Meet New Books
Meet New Books
Book Cover

Magic Bites

Book 1 in the series:Kate Daniels

Save:
Find on Amazon

In "Magic Bites" by Ilona Andrews, readers are introduced to Kate Daniels, a strong and tough mercenary living in a post-apocalyptic Atlanta where magic and technology alternate in dominance. Kate's investigations lead her to battle psychotic creatures, navigate complex power dynamics between different supernatural factions, and uncover dark mysteries that threaten the fragile balance of her world. The writing style is described as dark and intense, with detailed world-building that seamlessly blends elements of magic and technology, creating a unique and captivating urban fantasy setting.

The plot follows Kate as she delves into a series of gruesome killings, facing necromancers, werewolves, vampires, and other mystical beings along the way. The story moves at a fast pace, keeping readers on the edge of their seats with thrilling action scenes and unexpected twists. Kate's character is praised for her strength, wit, and relatability, adding depth to the narrative as she navigates the challenges of her dangerous and unpredictable environment.

Characters:

The characters, particularly Kate and Curran, showcase strong personalities, with depth and complexity that develops as the series progresses.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is notably humorous and sharp, with a focus on fast-paced action interlaced with witty dialogue.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot follows Kate Daniels as she navigates a dangerous world of magic and technology, seeking to uncover the truth behind her guardian's murder while dealing with supernatural factions.

Setting:

The setting is a unique, post-apocalyptic version of Atlanta where magic and technology clash, shaping the narrative dramatically.

Pacing:

The pacing starts off slow with heavy world-building but quickly transitions to fast action that keeps readers engaged.
I SAT AT A TABLE IN MY SHADOWY KITCHEN, STARING down a bottle of Boone’s Farm Hard Lemonade, when a magic fluctuation hit. My wards shivered and died, leaving my home stripped of its defenses. The TV ...

Notes:

Magic Bites is the first book in the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews.
The world alternates between magic and technology, creating unpredictable conditions.
Kate Daniels is a mercenary with a complex history and magical abilities.
Vampires in this series are not traditionally sexy; they're mindless and controlled by necromancers.
The shape shifters are organized in a pack called The Pack, led by the Beast Lord, Curran.
The protagonist often engages in witty banter, especially with Curran, creating a dynamic tension.
Kate's guardian's murder sets off the main plot of the story.
The series explores themes of friendship, loyalty, and identity.
Magic often complicates scenarios, leading to humorous and dangerous situations.
Kate Daniels is a tough protagonist who evolves and grows throughout the series.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

There are content warnings for violence, gore, and potential sexual violence, particularly involving the treatment of women.

Has Romance?

There is a medium level of romance with emphasis on character dynamics and emotional development rather than explicit scenes.

From The Publisher:

Ilona Andrews invites you to experience the first novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series featuring the intriguing fantasy world of mercenary Kate Daniels…

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, 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 bizarre killings-and the death of Kate's guardian may be part of the same mystery. Pressured by both sides to find the killer, Kate realizes she's way out of her league-but she wouldn't have it any other way…

Ratings (237)

Incredible (68)
Loved It (95)
Liked It (45)
It Was OK (14)
Did Not Like (12)
Hated It (3)

Reader Stats (431):

Read It (239)
Currently Reading (1)
Want To Read (109)
Did Not Finish (7)
Not Interested (75)

8 comment(s)

Loved It
2 weeks

Love this whole series. I'm delighted that the FMC is a quasi-unreliable narrator in that she tells us her truth but she's not omniscient. It's so immersive.

 
Incredible
3 weeks

Re-Read Review

1st read: 31 Mar 2007

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

Re-read: 14 Jun 2011

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

I first read

Magic Bleeds when it was released in 2007. I loved it back then and loved it this time too. There were a lot of things I'd forgotten, so after reading [b:Magic Slays|8559047|Magic Slays (Kate Daniels, #5)|Ilona Andrews|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1288727226s/8559047.jpg|13427398], it was fun to return to the beginning and remember how it all started.

If you haven't read any of the books, you may want to stop reading here ... I'm not using spoiler tags or blocking my entire review, but there are spoilers throughout - Consider yourself warned! ;)

The things that strike me most about Kate are her ability to power on when she's about to die or, at least, feels like she is. She's very modest about her pain and her abilities. She hates working with others and being responsible for their safety, yet she's a very compassionate and protective person when she's put in that position. She is snarky as hell and I love it. Her sense of humor keeps me laughing and keeps her enemies off balance. She doesn't change who she is to please anyone. And she's brutally honest, to a fault sometimes.

Refreshers I enjoyed the most: Her first meeting with Curran, her first impression of Aunt B, her first Pack meeting and subsequent bond with Derek, and her first medical treatment with Dr. Doolittle.

I cannot believe I'd forgotten she didn't know Jim was on the Pack council. It was fun reading about their initial "partnership" as well. I loved "meeting" Ghastek and Saiman again. Saiman is a strange bird. Such an interesting character. I also love Maxine. I wish I could do that! And, Rowena - funny "meeting her again" when I know what I know now.

It was so much fun reading the banter between Kate and Curran, which starts

immediately upon meeting him with her

"Here, Kitty, Kitty." The scenes between them, like her sending him a saucer of milk when he's left the med-tank early to follow her on her date with Crest, are a hoot. Especially knowing what's to come. So many times I was thinking, "If you only knew!"

I'm going to be re-read the rest of the series over the next two days and can't wait! It's a perfect fix after Magic Slays and slows the Kate & Curran withdrawl. But, once I'm done with [b:Magic Bleeds|6479550|Magic Bleeds (Kate Daniels, #4)|Ilona Andrews|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1407110429s/6479550.jpg|6670775], I'll either have to start all over or stew as I anxiously await book #6.

