Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews

Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Hardcover: 381 pages
Publisher: Penguin
Release date: July 29th, 2014

Series:  Kate Daniels #7

Source: 

Reviewed by: 

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

No matter how much the paranormal politics of Atlanta change, one thing always remains the same: if there’s trouble, Kate Daniels will be in the middle of it…

As the mate of the Beast Lord, Curran, former mercenary Kate Daniels has more responsibilities than it seems possible to juggle. Not only is she still struggling to keep her investigative business afloat, she must now deal with the affairs of the pack, including preparing her people for attack from Roland, a cruel ancient being with god-like powers. Since Kate’s connection to Roland has come out into the open, no one is safe—especially those closest to Kate.

As Roland’s long shadow looms ever nearer, Kate is called to attend the Conclave, a gathering of the leaders from the various supernatural factions in Atlanta. When one of the Masters of the Dead is found murdered there, apparently at the hands of a shapeshifter, Kate is given only twenty-four hours to hunt down the killer. And this time, if she fails, she’ll find herself embroiled in a war which could destroy everything she holds dear…

I know I am super late to this party as this book released a few years ago, but there is so many books to read and so little time! Don't make the same mistake I did though, get on reading this series ASAP and you won't be disappointed.

Magic Breaks is the seventh installment in the series and is the culmination of an incredibly suspenseful story arc between Kate and her evil father Roland. In the midst of her previous adventures, Kate built her confidence, learned to let people into her heart, knitted solid friendship and painfully gathered important allies and she needs every trick in her bag to survive her current adventure. In fact, in this novel, d'Ambray, master puppeteer that he is,  made sure Curran was busy half-way across the world to plot a full blown war between the Pack and the People while Kate was alone in charge. She had to prove her leadership within the pack, protect its members by unfolding a mysterious murder, all the while preventing a terrible war. I loved how she shone with all of her qualities and was able to metaphorically kick in the butt the opposition.

The entire book was suspenseful and action-packed and at times I had to remembered to breath because I was so caught-up in the story. Every event was engrossing, the death of some characters stunning and some revelations were simply beyond amazing. I know I sound like a gushing mess, but really, this novel was amazing beyond words. And I don't want to give anything away so I won't get into details, but Curran's grand entrance toward the end was just mind-blowing. I really loved the escape part of the story line.

I loved that every character joined the party and that we got to discover more about Gastek in particular. D'Ambray was an especially annoying display of strength and I almost pity him, while Roland was an awe-stricking revelation.

Ilona and Gordon really wrote a masterpiece with this series and this novel has blown away my expectations. If I hadn't known this novel wasn't the last one in the series I might have died of an heart-attack but thankfully there are more adventures to come. If you love urban fantasy, you do not want to miss this amazing series.

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Posted by Tynga at 02:21

 contemporary, Fantasy, Ilona Andrews, Kate Daniels, Magic, Penguin, Publisher, Review, shapeshifters, Urban, Urban Fantasy, vampires  1 Person left their mark

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows

My Lady Jane is definitely an original take on the historical novel. The authors took many liberties while writing this book. They more or less rewrote history and romanticized the short reign of Lady Jane Grey. It's full of satire, whimsy and witty dialogue. While the concept of shapeshifters in Tudor England and the situations the characters find themselves in are absurd, the whole thing simply works!

Lady Jane is a wonderful character. She would rather spend her day with her nose in a book than playing nice with the people of the English court. (I think this will resonate with so many readers!) So when she finds herself crowned Queen of England, not only is she confused, she has to find the courage to not run away. Luckily for her, her reign is short (nine days!) when her cousin Mary usurps the throne. While most of what happens in the first part of the book is loosely based on fact, the second part is mostly all fiction.

