Magic Breaks (Kate Daniels) Hardcover – July 29, 2014

This is book 7 in Illona Andrews Kate Daniels series. Illona Andrews is a husband and wife writing team, which makes them a bit unique in the genre and perhaps explains why Daniels books stand out.Anyhow, this book was by far the most satisfying read that I've had in the last four months. Been in a bit of a reading slump of late. While it was suspenseful, and resonated for me on multiple levels, plus has a wicked dry wit...that equals my own, (always helps when the writer has the same sense of humor that you do), it was not as good as the previous novels. In part due to the deadline, it felt rushed - the plot felt rushed in places. As if the writers were barreling through it to get from point A-C as fast as possible. It's an end of an arc - and that may well have been part of the problem.That said, I did enjoy it quite a bit. If you are unfamiliar with the series or forgot what happened in the previous novels - the writers provide you with a rather succinct summary of what occurred before in a prologue that is written as blurb from the lead character's friend/lawyer - Barabaras. We also get a short list of key characters and their bios. Just to familiarize everyone. Now, having just completed George RR Martin's latest magnum opus A Dance With Dragons, I failed to see the necessity for it and found it rather amusing that they felt they had to. After all Martin doesn't do it - and he has over 1000 characters to keep track of and a convoluted plot.The plot races along at a fevered pitch. The heroine barely gets to take a breath before she is thrust into the next calamity. Which, from a reader's perspective, does require a wee bit of suspension of disbelief. This is, however, a common enough failing of the urban fantasy genre, I'm looking at you Jim Butcher, that I was able to hand-wave it. The readers of the urban fantasy genre don't have a lot of patience for down-time. Fickle creatives with short attention spans - or so the writers may believe.Hence the furiously paced plots.The fevered pitch of the plot and action sequences don't bode well for the steamy sex scene, described as weirdly steamy by Publishers Weekly. Curran and Kate have just escaped a prison, been racing from bad guys, confronted bad guys, and been without a shower, a comfortable bed, or nourishment for about two weeks. The moment they resolve the major issues, get a touch of downtime, they jump each others bones. It's a brief scene. I'm not sure I'd call it steamy. Did jar me a bit - not because I don't like sex scene - I actually prefer sex scenes to fight scenes - the outcome is less bloody and no one dies. One is about loving someone else and creating/appreciating life, the other is about destroying someone else, hating life, and destroying it. Which would I rather read? Let me think.Unfortunately the writers are better at writing fight scenes. It appears to be absurdly easier to write about killing things than making love or having sex. Maybe because the latter is so intimate and exposes us more? When you write about sex - you write about something you do, possibly a lot, or think about. When you write about killing things - it is just, hopefully, something you imagine but have not done. Sometimes it is easier or less scary to write about what we imagine? There's a rawness in sex scenes that isn't present in a fight scene. Which may explain why so many writers struggle with it, some avoid it altogether.These two at least tried. I think it would have worked better if they timed it differently. Put a bit more space between the sex scene and the last conflict. Maybe had the sex scene in the shower? The last book had a better sex scene - it was in the shower.Other than that? No real quibbles here. There are a few typos, but nothing that drags you out of the story. And they are to be expected in a book that was rushed. If a writer takes 5 years, I expect higher quality, if they churn it out in 9-12 months, I expect a few errors here and there.I adored the writers use of obscure Eastern and Middle Eastern Mythology. Along with her rewriting and subversion of biblical text. The antagonist, not sure villain is the right word, is Nimrod aka Roland, the Great Hunter, and builder of towers including the Tower of Babel - which the heroine states was actually an allegory for the fall of magic, magic overwhelmed the world, so tech fought back, now the world has shifted in the opposite direction and magic is fighting back. Roland was a lot more interesting and complicated than expected. These books have complicated and rather fascinating villains. Also, extremely well written and interesting female characters - the writers aren't afraid of female power, nor feel a need to denigrate it - unlike the vast majority of urban fantasy writers. Nor do they appear to have gender bias. There's also more than one character who is homosexual or bisexual, without much or any fanfare.The ending worked for me, and didn't seem to be much of a twist - I was admittedly somewhat spoiled on it, but the groundwork was well-laid. It also lent itself rather well to the overall theme regarding power and how corrupting it can be. There's a rather apt quote which forshadows Curran and Kate's decision at the end. "To have power, you have to be willing to sacrifice your friends and be ruthless enough to put the needs of the many over the needs of the few." In short, you have to be willing to throw someone to the dogs or leave them behind. Kate can't do it. In her discussion with fittingly enough a were-rat, Robert, he tells her that her unwillingness to put her own safety over the 16 year old boy she cares about makes her a good person but not a good leader for the Pack. As leader, her life is more important. But she can't put her life before another's. Which makes her a good hero, but not necessarily a good leaders. Leaders, Robert points out, have to be ruthless bastards. Curran has a similar dilemma, when it comes time to save Kate from a prison stronghold, he has to fight his own council to do it. They insist that he is too valuable to risk - and to let her go or send someone else.Curran had built his organization - in order to protect his wife and children and family. Only to discover that leading the organization would put them in jeopardy and that what he built would not protect them. That the villain, he was attempting to protect Kate from - could walk through his fortress as if it were made of sticks, with no one noticing. Power - didn't provide him with the safety and stability he valued, instead it was crunch on his time and took him away from what he desired. It's an interesting and well-done examination of how hollow a thing power is.Their choice is between safety and power. The safety of themselves and all they hold dear, along with their city, the Pack, etc - or the power to rule over it. A nice theme for our times - for I think this is a choice most leaders make around the world, but few appear to understand it.Overall, an fun and well-written ride. I wish they'd been given a bit more time to fine-tune it. Or better editorial support. But then I'd have had to wait longer to read it. And considering I just read a book that took over 6 years to write and get published and was twice the size of this one, I'd have to say length and time doesn't necessarily make it better.

