Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop - 5 stars

Book 2 in the Others series

Previous Others Series Reviews

Written in Red (#1)

Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop
5 stars

I read this book months ago and I've reread it many time since. After perusing Anne Bishops' website, I've discovered more about the Others' world regarding the layout. We start out with a preface again, introducing us to the world of the Others. This is for readers who may not have read the first book or to give us a little reminder of how everything is set up. Since it's book 2, you can skip it.

This book picks up right after Meg gets home from the hospital in book 1. Simon and Meg have become closer and now share bed every night. This relationship gets complicated after Simon being woken up and shifting back to his human form during the night. The tension that develops between the two affects the whole Courtyard. This is unsurprising as Meg is a key part of the Courtyard.

We see new sides of Simon and his confusion towards his feelings for Meg. He's a wolf that's suddenly having feelings for a human. It's obvious that he loves Meg just as she loves him but their relationship is complicated. You really feel for Simon and Meg. They don't understand what's going on.

There are new characters introduced and the tension between the humans and the Others continues to grow. The Humans First and Last movement that was casually mentioned in Written in Red is now more prominent. There are more and more issues with the drugs known as Feel Good and Gone Over Wolf. These drugs are contributing to the hatred growing between the two races.

I like that we see more character growth in all the primary and secondary characters. I did really miss having Sam in this book. He's so cute and you can't help but love him. I also really like Nathan. He's the watch wolf and we rarely see him in human form but he has a personality anyway. There are many humorous parts which compliment the dark and tense parts as well.

The Others series is one of my favorites in this genre, right up there with Kate Daniels. The world building is excellent and the characters are well developed. This was easily 5 stars. My only complaint is there isn't much fan art out there for me to fawn over.

Next up: Vision in Silver. What's going to happen next?

Written in Red by Anne Bishop - 5 stars

Book 1 in the Others series

Written in Red by Anne Bishop
5 stars

I recently discovered this book thanks to @has_bookpushers on Twitter. I inhaled this book and then moved on to the next book within days. I stayed up way to late but it was so addicting I couldn't stop reading.

This world is another unique one. There are vampires and shapeshifters but there are also other creatures that don't have names. They are known as the terra indegine or Others. The Others despise human and consider them "clever meat." They lease the land humans occupy by on the continent of Thaisa. I think Thaisa is North America in Bishop's world. There are some clues even though every country and city have different names than the real world. Bishop includes a description of the world for her readers which lays out the setting without turning into an expository essay.

We have multiple points of view and all of them are in Third Person Limited. Our main protagonist is Meg Corban. She's a difficult kind of human. She's what the Other's consider "not prey." She doesn't have the prey smell and she has a child-like innocence. She's a sweet blood. This is because she is a Blood Prophet or cassandra sangue. Meg escaped from a compound full of other Blood Prophets and winds up in the Courtyard in Lakeside. Blood Prophets have the need to cut and once the skin is cut, they see prophecies. If they speak, they feel an orgasmic-like euphoria but if they don't, all they feel is an excruciating pain.

This book...I can't believe I didn't know about it sooner. The I love the setting, the plot, the characters, everything. Even though it's set in an alternate universe, it's not hard to follow. That makes things much easier to understand. Bishop manages to explain things without the reader feeling overwhelmed with details. I love when an author can do that.

Meg's view of the world is so different and I love it. She thinks differently and that has an impact on everyone in the Courtyard. Simon, the leader of the Courtyard is a Wolf and Bishop managed to capture the essence of the Wolf and the other terra indegine shapshifters. They don't think like humans and Bishop is able to show this. I loved it. I loved the relationship/friendship that forms between the two. There is actions and fights and there Bishop doesn't hold back on the descriptions of kills.

I love this book. There isn't a heavy romance element and I find that refreshing. You can see the budding relationship between Meg and Simon but it's slow to start so we'll see what's in store for them. The world so interesting and addictive. I just want to know more. Anyone who is a fan of fantasy and alternate universes would love this book. It's like Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews or Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter sereis. The world is different yet still familiar. Ah, so amazing. Definitely a must read.

Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews - 5 stars

First off.....AWESOME. Not really what I was expecting. Actually I didn't really have expectations. I knew this would be different and a game changer. Yes, it was definitely a game changer. I know some people won't like the ending. It wasn't what I was expecting. It came out of no where but I like it. Oh boy. The next book should be interesting. When is the next book coming out? Can it be out now? Can I just know what happens?

Anyways, now for my review.

Previous Kate Daniels Reviews

Magic Bites | Magic Burns | Magic Strikes | Magic Bleeds

 Magic Slays | Magic Rises

Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews
5 stars (more like 10 stars)

In the previous book, Kate's lineage basically came out to the world. Really, only the important people know but it's only a matter of time before the rest of the world finds out and Kate can no longer hide. Also, Curran proposed at the end of the book and gave Kate part of the Wolf Diamond. According to the authors, Curran is showing Kate that he trusts her completely because the Wolf Diamond can basically kill him. That's pretty powerful and I'm glad they explained that in the interview. (The interview is great. It's about 50 minutes long and you can watch it here).