The book could have worked without the paranormal aspects but I think it adds just enough whimsy to make the story a little more special. Eδians are shapeshifters that transform into an animal form in their time of need. I love how the authors used the Eδians vs. Verities (the Eδians haters) conflicts to replace the Protestant-Catholic feud. Religion is a touchy subject to begin with so I think the authors found a nice loophole to avoid touching the subject. The way the Eδian lore is incorporated in the book is seamless, as if it's truly part of history.

Overtime Eδians can learn to control their ability to shift back and forth between their human and animal shapes, but Gifford (call him G) is stuck as a horse by day, only to shift back to his human side at nightfall. G and Jane are forced into an arranged marriage and they couldn't be more different. Jane has always envied Eδians but she never imagined being married to one. Actually, she never imagined being married to anyone, after so many failed attempts. G and Jane eventually learn to trust each other and even to love each other. Their story is a crazy and adventurous one so I'm glad the authors decided on a happily ever after, instead of killing them off, like real history dictates.

Although King Edward VI died at a young age and thus began Lady Jane's reign as Queen, the fictionalized Edward survived. His point of view was my least favourite of the three (I absolutely adored Jane and G so they were hard to beat), probably because he continuously had his head up in clouds (you'll know what I mean once you read the book). As confused as he may have been as a king, he did redeem himself in the end.

If you love whimsy and satire, I highly recommend picking up this book. I didn't except to love this book as much as I did. I love historical England books, especially the Tudor era (although my favourite is the Victorian Era) so I wasn't sure how I was going to like this reimagined story. As long as you keep an open mind, and don't take it too seriously, this retelling will surely make you chuckle.

Long live the Queen!

P.S. The Lady Janies (what the trio of author call themselves) are having an event on their blog to celebrate Lady Jane's nine days of reign (July 9th - 18th). Check it out to win some awesome prizes!

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Posted by Tynga at 04:30

 Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, Harper Collins, HarperTeen, Historical, Jodi Meadows, Paranormal, Purchased, shapeshifters, stand-alone, Tudor  1 Person left their mark

Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley

Magonia is a magnificent and exceptional debut novel. That said, it's not a book that will be enjoyed by everyone. I think it's meant for readers that are able to look beyond the physical world and are able to stretch their imagination. I mean, there's bird people, skyships, floating cities in the sky and talking birds. Lots of birds. But it's also about strong human connections, family and love. It's beautifully written and evokes strong emotions throughout the story.

Oddly enough, the first third of the book could have been compared to any contemporary young adult novels. It reminds me of The Fault In Our Stars, because Aza Ray is living on borrowed time. Despite her fragile body, she's a spunky 15 year old full of angst and unafraid to use her medical condition to get into trouble or cause some disturbances in school. Her lungs have a hard time transporting oxygen into her blood, making it very hard for her to breathe and do pretty much anything a normal teen might want to do. Doctors are barely able to keep her alive since they're pretty much clueless about what she has. Actually, there's no precedent so they named the disease after her. With her being the only patient with this disease, there's obviously no cure.

The first third of the book is where we meet Aza and her best friend Jason. They're almost always together, and have been friend since Aza's fifth birthday. Both are very analytical and intelligent, so when Aza starts seeing airships floating in the clouds and hearing her name whispered on the wind, they wave it off as hallucinations or try to find a scientific explanation for everything. Aza is on so many different medication that any of them could be making her see things. However, Aza can't help but feel something is coming.

When you hit the 100 page mark, everything shifts from a realistic world to a fantasy world filled with airships, bird people and magic songs. And for the first time since she can remember, Aza can actually breathe normally. Obviously her world is turned upside down and she sets off on a grand adventure. However, she can't help but feel homesick. She misses her mother, her father and her sister, but most of all, she misses Jason. She never got the chance to tell him how she felt and now that she's separated from her childhood life, she knows it will take a miracle for her to ever see her loved ones again.

