Andrews, Ilona: Magic Burns
Magic Burns (2008)
Written by: Ilona Andrews
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 260 (Mass Market Paperback)
Series: Book Two (ongoing)
When Ilona Andrews was first recommended to me, I was told that the first book, Magic Bites was good, but that the rest of the books were much better, which translated to me as, "You're got to at least read the first two books before you make your verdict." That's fair. Authors improve as they go, and while I tend to dislike the whole, "But if you can just make it to book six, it REALLY takes off!" mentality, because I don't want to read five mediocre books before I get to the good stuff. But two total? I can totally handle.
I asked for this puppy for Christmas, and I was rather surprised when I got it, because I'd been asking for Magic Bites for years and never got it as a gift. And even though I'd already finished my mad dash to 100, I wanted something quick and fun so this was the ideal choice. Also, I'm trying to do better about reading gifts ASAP instead of letting them languish.
The premise: ganked from BN.com: As a mercenary who cleans up after magic gone wrong, Kate Daniels knows how waves of paranormal energy ebb and flow across Atlanta like a tide. But once every seven years, a flare comes, a time when magic runs rampant. When Kate sets out to retrieve a set of stolen maps for the Pack, Atlanta's paramilitary clan of shape shifters, she quickly realizes much more is at stake. The stolen maps are only the opening gambit in an epic tug of war between two gods hoping for rebirth, and if Kate can't stop the cataclysmic showdown, the city may not survive.
Review style: no need for spoilers with this one, so rest assured. If you're paranoid though, just skip to the "My Rating" section of the review, and you'll be just fine. :)
My friends weren't joking: this book was MUCH better than the first in so many regards. First, Kate isn't NEAR the same level of bitch that she was in the first book. Sure, she has her confrontational moments, but nothing where I was wanting to smack her. The chapter length also was far more manageable. No more 40+ page chapters (Chapter Two in Magic Bites is RIDICULOUSLY LONG for ANY genre), so that was a huge relief. It made the pacing much better. Also, the world-building really came alive. I don't know EVERYTHING about how it works, but I feel much more comfortable because the authors took the time to work explanations into the main plot of the story.
One thing that really helped was having Kate guarding a little girl. While I did scratch my head over her sudden, intense ownership of the kid (she kept referring to Julie as "my kid" and I kept saying, "No, she's not."), I did appreciate how she interacted with the girl and really made it her mission to protect her. And I don't want to go on record saying that's because all women have some hidden maternal instinct or something (trust me, they don't), but it showed us a side of Kate's character that most authors wouldn't even think to show their readers, and it worked wonders.
The story was also stronger. I liked following along the mystery of the covens and the gods and trying to figure out who to trust and who not to. No stupid misunderstandings here, and for that I was grateful. We also got a little bit more of a glimpse of what makes Kate different, and I'm looking forward to whatever the big reveal is. I'm gathering some theories, one of which is that Kate is actually the daughter of the infamous Roland. We'll see.
And this is an interesting thing to note: traditionally, when I'm in a character's head, especially in first person, I don't like having information withheld from me. But here, it works, because the voice is very much of Kate telling US the story. Sure, we're in her head, but it's a story she's telling, and because she's telling it, she reserves the right to withhold info. Now, if this were in limited third-person, that'd be far trickier to pull off, but so far, it's working here, and it'll keep working as long as Andrews continues to feed us a little bit more so we can try and figure it out before the big reveal.
I loved the very last scene of the book. Curran didn't annoy me near as much, and the fact he was reading The Princess Bride and then turned around and said "As you wish"? OMG! I wanted the third installment RIGHT THEN!!!! I didn't have it, so I couldn't keep going, but what a great development in their relationship. It didn't even occur to Kate to put two and two together, and I don't mind that. Again, it'll be interesting to see where this goes in the third book.
My Rating
Worth the Cash: this book DEFINITELY outshines the debut. Kate's no where near as bitchy, the plot and pacing is MUCH stronger, and the gore factor isn't near as high. There's just a lot of great things going for this book, and we learn more about Kate's origins and that of how this world really works, and that's great. I wanted to read the third book as soon as I finished the second, but I didn't have it (a mistake now corrected, it's in my TBR pile now), so that should say something about how far this series has come between the first and second installments alone. It's a fun, fast read, so if you read Magic Bites and weren't too impressed, definitely give Magic Burns a shot before making your final verdict on the series. Trust me, it's MUCH BETTER. In fact, the only thing I don't like about Magic Burns is that the title is too similar to Magic Bites and I keep confusing the two.
Cover Commentary: again, much better. The coloring is far more appealing, and Kate doesn't look like a washed-out zombie.
Next up: the FIRST read for 2010: In the Woods by Tana French