Goldilox and the Three Weres: Review: Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews

Magic Bleeds
(Kate Daniels, #4)
Ilona Andrews
Release: May 25, 2010
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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.

Kate Daniels works for the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid, officially as a liaison with the mercenary guild. Unofficially, she cleans up the paranormal problems no one else wants to handle - especially if they involve Atlanta's shapeshifting community. When she's called in to investigate a fight at the Steel Horse, a bar on the border between the territories of the shapeshifters and the necromancers, Kate quickly discovers that there's a new player in town. One who's been around for thousands of years - and who rode to war at the side of Kate's father. This foe may be too much even for Kate and Curran, the Beast Lord, to handle. Because this time Kate will be taking on family.

Review by Rose Red:
I'm a giant fan of urban fantasy. I read all kinds of genres of books, but when I read urban fantasy I get a feeling of being at home. The Ilona Andrews writing team created a universe where when I'm having a bad day or want to have a good time, I can open one of these books and escape effortlessly and happily into Kate's misadventures. And the writing duo that is Ilona Andrews have seriously stepped up the action and consequences in this book! I had doubts that they would be able to top the awesome book we got with Magic Strikes and the action of the Midnight Games but this book proved my doubts to be unfounded. Each book keeps getting better and better!

The events of the last book changed the game. Kate's actions in the Midnight Games has started the unraveling of her secret identity and she's left to deal with what that revelation will bring down on her and her friends. If that wasn't enough, her relationship with Curran is on rocky ground especially as the newest big bad who comes to town targets her shape-shifter friends and puts them in grave danger. Add in the trouble her boss at the Order is causing her, you can say that things aren't going so well for Kate.

I thought the last book was a game changer for the series, but Magic Bleeds is essentially the turning point in the Kate Daniels Series. It's a will they or won't they book. If you've read up to this book so far, you know exactly what I mean.

The writing team of Ilona Andrews crafted a well written, strong plot, with a very prominent relationship storyline. Before we get to that, let's talk about Kate for a minute. Kate is one of my favorite heroines of all the book series I have read to date, and I've fangirled over her in each of my reviews. Kate is fierce. She is fiercely loyal to those she cares about, despite all of her father's warnings to keep to herself. She is fiercely independent, although she longs for companionship and love. She is guarded to a point where she can't trust anyone with her secrets, her heart, or her life. She is a master with her saber, will kick your ass if you threaten her or what she considers hers. Her mouth gets her into trouble more often than not, and she often takes the approach of kill now, ask questions later. She knows she is, but she's not egocentric which is nice to read. She does what she feels she has to do to protect herself, her friends, and Atlanta.

Kate has changed a lot over the course of the first three books, but in this one she finally has to make a choice. Does she fall back to her father's advice or does she continue to forge her own way? Does she choose or abandon whatever is going on between her and Curran? Despite wanting love, Kate feels like she will never have the kind of love that she so desperately wants. An incident with Curran at the first of this book leaves her hurting and afraid to make any decision. She's quite volatile because of her emotions. I wanted to give her a hug, but I'd be afraid of her stabbing me if I did.

I love all the action in Magic Bleeds everything has been ratcheted up five notches on the intensity scale. The battle scenes were unlike those in the earlier books, Kate is tested to the limits of her sword mastery - no easy monsters here. The battle scenes are great. The plot is interesting without being crazy. The death toll rises. The last fifty pages or so are gut wrenching and sad but it's mixed with hope. Ilona Andrews is a master storyteller! Seriously, the ending is fantastic! It had just the right amount of everything. This book was just so amazing! Go read this series now if you haven't started it yet!