Now that they're back in Atlanta, they're preparing for war. It's going to come. Hugh d'Ambray knows who Kate is and now he desperately wants her. He also wants to sleep with her and fight with her and stuff. It's pretty gross actually. He is extremely powerful and has an amazing gift for healing. He can basically pull people back from the brink of death (spoilers)*.

Curran goes out of town to deal with a shapeshifter who wants to talk about the panacea that the Pack now holds a monopoly on. This leaves Kate to attend the Conclave by herself. It's a complete trap. We know this from the summary. Hugh enters and everything goes crazy. "You have until noon to turn over the murder!" It's basically a Catch 22 and it seems like war is unavoidable.

The Pack is at a disadvantage as at least half are out hunting, something the shapeshifters do in the winter months, and Curran has taken some of his good people with him. Jim, who's already paranoid is just going crazy. They know that war is not going to be a good thing but figuring out a way around it is difficult.

In the end they do find the murderer. She's an odd shapeshifter. When Hugh shows up with his army of vampires, Kate works around him. He's not too happy and he teleports her away along with Ghastek into a prison (spoilers)**. It's the prison cell from hell because they're in water and it's cold and they're starving. We do learn some interesting things about Ghastek and his back story. I liked it.

Kate gets rescued by Curran of course. Curran would tear apart the world looking for her. True love in all it's glory. Curran isn't alone. He brought along Jim, Andrea, Christopher (the man they rescued from Hugh in Magic Rises), Thomas, Robert, and a medmage, Nasrin. Thomas and Robert are the alphas of Clan Rat. The escape from the prison tower is difficult and full of surprises (spoilers).*** My heart broke at one point. I wanted to scream at the authors because how could they do that?! (spoilers)****

We meet Roland in the end. I so badly wanted to know his real name but everyone calls him Lord Roland or Sharrum (king). I was surprised by this confrontation. It definitely wasn't what I was expecting. But I think they wrote it perfectly. Roland is such a powerful character and how could they possibly end it all in one book? They couldn't and what they did was ten times better.

You'd think Kate coming face to face with Roland would be the craziest thing ever. But really, there is so much more. So much happens at the end of the book that you feel drained. A lot of things are explained in this book that we were wondering about: Nick, Naeemah, the words on Kate when she took the power word in Magic Bleeds, Kate's true power, and more. If I had been reading in the hardcover format versus the ebook, I would have paper cuts from how fast I was turning those pages. I enjoyed the ending however. I felt that it did so much for Kate and Curran's relationship and that this book has brought them even closer together. Roland is not completely dealt with but man, it's going to be great.

My absolute favorite part is Desandra using pork sword. This has been a thing for almost a year and a half going on between Ilona and Jeaniene Frost. I had to stop reading for a moment so I could stop laughing. Oh my goodness.

This review is pretty long so I'm wrapping it up. Basically, read the book. Enjoy it. Love it. It's amazing. I can't wait for the next Kate and Curran adventure.

Here are the tweets that started the whole "pork sword" thing.

Circle of Fire by Keri Arthur - 3.5 stars

Circle of Fire by Keri Arthur
3.5 stars

I was a little hesitant to pick this book up at first even though it sounded interesting. I'm glad I did. It was a good book and I enjoyed it. Despite my enjoyment, I had a hard time rating this. I went back and forth between 3.5 and 4 stars. The concept is great but some of the things in the story bothered me enough to knock it down to 3.5. I would still recommend it though. Overall it's a good story with a good plot line despite some of the things I did not particularly like.

It's quite obvious from the first time Jon and Maddie meet that there is going to be a love story between them. Jon appears in an astral form in Maddie's bedroom. Maddie has been living alone ever since her husband died in a fire. She is afraid of hurting anyone with her power because she has no control. Jon is dying and something is forcing him to appear before her. Maddie thinks she's going crazy until Jon warns her about missing teenagers from the area her sister and her nephew, Ethan, visited two weeks prior. Jon begs her to find him and save him. When Ethan disappears like the other teenagers who visited AREA, Maddie decides to set out to save Jon and then find Ethan.


Along with Maddie's pyrokinesis, she is also clairvoyant. Ethan has inherited that power as well. Maddie's power helps her with trying to locate Ethan but since she doesn't have much control, the visions are confusing and unclear. Jon can't help her focus her powers because he is a shapeshifter, a hawk to be exact, and he doesn't know the finer arts of the craft. He does help her calm down when she sets the inn on fire by accident.

Maddie stays at an inn where there is a creepy owner named Hank. This guy is so well written that when you are reading it, you get that creepy vibe. He's nasty and you know that he is evil. He has a fascination with Maddie and it scares her. I would be scared too. We find out pretty early who is behind the kidnappings and murders. It was quite obvious from the beginning so I was a little annoyed by that. There really wasn't a sense of mystery. I'm not sure is this is what Arthur was aiming for but it was extremely predictable.

