Goldilox and the Three Weres: Early Review: Magic Binds by Ilona Andrews

Magic Binds
(Kate Daniels #9)
Ilona Andrews
Release: September 20, 2016
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Mercenary Kate Daniels knows all too well that magic in post-Shift Atlanta is a dangerous business. But nothing she’s faced could have prepared her for this…

Kate and the former Beast Lord Curran Lennart are finally making their relationship official. But there are some steep obstacles standing in the way of their walk to the altar…

Kate’s father, Roland, has kidnapped the demigod Saiman and is slowly bleeding him dry in his never-ending bid for power. A Witch Oracle has predicted that if Kate marries the man she loves, Atlanta will burn and she will lose him forever. And the only person Kate can ask for help is long dead.

The odds are impossible. The future is grim. But Kate Daniels has never been one to play by the rules…

Review by Rose Red:

I want to start this review by saying if you haven't read the Magic Stars novella, go do that now. It provides background for a couple of the scenes in this book. I mean you could read this book without reading the novella first but it's so much more enjoyable if you do.

Every time a new Kate book comes out, I try to guess what will happen and I'm never right. Each book keeps getting better and better. I seriously don't know how the writing duo of Ilona Andrews continues to one up the previous book but they do every time. I'm so sad to see this series winding down because I'm not ready for it to end. It's one of my favorite urban fantasy series of all-time.

So many things happen in this book. SO many things! We learn about Kate's family, Christopher, Julie, and how truly awful Kate is at planning her wedding. Guys! Wedding Planner Roman is a thing I didn't know I needed until now.

Although, Kate really doesn't have time for the planning of her and Curran's nuptials with Roland kidnapping Saiman and her having to try to prevent the Witch Oracle's terrible prophecy regarding her wedding from coming true. Not that the Oracle ever shares prophecies of good news to begin with. This one is a truly terrible one though and as soon as it was made you know Kate is going to be run through the wringer.

Like always, this book was full of nonstop action. I really don’t think there was ever a dull moment and I read it all in one go. I loved the action and the tight storytelling. The authors' humor and great dialogue really pulls things together to make this one of the best books in the series, in my opinion.

Kate continues to be the badass heroine that she is while Curran is terrifyingly awesome as always. I adore them together! They trust each other and always have each other's backs as they're working through things. And there's quite a few things to work through. Kate has gone through a lot of changes since she claimed Atlanta and the consequences of that event are starting to come to light. This book is a bit darker than the previous ones but the epic banter and humor balances it pretty well.

Magic Binds was seriously awesome. While I can never guess what's going to happen in this series, it just keeps getting more epic. I need to know what happens next! The wait for the next book may just kill me.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley