Name: big ab's review of Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews
Item: Magic Bites
Rating: 3.5
Author: big ab

Ilona Andrews

#1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews invites you to experience the first novel in the “intriguing world” (Locus) of Kate Daniels with this special edition of Magic Bites... Kate Daniels is a down-on-her-luck mercenary who makes her living cleaning up magical problems. But when Kate’s guardian is murdered, her quest for justice draws her into a power struggle between two strong factions within Atlanta’s magic circles. Pressured by both sides to find the killer, Kate realizes she’s way out of her league—but she wouldn’t want it any other way... This special edition includes in-depth information about the world of Kate Daniels, with descriptions of its characters and factions. Explore Kate’s Atlanta like never before with answers to FAQ and a quiz to find your place there. And don’t miss the prequel story “A Questionable Client,” as well as scenes of events in Magic Bites from Curran’s point of view.

A Special Edition of the First Kate Daniels Novel

Magic Bites

This is urban fantasy romance so it takes place in a version of our world, but with magic. This is a ten book series that also has two break off series that are just starting and some novellas. It has powerful gods from different mythologies, animal shifters, unique use of vampires, magic vs technology shifts, found family, competent & powerful characters, etc. The romance doesn't really kick into gear until book three, but it starts in book one - slow burn.

Sephirra

Amelia Hruby

very slow beginning, i was like wtf? but then i got where the author was going with this, and i was like hm ok, i can rock with this. i’m not a fan of the incredibly long chapters (or the ugly ass cover), and i feel like this book was mostly world building (albeit i barely understand it) but i do have a good feeling about book 2 and the direction that this is going? idk i could be wrong, but this feels like it laid some great foundation. 

big ab

Ilona Andrews invites you to experience the first novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series featuring the intriguing fantasy world of mercenary Kate Daniels… Kate Daniels is a down-on-her-luck mercenary who makes her living cleaning up magical problems. But when Kate’s guardian is murdered, her quest for justice draws her into a power struggle between two strong factions within Atlanta’s magic circles. Pressured by both sides to find the killer, Kate realizes she’s way our of her league—but she wouldn’t want it any other way… This edition includes in-depth information about the world of Kate Daniels with descriptions of its characters and factions. Explore Kate’s Atlanta like never before with a quiz to find your place there and with answers to frequently asked questions. And don’t miss the prequel story “A Questionable Client” as well as scenes of events in Magic Bites from Curran’s point of view.

God, Past!Me was such a snobby brat.  Ugh. 
Slow start to one of my fave series ever
  ***  
 3.5 
I'm a sucker for mythology and smart-mouthed, ass kicking main characters.
This book has both, and, unlike any adult paranormal I've read, the twist actually managed to shock me.
But it was an introduction and I feel like I wasn't given much - or enough- to love this as much as I could.
Looking forward to book two.

Annabella

sophia n

i never thought i’d go back to atlanta in my life but kate said come w me we gonna kill some demons at piedmont park and i said WHAT TIME

Kirsten Simkiss

This is my second time reading the Kate Daniels series and, while I still think this book is a mite slow, I love it to death. (I blame the pacing on it being their first book.) I'm also hella bitter about the fact that the book only comes in paperback. I need all of these books in hardback pronto. I give this first book 4 stars in reality, but honestly that's because the later books are so good.

I love the world that the authors weave in the story. Urban fantasy does a lot of really fun things, but sometimes it can get repetitive. I love that the different organizations are both familiar, in that we know about werewolves and vampires, but that the authors take such a unique spin on the original concepts. I also love how the world is constantly shifting between waves of magic and waves of technology without a predictable interval.

The snark is, admittedly, a pretty normal thing in Urban Fantasy books, but I really do love how the characters interact. Reading this first book again, I was also impressed with how many characters you meet in this book that wind up being regular side characters down the line rather than just convenient throw-away NPCs like in some books. I love Derek like he's my own child, honestly. He is just such a great character and he gets so much growth over the course of the series.

I would 100% recommend this to most people, though some might be turned away by descriptions of violence or gore. It's not terribly gory, but there are a number of fight scenes.

Anna

Rough start of the series, first half of this book was full of info-dumps. 
But I find this world interesting, I'd love to find more about, as well as see more of these characters, so I guess I'll give it a chance.

Aditi

2.5/5 stars

This is a product of its time and I don't care about the investigation stuff but I liked the characters and it was unexpectedly funny.

2.5 stars.


I have things I did like, and a lot more things that I didn't like in this book. My overall impression is that it wasn't really worth the hype, but I'll condense it all into two lists to make it easier.

Things I Did Like

1. The magic system. Vague and wanting of development as it was, it still managed to grab my attention and take hold of it.
2. Curran. He was probably the best and well-fleshed-out character, even next to the main character. 
3. Maybe this goes along with the magic system, but I liked the Pack in general, actually.
4. ...and, sorry, but that's about it.

Things I Didn't Like

1. The totally insufficient development of just about everything except Curran, actually. The worldbuilding needs some work! It's almost as if Andrews picked us up, dropped us in the middle of Atlanta (I actually only knew that we were supposed to be in Atlanta because that's what the blurb said on the back) with only just enough explanation of the magic system and what everything was like to keep us reading. More details, please? How does everything work?! 
2. The main character seemed to be a shapeless mass of clever quips and kick-ass fighting. I wouldn't have even known what she looked like if it wasn't for the picture on the cover. The only description we get of Kate's physical features is when she's describing the clothes she's wearing and how she's styling her hair. That's just about it. The other characters (even Curran's human form) have these issues. In some situations with Kate, however, I could have easily substituted "Kate" for "Harry Dresden" and "she" for "he" and it would've made perfect sense.
3. This brings me onto my next point. Maybe this wasn't such a good book to read while I'm finishing up the Dresden series, too (which, I would like to point out, is a far better read than Magic Bites). There are a ton of similarities between Kate and Harry. She's probably best described as a female Harry Dresden, except with worse writing. Beat up car? Karmelion and the Blue Beetle. Check. Bad Jokes? Check. Kick-ass fashion? Check. I could go on, but I have some more points to make.
4. The prose itself. With no outright offense intended, Miss Andrews, have you ever heard about "show, don't tell"? This probably goes hand in hand with the lack of description. The book went by quickly. Too quickly. Some more description would've beefed it up. And, Miss Andrews, fix the pacing. Some more important parts of the story went by with the blink of the eye, but some of the more boring, like Crest and Kate's encounters, went by at an agonizingly slow pace compared to the other bits.

Sarah Escorsa

First reread September 2014

My favourite heroine ever. My favourite series ever. Since the next instalment won’t be released any time soon I had decided to re-read the whole series. Then I read Carmel’s reviews for the audio versions and she was so enthusiastic about Renée Raudman’s narration that I decided to listen to the books instead. I am so glad I did because Raudman is a fantastic narrator. The story really comes alive here and I was so enthralled by it all that it was really difficult to hit the stop button. As much as a page turner Magic Bites is in its paper format, the audio format is even harder to get away from. Listening to this book felt like Kate herself was telling me her story. Actually hearing her say "Here, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty..." was just priceless! Raudman does a brilliant job by giving each character a very distinctive voice that is easily recognizable. I have to admit that it took me a while to get used to Curran’s voice, it sounded a bit too raspy to me. But that’s a minor quibble really and it does getter better midway through the book.

Listening to Magic Bites was particularly enjoyable because it made me realize there were so many things I had completely forgotten about. I didn’t even remember Crest, how crazy is that! It amazes me how little is revealed about Kate in Magic Bites, we know so much about her now! The Andrews have done a brilliant job, divulging the information bit by bit in each instalment. Still, there are actually quite a few clues about Kate in Magic Bites, the trick is that you don’t really understand their meaning until you have read the whole series. Facts are mentioned that allude to events in following instalments and some conversations take a whole new meaning in light of later developments. Rarely have I enjoyed re-reading a book so much!

My original review for Magic Bites can be found here.

• Book 2: Magic Burns ★★★★★
• Book 3: Magic Strikes ★★★★★
• Book 4: Magic Bleeds ★★★★★
• Book 5: Magic Slays ★★★★★
• Book 6: Magic Rises ★★★★★
• Book 7: Magics Breaks ★★★★★
• Book 8: Magic Shifts ★★★★★
• Book 9: Magic Binds ★★★★★
• Book 10: Magic Triumphs ★★★★

Carley Whitehead

Bethany Lacey

I'm not going to lie - this is my third attempt at reading this book. After reading Chloe Neill's Chicagoland Vampire Series I was hooked on Urban Fantasy and Paranormal, and everybody compared her series to this one. And I guess it took me so many attempts to read this one fully is because the beginning just didn't grip me. I'm not sure if it's because the world building wasn't explained well, or because I was just submerged in this world and was expected to know all about the Order, Guild, People, magic vs. tech, etc. Even on this attempt I couldn't get engrossed into the book until Curran and the Pack came about.

But man I'm glad I stuck around! I finally understand what all the hype is about, and am proud to admit I am fully submerged in the crazy recommendation hype that is the Kate Daniels series. I'll be recommending this book to anybody and everybody!

I soon got used to the lingo, the world, etc. I was hooked. And finished the rest of the book in one day. I wished I'd just stuck it out in the beginning as I would have read the rest of the series by now (which I'm going to do after posting this!) Yes, I'll admit I found the beginning of this book boring and dull, but after I got hooked, at about 30%, the book just moved forward fast-paced, full of action.

The moment where Kate goes to the Pack's keep was a real changer for me - the way she interacted with the Pack, Curran and the Pack Council was amazing! She didn't let anybody intimidate her, and she kicked some major ass! I am an official member of the Kate-Daniels-is-a-Badass-Club! 

And Curran. I just loved him. His 'spying' on her date, and his and Kate's banter nearly made me wet myself through laughing - not that I did, 'cause that's just gross, and I ain't 4 years old. I am in absolute awe of Curran, and his whole alpha-lion thing he has going on. And can I just say that Ilona Andrews is freaking amazing - Lion's are my fave animals so brownie points there!