I was also a little annoyed by the hot and cold vibes Jon sent towards Maddie. I understand the reasoning behind it but it was a constant thing so I found it tiring.

I was a little surprised by the ending. I wasn't expecting the time difference, something you will understand when you read the last chapter. It did have a HEA which I am grateful for. Overall it was a good book. The next book in the Damask Circle series focuses on two different characters. It's one of those series that have different main characters for each book. I will be reading the next book in the series.

Othersphere by Nina Berry - 4.5 stars

Othersphere (#3) by Nina Berry

4.5 stars

Previous Otherkin Series Reviews
Otherkin (#1) | Othermoon (#2)

Othersphere is the final book in the Otherkin trilogy and I really enjoyed it. It wrapped up the loose ends from Othermoon and filled in any missing information. We finally learn everything about Dez and her connection to the Othersphere, who her biological parents are, and who she ends up with. 

At the end of Othermoon, Caleb left because he couldn't trust Dez after she met up with Lazar twice without telling anyone. She was doing it for the right reasons because everyone wanted to kill Lazar but in the end, Caleb broke up with her and then left. In Othersphere, Dez and Lazar are together despite Dez still having feelings for Caleb. I found it a bit weird honestly. I still don't know who I was rooting for in the end (spoiler)*. 

At the beginning of the book, Amaris sneaks off to meet up with Caleb. Dez follows her, knowing that she is going to meet her brother and Dez just wants to see Caleb. Things go to hell from there. Suddenly they are surrounded by the Tribunal and Ximon throws Amaris into the Othersphere, using Dez to open the veil. Caleb and Dez escape and return to the school. Everyone agrees that they have to go rescue Amaris from the Othersphere (spoiler)**. When they get a call from Ximon claiming that he has been possessed by a "demon", the group decides to check out if what he claims is true. Caleb believes Ximon is telling the truth but Dez doesn't. As she is the unofficial leader, the group backs her up. They find Ximon's location and break into his house. It turns out he was telling the truth. Ximon is being possessed by the same creature that possessed Caleb in Otherkin. At first Ximon is himself but then Orgoli, the creature from the Othersphere, takes control of Ximon again and basically destroys the house. November almost dies and Dez freezes up for the first time. We also find out some pretty interesting information (spoiler)***.

This book has more action and more tension between the friends. Sometimes I find it hard to believe that a group of teenagers are the ones who go into these extremely dangerous situations with the approval of their teacher Morfael. It just seems a little too unbelievable at times. I did like finding out about Dez and her origins. It's an interesting world. The Othersphere is dangerous but also really cool. I liked learning more about it and the Amba. Berry created a very interesting world and I enjoyed the series. It ended well and I felt no need for the story to go on. She managed to wrap everything up without leaving any plot holes. 

This is another 4.5 star book. I would like to thank NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this title prior to it's release. 

Othermoon by Nina Berry - 4.5 stars

Othermoon (#2)  by Nina Berry
4.5 stars

Previous Otherkin Series Review

Otherkin (#1)

Othermoon begins not long after the events of Otherkin. Dez is listening to music in the middle of the night when she hears something. It turns out Lazar has broken into her house but nothing seems to be disturbed. She chases him out into the rain and to the lightning tree. Lazar manages to escape and Dez's mom and Richard catch up with her at the tree. Something strange begins to happen to her mother and she suddenly becomes possessed by another being from the Othersphere. She tells Dez that she is her daughter but is unable to last very long in her mother's body. She calls Dez an Amba, the same name Ximon called her when he saw her. 

It turns out Lazar stole a hairbrush from Dez. She gets in touch with all of her friends except Arnaldo and discover that things with their DNA have been stolen as well. Lazar left a note apologizing and asking for forgiveness. This is odd but Dez has to worry about other things, not Lazar's peculiar behavior. 

The gang meets up in Las Vegas where they are eventually found by the Tribunal. While they are escaping, Dez runs into Lazar again. He gets attacked by Caleb who hates him for killing his mother. Lazar tells Dez that he hasn't told anyone about where they are and warns them about the exits. Dez's compassion at the end of Otherkin planted a seed and Lazar wants out from under his father's abuse. 

The group heads to Arnaldo's to bring him to the school. They find out that his house wasn't attacked because his father gave the Tribunal some of his DNA. When Arnaldo leaves to go to school, his father disowns him. He is a drunk and hits his children which makes Dez eventually call child services. 

Once they make it to the school, Caleb and Dez stay behind and things start to get hot and heavy before they are interrupted by Amaris and Lazar climbing into the van. Lazar has information. The Tribunal is building a particle accelerator and for some reason they needed the DNA from each of the remaining tribes of shifters. Lazar agrees to get the plans and layout of the Tribunal's compound in exchange for help to escape the Tribunal. 

