf into my hands - I saw the title and never looked back.  I read Magic Dreams- a short story with another character in the mc role, and liked it quite a bit, so when I saw that Ilona Andrews was releasing a complete novel focusing on Andrea and Raphael, I knew it would be good.  Gunmetal Magic is just as enjoyable a read to me as the novels focusing on Kate Daniels.  I like the idea of other books with different main characters within the Kate Daniels' world, and between the Kate Daniels novels, the short stories, Gunmetal Magic and all the different characters in The Edge series, Ilona Andrews has proven that they can certainly play around with different characters and end up with a great variety of interesting characters and plots.

Andrea Nash is the friend that Kate made while working with The Order.  Throughout the series, their friendship has grown stronger and Andrea played a huge part in Magic Bleeds.  She ended up being found out as a beastkin - she was born to a shapeshifter mother and a father who was a hyena infected with the were virus, turning him from animal to human.  It wasn't a love story with them, Andrea was a result of a rape that the hyena didn't even understand as a rape (being an animal first).  Andrea's childhood was torturous, her mother and her being at the mercy of a truly malicious and sadistic clan of weres.  Fastforward to the present, she's lost the other "family" she's ever known, after being outed as a shapeshifter and is trying to come to terms with her other self - a side she's always kept hidden and tried to control.

Andrea has had a short dramatic relationship with Raphael - son of the alpha of the Bouda clan, which ended badly and she's dealing with all the post relationship trauma one goes through when she's asked to look into some deaths of workers from Raphael's company.  Things get a little sticky.

The murders themselves are mysterious - the victims are covered with snakebites.  They were guarding a newly discovered vault in a building being reclaimed by Raphael's company, the vault was left open and no one knows if anything has been taken, since they don't know what was in the vault to begin with.  Andrea has to find out who murdered the workers, why they were murdered and if anything was taken, and if so, for what reason?


The murders end up possibly tied to some sort of magic ritual, or maybe the victims were just in the way of someone getting what they wanted - but there are some definitely shady magical doings that just happen to be taking place.  There's some hinky stuff going, and some fun subplots - Raphael and Andrea's relationship, for one.  Ascanio's apprenticeship, Andrea's place in the Pack - will she or won't she finally join the pack?  The whole book - dialogue, pacing, narration, characters - as with all their books worked so well.  Except.....

There was only one part where everything came to a screeching halt for me.  I love their books - all of them, but the last novel and this one both have had this suddenly intense lecture like quality. In the last novel it was this longwinded lecture about the lyc virus, in the form of conversation complete with algebraic explanations.  Perfect for the average math whiz, but not fun for me.  In this novel - it was fractals...explaining chaos.  Also in the form of a conversation with one person explaining fractals to another.  Again - not fun for me, and totally did not fit with the rest of the narration.  I can understand the reasoning behind the use of fractals in the theory - (and with the earlier book's use of formulas to explain how the virus works or doesn't work) but it was pretty technical and didn't fit in smoothly with the rest of the text.  I don't get it, because it's so.... off from the rest of the book.  It almost seemed like an inside joke to me - let's see if anyone notices type of thing.  Really - the enjoyment factor of the book remained  very high - except it jarred me right out of the reading mood.  Pulled me right out of the story.  I hope they don't do this in future books, and I don't remember anything this obvious in any of their previous novels - just Magic Slays and Gunmetal Magic.


Some characters from earlier books are featured in Gunmetal Magic.  Ascanio - the 15 year old handsome as sin heartbreaker that has been put under Kate's care as an assistant/apprentice.  There is Roman, who is a Russian evil warlock who is strangely likeable and pleasant when not working the evil dark magic.  Of course, there is Raphael - the bouda who is so handsome that complete strangers will make fools of themselves for him.  There are also many of the regulars from the series - Dr Doolittle (one of my favorite characters) a honeybadger were, Jim the right hand of Curran, Curran the beastlord aka his furriness, and of course Kate.  It's fun to read about Kate from the pov of a completely different character.