I don't want to reveal to much about the plot because it deserves to be experienced first hand. I love the fantasy world Maria Dahvana Headley created and because the characters are so analytical, we're almost led to believe that this fantasy world is actually plausible. So many themes emerge throughout the book, like family ties, teenage death, teenage romance, industrialism and its effects on the environment, and so much more. The book has been compared to Neil Gaiman and I completely agree with the comparison, so any fan of the genre and his writing will undoubtably enjoy this debut novel.

https://youtu.be/3Yh7L8BIJBs

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Posted by Tynga at 01:47

 Fantasy, Harper Collins, Magic, Magonia, Maria Dahvana Headley, Purchased, Review, shapeshifters, skyships, young adult  1 Person left their mark

Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews

Kate really has a way of finding her way into the worst situations possible and this fifth installment is no exception. Mysteries are even harder to solve now that she can't fling her Order's badge in everyone's face and require answers, but hey, things you have to do to be 'His Furriness' mate. I loved everything about this novel and I'll try to break it down for you!

First and most important, even though Kate and Curran are now in a 'stable' relationship it would be easy to fall into some kind of old married couple routine, but thankfully it's not the case. They still banter, they still fight, Kate is still insecure, and Curran is still a jealous, control freak. Interactions between those two still generate sparkles, for everyone's enjoyment.

Example:

“Curran roared. The blast of noise erupting from his mouth was like thunder. I clenched up, fighting the urge to step back.

“Yes I can,” he snarled. “Listen: this is me telling you what you will not do.”

I raised the cookbook and tapped him on the nose. Bad cat.”

Of course, the dialogues between those two aren't the only interesting ones, Kate is just full of those 'making me laugh alone like a loony' kind of lines and I appreciate her dry humor. The characters we came to know across the whole series will get together in this installment to fight a common enemy and it was truly engaging. I loved how the Andrews pair managed to get all the magical 'classes' to work together toward a common goal, each bringing their own set of skills to the table.

The plot was really great and the bad guys turned out to be very surprising. The only thing that still don't make sense even after I finished the book is why the navigators fainted? Maybe I missed something?

Everything isn't fun, games and war though. Kate has to face a very very difficult situation when a loved one is in life or death situation and it really broke my heart along side hers. I admired her resourcefulness and determination to find a solution despite how impossible it seemed. The solution she comes up with isn't perfect, but she makes the best with what she has and it'll have to be enough.

I can't wait to see the consequences of all the magical beings working together and see how Kate & Curran's relationship keeps evolving.

This series is truly amazing, and if you have not picked it up yet I must urge you to do so. Fans of Patricia Briggs will be sure to fall in love again!

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Posted by Tynga at 02:43

 Fantasy amp; Magic, Ilona Andrews, Kate Daniels, Magic, Paranormal Romance, Penguin, Purchased, Review, shapeshifters, Urban Fantasy, vampires  1 Person left their mark

Affliction by Laurell K. Hamilton

However unsatisfied I am with this series, I think I will always keep coming back for more out of sheer curiosity. The Anita Blake early days were great. You knew what she was all about: fighting supernatural bad guys, using a lot of guns, and sometimes using a little bit of supernatural powers to save the day. Then came the sex and the ardeur, and that was fine, until it simplybecame too much. The most recent books feel like it's all about Anita's polyamorous relationships, no matter what bad guys seem to be hunting down innocents.

At least Affliction does have some decent fight scenes and police work. There isn't even a sex scene until a good couple hundred pages. However, there's a lot of talk about Anita's sex life and her numerous (20+!) sweeties. The repetition and the explanations are getting old and frankly you can almost guess who she'll sleep with next and how the book will end.

One aspect of the book that's new is that we travel to Micah's hometown. As one of Anita's main sweeties, I think it was about time that we learnt more about the wereleopard king. I enjoyed meeting Micah's family, and getting more information about his back story. He's always been a little bit of a mystery, even thought he's been in Anita's life for quite some time. It's sad that we only get to meet his family now, under bad circumstances, as his father lays dying in a hospital bed. And because they aren't exactly sure what supernatural force is killing him, Anita feels it's her duty to investigate and find out exactly what is making bite victims like Micah's father, rot from the inside out.