No one trusts Lazar except Dez and Amaris. Dez sneaks around Caleb and the others to get information from Lazar, eventually leading to the break up of Caleb and Dez. Caleb says he can't trust her and he sees the way Lazar looks at her and holds her. 

The group eventually attacks the Tribunal compound using Lazar's information but it's a trap. They escape and Dez does some awesome things with her power. Their escape comes with a cost. One of their number dies at the hands of Ximon (spoiler)*. Lots of things go down during that attack and escape and most of it is pretty interesting and helps develop the world of the shifters.

In the end, Caleb leaves while everyone else, including Lazar returns to the school. There is a budding relationship between Lazar and Dez, one that Caleb can't ignore.

I liked this book more than Otherkin. We learn more about the world of the otherkin and the shifters. We learn about the power of the othersphere and a little bit more about Dez's origins. It's very interesting. It deserves a solid 4.5 stars. 

Otherkin by Nina Berry - 4.5 stars

Otherkin by Nina Berry

4 stars

I really enjoyed this book. The only reason I didn't give it five is because I have some issues with certain scenes. It took me a couple tries to get into this book but once I did I found myself enjoying it and finished it quickly. 

Dez

In this book we have Desdemona, aka Dez, who is an otherkin. She's a shifter and can shift into a tiger. This is quite obvious once you look at the cover. We get thrown into the world almost immediately. At the end of chapter 1 Dez transforms into her tiger. In chapter 2 she wakes up in a cage somewhere in the desert. In a cage next to her we meet Caleb. Caleb is otherkin also but he is not a shifter. He is a caller of shadow. Basically there is another world called the Othersphere and it "casts its shadow into our world. Not a shadow of darkness, but a power shadow, a vibration" (33). Callers can actually call forth the shadow of the shifters or send them away, forcing them into or out of their animal form. This makes the shifters hate the callers because they can control their transformations. 

November

The enemy of the otherkin is the Tribunal. They think all otherkin are demons and are extremely religious. They can use shadow too but they use it to get rid of shadow. The callers that are part of the Tribunal are titled objurers. Basically they're a bunch of hypocrites. The Tribunal has killed thousands of shifters and callers. Now there are only five shifter tribes left. Bears, cats, birds, wolves, and rats. Before there were shifters of all different animals but they were killed off by the Tribunal. Of course, all the shifters hate each other and are neophobic. They formed a council with a representative for each tribe but that only does so much. There is little they can do when all they want to fight.

London

After Dez returns home and is attacked again by the Tribunal, she shifts back to her tiger-self and that's when her adoptive mother and Richard, her mother's husband, find out about Dez being a shifter. Her parents go into hiding while Dez heads off with Caleb to a super secret school somewhere hidden. Once there, they have to go through a test to prove that they are worthy to be taught at the school.

The school is for shifters, not callers, so Caleb is a little on the outside. The teacher, Morfael, is also a caller and teaches the shifters the everything the shifters need to know. Dez is an outsider at first and Caleb is unwelcome. The prejudice between the callers and the other shifters is extremely obvious. It's sad really.

Arnaldo

There is something special about Dez and even at the end of the book we don't really know what's going on with her or what she truly is. But because she was never raised around other shifters, she does not have the prejudice that they all have. She is able to bring everyone together and become friends. This is something that never happens.

Siku

What I liked about this book is the completely different take on shapeshifters and the idea of another world that casts its shadows into ours. The idea is clever and one that I haven't heard of before. I enjoyed Dez's character and her strength in trying to get everyone to work together and not hate each other. She doesn't give up and she has a fierce need to protect the people she loves.

What I didn't like was some of the writing and reactions. Dez finds out about this other world and she's not as freaked out as I think she should be. If I had changed into a tiger and then kidnapped and shoved into a cage, I think I'd be freaking out more than she actually was. Sometimes the writing seemed rushed. Despite these issues I really enjoyed this book.

I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys shapeshifter books and want a different take on a fantasy world. The topic of shapeshifters has been used many times and I like that this book used it and changed it into something completely different than anything I was expecting.

Currently reading, Netgalley, and other ramblings

So I'm currently listening to Harry Potter again on my iPod. Don't ask me why. I have no idea but I really wanted to listen to the series again. I know I'm weird but oh well. I enjoy it and it helps get me through the day sometimes. Thank God I can listen to my iPod at work.

I'm also currently reading A Study in Silks by Emma Jane Holloway, book one in The Baskerville Affair. This is a book I've received from Netgalley for review. I recently finished The Waking Dreamer that I also received from Netgalley and it was good so I'm really excited that I've been getting more approvals from Netgalley.

Netgalley is a website that allows book review blogs to get advanced copies of certain books to review prior to the release date. When I first joined I wasn't getting any approvals. My blog was new and apparently my profile wasn't good enough. Once I started publishing more reviews I started getting most of my requests approved which is very exciting. A lot of the books are from new authors who aren't really known to the world. The Waking Dreamer is a good example. I have a pretty big list that I have to get through and I'm hoping that I will like them all.