For me the epilogue of the book was perfect and I can't wait to begin reading the next book of the series! I have some theories going into the next book, about Kate and her parentage - can't wait to see if they're true!

So, guys this is a must read. I'm telling you! One-click guys! One click!

Book Review can be found at my blog: Lacey's Love of Literature http://laceysloveofliterature.blogspo...

Imane

3.5/5 - third read
It's funny to see the inconsistencies now that I'm almost finished with the series. Yet the blueprint that makes KD superior in the urban fantasy genre is quite obvious and although the "mystery of the week" wasn't particularly mysterious, I still enjoyed being back in Kate's world.

Becky

I loved it. I want to flail over it but it seems inappropriate instead I will immediately start reading the next one.

***

EDIT 1st October 2017

Ok, I still love it just as much as last time but I read it a bit slower. I love that the book dives right in and hints and future storylines but really keeps things fun and interesting and fast paced. I'm glad there wasn't major info dumping and instead you go right on with the story.

I found Kate to be awesome but she isn't the most liable person ever. She is hard and brash and brilliant. Basically my kind of woman but I can see not everyone liking her looking back on it.

I will also say some.may find it confusing as you are thrown right in there and not everyone likes that. It worked as I think too much info in one go and too much background would have made it boring and nowhere near the addictive read it is so there is that. It worked for me but I suppose it might not for others.

dead line

It was fine. Competently written.

Kinda tired of the 'badass woman/girl with a dark past, problem with authority, doesn't need any help (even when bleeding out), and speaks in quips' trope. But to be fair, all the other characters are like that as well.

I'm also confused as to how this world works, logistically, for anyone not a part of the magical gangs. Like is there a governing body making sure houses get water? How does an average person survive in this world?

Questions I might never get answers to...

PS. The cover is terrible. Had this not been recommended, no way I try it. I want to know in detail the process that occurred, that came out with this as the best option. Truly terrible.

Nickie Mohler

I've decided to finally continue on with this series, and thought I better re-read the first 2 to refresh my memory. I loved it just as much the second time around!

Lonneke

Overall, I really liked this book! Good characters, good plot and a good set up for more books. Definitely a series I would like to continue in the near future.

However, it wasn't a full five stars because it was very hard to get in to during the first 70-100 pages. The first half was so confusing, they tried to give you too much information about the magic system and the many supernatural creatures in a small amount of pages. It was quite noticeable that this was their first book because it also wasn't done that well. The book left me with a lot of questions and having read a few reviews I know it's not me being stupid. But if you can accept that you will be a little confused at the start it is a lot of fun though. The characters are really fun and the plot is full of action without being a very dumbed down fantasy book. I'm curious to see where the series will go, because it has good potential to have some 5 star books.

Jessica Nottingham

Let me, right here right now, profess my total adoration of Ms. Kate Daniels. Actually, scratch the Ms. title. She'd probably kick me in the chest for even considering titling her that. Kate is a kick-ass heroine of the highest caliber! She doesn't take crap from anyone, she has a wit to be contended with, but she has a huge heart too. Bleeding, hungry and exhausted, Kate will still kick your behind into next week if you mess with one of her friends. That's the type of person she is, and I completely love her for it!

Although she's not the greatest sleuth in the world (and she'll admit that to you outright if you ask), it's up to Kate to figure out who killed her guardian. Unfortunately for her, a lot of crazy things happen to make things even hard. Ilona Andrews builds a world that is both familiar and surreal at the same time. Atlanta has succumbed to waves of intense magic. Buildings crumble, otherworldly creatures appear often, and Kate is lucky enough to be right in the center of it all. Following her through her rather bumbling investigation was hilarious, intriguing, and amazing! I enjoyed every minute of it, even after I had already figured out what was going on.

Best part about our violent heroine? She's independent. Sure, men come and go in her life. They think they can woo her, because after all she is a woman. Right? Wrong. Kate Daniels knows what she deserves and she hasn't found it just yet. I'm not going to spoil anything, but let's just say that there are some delicious options for her! A lesser woman would have had quite a time staving off the affections of two gorgeous men. Hell, I did and I'm not even in the story!

At the end of the day I totally loved Magic Bites! I was a little confused initially because of all the info that is packed into this first installment, but I can easily tell you that I'll be back for more. Everything that Ilona Andrews gave me I ate up and I want so much more! Book two, here I come. More Kate, more sarcasm, more awesome. Bring it on.

Stephanie BwaBwa

Not my cup of tea

It took me way too long to get into the story. By the time I did, I didn’t enjoy it. This story was just not my cup of tea.

Jo H

I don't love Kate or Curran... yet. But any woman who can meet the Beast Lord with her first words as "Here kitty, kitty, kitty" has won me over! 

There is more gruesome stuff than I had imagined, squick!

Lacey

I definitely enjoyed this book. The world building is fantastic, and Kate just became one of my favorite heroines from UF. I love fighting and action in books, and this book gave me them in loads! And plus, this book is hilarious! Love books that make me laugh.

Amelia Hruby &
Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews

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