I am looking forward to any novel Ilona Andrews writes in this universe - as well as the world of The Edge Series, which is just as good as this series; there's a bit more of the romance factor in that series, but it's written well.  There is another Kate Daniels novel coming out in February 2013, it's not titled yet.  And we have an Edge novel due out in November 2012 - Steel's Edge.  Sounds good.  Always fun to know there's more coming out from the Andrews team. Go over, if you haven't already, and explore their website- they have really worked on creating pages that fit the series.  Pages about the characters, about different areas, etc.  And they have a funny blog - these two rock.

CONTEST LINK and Fate's Edge (The Edge #3) by Ilona Andrews - review

Don't forget - there is a contest going on with a chance to win not one - but TWO good books. Suzanne McLeod's latest US release, and a novella by J.A. Campbell featuring this really cool border collie - Doc, The Vampire Hunting Dog. Don't forget to enter, odds for winning are good

Fate's Edge

Ilona Andrews

urban fantasy

third in a series (The Edge)

******

cover - I like the style, the general look of the covers in this series. It's great that they always feature the female character, a bit of the setting in the background, and then the scruffy handsome guy kind of blended into the whole cover. It's a good blend of art, story hints and character looks...however something is off with the female this time. I know she's supposed to be curvy - extremely curvy so I was kind of picturing a J-lo type of ass, and some curvy girls...but - well - it looks like her chest is concave with half a cantolope (an extremely ripe one at that) kind of just stuck on there; there's also quite a bit of room between the shoulders and her girls. Maybe I'm remembering wrong, but Audrey is also supposed to be short. I know this is nitpicking - and characters rarely look exactly how they're supposed to look. But those of us with large chests and short statures know that when you have large breasts, stuck on a short body - there isn't going to be a whole lot of room there - nope, the breasts are going to be starting rather high and taking up quite a bit of area in our short little torsos....just sayin'. Wish the cover people would really match up these little details, because I'm the type of reader who loves to read, look at the cover....read some more....try to picture the characters and look again at the cover. It really helps when the guy is good looking (to my taste, of course! lol) and the female matches height, chi-chi size and damn it - when the character is supposed to be a bit plump - don't put in a model who has bones poking out. It looks awkward. ahhh - but the sword....wait a minute - it's Kaldar who is the amazing sword fighter in this novel...In Bayou Moon Cerise was the sword and flash user . I know it seems like I'm nitpicking - more like I'm trying to make a statement on covers - I love when the covers show what's going on and reflects the characters. And this one actually is a good cover - there's the trees and plants, the sword (though it really belongs to Kaldar) and the red hair - but the female model doesn't really match. Overall, the cover is pretty good though. It's just those chi-chis.....wow. Glad they're not mine. LOL

The book. Anyone who's read my reviews might get the idea that I love these books....well I do. The Ilona Andrews team has written many, many books by now. I haven't been able to read any of their e-books yet (I see that they're dipping into science fiction type of plots - distant planets, gadgets, etc) but I haven't been able to get a hold of one yet. Someday. (just found a link from their website to a free download for Questing Beast - a scifi e-book) However - with each on of their print novels, with each of their series, and every short story that I've been able to read has been a pure pleasure to read... and Fate's Edge was no exception. I enjoyed it a lot. I think the only thing that started to annoy me - (and it was mild annoyance-very mild) was something that a lot of authors really can't avoid. The frequent mentions or explanations of world building facts. I feel like there was one or two too many mentions of the difference between The Edge, The Weird and The Broken..I understand why - but I've read this series from the beginning so I ended up skimming past a few of these thankfully short explanations.

Other than that though - (and it's probably not fair of me to even mention it - many series authors end up doing this, after all) Loved the story.