I publish my reviews on this blog, Goodreads, and now Amazon. The author of The Waking Dreamer requested that I post the review on Amazon so I obliged. It makes me feel all kinds of special when I get to read these books in advance even though there are a lot of people who get the same opportunity. My blog is not as big as others out there. Mine actually is extremely tiny but I'm okay with that. I love reading and this blog is a great way for me to talk about what I've read and hopefully to help others read too.


A Study in Silks is an interesting book so far. I'm not that far into it but I'm working on it. It's set in Victorian London but it has the steampunk setting and the main character is the niece of the famous consulting detective Sherlock Holmes. Of course there is magic involved which makes it all the more interesting and obviously you can't have a story about someone related to Sherlock Holmes without a murder. I've read other reviews for this book that have been good and bad. I will withhold judgement until I finish the book and move on to the next two books in the series.  After A Study in Silks I will be moving on to A Study in Darkness, book two in The Baskerville Affair. Or not. It depends on if I like the story. I hate not finishing a book but sometimes that has to happen.

Of course I will be taking a break from the Netgalley books when any author releases their next book in the series. Allegiant by Veronica Roth, the third book in the Divergent series, is coming out October 22nd. Insurgent, the second book, ended with a huge cliffhanger so it's going to be great. Then Archangel's Legion by Nalini Singh is coming out October 29th. I've been waiting for this book for a long time as well. I've missed Elena and Raphael so I'm excited to have them as the main focus again.

I've been keeping up with Ilona Andrews and Jeaniene Frost via Twitter and their blogs. I've been waiting for so long for the next book in the Night Huntress series. I'll have to reread and review. Up From The Grave comes out January 28, 2014. It seems like forever away. Ilona Andrews just finished Magic Breaks and it's going through edits and it doesn't even have a set date yet. The snippets are killing me. Then we have City of Heavenly Fire coming out in 2014 as well. The book cover hasn't been revealed yet and after the cliffhanger ending of City of Lost Souls, it's going to be great. The wait for these upcoming books is killing me. I need it to be 2014 already.

In other exciting news that is probably old news now, there is going to be another Harry Potter movie!!! Jo Rowling herself will be writing the script and it's going to be awesome. This is something us Potterheads have never read before so it's going to be completely new to us. That is something I haven't experienced since Deathly Hallows came out. I'm so excited and I can't wait until Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them hits theaters. This is a movie I am willing to pay for. 

Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews - 5 stars

Magic Rises (#6) by Ilona Andrews
5 stars

Previous Kate Daniels Series Reviews

Magic Bite (#1) | Magic Burns (#2) | Magic Strike (#3) | Magic Bleeds (#4) | Magic Slays (#5)

This is my reaction after I finished. 

Basically I was shocked. Stunned into silence simply thinking omg what the heck did I just read. My head is going to explode. These events seriously did not just happen. There is no way that any of this happened! But it all happened. This will be a spoiler free review unless you click the links the go to my spoilers page. Seriously I'm spoiling a lot so really don't read the spoilers unless you want to. 

This was the best book out of all of them. Even better than Magic Bleeds and that is my favorite one. The characters and the world and everything is progressing beautifully. There will be ten Kate Daniels books and if they're all as wonderful and emotional as Magic Rises, I don't think I'm going to be able to handle it. 

For those of you who don't religiously follow Ilona on twitter and don't stalk their blog everyday, you wouldn't know that Hugh d'Ambrey was going to be in this book. It's no spoiler. How he arrived in this book is the shocker. I definitely did not see that one coming (view spoiler).* 

The book starts out with Kate sparring with Julie with the spear. Julie isn't paying attention so Kate decides to let her go to her friend Maddie. It turns out that Maddie and her twin sister Margo have started to go loup. This isn't spoilers because the first two chapters were posted on their blog. Anways, Curran walks in with panacea. This herbal medicine helps reduce loupism in children and it's from the European packs. They don't give it to the Pack in Atlanta but they used to have someone who could smuggle some out for them. Well he turned up dead and they were SOL. That is, until Curran got an offer that he couldn't refuse even though he knew it was a trap. He was to go to Atlanta to mediate between three packs and they were to also guard Desandra. Desandra is a pregnant girl but she is pregnant with twins who have two different fathers. Whoever's child is born first inherits the Carpathian mountain territory. 

Curran and Kate head out to sea with Derek, Andrea, Raphael, Mahon, George, Barabbas, Aunt B, Doolittle, Kiera, and Eduardo. Saiman provided a ship and a crew. He obviously didn't want to do this but he owed Kate for saving his life when he was kidnapped. This little scene was deleted from the book but was put at the end for the readers anyways. Crossing the Atlantic and then the Black Sea is extremely dangerous. Magical creatures like sea serpents attack ships often and raging storms threaten to sink ships. There are pirates and all sorts of other dangers so the weeks they spend on the ocean is treacherous. As they near their destination, they get attacked by pirates. These pirates are special (view spoiler).** They kill all but one pirate. This pirate says he has information so he has Saiman translate. Curran doesn't tell Kate what the pirate said but she isn't too bothered by it. She knows he will tell her when he is ready. 

