Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews
ISBN: 9780441018529
I bought this book.
Kate Daniels #4
Like most books this deep into a series I have to start with a disclaimer: DO NOT start this series here. Magic Bleeds is the fourth in the series, and like most series it has a point where the world and characters are fairly well established and the story start moving on with the readers as friends and close relatives rather than as an audience. For the Kate Daniel series, Magic Bleeds is that book.
The Kate books are set in a post apocalyptic-ish Atlanta where tech and magic are at war for dominance over reality. By this point “tech” being up and “magic” being up, as well as the characters and the monster archetypes (such as vampires being “horses” for necromancers and werecritters being unified under one ruler in a feudal-like system of clans) should be familiar for readers because Andrews is moving on to expand, rather than explain.
The book opens with Kate following through on a bet she lost (that entails her cooking a meal and serving it in lingerie to the Beast Lord–Curran). Except Curran stands her up, which is a massive blow to Kate, emotionally, since she was raised to never get close to anyone, and had let Curran in anyway. This directly sets up the plot for plenty of angst, however Andrews backs up Kate’s fear of trusting people with a big whopping dose of the family from Hell. Formerly Jesse Custer, main character of the Preacher graphic novel series, held the title of worst family ever (in my reading experience). But Kate’s family is legendary, as in actual legends, like the kind that have parents swallowing children out of jealousy and full grow adults being born from each others’ heads.
If Kate’s destiny and relatives aren’t enough to keep her from getting attached, the fact that someone in Atlanta is targeting the strongest magic users in the city and turning their bodies into sentient, aggressive, living diseases (as in, these disease will literally chase you down to infect you) and appears to be outright after the shapeshifters, making Kate’s angst over being attached to the beast clans an even harder decision.
Character progression is what this series is about, possibly even more than the mysteries and thrill of each book itself. Kate is the cold, vicious killer that we know isn’t as heartless as she seems. It’s hard not to get drawn in, especially when on an emotional level we want to see Kate conquer the world by allowing herself to be open and passionate and a real person instead of a flat killer.
Engaging, exciting, sensual and darkly hilarious, Magic Bleeds is a wholly satisfying read with a hint of Arthurian legend in a backdrop of murder, magic and werewolves. If you love paranormals and adventure this series is not to be missed.