Magic Bites – Ilona Andrews

Ace, Copyright 2007, 260 pages

ISBN:  978-0-441-01489-7

Read June 2012, at age 34

Re-read.  I read it not that long ago – maybe 2010?

This is the first book in the Kate Daniels series of urban fantasy, and is a prequel to Magic Burns.  I did read it first, but after reading Magic Burns, I started wondering what I’d missed.  Some, as it turns out.  Nothing too major, but I would read them in order, given the choice.

From the back cover:

Atlanta would be a nice place to live, if it weren't for the magic…

When the magic is up, rogue mages cast their spells and monsters appear, while guns refuse to fire and cars fail to start.  But then technology returns, and the magic recedes as unpredictably as it arose, leaving all kinds of paranormal problems in its wake.

Kate Daniels is a down-on-her-luck mercenary who makes her living cleaning up these magic problems.  But when Kate’s guardian is murdered, her quest for justice draws her into a power struggle between two strong factions within Atlanta’s magic circles.

The Masters of the Dead, necromancers who can control vampires, and the Pack, a paramilitary clan of shapechangers, blame each other for a series of bizarre killings – and the death of Kate’s guardian may be part of the same mystery.  Pressured by both sides to find the killer, Kate realizes she’s way out of her league – but she wouldn't have it any other way…

Brief reactions after the break. 

Ilona Andrews – Magic Burns

Ace, Copyright 2008, 260 pages

ISBN:  978-0-441-01583-2

Read May 2012, at age 34

First time read.

This is the sequel to Magic Bites.  It isn't necessary to read the first one first, but it adds a bit.  I read the first one maybe 5 years ago, and I only vaguely remembered it, and I don’t think I missed too much.

From the back cover:

Down in Atlanta, tempers – and temperatures – are about to flare… As a mercenary who cleans up after magic gone wrong, Kate Daniels has seen her share of occupational hazards. Normally, waves of paranormal energy ebb and flow across Atlanta like a tide. But once every seven years, a flare comes, a time when magic runs rampant.

Now Kate’s going to have to deal with problems on a much bigger scale: a divine one. When Kate sets out to retrieve a set of stolen maps for the Pack, Atlanta’s paramilitary clan of shapeshifters, she quickly realizes much more at stake. During a flare, gods and goddesses can manifest – and battle for power. The stolen maps are only the opening gambit in an epic tug-of-war between two gods hoping for rebirth. And if Kate can’t stop the cataclysmic showdown, the city may not survive… 

Reactions after the break.