Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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92 of 95 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly Recommended Urban Fantasy, 18 Jul 2007
Kate Daniels lives in a world where magic and technology struggle to exist together. As a mercenary she makes her living clearing up magical problems but as she investigates the murder of her guardian she's about to find herself caught between The Pack (shapeshifters) and the People (necromancers).
One of the best urban fantasies I've read this year. Kate is a feisty no-nonsense heroine, who doesn't let the fact she's not as strong as some of her adversaries stop her from doing her job. Although this is written in first person we only know what Kate tells us. A part of her is kept hidden, not only from the other characters but also from the reader. It suggests Kate has a secret she mustn't even think about - but intriguing hints are dropped that I hope will be followed up in the next book.
The book is peopled with interesting creatures and characters. Saiman a problem-solver (I'm not quite sure what he is) who charges $26 a minute for his time, the Lord of the Beasts a shapeshifter alpha you believe could rule - uncompromising and ruthless, he's prepared to do what is necessary to protect his people. This is not a romance but he and Kate have quite a chemistry together. :)
There's an intriguing new take on vampires, rather than sentient beings they are driven by appetite and are controlled by necromancers. They reminded me slightly of the monsters from Resident Evil. It's mentioned that they are constantly evolving (or maybe devolving) from a human base form and are an 'abomination in progress'. Scary.
Whenever a character says "I missed something" it makes me think as a reader I have too. I love stories where you want to think about the mystery and aren't 100% sure about who did what. If I had any gripes it would be that towards the end Curran blames Kate for something that he actually did. There could be some kind of shapeshifter politicking going on there, but it seemed a tad harsh.
Recommended for fans of Patricia Briggs Mercy Thompson series, Wen Spencer and Kat Richardson.
Book #2 Magic Burns to be released 2008
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26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Magic DOESN'T Bite!!!, 9 Sep 2007
'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 rose, 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 magical 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 bizzare killings-and the death of Kate's guardian may be part of the same mystery. Pressured by both sides to find the killer, Kate realises she's way out of her league-but she wouldn't have it any other way...'
I LOVE it! 'Magic Bites' is the first novel in a terrific action packed, intriguing new series (so-far a confirmed duo).
Kate is a stubborn, tough, witty 'heroine'. I love the fact she feels the need to keep everyone at 'arms length', but makes friends and allies constantly. Amongst the interesting plot, you gradually learn some of Kates background and it makes you want to learn more.
Kates growing powers, 'love interest potential' with the Beast Lord-pack king of the shapechangers, a series of interesting characters are just some of the things that make you want to go back to visit this 'bloody' brilliant world!!! I cannot wait for the sequel 'Magic Burns', in March 2008.
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26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Magic Bites -not!, 13 May 2007
When I bought this book I was honestly expecting your typical pale copycat urban fantasy of the type that seem to be spring up everywhere these days in the wake of the success of Laurell k. and Charlaine Harris,but I was very pleasantly surprised.Yes ,the story does involve werewolves and vampires and there are echoes of Anita Blake in the heroine Kate Daniels but despite this I was totally gripped by the story and the relationships between the characters and was compelled to read the whole thing through in one sitting.This is obviously the first of a series of books and I can't wait to see what happens next.Read it, you won't regret it.
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