Ilona Andrews

Magic Bleeds (Kate Daniels, Book 4)

i love this series… veronica mars meets crescent city. i’m fully embracing the ugly fucking covers too.

big ab

The fourth Kate Daniels novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author who “defines urban fantasy” (Fresh Fiction). Kate Daniels works for the Order of the 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 midway between the territories of the shapeshifters and the necromancers, Kate quickly discovers there’s a new player in town. One who’s been around for thousands of years—and rode to war at the side of Kate’s father. This foe may be too much even for Kate and Curran, the Lord of the Beasts, to handle. Because this time, Kate will be taking on family...

Magic Bleeds

Jasmine

5 Stars 
This series is moving its way up into my favorites! In just the past few days, I've become so addicted, it's honestly consuming all my limited free time! Every book brings something new and exciting into the picture, and the world building and the storylines are just phenomenal. I want to say this one is my favorite in the series but at this rate, it will probably change by the time I read the next one. 

Kate is the ultimate badass, not just because she can kick some serious ass (which she can) but because she is fiercely loyal to the few people she cares for, intelligent, witty, and still vulnerable enough to be relatable. The romance between Kate & Curran has been a fantastic slow-burn it's been as rewarding as it's has been excruciating! Sometimes they can be so infuriating but I love how I'm constantly on the verge of yelling at these stubborn asses just fucking get together already... well without giving away spoilers, I wasn't disappointed! I love how their romance never overpowers the story but there is just enough banter, sexiness, and emotional moments to draw you further in. This series is the master at balancing strong characters, action, world-building, great storylines, and romance ... just so fucking fantastic to have all of that without one overpowering the other imo!!

Annabella

Mind. Blown. This series is win, however you look at it. Romance, ass kicking, snark, mythology. What's not to love?

Sarah Escorsa

First reread January 2015

Original rating: 5
New rating: 8

☆☆☆ Post-Shift Productions proudly present ☆☆☆
Yet Another Exciting Day in the Life of Kate Daniels



►8.00 a.m.: investigate the death of a human barnacle. Realize it's a case of magically delicious syphilis. It's going to be a long day. Again.
► 8.30 a.m.: think about His Furiness. Feel like punching His Furiness in the face. Where did that thought come from?
► 9.00 a.m.: fight a demonic, spawn-of-hellish beast. Good doggy.
► 9.30 a.m.: listen to your voice mail at work. "I curse your arms so they will wither and die and fall off your body. I curse your eyeballs to explode. I curse your feet to swell until blue. I curse you. I curse you. I curse you." Okay then.
► 10.00 a.m.: still investigating. A guy in a cloak did it. Good to know. Consider praying to Miss Marple.



► 10.30 a.m.: find yourself doodling a horned lion with a pie on his pitchfork. Now who could that be?
► 11.00 a.m.: trade your teenage werewolf sidekick for a deadly, mutant attack poodle.
► 11.30 a.m.: bubonic plague. Dysentery. Influenza. Cholera on magic steroids. What did you ever do to anybody? 
► 12.00 a.m.: wish that the furry bastard would stop intruding on your thoughts for five seconds. Consider dancing a jig in celebration the minute it happens.



► 12.30 a.m.: discuss vamp storage cavities with Ghastek. Find out he prefers throats to anuses. Thank the gods for small favors.
► 1.00 p.m.: friendly visit to the Mercenary Guild. Find a guy pinned to the elevator shaft by a spear through his throat. Nifty.
► 1.30 p.m.: Oh look, the Beast Lord. Stay cool. Zen. No punching in the face. Punching would not be Zen.
► 2.00 p.m.: be awed by His Fussiness' ability to use big words. A friendly conversation ensues. Consider throwing in some whistling. And rolling thumbleweed. You're all set. 



► 2.30 p.m.: time for a well-deserved break. Go home, resurrect a head in the kitchen. Your deadly attack poodle barfs a little. 
► 3.00 p.m.: have His Furry Majesty throw you around a little. Things are looking up.
► 3.30 p.m.: get Raphael & Andrea out of jail. Hot tub. SIG-Sauer P-226. Diving for clams. That's boudas for you.
► 4.00 p.m.: sneak into the Keep. Weld the bimbo room shut. Decorate with catnip. Fun times. 
► 4.30 p.m.: go back to the office. Have a short phone conversation with His Furiness. Realize your butt is glued to your chair. 



► 5.00 p.m.: surprise visit from Auntie Erra. She came all the way from Babylon too. Coolest aunt ever. This is one happy little squirrel.
► 5.30 p.m.: Saiman suicidal. Curran homicidal. Oh. My. God. The Universe just exploded. BIG TIME.



