Review: Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews

When magic strikes and Atlanta goes to pieces, it's a job for Kate Daniels...

Drafted to work for the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid, mercenary Kate Daniels has more paranormal problems these days than she knows what to do with. And in Atlanta, where magic comes and goes like the tide, that's saying a lot.

But when Kate's werewolf friend Derek is discovered nearly dead, she must confront her greatest challenge yet. As her investigation leads here to the Midnight Games - an invitation-only, no-holds-barred, ultimate preternatural fighting tournament - she and Curran, the Beast Lord, uncover a dark plot that may forever alter the face of Atlanta's shapeshifting community...

The last time I read an Ilona Andrews book, it was before I started this blog in August of 2008. I had to look it up it had been so long ago. Now I know why I couldn't remember some things. I did, however, read the anthology Must Love Hellhounds in February that had a Kate Daniels-verse story featuring Raphael and Andrea. Here's what I thought:

"Magic Mourns" by Ilona Andrews pairs up Kate's hyena shifter friend Raphael and Andrea, Kate's replacement at work and hyena beastkin, a hyena-human hybrid that is not welcome in most shifter societies. Raphael and Andrea have a connection and while Raphael has been pursuing her without success, Andrea wants him. BAD. This was a great part of this anthology; it had the feel of its series, an interesting storyline, an even more interesting romance, and a giant hellhound. All-in-all, awesome. A

With Magic Bleeds looming on the book horizon for release on May 25, I figured I would catch up on Kate and Curran. I loved it, of course. I should really go back and reread Magic Burns and Magic Bites though. I couldn't remember Roland being that much in the forefront of Kate's mind. In Magic Strikes, she almost obsessive about him and I didn't know why. Ilona and Andrews have set up this whole Darth Vader/Luke Skywalker thing with Kate and it will make for good stuff in Magic Bleeds.

As for Kate and Curran, I'm not sure what to say about them. On one hand, I want to tell Kate to s**t or get off the pot already! She wants him, worries about him, trusts him. He's strong enough to handle what she is and can do and vice versa. On the other hand, if I was her, I might run. She would be the mate of the BEAST LORD. Talk about a headache, having to be the female alpha. As you can see, I'm undecided - but I'm leaning toward to the first scenario :) That's been the whole point of these books, right? Kate and Curran have been doing this little dance of theirs for three books and with all the bad stuff coming up in Magic Bleeds, they'll both need each other. It's going to be time for them to put up or shut up. I'm definitely not going to wait before I read it either.