**Minor Spoilers territory**:

There are bits with the characters of each of the previous books - Declan and Rose (from The Edge - #1) played small parts - but Rose's brothers both played a huge role in Fate's Edge. Cerise and William (my favorite of the couples - from Bayou Moon-#2) play a larger part than Declan and Rose. Fate's Edge features Kaldar who is Cerise's cousin and Audrey. Now Kaldar and family (Cerise included) were part of a large clan of Mars relatives who did whatever they could to survive life in the Edge. This included scams, and questionable behaviour. In Bayou Moon many family members were lost. Kaldar is carrying a dream of vengeance on his shoulders, waiting for the opportunity to annihilate certain members of The Hand - a particularly sadistic organization of the enemies of his country. Now Kaldar is a bit of a con man, and he enjoys himself. He can and does pick pockets without people even knowing they've had something taken from them, and then he usually puts it back. Just likes to stay in top form. Practices a lot.

Audrey, on the other hand comes from a family of scam artists and is trying to live a straight life, has even gotten a job in The Broken - that's the real world to you and me.

Then we come to Jack the shape shifting brother of Rose, and George - his necromance older brother. Something has happened to make Jack very nervous and they end up deciding to run away - because that's always a great solution to teens and tweens. Always SEEMS like a good idea, anyway.

Kaldar accepts a new assignment (he's been working for the Mirror - the counterpart to The Hand - kind of like the KGB vs. the CIA only with magic)....

Audrey is talked into one last scam/theft with her father and drug addicted brother - against her better judgement....

Jack and George have run/stowed away...

And they all meet up in a fiery explosion...not really. But they do end up all together working to get a certain something back from a certain someone for a certain other organization. However, it's not as simple as it could have been. The whole time they're working on finding the object they are being hunted by a particularly sadistic and murderous group of the hand. And during it all, Kaldar has thing about vengeance in the back of his mind...

Ahhh- the fireworks, the fights, the dialogue, the BOYS. It's all good. The teasing and ribbing that goes on between not only the brothers, but between the brothers and Kaldar, Kaldar and the brothers, Kaldar and Audrey, Gaston and the boys, the animals....it's good book with wonderfully twisted characters, and sadistic villains that you love to hate. There is a lot that goes on and by the end of the book I was already missing the novel. Made me want to re-read Bayou Moon, because THAT was a hell of a book also, with twisted and flawed yet fun characters and a kick ass group of fighters.

One day soon, I plan to re-read this series, it's that much fun to read. And just like in the Kate Daniels series, Ilona Andrews has a wonderful way with dialog and characters.

If you haven't yet bought Fate's Edge, get it as soon as you can, you're going to love it. I you haven't even tried the Edge series, wow - you've been missing out. If you haven't even read any of the Kate Daniels books - oh man. Hope you get a hold of one soon - and start reading it. Like I mentioned earlier - I love each of the books I've read by Ilona Andrews, and there's not that many authors where I enjoy every - single - book that they've written.

Mini-Review: Magic Dreams by Ilona Andrews

Sometimes I will buy an anthology just for the sake of reading ONE author. In this case, I know I've enjoyed books from all four of the authors featured in Hexed; but the main reason I bought Hexed was to read Magic Dreams by Ilona Andrews. I just finished reading it - maybe I should have saved the best for last, but I've never been very good at delaying gratification. (boy did that sound wrong)

Magic Dreams by Ilona Andrews is written from the pov of Dali. Dali is the half-blind, vegetarian white tiger shapeshifter who gets nauseated by blood. The man she's interested in (because in these anthologies, there's always a love interest angle....at least in all shorts I've read) is none other than Jim - Curran's enforcer for the pack. If you haven't read any of the Kate Daniels series, than you'll have no idea who or what I'm referring to. But if you've read at least one or two - than you know Jim was Kate's friend and once-in-a-while partner when she was working for the guild.

Dali finds Jim in her house - mysteriously sleepy. Turns out he's under the spell of an angry magical former human-now-spider monster. ugh.

