Welcome to a feature I'm going to post on Mondays called:
Read This F@!%ing Book!
This is a feature for me to push my favorite reads that just aren't getting enough attention!
I'm also opening it up to anyone who would like to guest post. Do you
have a book that you just LURVED but feel like its not getting the play
it deserves? Email me to let me know and I'd be THRILLED to have you
post about it here! Especially if its something I haven't reviewed yet - that's even better (but not necessary)! If you're interested email me:
Goldilox3weres@hotmail.com
This week's post comes from our very own:
Rose Red!
This week's post comes from our very own:
Rose Red!
Read This F@!%ing Book Post 46: The Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews
(Click book cover to go to Goodreads page)
It's no secret that I absolutely adore the Kate Daniels series. I've reviewed almost the whole series here at Goldilox and the Three Weres so you all know exactly how much I love these books. This series is one of my all-time favorites! I've reread it multiple times and I still adore everything about it! The writing duo that makes up Ilona Andrews just has the perfect combination of action, snark, and mythology down. These books will make you laugh as they tear your heart out. I want to approach this Read This F@!%ing Book post a little differently than normal. Instead of my gushing for 1000+ words about why I love this series, I want to tell you some of the reasons why you should read these books.
Five Reasons Why I love the Kate Daniels Series:
1. Kate is a snarky heroine who is a legit badass. I love Kate. She knows
her strengths and her weaknesses and lives with it. She learns some hard
truths about her past, and needs to make some major decisions about how
she is going to face (and survive) the future. She is strong, but not
all powerful. We also get to see her evolve throughout this series from loner to someone with friends to someone who is in a committed relationship. It wasn't an easy transition for her and we are there for every struggle, regret, and happiness as she goes through that process.
2. The characters are just plain fantastic and so are their relationships with each other. One of the best things about this series is the supporting characters and their varying relationships with Kate. I seriously love so many of them! Kate
started out as a loner and has slowly built a support group of friends
around her. The world doesn't
revolve around Kate. She maybe the main character, but the series is about more than just her. Life goes on for others. I loved that we can
get glimpses of the lives the others lead around her. Some characters get more page time, but the authors do an excellent job
of writing the characters in to have a function in the narrative and
not just because they need more characters.
3. Each book is filled with non-stop action and so many different mythologies. One thing that remains constant throughout this series is that each book still has tons of action and a mystery that propels the narrative forward.
Each book has its own monster of the week, but each book is steadily building Kate up for that final showdown that we know is coming. And with each book, we're introduced to more and more mythology and creatures from the different versions. One of the things that I love about this series is that I have no idea what new kind of mythology or lore will be added to this intriguing world. It's getting to be an excellent mythological melting pot with every mythology adding its own unique twist to the story.
4. The swoon-worthy romance is... well... swoon-worthy. I adore Kate and Curran's relationship. It hasn't been an easy road. They went from disliking each other to respecting each other to being interested in each other to (finally) being in a relationship. Their romance was a slow burning one and by the time they do get
together it's believable that they really do care for each other. They both have strong personalities and they have to work at it. They don't all of the sudden
fall for each other and become attached at the hip. Their romance is one of my all-time favorites and I don't think that will change any time soon. Not only is Kate and Curran's
relationship well done, but so are the relationships of those around them. They all have their ups
and downs.
5. The shifters in this world are a great combination of unique attributes and some of the more common tropes. This is one thing that I love about this series. In so many Urban Fantasy books, shifters always have to obey their leader if they're given an order. But in this world they're allowed to disagree and challenge their leaders and if there is a huge falling out they can always leave the pack. That doesn't mean they won't get in trouble for disagreeing. It just means that it's an option. Another thing I love in this series is that shifters can have families....they can and do have kids. It's
not like other series that once they are a shifter that they are suddenly unable
to procreate. Granted, there's a large chance that a child will go loup when they first shift, but at least they can have kids. The last thing I appreciate about the shifters in these books is that they don't live forever. Death comes to all shifters at some point. The whole weres get to live forever as long as they don't get killed by other means gets old after awhile. In this world, shifters are born/created and they live a long life (they do live longer than others since they can
heal faster and more easily), grow old, and then they die at a very old age.
Also, I'd like to note that the vampires are
really, really dead. A vampire is a dead body that is controlled and
"navigated" by a necromancer. And that body is literally the only thing left of that person after they are infected with the virus.
If
you like Audiobooks, then you have to listen to this series! Renee Raudman is the narrator and she does a phenomenal job! She nailed all the
voices perfectly to what I imagined them sounding like in my head. I
have a confession to make. I love these audiobooks and these stories so
much that I have been listening to the audio on a continuous loop this
year. They are really just that good,
guys!
I love this series so much! I always need more Kate and Curran in my life! Seriously. I can't wait for the next book to come out next summer! They are so freaking fantastic that I may cry when the series ends! If you haven't started this series, you need to get on that.
I can't agree enough with this selection. I'm a huge fan of this series, especially on audio. It has everything I love in a UF series. Great characters, wonderful world-building, tons of snark, some smexy times (but not over done) and one of the best narrators in the business.
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