► 5.45 p.m.: relax in a hot tub. Lose all sense. 
  It's not the bathtub, baby.
 Oh boy.
► 6.00 p.m.: decide to give your judgemental crocodile bodyguard a room at the Keep. Think it might give Jim an aneurysm. 
► 6.30 p.m.: meet Auntie Erra again. Realize she recently developed a fetish for spandex. Why you?
► 7.00 p.m.: bloodward. No problem. Meow. 
► 7.30 p.m.: pinned to the ground? No biggie. Got a toothpick.
► 8.00 p.m.: relax after a long day's work. Read The Princess Bride to a big sleeping cat.



► 8.30 p.m.: attend a lovely family reunion at the Keep. Feel very welcome. Challenge a few shapeshifters just for kicks. 
► 9.00 p.m.: read The Princess Bride to a big sleeping cat. Again. Will this day never end?
► 9.30 p.m.: meet a gay mongoose with an ambitious name. Try to keep the creepy down a notch. Fail miserably. 
► 10.00 p.m.: feline wake-up time. Attend yet another family reunion. This is one pissed off little kitty. RAWR. Oh boy.



 
**********
Original review (June 2014):

This series is killing me! How much sleep do I have to lose over it?? Magic Bleeds is such an amazing read that by the time I finished the book I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to read it again or jump right to the next one…
I could do this. I just had to stay cool. Zen. No punching in the face. Punching would not be Zen.
Well, to be honest, the first part of the book wasn’t that fantastic but the second half simply blew me away. Why? Action, mystery, the usual Kate badassery, lots of emotion, some downright heart-breaking moments and humour, lots of it.
A lion roar burst through the phone. I held it away from my ear until he was done. “Very scary. I feel it’s my duty to remind you that threatening a member of law enforcement is punishable by law. If you would like to file a petition regarding your break-in, the Order will gladly look into the matter for you.” The phone fell silent. Oh God, I gave him an aneurysm.
In this instalment we get more details about Kate’s blood and lineage (lovely family!) and learn about the Pack rules & regulations in detail (such complexity, I love that!). Kate becoming Curran’s mate is wreaking havoc in the Pack politics, with most of its members suffering from a collective panic attack. This new situation is unsettling for most of the weres and gives a new edge to the series, with some unexpected twists & developments.
  Kate Daniels, deadly swordmaster. Fear my twitching pinkie.
Kate. Do I really have to go into this? Okay. Hall Hail the Queen of Snarky Badasses. I rest my case.
The rabbis paled. I’d managed to terrify holy men. Maybe I could beat up a nun for an encore.
The Kate/Curran love story does take precedence over the action in this instalment, which apparently disappointed some readers. I actually liked that the romance part of the series was only a subplot until now and was afraid this would turn into some boring paranormal romance thing. Well, fear not for Ilona Andrews handles things very well. I was annoyed at first because Kate & Curran were both acting stubborn and very childish but it didn’t last long. Besides, things never get corny-mushy between them. With these two? Oh no. They’d rather rip each other apart first! This is no bunnies & rainbows romance. We get some very serious conversations between Kate & His Fuzziness but mostly we get hilarious scenes. The mating game is just hilarious. (view spoiler)[Kate shutting Curran out of the slut hut! Curran gluing Kate's butt to her chair! (hide spoiler)] It doesn’t get much better than that!
“What’s this?”
“A needle.”
“What should I do with it?” He’d walked right into it. Too easy.
“Please use it to pop your head. It’s obscuring my view of the room.”
Yes. I'm in love with this series. Yes. I want to be Kate Daniels when I grow up. Yes I need to get my hands on the next instalment NOW.

• Book 1: Magic Bites ★★★★★
• Book 2: Magic Burns ★★★★★
• Book 3: Magic Strikes ★★★★★
• Book 5: Magic Slays ★★★★★
• Book 6: Magic Rises ★★★★★
• Book 7: Magic Breaks ★★★★★
• Book 8: Magic Shifts ★★★★★
• Book 9: Magic Binds ★★★★★
• Book 10: Magic Triumphs ★★★★

🐈 The Adventures Of A Brave Little Kitty Buddy Rerererereread (TAOABLKBR™) with the IA Addicts 🐈

➽ 
  And the moral of this particular rererererereread is:
 there's nothing quite like magically delicious syphilis, if you ask me.



P.S. Why the books in this series aren't prescribed as antidepressants is and forever will be one of the greatest mysteries of the universe. 

👋 Until next time and stuff.



[January 2018]

⚔ 
  The Grand IAA™ KD Buddy Rerererereread Extravaganza
 (GIAAKDBRE™), aka the yellow brick road to Magic Triumphs ⚔

Presenting Episode 4, or How Kate Daniels Learned Being Naught but a Little Squirrel Doesn't Mean You Can't Beat the Fish Out of the Deliciously Villainous Villains.

➽ 
  And the moral of this rererererererereread³ is
:



Also, if you see golden headlights coming right at you while you're playing with your deadly toothpick, beware. Especially if there are rolling tumble weeds around. 


