Hey there book pals!

How are things going? Let’s see, I had a very successful housewarming party with the bf, grad school is really ramping up with projects, and work is about the same, so crazy as usual!

I recently decided to take a brief little breather from the Replica series to do a buddy read of Magic Bites (Kate Daniels #1) by Ilona Andrews.

I did this buddy read with my bookish bestie Misty. We both had this on our TBR for a while and needed an adventure packed with magic and a little romance. This post is my individual review, soon to be followed by a conversation between Misty and I (spoiler light).

Alright, let’s get this book review started!

Blurb

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…

GoodReads

Amazon

***Brief disclosure***

I am an Amazon affiliate and earn a tiny commission for purchases made through the Amazon links in this post at no cost to you. It’s a great way to help me keep things running on my blog if you’re already intrigued enough to make a purchase. 

The Review

This was a fun read, but there were some highs and lows.

This novel follows the chaotic life of Kate Daniels, a mercenary packing some serious magic. She’s spent her life fixing up other people’s messes, but when her guardian is killed, she embarks on a quest to find his killer and exact her revenge.

So I think the main issue I had was the execution of certain things.

I absolutely loved the premise of this adventure. We’ve got this strange parallel earth where magic and tech waves affect how things function, loads of supernatural beings and creatures, and mysterious histories and grudges that can last centuries.

On paper this fit the bill for me, but I wanted a more direct approach with the abundance of information given in the book. Most of the information I got was through conversation or casual observation, but it wasn’t enough to piece together what I didn’t know and that got frustrating. I would’ve preferred an info dump to the withholding of information.

I did like how spunky and tomboyish Kate was, but after a while her snarky comebacks got kind of annoying. She did grow a little mentally, but I kind of wanted her to not have to rely so much on her machismo. I really enjoyed the love interest and his interactions with Kate, but that felt downplayed. Hopefully a romance element persists in the next book.

There was a ton of great action, mystery, and magic throughout this novel. The pacing was fast and relentless, and that part of things kept me glued to my seat most of the time. I think if the other elements were improved this definitely could’ve been a five star for me, but for now I’m giving it a 3.5.

That’s A Wrap!

Well that’s it for this book review. I hope you enjoyed it!

Have you read this book? Are there other similar books you’ve read that you simply have to gush about? Feel free to leave a comment. I’d love to start a conversation!

Have a great day!

Join My ARC Review Team | Subscribe

 Facebook | GoodReads | Bookbub | Tumblr | Instagram