And just like that, Stormi and I are back with reviews for the 7th Kate Daniels book, "Magic Breaks." The months are flying and so are the books. I can't believe only 3 left. However, Anne from Books of My Heart recommended that we really should read "Iron and Magic" between books 9 and 10 so we are planning on working it in as well. Wish us luck, it centers around Hugh and we both despise him...I mean, REALLY despise him. Oh well, on to this month's read. And make sure to go check out Stormi's thoughts @ Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My!
TITLE: Magic Breaks (Kate Daniels #7)
AUTHOR: Ilona Andrews
PUBLISHER: Ace Hardcover
PUBLISHING DATE: July 29, 2014
FROM GOODREADS: 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…
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…
MY THOUGHTS: First things first, where oh where is my precious Grendel? What's up with that. No mention of him whatsoever if I recall correctly. Of course that might be because this book is so jam-packed full of action from start to finish that had he been present, I probably would have worried about him endlessly.
So "Magic Breaks" is kind of a turning point in the series. In fact, it very much feels like the last installment, but the author makes a note in the beginning that it isn't the case. I'm glad because I'm not quite ready for it to end. Curran goes out of town on a hunting expedition and no sooner than he leaves, does the Conclave erupt with murder and mayhem. It's up to Kate to figure out what is going on, protect her people, not get herself killed and oh yea, possible battle her father to the death.
I don't want to give a lot away because I hope that if you haven't read this series yet, Stormi and I have inspired you to give it a go. But I will say that I even though I had a few minor issues with this one (see above Grendel statement, and oh yea, not a lot of Curran), I am enjoying this series as much now as I did when we started it in January. Kate really is a wonderful character with plenty of sass to provide some small chuckles even in the grimmest of situations. And once again, a lot of my favorite side characters are present. I even managed to like Desandra and never thought that would happen after book #6!
I will say that as I mentioned above, I'm not real happy with Hugh and can't imagine what happens in the next two books which warrants him having his own spin-off book. However, I will trust my fellow bloggers and at least give "Iron & Magic" a chance. Bring on book #8!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RATING: 4 PAWS (again, see more Grendel and more Curran comments above).