 
[June 2016]
 
❣ KD is the Cure to All of Life's Problems Buddy Read (KDitCtAoLPBR™) with my dear wife Ange, and the poor IAA souls who have fallen into our deathly KD Surprise Reread Trap (KSRT™).

· Original rating: 5 stars
· Rating after xxxxxx rereads: 100,000³ stars. More or less. Kate Daniels is IT. Kate Daniels cannot be rated.

» And the moral of this particular rererereread is: I want Ilona Andrews and Glen Cook to team up and write a series/book/cereal box blurb/whatever/anything with Kate Daniels and Lady as main characters. Now that would be intergalactically EPIC. And epically INTERGALACTIC. I'd read the story and never recover. Well maybe I would. If I rererererereread it over and over and over and over again. Forever after. And stuff. It would be glorious.

➽ Ilona, Gordon, Glen:



The End (view spoiler)[until next time (hide spoiler)]



[Original review]

☆☆☆ Post-Shift Productions proudly present ☆☆☆
Yet Another Exciting Day in the Life of Kate Daniels



►8.00 a.m.: investigate the death of a human barnacle. Realize it's a case of magically delicious syphilis. It's going to be a long day. Again.
► 8.30 a.m.: think about His Furiness. Feel like punching His Furiness in the face. Where did that thought come from?
► 9.00 a.m.: fight a demonic, spawn-of-hellish beast. Good doggy.
► 9.30 a.m.: listen to your voice mail at work. "I curse your arms so they will wither and die and fall off your body. I curse your eyeballs to explode. I curse your feet to swell until blue. I curse you. I curse you. I curse you." Okay then.
► 10.00 a.m.: still investigating. A guy in a cloak did it. Good to know. Consider praying to Miss Marple.



► 10.30 a.m.: find yourself doodling a horned lion with a pie on his pitchfork. Now who could that be?
► 11.00 a.m.: trade your teenage werewolf sidekick for a deadly, mutant attack poodle.
► 11.30 a.m.: bubonic plague. Dysentery. Influenza. Cholera on magic steroids. What did you ever do to anybody? 
► 12.00 a.m.: wish that the furry bastard would stop intruding on your thoughts for five seconds. Consider dancing a jig in celebration the minute it happens.



► 12.30 a.m.: discuss vamp storage cavities with Ghastek. Find out he prefers throats to anuses. Thank the gods for small favors.
► 1.00 p.m.: friendly visit to the Mercenary Guild. Find a guy pinned to the elevator shaft by a spear through his throat. Nifty.
► 1.30 p.m.: Oh look, the Beast Lord. Stay cool. Zen. No punching in the face. Punching would not be Zen.
► 2.00 p.m.: be awed by His Fussiness' ability to use big words. A friendly conversation ensues. Consider throwing in some whistling. And rolling thumbleweed. You're all set. 



► 2.30 p.m.: time for a well-deserved break. Go home, resurrect a head in the kitchen. Your deadly attack poodle barfs a little. 
► 3.00 p.m.: have His Furry Majesty throw you around a little. Things are looking up.
► 3.30 p.m.: get Raphael & Andrea out of jail. Hot tub. SIG-Sauer P-226. Diving for clams. That's boudas for you.
► 4.00 p.m.: sneak into the Keep. Weld the bimbo room shut. Decorate with catnip. Fun times. 
► 4.30 p.m.: go back to the office. Have a short phone conversation with His Furiness. Realize your butt is glued to your chair. 



► 5.00 p.m.: surprise visit from Auntie Erra. She came all the way from Babylon too. Coolest aunt ever. This is one happy little squirrel.
► 5.30 p.m.: Saiman suicidal. Curran homicidal. Oh. My. God. The Universe just exploded. BIG TIME.



► 5.45 p.m.: relax in a hot tub. Lose all sense. 
  It's not the bathtub, baby.
 Oh boy.
► 6.00 p.m.: decide to give your judgemental crocodile bodyguard a room at the Keep. Think it might give Jim an aneurysm. 
► 6.30 p.m.: meet Auntie Erra again. Realize she recently developed a fetish for spandex. Why you?
► 7.00 p.m.: bloodward. No problem. Meow. 
► 7.30 p.m.: pinned to the ground? No biggie. Got a toothpick.
► 8.00 p.m.: relax after a long day's work. Read The Princess Bride to a big sleeping cat.



► 8.30 p.m.: attend a lovely family reunion at the Keep. Feel very welcome. Challenge a few shapeshifters just for kicks. 
► 9.00 p.m.: read The Princess Bride to a big sleeping cat. Again. Will this day never end?
► 9.30 p.m.: meet a gay mongoose with an ambitious name. Try to keep the creepy down a notch. Fail miserably. 
► 10.00 p.m.: feline wake-up time. Attend yet another family reunion. This is one pissed off little kitty. RAWR. Oh boy. 



