Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews
Series: Kate Daniels #4
Length: 13 hours 7 minutes
Source: Audible Purchase
★★★★★
Atlanta would be a nice place to live, if it weren’t for the magic. 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.
Kate Daniels works for the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid, officially as a liaison with the mercenary guild. Unofficially, she cleans up the paranormal problems no one else wants to handle – especially if they involve Atlanta’s shapeshifting community. When she’s called in to investigate a fight at the Steel Horse, a bar on the border between the territories of the shapeshifters and the necromancers, Kate quickly discovers that there’s a new player in town. One who’s been around for thousands of years – and who rode to war at the side of Kate’s father. This foe may be too much even for Kate and Curren, the Beast Lord, to handle. Because this time Kate will be taking on family.
I am so in love with this book and the series as a whole. I didn’t think that it would be possible to love this book any more than I did the first time that I read it but it seems that I was wrong. I liked it even more this time. I know where the series is headed so looking back at earlier books and remembering the events that laid the groundwork for later books is just so entertaining.
I love Kate. She is a strong, kick-ass character that cares deeply about others and tries to do what is right. She doesn’t always put herself first and is willing to sacrifice in order to help others. She takes on a lot of responsibility even for things that many would walk away from without any guilt. In this book, we get to see her admit to herself that she wants things for herself. When those things are at risk, she will fight as hard as she can to keep them.
As much as I love Kate, I might like Curran even a little more. My husband knows when I am reading one of these books because I have been known to look at him and ask him why he can’t change into a lion. I don’t think that he is impressed by these kinds of questions. So the fact that Curran is a lion AND the beast lord is just plain cool but there is so much more that I love about Curran. He knows what he wants and is willing to be patient in order to get it. He is fierce needed but he always brings a sense of quiet strength anytime he is part of a scene. And he loves Kate.
The story is exciting in this book. It was really pretty cool to go back and read this book again after reading the newest book in the series, Magic Binds. I really wanted to go back and see a certain character the first time they were featured in the series. This book is really a turning point in the series. There are a lot of things that change in this book. Really most of the big things in Kate’s life change in this book. Kate and Curran finally become a couple. She makes an important decision regarding her work. Even her living situation changes.
I loved the narration. It is so odd to me that I didn’t like the narrator for this series when I listened to the first two books because now I think she is perfect for the series. I think that Renee Raudman’s narration added to the enjoyment of this book for me during this re-read. She handles a lot of characters really well and uses a wide range of voices during the story. The emotions of the characters really shine through in the narration. I actually listened to this audiobook for hours at a time and loved every moment of it.
I would highly recommend this series to anyone and everyone. This is a series that really needs to be read in order since each book builds on the previous books. This is a series that I will re-read many times because it is really just that good. The writing team of Ilona Andrews have created such an amazing cast of characters in a unique world and I can’t wait to continue with my re-read.
Book #2 – Magic Burns
Book #3 – Magic Strikes
Book #4 – Magic Bleeds
Book #5 – Magic Slays
Book #6 – Magic Rises
Book #7 – Magic Breaks
Book #8 – Magic Shifts
Book #9 – Magic Binds
Click the links above to read my other review of this series!
About the Author“Ilona Andrews” is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team. Ilona is a native-born Russian and Gordon is a former communications sergeant in the U.S. Army. Contrary to popular belief, Gordon was never an intelligence officer with a license to kill, and Ilona was never the mysterious Russian spy who seduced him. They met in college, in English Composition 101, where Ilona got a better grade. (Gordon is still sore about that.)
Gordon and Ilona currently reside in Texas with their two children and many dogs and cats.They have co-authored two NYT and USAT bestselling series, the urban fantasy of Kate Daniels and romantic urban fantasy of The Edge and working on the next volumes for both.
I agree. This was an exciting, pivotal book. I want to wait a few years and then go back and re-read all these early ones. Haha, your husband must have quite the expression when you ask him that. 🙂
Yes, I can tell you really love this series. Lol. I don't think you've given any of the books less than 5 star rating.