This book also has a mystery component to it. Creatures are attacking and killing guards and also attack the Pack (view spoiler).*** Kate gets asked for help in solving this little mystery and she does. I like that even though she's there to body guard Desandra with the rest of the pack, she is still doing some detective work. Something is always going on and Kate tends to figure it out; usually when they start trying to kill her. 

Kate and Curran's relationship in this book is very difficult (view spoiler).**** This is where the emotional roller coaster comes into play. I wanted to punch Curran and my heart hurt for Kate. She loves Curran so much and her emotions were getting the better of her. 

Obviously Hugh is the main focus of this book. He is up to something. He is trying to get Kate to "come over to the dark side." We discover how Voron died and how powerful Hugh really is because of Roland's magic. Hugh is just a bastard. There is no doubt about it. He is his master's creature and there is no changing him. 

The huge end fight, the life and death fights at the climax of the book, was awesome. Just plain awesome. So much is happening and your brain is trying to keep up with the action. So many different things are happening all at once. This fight also has one of the saddest consequences (view spoiler).***** However, the story does have a happy ending. It's also a bit of a cliffhanger but not a bad one. One where you know what's going to happen next but it also makes you want to scream, "Give me more dammit! I want to know what's happening next!" Magic Breaks will be out sometime next year. It is currently being written and we have gotten a few snippets. 

Many people have had questions so Ilona posted on her blog explaining some things here. We've even been promised a Curran POV novella for Magic Rises. 

Five stars. Definitely five stars. 5.5 stars even.

Magic Rises hit #1 on the NYT Bestselling List. That's never happened before and I'm so happy for them and happy that I could be one of the many who helped them get there. 

Copyright Ilona Andrews

Magic Rises is out today!

I am very excited. This is one of those days where I wish I could just stay home from work and read all day long to finish it. And I also wish I could stay up late but unfortunately I can't. I have to go to the dentist in the morning so that means an early bed time.

The authors are going on tour to three different cities and unfortunately none of those cities includes Orlando. I am sad about that but I'm super excited to receive my paperback copy of Magic Rises that is signed by Ilona and Gordon! So I have the benefit of having an instant download on my Nook and a signed hard copy.

Last week Ilona and Gordon did a live interview. It's actually really cool and really funny. Ilona has a Russian accent but you wouldn't know that from the way she writes and "talks" through Twitter and her blog. But she talks in the exact same way as she writes and it's very funny. Apparently all of the fan's questions about the Kate Daniels books will be answered in Magic Breaks, book 7. We also learned a little more about the Avon series they are working on. It sounds really good and it will definitely be on my to-read list.

Below is the live interview. It is about an hour long but I really enjoyed it an if you are a fan of Kate Daniels then you will as well.

Book covers and coming soon

July 30th is coming up which means Magic Rises is coming out. I've already pre-ordered my ebook and I actually ordered myself a signed copy as well. I have all of the books already so I can't just have the ebook and not have the hard copy. My OCD could not possibly handle that. Unfortunately the signed copy does not come until October. I refused to wait so that's why I ordered the ebook.

I've had some serious Kate Daniels withdrawals. I reread everything but of course that's never enough. Then we (and by we I mean the Ilona Andrews fandom) were given the first two chapters of the book for free. Of course this means I wanted to continue reading. It felt an awful lot like the serial fiction she wrote and posted on her blog. Clean Sweep is a great story and it's actually going to be published. We even got to look at some art that will be published along with the book. The only problem I had with it is that it was broken down into parts and I hated that I couldn't continue. Now that the first book has been completed, there is no need to stop. It's lucky for those you get to read it all at once but when she starts book two then they shall feel my pain.

There have been and always will be many complaints regarding the Kate Daniels covers. Honestly, some of
them are not that great. I liked the Magic Strikes cover. Magic Rises cover is completely different than all the other. We have a completely different model. The main complaint is that Kate looks too young and a little too perfect. I don't care. I love the fire and it is definitely eye catching. You have this fierce looking lion in the background which, of course, screams Curran. Then there is the legendary Slayer, Kate's sword. If you see this on the bookshelves at Barnes and Noble, it will grab your attention. That is the point of the cover. Compared to a lot of other books, this cover is bright and screaming.

Magic Bites, the first book, does not have an eye catching cover. Personally I prefer the U.K. cover of Magic Bites. You can see the U.K. cover here or here and compare them to the U.S. version and form your own opinions.