Maybe its the chemistry between the main characters. Their romance is great. Maybe it's the World Building, which is intriguing. Or maybe it's the varied supernatural species and the interesting magical aspects.Regardless, I've been hooked on this series for a while. I try to wait until the high kindle pricing gets temporarily reduced before I buy, but sometimes I get impatient and pay full prices. So, I feel justified because of my financial investment to want Kate to get powerful and her friends and lover to always survive and be happy. Of course, that would mean a quick end to a series, which would make me both happy and unhappy.So, let me say that I did enjoy this installment. I could have wished for more romance scenes. I always desire less darkness, since I prefer to be entertained rather than depressed. But some aspects of the storyline did progress, and there was some entertaining banter, so I'll count this book as a win.

before I get into my actual review of this story I need to explain some things :) I actually already finished the whole series and I may have binge read them, so all of the installments may or may not got blurred together in my mind… ;) but hey, I will do my best to separate them at least a little bit :) it happened, because I read this series during a two month long period of time when I struggled with a lot of changes in my personal and professional life, so I read a lot, cause I needed something to relax, but at the same time I was in no mood to write any reviews… so here we are today, when I am doing my best to catch up on those :)Before we get into my thoughts and feelings about this particular installment, here are a few things that are true about all of them and that you can read without any fear of spoilers :)#1 this series is absolutely phenomenal and you all need to read it if you haven’t yet :) I blew through all of the stories in it in record time, cause I was unable to put them down and read something else :)#2 the whole series follow Kate, the main character, and tells one big story… so even though each installment revolves around a smaller event / issue, I highly encourage you to read them all in order, including the novellas and side books that happen along the way, because they all bring something extra to your overall experience :) the reading order of all those stories can be easily found on Goodreads if you look for the series Kate Daniels :) I read them all in that order, as it was recommended to me by my good friend who already finished it, and I am very happy I did that :) of course I can’t force you to listen to me, I’m no #BookPolice ;) it’s just a friendly suggestion ;)#3 a few more words about the series in general :) it’s a paranormal / urban fantasy story, set in an alternate version of our world… in it, there are magic waves that crash over the world, making basically all technology useless for some time… because it’s impossible to predict when exactly they will come and go, it alters the way people live… of course, with magic came all sort of gifts and talents… not to mention magical creatures :) we definitely have vampires and necromancers of some sort who control them, shapeshifters who can change into all sorts of animals, not to mention the fact that we get to see magical influences and practitioners from very different belief systems… it’s a lot to explain and we don’t have that much time to get into all the details right now :) just know it’s phenomenal :) each book is action packed, fast paced and full of surprising twists and turns… I can’t even begin to count the number of times when I gasped in shock because the plot went in a completely different way than I anticipated :) once you get to know this world and these characters, you will be completely hooked… and speaking of characters… ;)#4 diverse and interesting characters are one of the main reasons why I love this series so much :) not only the main one, Kate, goes through a pretty spectacular character development arch throughout the whole series, but along the way we keep meeting new ones… and before you know what happened, you have a whole bunch of people you love and with each book you are quietly chanting “don’t kill any of them, don’t kill any of them” as if that might change some outcomes :) obviously I won’t name anyone right here, because a lot of them might come as a surprise to you… what I will say is that it will be a pleasure to re-read those books again soon, knowing how certain characters end up… that’s all I’m gonna say ;)#5 DO NOT READ THE REST OF THIS REVIEW if you are not caught up on the previous stories… I will be mentioning people and events from previous books next, because I cannot possibly write more about my feelings without them, and you will be spoiled about some major surprising turns… I won’t spoil anything when it comes to the book I am currently reviewing, but everything that happened before is fair game :) you’ve been warned ;)This particular installment takes place over a very short amount of time… yes, even shorter than usual :) basically Kate has 24 hours to solve a case before all hell breaks loose and that’s all the details I can share without spoilers :) and trust me, a lot happens in this story… like A LOT… you might hyperventilate from gasping in shock, just saying… ;) it happened to me quite a few times ;) this book is a game changer when it comes to where the whole series is heading… and if I remember correctly this was the book where I hit the point of no return and had to quickly devour the rest of installments in it :)

