Ilona Andrews

Scarred, solitary Derek Gaunt has separated from his Pack, and is truly a lone wolf. With no family he answers to no one; but is fiercely loyal to a chosen few. So, when several of those close to him are murdered, he'll stop at nothing to hunt their killer through the magic-drenched streets of Atlanta. Never one to be left on the sidelines, equally determined--some might say stubborn--Julie Lennart-Olsen soon joins in his pursuit; and what began as revenge turns into a race to save the city. Their search pits them against powers they never imagined and magic so old, it predates history. It may cost Derek his life, but there are things for which even he would risk everything.

Magic Stars

Kirsten Simkiss

I enjoyed it quite a bit. No spoilers here, but it definitely makes me anxious for the next full-sized book. Roland isn't someone I want Julie to have any connection to whatsoever.

Sarah Escorsa

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


  And the moral of this particular rererereread is:
 this story is actually a Little Red Riding Hood retelling. It’s the truthful truth, I promise! Don’t believe me? Read this behind-the-scenes dialogue between Julie and Derek, and see for yourself:

“My my, Wonder Boy, what serrated claws well-groomed nails you have!”
“All the better to tear intestines out open tin cans with!” said the Former Teenage Werewolf Sidekick.

“My my, Wonder Boy, what sharp fangs big teeth you have!”
“All the better to sever carotids and jugulars eat my daily vegetables with!” said the Former Teenage Werewolf Sidekick.

“My my, Wonder Boy, what piercing peepers big eyes you have!”
“All the better to lust after your shapely legs scout for villainous scumbags!” said the Former Teenage Werewolf Sidekick.

Ha! QED and stuff.



Okay, Derek, you can ditch the Halloween costume now, we kinda sorta know it’s you and stuff.



[March 2016]

And the moral of this reread is:

① Yes, I am sticking to my 12-star rating. If I really unleashed the fangirl in me I'd probably go for 16 stars, but I'm getting desperately reasonable in my old age, so 12 stars it is.

② This story is mandatory reading for anyone following this All-Hail-The-Queen-It-Doesn't-Get-Better-Than-This-Awesome-Amazing-I-Can-Die-Happy-Now series. And again, this is not the fangirl in me talking here. I'm old, wise and reasonable now, remember? You HAVE to read this story because essential, major, OMG-I-Can't-Believe-It stuff happens/is unveiled here. Essential, major, OMG-I-Can't-Believe-It stuff that will have a huge impact on the rest of the series. 

③ If I hadn't already sold my soul to the Andrews, I would do it again. Because, honestly, who else can pack so much punch and write such perfection in less than 100 pages? NO ONE, that's who.







Sorry about that, I guess I'm not as old, wise and reasonable as I thought.

I promise to write an actual review soon. Maybe after the 10th reread. You know, next week or something.



Actual rating: 12 stars. Yep. Take that you haters who thought I was exaggerating when I gave this story 10 stars before reading it.

BLOODY HELL, PEOPLE, THIS IS WORLD-CHANGING STUFF!!

It's bloody amazing. So bloody amazing that it's one my favorite instalments in the whole series. Bloody hell. Bloody hell. Bloody Hell.

Derek makes me want to unleash the cougar in me. Julie is WOW. The blood-and-gore-yay factor is positively orgasmic. The things that are revealed and hinted that are just AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! Sorry. Not. Possible. Breathe. Can't. Write. Stop. Feels. Too much. HELP! 



➽ Full review to come. Whenever I recover. If I ever do.

ARC kindly provided by the author in exchange for...NOTHING. No review, no body part, no soul. Nada, rien, zilch, zip. Because Ilona & Gordon are slightly awesome like that. 

• Book 1: Magic Bites ★★★★★ 
• 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 ★★★★★
• Book 10: Magic Triumphs - to be released August, 28 2018.



➽ December 6, 2015: snippet available here!!!





Actual rating: 10 stars.

What do you mean I can't rate the story if I haven't read it yet? And why the hell not? This is IA, you bunch of silly people, of course I know how I will rate this story! {insert mother of all eyerolls here}

Magic Stars

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