It's up to Dali, with the help of her mom's knowledge, to save Jim. Yep. Girl saves Boy.

So far, every thing that I've read by Ilona Andrews has been interesting, engaging, contains bits of humor, suspenseful and a pure joy to read. They're great at dialog and snarky thoughts from the main characters. There's also this one little thread that promises to show up in a later story. Dali helps to save someone powerful, and now she's owed a favor. Hmmmm. I wonder if this will show up in another short story featuring Dali. It would be great to read more from Dali's pov - she's a fun character. Or maybe this "little" favor will show up in a future Kate Daniels novel. Be on the look out for Dragon-man, user of fire.

Even if I never get around to reading the other three stories in this anthology, I'm very glad that I bought it and read Magic Dreams.

Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews - review

Magic Slays

******

Ilona Andrews

Fantasy

Usually, I love the covers of these Kate Daniels novels...the main character is striking, proud and looks like she doesn't take prisoners...but there's something off with the look of the woman on this cover..she looks awkward. Her skin has lightened up, her face looks harsh and the torso looks ODD. and her hand - see the hand gripping her right knee? (her right your left). looks like she's ready to tear off her own knee. ugh - not the best cover. At least Curran is still there - and her blade, her trusty sword is there. I guess they can't all be great covers....(why not though? Why can't the model look a little darker - like she started out? why lately have quite a few of the models become so damned pale? I don't get it.)

If you've been reading my reviews, then you know that Ilona Andrews is one of those authors (or in this case, team) that I automatically buy when I see the name. don't bother finding out what the book is about - if it says Ilona Andrews as author, then I'm buying it. The name will drive me to buy an anthology, also - even if their name is the only one I recognise. They are that good...or rather I enjoy their writing that much. So far, I haven't been disappointed - with either of their series. Magic Slays is no different. I enjoyed this book so much. It's like sitting down with someone you haven't seen in a while and being entertained, laughing and enjoying the whole experience right from the start.

The previous novel, Magic Bleeds was so good, the relationship with Curran and Kate progressing after a satisfyingly long time, that I actually worried that they couldn't possibly top themselves. I thought that now the couple would get all mushy - as usually happens when a previously banteringly, teasing couple finally admit that they love each other - you know, suddenly it's all about the love, and the devotion and the endearments that at times, makes me want to hurl. The whole dynamic of the couple usually changes so much that they are nothing like before...or a pale image of the way they were before. Thankfully - Kate and Curran continue with their challenging of each other. They don't treat each other like crap, but they also don't take crap from each other. Sure, they are completely obsessed with each other but they don't get all crazed and sickeningly sweet about it. I like this, because it's true to their personalities. I hate when a couple totally gets their personality changed because they become part of a couple. It just feels wrong. Now that's out of the way, I'm moving on...

As usual, with Magic Slays we get a wonderfully written book. Complete with danger, suspense and some mystery that gives a few twists. Kate's adoptive daughter runs away from school, Kate's best friend suddenly shows back up and the two begin to work together and Kate's business finally gets a client...only the client is Ghaston, the vampire driver. So once again Kate is wading through a potential minefield. Then she gets yet another client - a seemingly impossible case; someone who has been under survelliance by the Red Guard (the elite, uber-capable Red Guard) is kidnapped from under their noses and they want Kate to find him.....and oh yeah, if they don't find him bad things are going to happen to the whole city. There's this....machine...

Between the two cases, the runaway daughter, the tense returning friend and the pack politics that Kate has to deal with she kind of has her hands full. And she's trying not to completely disappear under Curran's rather intense regard.

