Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, Book 1) | 
| Author: Ilona Andrews
Publisher: Ace
Category: Book
List Price: $6.99
Buy New: $2.83
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Avg. Customer Rating:  105 reviews
Sales Rank: 1374
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 272
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 6.6 x 4.1 x 0.8
ISBN: 0441014895
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780441014897
ASIN: 0441014895
Publication Date: March 27, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Condition: Brand New and Factory Sealed Item Fast Shipping
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Product Description
Mercenary Kate Daniels cleans up urban problems of a paranormal kind. But her latest prey, a pack of undead warriors, presents her greatest challenge.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 100 more reviews...
 Definitely worth a try July 24, 2008
This book was a little slow moving at first, but picked up after the first 100 pages. I look forward to reading book 2. I am a Kim Harrison and Charlaine Harris fan. This has a similar feel to it. If you like supernatural action and romance, you should give this a try.
Very well-done dark urban fantasy...bit squishy for me tho July 21, 2008
This is (as my title says) quite a well-done little book. I wish Illona Andrews (and Kate, et al) well with this series.
[BTW, if you're looking for a synopsis of this book, you might glance at the book itself, or read a few of the other reviews here. My main purpose in this review is to warn off those folks who MIGHT not understand what's in store for them.]
I, however, will not be reading any more of these and I'd just like to warn any of y'all out there that enjoy this genre of what you're getting into. For a little perspective, I've read all the Sookie Stackhouse books, all the Rachel Morgan books, all the Patricia Briggs Mercy books, Carpe Demon, Bitten, and a few other titles. Oh yeah, I just finished the first Lilith Saintcrow Dante Valentine book, too.
Anyway, I like all of the above-mentioned books and none of them really creeps me out TOO much. There's the odd passage or scene here and there that are just too graphic and morbid and gross (per the "squishy" in my title description) for me to thoroughly enjoy, but most of the times these occassional authorial forays into the macabre and Grand Guignol just add a little spice.
The "Magic XXX" Illona Andrews series goes beyond my PERSONAL comfort level, though.
I am NOT knocking either this series or the author. I really did like the book--in most ways. It's NOT just a slasher. But the slashing and gushing and squishing and maiming and raping and cannibalism and all that sort of thing are just a too integral a part of the world for ME to enjoy the experience--even though I was VERY fond of most of the main characters and I found the plot and world-building very good.
So...FAIR WARNING...
And...Ms Andrews, should you ever write something else more-or-less of this ilk, but with a less, shall we say, morbid/graphic/eviscerating outlook, I'll be one of your happiest readers.
Fresh Urban Fantasy with an Excellent Heroine (B Grade) July 15, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
Ilona Andrews has a hit with with her Kate Daniels series. This is one Urban Fantasy book that is fresh and crackles with energy. If you like your heroines strong, powerful and with wit, you have to read Magic Bites.
Magic Bites takes place in Atlanta, Georgia where magic cripples the city. There are things called flares that can take out modern conveniences such as cars and electricity. During theses times, creatures that enjoy using their magic for their own devious means come out and cause problems. That is where Kate comes into the picture. She is a sort of freelancer mercenary who keeps control and cleans up these problems. Kate has her own special magic at her disposal. She has a pretty nifty sword she can use along with another secret weapon up her sleeve. Kate has two magic words from her deceased father she can use as a last resort if need be. When Kate says one of these words out loud to whomever, the unlucky fool must do what she orders. In Magic Bites, Kate acquires four new words from her mentor who has been murdered. She now has six words and her sword to use. Just because Kate may have these powerful words to use whenever she wants to, there are consequences. Every time she says one of these words, the pain she experiences is unbearable, only to be used if there is no other option.
Greg, Kate's mentor, was a powerful knight who belonged to a group called the Order of Knights and Magical Aid. Kate has the option of joining but she doesn't deal well with authority. Now that Greg has been eliminated, she must enter the world he was involved with to find his killer. This is where she is introduced to a whole new group of characters. Not only are there magicians and witches, but vampires, werewolves and all different types of shift changers.
