Publisher: Ace
Where did you get the book: Purchased
Release date: Out now
Plagued by a war between magic and technology, Atlanta has never been so deadly. Good thing Kate Daniels is on the job.
Kate Daniels may have quit the Order of Merciful Aid, but she’s still knee-deep in paranormal problems. Or she would be if she could get someone to hire her. Starting her own business has been more challenging than she thought it would be—now that the Order is disparaging her good name, and many potential clients are afraid of getting on the bad side of the Beast Lord, who just happens to be Kate’s mate.
So when Atlanta’s premier Master of the Dead calls to ask for help with a vampire on the loose, Kate leaps at the chance of some paying work. Turns out this is not an isolated incident, and Kate needs to get to the bottom of it—fast, or the city and everyone dear to her might pay the ultimate price . . .
*blurb taken from Goodreads*
I’ve been sitting on Magic Slays for sometime (a long time) because I was burnt out on the Urban Fantasy genre, and I knew if I read Magic Slays I would not have been able to read and enjoy the book like I had with the previous books. So sit on it I did with my self imposed ban on UF for a long time. During the Fantasy Appreciation feature we did in early April, I found myself getting a little excited about the genre once again so I read it before that excitement faded.
As soon as I started Magic Slays it felt as if I was visiting old friends again whom I hadn’t seen for a very long time. I knew that there would be a lot of ass kicking and fighting in this book, but what I wanted to read the most was seeing Kate and Curran settling down. This is why I love authors who progress and mature their characters as the series go on. When we first met Kate she was a loner who had no real friends and no family. Kate now has a loving mate in Curran who loves her back with possessive distraction, Julie her adopted ward, and a best friend forever in Andrea. Oh, and Grendal – the humongous black poodle!
Magic Slays really delves into Kate’s new role as the Alpha’s mate, making her Consort over the entire Atlanta shapeshifters pack. And with that comes new territory for Kate who has to deal with the politics within the pack, and deal with the wolf Alpha, Jennifer, who has serious madness for Kate after the events in the last book. In a way, we’re learning about a new facade of Kate as she’s never had to deal with these sort of issues before, and her and Curran have to navigate around themselves and learn that what independent decisions they made in the past before changes now that they’re together.
Curran is still as possessive and arrogant as before, but there’s a much softer side with him, and when he’s all loved up with Kate it was super romantic. Seeing Curran and Kate both vulnerable with one another really shows how much they’ve matured and changed, yet their snarky and ‘I keel you’ ways are still there.
I loved seeing Derek and Julie again, and a new young teen character introduced, Asciano who really made an impact and who I think will become a featured character in future books. It’ll be interesting to see how Derek, Julie and Asciano will interact as there was definitely tension between him and Derek. And I’m waiting on pins and needles to see if Julie and Derek will have a book of their own once they’re grown up. Derek is already matured way beyond his 19 years, yet there is still a boyish nature about him. Julie is like a mini Kate, and I can’t wait to see how she progresses as she gets older.
Whilst Roland, Kate’s father, never features in the book, he plays a massive part because you know that the big confrontation between them keeps building up and up with each book. I enjoyed that the baddies in this book were of a separate nature to the bigger story arc, though it showed just how ruthless Kate and the Pack can be. There is a lot of violence in these books, but I tend to skim those parts as I’m not a huge fan of violence.
Saying that, having Kate not lop off at least one head wouldn’t be the same! All in all, Magic Slays delivered on the emotional front for me big time and I’ll revved up for the release of Gunmetal Magic which is Andrea’s story, and hopefully her and Raphael will get their gears kicked into the right position.
I give Magic Slays a A-.
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Great review, totally agree with you. I love both their series 🙂
Magic Slays had me smiling for DAYS after I read it (and then promptly re-read it!)… Ilona and Gordon rock!!
I love the Kate Daniels series! Great review for Magic Slays!