I’m no good at writing reviews, but here goes.and I was so excited each time I forgot to write a review! As always Ilona Andrews books are well written. Kate Daniels is an amazing character and her growth is astounding, Curran Lennart? Oh whatMan/lion! All the characters meld so well into the series and most are read throughout the series. Beau The sheriff? He’s one of my favourites and hoping to get a book on Beau The Brave one day lol.Thank you Ilona for Kate Daniels 10 book series and all the spin-offs.I’ve re read this every 3 months or so and have finished all 10 books at least 20 times! And I’ll keep on doing it as I still read parts and think ‘wow that’s new!’

I've said it before but I'll say it again - I'm an Ilona & Gordon Andrews fan girl, in fact, I'm a total addict of this series and Kate & Curran are one of my favourite fictional couples ever. So it would be fair to say that I was excited to get my hands on an advanced copy of Magic Breaks. In fact I was so excited about it that I actually read it twice before the release date - that's how fantastic this book is. So, you're probably wondering why it has taken me so long to write this review and my answer is that I've been feeling intimidated. How can I possibly describe the level of awesome that this book (in fact, this entire series!) has reached? I'm afraid to say that this review will probably involve a lot of gushing but I've decided that I just have to share my feelings about it and hope you'll forgive me for lack the of sensible insight.Fans of the series will already know that this book is the cumulation of the long running story arc with Kate's father Roland, that doesn't mean this is the end of the series, just that Magic Breaks is a game changer. This confrontation has been a long time coming and it's fair to say expectations were high for Kate and Roland's first face to face meeting. I've spent a lot of time throughout the books wondering what would happen when they met but I don't think I could ever have been fully prepared for what actually happens. The showdown is nothing like I was expecting but it has totally set things up for exciting things in the future. That ending was epic and I can't wait to see where things go from here.I love how much Kate has grown as a person throughout this series, she has come such a long way but she still has a lot to learn about her abilities and she doesn't have full control over her powers yet. The most special thing about these books has been seeing her go from a lonely young woman who felt she had to keep everyone at a distance to someone who has close friends and a self-made little family that she would give her life to protect. She has worked hard to find her place in the Pack and she comes into her own even more in this book when she has to take charge while Curran is absent. I love how her relationship with Curran has developed too, they have become such a strong couple and no matter what happens they never lose faith in each other. I adore them both and find myself wanting to reread every single moment they spend together.I don't want to say too much about the plot of Magic Breaks because I would hate to give spoilers but I will mention a few other highlights. I loved the bickering between Derek and Ascanio who had me laughing out loud numerous times with their antics. Kate's confrontation with Jennifer was a long time coming but so worth the wait - that really was the best smack down EVER. I enjoyed getting to learn a bit more about Gastek and his background and I'm actually kind of starting to like the guy. Andrea is awesome and she always has Kate's back no matter how dangerous the situation, how fantastic is it to have more than one strong female character in a series! Magic Breaks is everything I want from a book in this series, it is humorous and has some fantastic one liners, it is action packed and full of unexpected surprises and most of all it has the best characters, the strongest friendships and a wonderful relationship between the main characters. There is so much to love about these books and it's quite unusual to find a series that is still this fresh and exciting seven books down the line, I never want it to end.