Once such shifty creature is Curran, who is the Beast Lord. He is also the Pack King a.k.a. the lord of the shift changers. Curran can change into this monster lion and does not like to be told "no" and feels he must be obeyed in all things. You can just imagine his reaction to Kate when they meet. Sorry, folks, this is no love at first sight or even a twinge of lust between the two. Curran can't stand Kate and she feels the same way about him. These two not only come to blows but try their best to kill one another. Remember how Kate has a problem with authority? Well, Curran is the top dog, er... cat and he wants Kate out of the way mainly because of her nose in the air attitude. As the story progresses, Kate and Curran come to an understanding and help one another. Kate eventually finds out who killed Greg, gets her revenge and helps Curran and his pack keep control of Atlanta.
Ilona (and don't forget her wonderful husband Gordon who lends a hand) has come up with a gritty, dark world that has some great potential. I look forward to Kate and her future adventures with her six magical words that can cause so much damage. And, if Kate and Curran end up sharing a kiss or two, I wouldn't mind that either.
Katiebabs
Magic Burns (Kate Daniels, Book 2)
Magic Bites and Sometimes Sizzles July 12, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
When you pick up a book at the supermarket checkstand you know you are taking a chance. The odds of hitting a winner in the Lottery are better, even the chance of being hit by lightning or eaten by a shark are better...but once in a great while you do hit a winner. This book, Magic Bites, does all of the things that a book needs to do, the hero, (Yuck! C'mon admit it, sometimes the old word just sounds better no matter if it is a bit sexually exclusionary, Heroine there I've said it and feel much better), is heoric, the odds overwhelming, the villian villianous and the guy, guyish. Okay so being a guy its hard for me to find all that much enticing about a romantic icon. Sure some parts of the tale are familiar, the heroine is tough as nails. (No one ever complained about Mickey Spillane or Ian Flemming writing about tough as nails heros, so just get over it. If you don't like some of the conventions of the genre read something else. But some parts of the saga explore uncharted ground. No cape-wearing, accented, evening dressed vampires here. No, these guys are not the party going type and if you don't know what that means buy the book and find out.
All in all a great read and a new take on some supernatural sacred cows. Do it the right way, buy the book from Amazon and get the companion book, Magic Burns at the same time. Then you won't pick it up one dark and stormy night and find that instead of Magic Bites, you have Magic Burns and will either have to start without knowing the backstory or wait two weeks to get the first book from Amazon! Great new series and waiting with a worm on my tongue for the next one, Magic Breaks...How's that Ms Andrews? Or maybe Magic Blaze, have you tried, Magic Blooms? No that's not right but then you could do Magic...
 A mite too hard-boiled July 9, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Magic Bites is a decent, quick fantasy read. It is a sort of hardboiled urban fantasy with blood and guts and a light whodunit mystery that relies more on the particular version of supernatural creatures that this author created, and less on any traditional mystery concepts. What I mean is that the bad guy in this is a magical creature, who wants magical creature things and who kills in magical creature ways, rather than, say, a jealous lover who kills and blackmails before running off to Mexico. I like these kinds of books when the magical creatures are unusual or interesting in some way, when the main character is sympathetic, and/or when the writing is fun.
This one had good magic, so-so writing, and a fairly irritating main character. She was intriguing, but way too over the top with her [...]-kicking image. A lot like John Taylor of Simon Green's Nightside books, who also annoys me in the way he is always implying how incredibly dangerous he is to mess with, and never takes his armor off, even for a second, because he has to keep his myriad of enemies in check with the neverending bluff that is his reputation. It is annoying for me to read because the authors, both in Green's case and in this book, act as if the reader is another person who can never be allowed to see the main character's weakness, and that's just silly. They drop hints of humanity, imply vulnerability, but never pursue it for long: Kate tries to date in this one, and regrets it when it blows up in her face, but she doesn't regret it that much -- because she still has [...] to kick.
But I did like the version of vampires in this, and some things about the shapechangers. I like the Order of knights, though not much was said about them, and I really liked the villain -- though the actual character of the villain was not so good. The only scary thing about him was his power, and his personality and non-magical abilities should match his power for scariness -- see the Denarians in Jim Butcher's Dresden series for the way to make the bad guy scary.
All in all, it wasn't bad, and I'll be reading the sequel.
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