Archangel's Legion is coming out at the end of October. I've reviewed every book in Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter series. I love the world of angels and humans mixed together. What I'm really excited about is that the main focus will be on Elena again. The cover is wonderful but not bright. It could be eye catching if they have it facing out when it first comes out. The color is darker and there are a lot of dark colored books. Elena is beautifully drawn though she definitely does not have such large breasts in the books. But would an angel with tiny boobs be as appealing than one with regular or even large. I love that this cover depicts Elena perfectly. We have her beautiful wings and her white hair. She is still a Guild Hunter and her preferred weapon is the crossbow when hunter vampires who try to escape their contract. She looks fierce and ready for a fight. This book is going to be awesome and dark. Vampires dying of disease? Unheard of! Angels falling from the sky? Never! Until now. Dun dun dunnnn.

I still need to get back into the Night Huntress Series by Jeaniene Frost. I loved the Night Huntress books but didn't enjoy the Night Huntress World books as much. I haven't read Once Burned or Twice Tempted. Technically you don't have to but you kind of do. I didn't realize this when I was reading the Night Huntress books and Cat started talking about events that I couldn't remember. That's when I realized what happened. Once Burned and Twice Tempted focuses on Vlad Tepesh, the famous Dracula and a girl named Leila. It's gotten rave reviews and I know I will read it eventually. Up From the Grave is book 7 in the Night Huntress series and is coming out at the end of January. This gives me some time to finish reading the Chronicles of Elantra series (though I will be taking a break to inhale Magic Rises) and reread the Night Huntress books over again to refresh my memories. I like this cover as well. The yellow text looks great against the background. The background happens to be a bluish color and I love blue. Cat has flaming red hair and this looks a lot like her or how I imagined her. This cover also features a different model as the model from the previous covers stopped modelling for book covers. Oh well.

In other exciting news, City of Bones is coming out in a month. I've already expressed my feelings on turning books into movies. Despite these feelings, I still want to see it. Then I can say how I feel about each particular movie. I still haven't seen the Beautiful Creatures movie. I would like to but going to movies is

expensive and honestly I would rather wait. I did receive a Fandango gift card for Admin Day this year so I will be using some of it to watch City of Bones with a co-worker of mine. I got her into The Mortal Instruments series and of course she loved it. Who wouldn't? Cassandra Clare is a brilliant writer and I love her work. When you finish one of her books you have this book hangover. Then all you want to do is move onto the next one but unfortunately I have read all the ones she has published. City of Heavenly Fire doesn't come out until next year. It's going to be wonderfully amazing, of that I am sure.

Look at this movie picture.  Honestly it depicts the book so well. I have hope but that hope is very small and fragile.

There are so many more books that I am looking forward to in the near and not so near future but I feel I should end my rant now. I could go on and on about how much I am looking forward to things and just wanting time to speed up. Maybe I'll get lucky and win an ARC of some of these books. That would be fantastic.

Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews - 5 stars

Magic Slays (#5) by Ilona Andrews
5 stars

Previous Kate Daniels Series Reviews

Magic Bites (#1) | Magic Burns (#2) | Magic Strikes (#3) | Magic Bleeds (#4)

I've read this book many times so I decided to finish my review of the series while continuing to read the Chronicles of Elantra series. I recently finished Cast in Silence but I need a little bit to process my thoughts on it.

Magic Slays it the fifth book in the Kate Daniels. Kate is no longer working for the Order and Curran has gifted her with her own business as a private investigator. The opening chapter makes me laugh because Kate wakes up to the phone ringing and she literally falls out of bed and this is no normal size bed. It is a huge bed and it has four mattresses on it. That's what I love about Ilona Andrews. It is funny right off the bat.

The headmaster of Julie's school calls and informs Kate that Julie has run away again. They refund Kate the rest of Julie's tuition and kick Julie out of the school. Of course Kate is offended and indignant because Julie is her kid. Julie has a very important part in this book even if it's she doesn't have a lot of dialogue. That goes into major spoilers though.

At the end of Magic Bleeds, Curran gives Kate her own private investigative business since she lost the Order coming to the rescue of the Pack. She ends up naming it Cutting Edge and every day she goes to work and sits on her butt and does nothing. She has no clients whatsoever. Apparently Ted decided to blame Kate for the horrible failure with Erra. Because of this, no one wants to go to her.

Andrea has a more active role in this book. She explains where she disappeared to after the battle with Erra. The Order retired her and she spent a couple of month sulking with Kate's attack poodle. Kate hires Andrea to work at Cutting Edge. Basically as soon as Kate hires her, the Red Guard comes in with a job. A client they were guarding and the device he was building have disappeared. This device is bad news and deadly and it was stolen by a secret society that hates magic and wants all the magic to leave the world. They're crazy. The problem is they are all over the place; in the Pack, the People, the Order, etc. The entire magical community bands together to stop this secret society. This is not something that ever happens so it's interesting to see.

We learn a lot more about Kate's true history in Magic Slays. I couldn't believe what I was reading and I honestly felt so bad for her. Everything she believed about her mother and her step father is actually different than she knew. This is hard for Kate to accept.