· Book 1: Magic Bites ★★★★★
· Book 2: Magic Burns ★★★★★
· Book 3: Magic Strikes ★★★★★
· Book 5: Magic Slays ★★★★★
· Book 6: Magic Rises ★★★★★
· Book 7: Magic Breaks ★★★★★
· Book 8: Magic Shifts ★★★★★
· Book 9: Magic Binds ★★★★★
· Book 10: Magic Triumphs ★★★★

Imane

probably one of my favourite in the series

Becky

These books just keep getting better and better. I want Kate Daniels to be my best friend because she is both hilarious and she would always have my back. I mean seriously, I know people can get annoyed at these tough girl characters who are always stoic and a loner but Kate Daniels proves hat sometimes it works.

I will spoil nothing but I adopted the developments which occurred in this book. I was glad to finally get a bit more explanation to things and to get to see some character growth going on.

I am now going to start the next one because I need more Kate Daniels. I have a problem.

danielle bush

** spoiler alert **
           Every Kate Daniel's just gets better and better.. this is one of my favorite FAVORITE series by my FAVORITE author duos. Ilona and Gordon Andrews. Its an urban fantasy set in Georgia after magic had come back to the world.. in this book we finally have Curren and Kate becoming a couple, while trying to deal with an ancient plague bringer (who happens to be Kates aunt) she has been killing shifters and piloting their undead bodies... 
There is lots of action, and one of my favorite parts is when Kate finds a phantom poodle she names Grendal.. 
I can't tell you how many times I have reread each book in this series.. I absolutely them!! 
.
If your going to read this series definitely start from the first book..

Nickie Mohler

It's been awhile since I read one of these books. I loved it!! I should just binge read them, but it's also like finding the series all over again if I space them out. These are some of my favorite characters of all time. And, I seem to find a new character to love in each book. I also love the world. I think it's interesting the way they go between magic and tech.

Sooooo good!

Anastaciya

Just realised that Mercy Thompson also had "daddy issues", kind of... anyhow, I liked this instalment.

Michelle Boyea

Jessica Nottingham

Magic Bleeds begins with Kate making (naked) dinner for Curran as the loser of their last bet. Let me point out how big of a deal this is for her to follow through with. Curran is late, however. Very late. Understandably pissed, Kate would love to go and have a word (or a sword) with him, but unfortunately she has to deal with the "Steel Mary"; a very powerful being who is wreaking havoc all over Atlanta. Cue a crazy, amazing story line that has officially become my favorite in the series so far.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I have a total crush on Kate Daniels. It doesn't matter how much of her I read, I have never felt more attached to a character. The bevy of emotions that Ilona Andrews has Kate go through in this book almost borders on exhausting. Poor Kate. However it's written so believably that I couldn't help but feel all those emotions as well. Anger, sorrow, terror, complete and utter happiness. Kate's character has grown so much and in Magic Bleeds we see a Kate who is actually working to keep her anger under control. I'm not saying it always works but, hell, she's trying! Little things like psycho killers just keep getting in her way.

This installment also developed the relationship between Curran and Kate and OH MY GOSH I can't even tell you how much in love I am with the two of them together! Those of you out there who tried the first book and thought that Curran was a bully and a jackass? Well, he is. At first. In this story though we get to see the side of him that has slowly been developing over the last few books. The Beast Lord can be sweet! He can be thoughtful. Oh and good lord can he be sexy. I'm fanning myself just thinking about it.

Book 4 and I'm still completely entranced by this series. Magic Bleeds far exceeded all the bars I had set for it, and I can't even tell you how excited I am to get my hands on a copy of the next one! Ilona Andrews has created a series that is witty, heartfelt, kick-ass and one that you'll want to stick with for the long haul. I can promise you, if you keep reading you'll be hooked. More please. I want more.

Jo H

Fangirl screeching at this point in the series! 

Kate has more baggage than British Airlines and has now realised that she has really does have people to share it with, even though she doesn't quite appreciate it yet. And Curran... he is a Lion In Love, I see it now, as I was a tad unsure at first with all his alpha-hole posturing. 

The excitement definitely ramped up for me in this volume of the series and has cemented it in my mind as being in the top of the pile. It certainly has plenty going for it, but most of all Ilona Andrews writes AWESOME action and fight scenes, those that usually bore me in many fantasy stories really come to life and have my heart racing in Kate Daniels world.

Lacey

I am so happy with this book! The Kate Daniels series just does not disappoint. I LOVED this book. I was rooting for Kate and Curran so much, and the ending nearly had me in tears. They are perfect for each other, and I love that though the romance is not the CENTRAL part of the story, the characters still make me want them to get together so bad. I absolutely LOVE this series.

Magic Bleeds (Kate Daniels, Book 4)

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