The dialogue between characters and between the main characters in particular - amazing as usual. Snarky without being over the top mean, lots of laughs and lots of intenseness. The action was, as usual, damned good. The danger heart-pounding....Pretty much the whole narration was very enjoyable with a great mixture of laughs, snark, mystery, and Algebra.....yes....ALGEBRA. Within the pages of this otherwise excellent novel, is an algebra lesson. A fine example of applying algebraic equasions to a problem at hand...in this case the probability of a shapeshifter going loup... I had a head-scratching, ScoobyDoo "hrruhump?" moment. I'm not a math dummy, but I don't really enjoy algebra - or at least the upper limits of algebra where you have to figure out an equation and put in some variables and allow for alternate scenarios...and somehow Curran and the shapeshifters seem to have pulled some number out of their asses to use as a base for figuring out probabilities and likelihoods.....yeah. I have to admit that at first I tried to follow along with this suddenly info-dumping example of narration and then when I found myself NOT ENjoying this version of their writing...I skimmed past it. I figure that maybe ....possibly... (Hopefully?) ...maybe a math genius won a contest, or the authors lost a bet and they had to include some over-involved math lesson for the enjoyment of someone who loves to READ MATH AS FICTION...and I skimmed past it. This is the first time I've ever skimmed past any set of pages (much less a paragraph) written by Ilona Andrews. Okay. To each his own. I wonder if there is going to be more....because damned if I didn't get a bit frustrated and actually bored - the kind of boredom I feel when reading long passages of explanatory prose in other books. For me it was unecessary, and yet, I hope whoever this was for enjoyed it. And I was frankly surprised. Nevertheless - with the exception of that section, the novel was very enjoyable to me. Even though I ended up checking the cover of the book to make sure I was still reading about Kate and Curran and that it was really written by Ilona Andrews. Okay. LOL! Seriously, did not know whether to laugh or sigh there. Maybe both would be appropriate. Was it a joke? Was it a bet lost? A contest won? Seriously, it didn't fit in with their normal way of writing....but with so many fine novels, I'm just going to laugh that one off. The rest of the book was great, and really - except for it feeling like infodump and a math lesson - it wasn't really that bad....oh Hell. Yes that part was. I didn't like that small little part, but Oh Well. g

There is also an Oh No, It Didn't moment toward the end. OMGosh, something horrific happens to someone.......but more would be spoilers. No spoilers allowed....oh wow, would a mention of that whole algebra loup formula be a spoiler? LOL - I don't know. Anyway, the book kicked ass. Even the algebra lesson kicked ass in a totally infodumping way. Curran - infodumping were-beast, King of the Beasts and algebra! Oh Yeah!

If you haven't bought Magic Slays* to read yet (most who follow the Andrews most likely have, it took me awhile to sit down and review this and the book has been out for a while----I was stunned with the math thing.....) go get it - it's definitely worth it. Can't wait until the next one. I want to see what's going to happen next!

*There are four links to different excerpts of Magic Slays and one link for an excerpt of Magic Bleeds....just in case you've never ever read any of the Magic Books. Their blog is also very entertaining.

Micro-Review Magic Mourns

I just finished the story Magic Mourns; this is Ilona Andrew's contribution to the Must Love Hellhounds anthology.

Great story told from the point of view of Andrea - the beastkin hyena. I really like Andrea's character. I read this story AFTER I read Magic Bleeds;really, this comes right before Magic Bleeds. What I love is that they wrote it from Andrea's pov, first person, and were able to make Andrea's "voice" sound like her own, not like another side of Kate's personality. Good writer's can do this - write about more than one character in the SAME WORLD, first person and make it work.

Magic Mourns is the story of how Andrea and Raphael (that extremely sexy-hot were-hyena) finally get together and how they rescue a ghost from a crazed navigator. There is a hell-hound featured in this story - a huge hell-hound that is protecting something.

There is also a part at the end, told from a completely different point of view - a kind of epilogue. I enjoyed it very much. There was nothing warning me that I was going to be reading a different character's narration- but I could tell right away, because the voice was very different- very masculine. I liked the way it was pulled off.

Even though this story had a romantic focus - as well as the adventure, I didn't feel overwhelmed with sexual encounters. Just enough to think, how nice for them, they finally got together - but not enough to make me feel I should have been reading it under the covers, by myself in a dark room.....

