Andrews, Ilona: Magic Bleeds
Magic Bleeds (2010)
Written by: Ilona Andrews
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 367 (Mass Market Paperback)
Series: Book Four (ongoing)
Now this is a sensible way to read/catch up on a series (for me). I started the Kate Daniels books in early December, had some doubts that were smoothed over, got the second Christmas and read it in January, bought and read the third later in January, and have now caught up on and read the fourth (even though it came out in May). But four books in about eight months isn't a bad way to tackle a series. Not a bad way at all.
I'm not sure why I took me so long to get around to reading this. I intended to read it right away, but other priorities kept popping up. But I've read it now, and you're getting a review (whether you like it or not!). :)
The premise: ganked from the author's website: 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 . . . .
Review style: I consider it a good sign when I'm into an urban fantasy enough that I'm not taking notes elsewhere. Not that I'm a habitual note-taker, but I usually have sticky notes & sticky tabs available for just that use so I can come back to things later. Nothing stood out this time that needed me to mark it, so the review is going to be short, sweet, and to the point. Spoilers ahoy! Until you get to "My Rating," and then you're safe and sound. :)
Okay, let's get what I didn't like out of the way first: I hated the way Kate and Curran acted like teenagers over who stood up who. Part of my dislike came from me channeling Patricia Briggs's latest, and I kept thinking Curran's pack was actively working against Kate. That sort of becomes true in the end, but not in the same way in that they aren't trying to drive a wedge between Curran and Kate. They just don't want Kate there period. They want power.
So once more, reading multiple UF series (all involving werewolves, no less) has me using other authors to try and figure out what's going on with the book I'm reading. But seriously, they acted like children. I had a tough time really believing that at this point, it was an accident that the operator at the Keep didn't know who Kate was, and I have a hard time believing that Curran believed Kate was lying about it. My memory may truly be foggy, but has she lied before? Running, sure, but outright lying about what she's doing in regards to them? I'm fuzzy on this one, but I'm thinking no.
But I did like that they just didn't fall into bed together and everything was hunky-dory. Both of them are going to have to make compromises in order to make this work, and as long as they antagonize each other in a "I'm so gonna rip your head off way" and not in a he-said/she-said "you're a liar!" kind of way, I'm happy. It's going to be an interesting road for them, and I'm pleasantly surprised by Curran's reaction to Kate's revelation. I figured that would be yet another thing that would drive them apart, but Curran could care less. That's cool.
Also cool is that Kate didn't have to choose between her relationship and her job. Yes, she picked helping the Pack over following her boss's orders, but let's face it, those were LAME ORDERS and were suspect at that. Kate did the right thing, which resulted in a job loss, but also resulted in her getting to act independently (in an interestingly similar setup to what Saiman offered). Not bad. I look forward to seeing how this works out.
Saiman worries me. At first, his desire to seduce Kate was kind of funny, but the more he sees and learns and suspects about her, the more I worry he's going to betray her, simply because he's not going to get her into bed. After all, didn't he already betray her by his petty little trick to make Curran think she and Saiman were a couple? While I've never really believed Saiman's character was upright and moral, that just goes to prove further that Saiman only cares for Kate as an asset. A valuable one, no less, but still an asset. Or, perhaps, information to be traded on. Make no mistake: I think Saiman's going to betray her to Roland somehow.
I do love how Andrews has integrated Kate's backstory into the series. By now, we know what's on the table, but they've doled it out in bits and pieces so that we don't feel we're being hit over the head by the truth, and we feel like we're learning something new with each book. I loved auntie Erra, and I loved seeing the woman that Kate would become if she truly followed the path Voron set out for her. Fascinating and awesome, and as I said before, the danger to her identity keeps escalating with each book, and I'm honestly looking forward to seeing where this all leads, simply because Kate's got a lot to lose now (something she really realized this book), and it's not going to get better as the series goes on.
Because we know this series isn't going to end with Kate telling Roland she won't take over or anything and to let her live her life in peace. Oh, she could try, but Roland won't listen.
So yes, looking forward to more. And I'm curious: what will it mean for Curran and Kate to have children? Are we going to get some kind of werewolf/vampire hybrid ala Underworld? Well, Kate and Roland technically aren't vampires. They're just very adept at the magic that controls them.
We'll see!
My Rating
Worth the Cash: it's a very fast read, even when there's the few moments where you want to bash a few characters' heads against the wall. There's a lot of developments in terms of Kate's history and her relationship with her job and Curran and Saiman, and let's not forget the world-building. We get more and more juicy tidbits about magic and the different kinds that run the world, and it's fascinating to see Andrews delve into non-traditional forms of it (and by non-traditional, I mean the kind we don't typically see in urban fantasy). It's a fun, fast read with lots to be happy with in terms of resolutions, as well as lots to look forward to in terms of future developments. But just don't jump in here. Start with the first book, and then read the second before judging the series as a whole, because honestly, if I'd stopped with the first book (and I wanted to), I would've missed out on a MUCH improved and fascinating series.
Cover Commentary: Is it me, or does Kate look lighter and less ethnic with each progressive cover? Compare here. :) At any rate, I like the cover, but it's odd because previous covers have shown her from the knees up, and this is the waist up. We've still got the sword and the lion, and I like the show, and overall, it's a pleasing cover, but I'm conscious of the fact that we're getting a different crop of the character, which throws off the consistency of the design a bit, and I can't stand the "Great Read Guaranteed" purple oval at the bottom. Really? Can't you make that a sticker so I can peel it off?
Next up: Summon the Keeper by Tanya Huff