 
Loved It
1 month

Re-read April 2017 - Okay, this is probably re-read 6 or something, because I tend to re-read this series when a new book comes out. I never used to track that, but I'm doing a challenge this year, so I'm being more diligent.

Anyway.

This is one of my favorite series. It may actually be my favorite, but it's hard to say ... it's like trying to pick which kid you love most.

There are rough spots in this series opener. For me, the toughest is that I find Curran to be pretty despicable. Look,

most of the shit that goes wrong goes wrong because of him and his absolutely mammoth ego. Kate isn't perfect - and she's obviously super new to this, and stumbling through as best she can while coping with the fact that her last family member was just horrifically murdered - but most of the things his High Doucheyness decides are horribly offensive are things she didn't have control over.

Binding Derek? That's entirely because of his bullshit little display of power. She couldn't fight, and asking for him to intercede just acknowledges that she's under his power. Also intolerable, because she has to represent the Order with at least some level of neutrality.

The thing with Crest? She never EVER thought it was Crest. Curran thought it was Crest, and convinced the Council. And when it wasn't, Curran pretty much spit in her face, as if the bad judgment call was hers.

Helping the Crusader leave? It was critical. They wouldn't have won that fight without Nick getting the weapons. Kate's mistake here was not telling him this ... but even that is somewhat forgivable, given that he is unbending in his insistence that no one knows better than him throughout this book. Risking him saying no and locking down Nick would have been a disaster.

And all the other little things, paired with his constant disdain for her and his accusations that she just craves attention, make him a character I pretty seriously disliked in this book.

And so the first time I read the series, I wasn't sure I was going to like it moving forward.

Because it seemed pretty clear that Curran was eventually going to be the hero, and I couldn't see myself liking him. But that's because I was new to Andrews. I didn't yet know how incredible this writing team is. Now, 9 books in, I can see Curran's arc - from the utterly alone authority figure who MUST remain unbending - to the incredible partner he now is. Don't get me wrong, there are serious hiccups along the way ... but it's a great arc, and it is key to why this is at the top of my favorites pile. Kate and Curran hammer against each other repeatedly, until they find a way for two such incredibly dominant personalities to co-exist without diminishing each other.

It's a beautiful thing.

Which is why this series is pretty much an annual re-read for me.

 
It Was OK
6 months

Magic Bites is my first foray into the bibliography of Ilona Andrews, and while it was a fun time, I had some issues that I’d like to air out.

First, I didn’t know that Ilona Andrews was a pseudonym for a wife-husband writing team until I read a bit of the FAQ at the end of this book, but that fact makes a lot of sense. Despite our main character being a woman, this was a very man-centric book. The Knight Protector was a man. Kate’s informant on The People, Bono, was a man. The Beast Lord was a man. For a second there we might’ve FINALLY received a powerful female ally when Kate visited that high-rise apartment of a friend, but no, just another man character shape-shifted as a woman with “breasts that looked too large for her body.” Any women we saw in this book met only briefly, and with one exception, I can’t think of any in positions of power over a man. I could ~feel~ the male presence in the writing of this book, so it cleared things up to know a man was involved.

Kate described her confrontation with The Pack as going poorly, but what the hell else was she supposed to do when The Beast Lord ordered his stooges to harass and put her in danger?? Maybe I’m as dumb as Kate seems to think she was in that situation, but I would do the same thing. There were other instances where her choices were described negatively, but I never felt she did anything too unreasonable. Maybe I’m the issue.

On a positive note, Curran is an intriguing character to me. Despite my issues with this book I’ve heard the series only gets better, so I’ll persevere to the sequel and hopefully see more interactions between him and Kate.

Side note: the covers for these books are SO heinous.

 
Loved It
7 months

The first time I read this I didn't get why there were so many rave reviews. I mean it seemed pretty average. The world building was cool and Kate seemed alright but a bit standoffish. The romance between Kate and Crest was mediocre - it seemed like she didn't like him at all and it felt forced and awkward. The romance between Curran wasn't any better. It didn't make sense why he followed her home while he was on his date. I liked Derek and Ghastek was creepy. There was lots of snappy, witty dialogue and I had a few laughs - but I was just confused. It was good but it wasn't great.

Yeah - read the rest of the series. It gets SO MUCH BETTER. Kate stops being standoffish and starts letting people in. Derek becomes a total badass. Ghastek - well he's still pretty creepy. But also funny and kind and sweet when he wants to be. And Curran - I love him now. He is an absolute ass in this first book. But I forgot. He becomes everything you want in a love interest.

So do yourself a favour. Keep reading.

3.5 stars, rounded to 4.

 
Loved It
7 months

Ilona Andrews had me with mindless piloted vampires instead of really old immortal men hooking up with teenage girls.

 
Loved It
2 years

Begins with a lot of irritating and predictable urban fantasy tropes, but improves as we read on.

The FMC is great, and intriguing dystopian setting. My other favorite character is Beast King Curran

 
Liked It
2 years

Excellent, however the gore turned me off a touch. However, it was still entertaining enough that I intend to continue with the series

 

About the Author:

Ilona Andrews is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team, Gordon and Ilona. They currently reside in Texas with their two children and numerous dogs and cats. The couple are the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors of the Kate Daniels and Kate Daniels World novels as…

 
Meet New Books is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a way for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products and services on amazon.com and its subsidiaries.
When you click the Amazon link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commision, at no cost to you.