For me, this series has always been a guilty pleasure and I'm not ready to give up on it yet. Most characters are pretty great and I love reading about them. Despite the book being 500+ pages, it feels like not very much happened. A lot of it is filler, descriptions of all the pretty men in Anita's life, about who works out the most in the gym and whom can outfight or outgun whom. There's also a lot of law enforcement posturing and Anita refuting her "reputation" for being a bad ass executioner and a polyamorous lover. I'm going to cut this review short because ultimately, whether you read this book or not, nothing much in the Anita-verse will have changed. Read at your own risk!

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Posted by Tynga at 02:43

 Anita Blake Vampire Hunter, Berkley, Laurell K. Hamilton, Magic, Paranormal Romance, Penguin, Purchased, Review, shapeshifters, vampires, Zombies  4 People left their mark

Kiss the Dead by Laurell K. Hamilton

I've been a big fan of this series in the past, despite all the ups and downs it went through. However, I can honestly say I'm not a fan of this particular book. At first, I thought "Yes! The Anita Blake I love is back!" since there was a lot police work at the beginning of the book. The first half of the book is dedicated to preturnatural police investigations and action. Dolph and Zerbrowski are back and I honestly thought the book was headed in the right direction until Anita's lovers made an appearance.

That's when most of Anita's internal dialogue switched from killing bad guys to describing her "sweeties." I've come to expect multiple lovers from Anita, and unlike many readers, it really doesn't bother me (the more, the merrier I guess). What does bother me, however, is the repetition. Each single lover gets several pages of description. After 20+ books, we get it, Anita's lovers are beautiful, handsome, fit, etc. I don't need to read the same description multiple times in the same book, except change the hair colour/length and eye colour depending on the man she's describing. Also, I don't see the point in describing their workout routines, especially when it's repeated multiple times in the same book, and why they need to keep fit. Don't get me wrong, a refresher is definitely okay when it comes to describing physical appearance, however, when I read more or less the same sentence a few chapters later, I feel like that's not just bad writing, but bad editing too.

Admittedly, Laurell K. Hamilton does know how to write a great sex scene. Even though the sex scenes are often filler, they are pretty intense, steamy and amazing. They never get boring. Variety is the spice of life, especially when it comes to lovers, in Anita's case. Another positive thing about the book is Zerbrowski, Anita's police "partner." Every scene he's in is great and I really wish we could have seen more of him. The new U.S. Marshall Brice is pretty cool too, especially since he's homosexual and doesn't want to sleep with Anita for a change (however, he would like a chance at some of her lovers).

I'm tired of seeing this series going nowhere. I've invested so much time (and money!) in the series. I keep buying and reading the books, in hopes that something new will happen. The series has failed to surprise me and really entertain me in these last few books. I fear this review has become a rant so I'm going to cut it short. Am I going to read the next book? Probably. I hate not finishing a series and I would feel even worse it the next book turned out to be amazing.

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Posted by Tynga at 03:27

 Anita Blake Vampire Hunter, Berkley, Laurell K Hamilton, Laurell K. Hamilton, Magic, necromancy, Paranormal Romance, Penguin, Purchased, Review, shapeshifters, vampires  2 People left their mark

Hunt by Rachel Vincent

I am a huge fan of the Shifters series by Rachel Vincent, and I was super sad when she announced, a couple of years ago, that Alpha was the last book. Hunt was released as part of the Chicks Kick Butt anthology and even though I bought the book I hadn't come around to read it yet. In October, Rachel announced that she's trying her hand at self publishing!!! She decided to start a spin-off series of the Shifters world, starting with a story about Jace and Abby. To do so, she decided to revamp the original Hunt story a bit, and release it on Amazon. Now that you have the back story... here's my review!