I agree with the other reviewers who dislike all the reiteration of previous plots...it really slows down the whole pacing, making the story lumber along, rather than moving swiftly through the events...i also think things are too predictable...i am still faintly interested in the ending of the series...not interested enough to pay 8 pounds...maybe 99p?...but i am getting a bit bored with the ride...i do not want another ”wheel of time”, please, not that...incident after incident, character after character, intrigue after intrigue, spinning along like a generator of random excursions and tricks...i want depth, development, and a solid plot line, leading to an inexorable denouement...maybe?...

This is the tricky final book in a seven volume series set in a magic-ravaged Atlanta and the husband-and-wife duo behind the Ilona Andrews name pretty much crack it. And there's more to come as the authors make clear in their foreward, as they are now contracted to write a continuing series. Magic Breaks sets that up beautifully with an unexpected final confrontation between Roland, the heavy-duty mage bad guy, and his sole-surviving child, the heroine Kate Daniels, who spent most of the series trying to avoid being discovered - dear daddy tends to kill his children before they become rivals to his power. Roland has been the unseen presence throughout the series, with his enforcer Hugh d'Ambray acting as the sadistic stand-in for his master. That kept the mystery surrounding Roland, who as well as being ancient, created the first vampires and may even have been worshipped as a god. Kate is definitely his daughter, with superior survival skills, magically-charged blood and budding supernatural powers. The authors weave everything from Assyrian legend to all the modern tropes of shapeshifters, vampires and other supernatural critters into the series and bring it all to fruition in Magic Breaks. They also dare to have Kate as the central character for most of this book, with her mate, the Beast Lord Curran, initially unable to help when trouble breaks as he is on a diplomatic mission to another group of shapeshifters. Kate has to deal with the accusation that one of Curran's shapeshifters has killed a local vampire leader, with d'Ambray leading the charge for war. She's given only hours to defuse the situation with help from a select crew of shapeshifters. Meanwhile she has to deal with the politics of Curran's Pack, some of whom resent her influence. The plot basically has it all - the mismatched crew on a mission; a kick-ass heroine; kidnapping (Kate is finally snatched by d'Ambray); the hero to the rescue (Curran tracks her down) and multiple bad guys, some of them even human. It's also pretty hard edged with occasionally graphic violence, some of it carried out by the heroine. That's one of the things I like about the series - it ain't soft and cosy, with the authors willing to kill off major characters and the supernatural critters definitely nasty. The final confrontation between Roland and Kate is well-handled. Everything makes you think it has to be a blood-bath ending. It doesn't arrive the way you expect leaving the series to continue with Roland taking a no-doubt unhealthy interest in the future of his daughter and Curran. Recommended.

I was a bit nervous starting this Ilona Andrews book. After the previous one, Magic Rises, it seemed inevitable that the story was reaching the point where Kate would have to face her father. And I couldn't imagine that happening without things going really badly for Kate and her allies, the way things did in Magic Rises. I don't want to spoil everything, but it wasn't the bloodbath I worried it might be.I love this book. However, it's hard to say that I love it on it's own merits, or to review it on it's own merits. Magic Breaks works, for me, because of the series as a whole. It's the little bits and pieces from the earlier books starting to really pull together and reach a head that makes me appreciate it so much. It's seeing Kate stand up and do things that are a world away from what readers might have expected from her in the first few books. The characters and situations are meaningful because we got to know these characters, like Derek, Ascanio, and Barabas, to pick out just a few.There are some acceptances and realisations in Magic Breaks for Kate and others that come out of just the events of this book. But overall, I felt like it was a culmination of things that came before. It's the proof that events in the previous books are still affecting Kate and Curran. The events of Magic Rises in particular are very much still felt.I'm not saying that I think it wouldn't be a good book without the rest of the series. It's a great book. But it's hard at this stage in the series, with such a strong link of the story arc going between them, to take it as a stand-alone. It's not. It's the next chapter, and that took it from being a great book in a great series, to being one of my favourite reads this year.With Magic Breaks, Ilona Andrews has a story with character development, romance, revelations, tough decisions, and unexpected twists. I can only hope that the remaining couple of books in the series live up to this. 10/10.~Ailsa[Review originally posted by me on my book review blog, link in my profile.]