Magic Bleeds - My thoughts, my opinions....

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Ilona Andrews

By now, I'm pretty sure that anyone who reads any of the Magic (Kate Daniels series) or the new series (The Edge), first book - On The Edge- knows that Ilona Andrews is really a writing team - husband (Gordon) and wife. The wife is really Ilona, but two pair up on writing the books. I have to hand it to them. They manage to raise a family, write books together, and continue to have a sense of humor as evidenced in their blogs and the narratives of their books.

I finished reading Magic Bleeds last Tuesday (or so) but really couldn't think of anything to say as far as reviewing. It's hard for me sometimes to come up with a review when the books are just so damned good. I don't want to give out any spoilers, and really - what can I add tha others have not already written about this series?

I picked up the first book on impulse way back in 2007 - and at the time I had just recently "discovered" the internet, which I mainly used for looking up books to read. Of course I looked up the name - that's when I read about them being a husband and wife team. To be honest I can't even say (or remember) when I found their blog on LJ (which has since moved). All I can remember is finding out they are husband and wife, and that there might be another book coming - which of course made me happy because the FIRST book was great. But later, when I found their LJ blog by accident, I would read posts here and there and always got a chuckle out of them.

They haven't let me down since. Book no 2 came out - Magic Burns - and I bought that one. I remember reading it and thinking WOW. Somebody else wrote about the different world they found in this novel. Hell yeah! Finally, a book that didn't romanticize and make vampires sexy - which can be okay, but the whole blood drinking thing is just squicky! I know that there are indeed other books that treat vampires like horror, but there weren't a lot in the urban fantasy genre, which is what I prefer to read.

Book Three came out - Magic Strikes. Of course I bought it. By then of course, these books were really taking off. And here we are at book number four (and a short story in Must Love HellHounds) - Magic Bleeds.

From the very first BOOK of the series through this last installment - excellent plot, excellent voice, Great Dialogue, wonderful action scenes - and here's a term I usually try NOT to use - plot advancement (because I am not an expert). Kate isn't a typically snarky heroine; she is a genuinely sarcastic woman and throughout the book there are many "sweet" NickNames she uses to refer to Curran, whom she loves and hates - (how a lot of us feel about our favorite husbands, right? be honest, now).

Magic Bleeds is yet another example in this series of how fun it can be to read an extremely well written urban fantasy. There's so much right with this novel. It's possible to read these novels out of order, but you'll get the full effect of all the different plots and sub plots if you read them as they were written - in order. We get to see a bit of Kate's awkwardly evolving friendships - she never did learn how to have friends, and doesn't know how a friendship really works. Her relationship with Curran remains explosively satisfying to read. Kate Daniels also remains satisfyingly assertive and aggressive.

Magic Bites

Magic Burns

Magic Strikes

Magic Mourns (in an anthology - Must Love HellHounds)

Magic Bleeds

3 more novels under contract (oh thank goodness! )

There is an information page for the world of Kate Daniels - there are character blurbs and information about the time, the city, etc. Fun webpage. They also are kind enough to have a page of FREE fiction. Go over there and take a look around.

Magic Bleeds will not disappoint - if you haven't read any of the Kate Daniels novels yet, you are really missing out on a great series. If you have read the prior novels and just haven't gotten around to this one yet - GET GOING ON THIS! :)

Reading Challenges

2010 Countdown Reading Challenge

Cat Book Reading Challenge

Speculative Fiction Reading Challenge

Reading books like this reminds reminds me just WHY I have a list of authors that I call my auto-buys. There are some writers that you KNOW are going to be a good read, you KNOW you're in for a treat when you sit down with their books.

contest

Ilona Andrews, who has since the release of Magic Bites, been one of my favorite auto-buy authors, is having an interview and contest over at Bitten By Books.

Her newest book (a new series) On The Edge, releases TODAY.