Abby was a fragile little thing in Shifters, due to a big trauma and it was nice to see her stand up for herself in this novella. The story takes place a couple of years later and Abby live on Jace's territory. He is now Alpha of his own area. We don't see much of Jace in this story, but I love this man to death so I'm super thrilled of this new development.

The story arc is really short with only 49 pages but I still had this thrill I loved so much when reading past Shifters books, so I'm sure fans won't be disappointed.

The end is promising a tumultuous relationship between the two protagonists and I can't wait for the first book of the new series, Lion's Share, to release! Rachel talking was about a late December 2014 release and as of now (I'm writing this on December 23rd) there's still no updates.

I don't know how necessary it would be to read the Shifters' books to understand this new series, but really, you SHOULD read the Shifters series anyway, because it's just so damn good. One of my favorite in fact!



 

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Posted by Tynga at 00:06

 novella, Paranormal Romance, Purchased, rachel vincent, Review, Self Published, shapeshifters, Shifters, Urban Fantasy  8 People left their mark

All In by Amanda Carlson

Ginger and Luke are tracking her brother Damien. She wants to rescues him; he is tasked to bring him back to face justice. The chase started smoothly, but a lot more then they were expecting happened on the way.

All in is the third installment of the series written by Amanda Carlson and I loved it just as much as the previous ones. I like that even though it's a series of novella, the stories are long enough to really get involved into the characters. The fact that we've met Ginger and Luke in the previous book(s) also added a kinship feeling in the mix and made their budding relationship more believable.

Ginger is a smart woman that has been dedicated to rescuing her brother for years. I really appreciated this side of her, but she's also a self-loathing succubus and I felt bad for her. Her conscience and her desire to not 'parasite' anyone will lead her to extremes and it was quite a roller-coaster ride to witness. Luke is down-right amazing. He is sweet, caring, perceptive, but also strong and fierce. The perfect mix if you ask me!

I truly enjoying the developing romance between those two and their raw feelings felt real. One of my favorite moment was how Ginger described nature to Luke to try and include him in her world, make him see the way she saw things. It was quite endearing.

The plot was quite satisfying even though there isn't much room for twist and turns in a 150 pages long book. The conclusion was spot on and I have a feeling the next novella by Amanda will be about Raoul and a new Elemental girl. I can't wait to read what's next!

Sin City Collectors is a great series! I always enjoy a novella once in a while when you don't quite feel like committing to a full length novel. I mean, who doesn't enjoy a bit of instant gratification once in a while :)

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Posted by Tynga at 00:10

 Amanda Carlson, Author, Paranormal Romance, Review, Self Published, shapeshifters, Sin City Collectors, Succubus  Leave your mark

The Mark of the Tala by Jeffe Kennedy

Andi has always been invisible in court and it was perfectly fine that way. Everything changed though after she met a strange man in the Wilds. Her father accuses her of treason and shows a side of him she had never seen before. Her invisibility is now a thing of the past because Rayfe (the strange man) will stop at nothing, not even war, to have her, and bring her back to be Queen of his magical land.

The Mark of the Tala was the first book I read by Jeffe Kennedy and I really liked it. The fantasy fan that I am was pleased with the set up, the story, the magic and the original lore! I liked that Kennedy introduced the Princesses but jumped right onto the action with a violent encounter between Andi and Rayfe. It really set the tone for the rest of the book and showed Andi's strong personality. The author managed to keep me riveted the the page despite the long distance rides and siege, which isn't easy. The tension got my blood running despite the fact that there wasn't that much action.

I really liked the characters and how different the sisters were, but I have to confess I wished Andi  didn't compare herself to her sisters so much. It was a bit redundant at times, but on the other hand, it showed how self-conscious and vulnerable Andi feels, so I understand why Kennedy did it. Andi is determined to do the right thing, and so much changes are going on within herself that she questions her sanity and I think the author portrayed it well. I have to say I fell in love with Rayfe right away and I have to command his courage and determination, even if his methods are sometimes questionable.

Rayfe's people were a very original type of shape-shifter and their land is simply amazing. I really love the world Jeffe created and I truly hope we see more from it in the following novels, it felt so rich and magical!

I loved every page and the conclusion simply left me stunned. I'm really anxious for the next novel, but I have to say I wished it still featured Andi. I feel like there is much more to learn about her - and her mother - and I hope that the next book will accomplish that even if Amelia (the youngest princess) is the main character. I would definitely recommend this series, and I am glad that The Tears of the Rose releases in November! I won't have to wait long.

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Posted by Tynga at 02:22

 Fables, Fantasy, Fantasy amp; Magic, High Fantasy, Jeffe Kennedy, Kensington, Legends, Magic, Myths, Publisher, Review, shapeshifters, The Twelve Kingdoms  Leave your mark

A Witch's Handbook of Kisses and Curses by Molly Harper

In my opinion, there's no one who can do better paranormal comedy than Molly Harper. Her characters are always quirky, the hilarious situations are really fun to read, and the sarcasm is on par with some of the best rom-com out there. However, I think what makes this book work is, despite all the good bits, the paranormal story is still there to hold the book together.

Nola Leary is new to Half-Moon Hollow, the setting of many Molly Harper novels. She's only there as temporary resident, on a "quest" to find four magical artifacts that will save her family's magic. Ever since her grandmother passed away a little while back, she has felt responsible for her family and her family's well being. In theory, the search shouldn't be too hard because the artifacts should all be in her long lost grandfather's book shop. However, since he has passed away too and his organization skills were never great (awful, actually) things turn out to be a little harder than she expected. When she meets the new bookstore owner Jane Jameson, she welcomes any help she can get, so reveals her quest to her new vampire friend. Nola is the type of character that I love to read about. She makes almost every situation hilarious and if she would be an actual person in real life, it would be awesome to have her as a friend. It might be exhausting at time, but her sincerity and liveliness would definitely be worth it.

Obviously, this book wouldn't be complete without a hot and likeable guy. Jed Trudeau just happens to be Nola's next door neighbour and despite his extreme hotness, he's actually a very nice guy. His and Nola's humour are on the same page so their banter is definitely interesting and witty. Nola doesn't reveal her quest to Jed when she first meets him and she isn't very truthful about where she's from either. Jed has his own secrets too and there's an air of mystery that follows him around most of the book. Jed and Nola make a great pair and even if she feels guilty for cheating on her boyfriend with Jed, deep down I think she truly feels like her relationship with Stephen has never been very authentic in the first place.

As always, the Half-Moon Hollow residents make great secondary characters. Their eccentricities are what you expect to see in small town characters but Molly Harper is able to add her own little flair to them. What's great about this novel is you don't need to read any of her other books to understand this one. This is theoretically the second full length book of the series, which is actually a spin off to another one, and many of the characters from the previous novels are featured in this one. If you've read the other books, it's actually nice to meet the characters again to see how their happily ever after is working out for them, but it's really not necessary to know their back story in order to under Nola and Jed's.

I always highly anticipate Molly Harper's novels but for some reason, I've been a really bad fan and I haven't been keeping up. What thrills me is that a new book from her werewolf series is due out soon so I'm really looking forward to that since it's always been my favourite series of hers. If paranormal comedy is for you, I really recommend Harper's since it will make you laugh out loud and entertain you to the very end. It's as if this sub-genre was created for her since her wittiness was made to go with this type of paranormal romance. That being said, A Witch's Handbook of Kisses and Curses is a definite success and I highly recommend it.

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Posted by Tynga at 02:00

 Half Moon Hollow, Library, Magic, Molly Harper, Paranormal Romance, Pocket, Review, Romance, shapeshifters, Simon amp; Schuster, vampires, witches  2 People left their mark