I like the relationship between Kate and Curran. It is in no way perfect and not everyone is accepting of her position as Alpha. She's officially named "Consort" much to her displeasure but according to her it's better than "Mate." The wolves are still messing with her because she killed Jennifer's little sister. Kate brilliantly puts her in her place by using Pack law and basically outdoing Jennifer.

I liked this book. I really did. It was an unusual plot that focused on secret societies instead of mythology though there were certain mythological aspects to things. We are introduced to a couple new characters and I really enjoyed them. We have a new bouda male and we meet some secondary characters from other magical societies. I liked that they brought these groups together in the end.

Five stars all the way.

On a side note, Ilona Andrews publish a novel from Kate Daniels' world that focuses completely on Andrea and Raphael. I shall review that later. I'm so excited for July 30th. Magic Rises, Kate 6, is coming out. I actually ordered the ebook copy and a signed copy that will be coming to me at the beginning of October. It's all very exciting.

Review on Goodreads

Cast in Secret by Michelle Sagara - 4.5 stars

Book 3 in The Chronicles of Elantra

Cast in Secret (#3) by Michelle Sagara
4.5 stars

Previous Chronicles of Elantra Series Reviews

Cast in Shadow (#1) | Cast in Courtlight (#2)

I really enjoyed this book. I read it so quickly. It was suspenseful but also extremely informative. Cast in Courtlight focused on the Barrani. Cast in Secret focused on the Tha'alani. I wasn't ever sure what my feelings were on the race but I definitely didn't have the aversion Kaylin had. It was nice to see her get over her suspicion and embrace them.

The Tha'alani don't really want to interact much with humans and other races. They fear the fears of humans. They share a connection with the Tha'alaan and everyone's memories, thoughts, feelings, everything is given to the Tha'alaan. It takes a special Tha'alani to be able to touch the mind of another race and keep it from the Tha'alaan.

When Kaylin first visits the Tha'alani Quarter, she is stared at by the children that were out. One little boy ran to her and Kaylin wasn't fearful at all. Kaylin has a soft spot for children and that is something I love about her. I love children as well and I like the fierce protectiveness Kaylin feels for any child no matter the race.

The focus of this book is a missing Tha'alani child and a missing human child. This, of course, motivates Kaylin to do something to find them. We are also introduced to the Keeper. He makes sure the garden is kept under control. If the city is wiped out, the garden and his shop would still stand. In the small garden are the four elements. Kaylin is already learning about fire with Sanabalis but when she looks into the pool of water, she sees a child who calls her by name. This is the human child she is looking for. Something was stolen from the Keeper's garden and it is up to Kaylin and Severn to find it. If the box is opened then bad things will happen.  On top of everything else, the Oracles have made a prediction that the city will be drowned in water. Basically this book is one bad thing after another.

I loved this book. I loved learning about the Tha'alani. I was always curious about them and why Kaylin feared them so much. Honestly there is nothing to be afraid of. If anything, they are more afraid of humans. Ybelline is the Caste leader. She can read human minds and keep it from the Tha'alaan. This is something only very skilled Tha'alani can do. It's very difficult to explain the culture and race of the Tha'alani without reading the book. I just find them fascinating.

This book received 4.5 stars from me. The writing was better in this book and I enjoyed the plot. As the series continues, I am learning more about the world of Elantra. I am enjoying it immensely and I can't wait to see what is in store.

Next is Cast in Fury.

Review on Goodreads

Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews - 5 stars

Magic Bleeds (#4) by Ilona Andrews
5 stars

Previous Kate Daniels Series Reviews

Magic Bites (#1) | Magic Burns (#2) | Magic Strikes (#3)

Ah this is my favorite book of the series. I just love it. It's got great plot and character development and it just makes me happy. It's funny and entertaining but also really deep and suspenseful at the same time. This is one book that drags you on an emotional roller coaster. They really managed to put Kate's emotions through the wringer.

We a have a prologue in Magic Bleeds. Magic Strikes ended with a note from Curran setting a date and menu for the naked (but not really) dinner. Curran doesn't show up (view spoilers).* Kate's heart breaks and mine did too. Kate heads to Atlanta with a broken heart to continue her work with the Order.

Kate picks up a petition. Someone is going around the city killing people and making magically amplified diseases come to life. They are completely deadly and they have the potential to spread an epidemic. Yet again Ilona Andrews has come up with another myth and has twisted it to make it even more wonderful (view spoiler).** It turns out that the Steel Mary (the nickname they give the mythical person) is related to Kate. Kate has finally run into family (view spoiler).*** Dun dun dun.....

We also get the introduction of a pet in Kate's life. While investigating, Kate acquires a dog. Grendel. This has got to be the worst dog ever. He pukes and eats everything. He's huge and gross and happy. He's wonderful for Kate and helps her in more ways than one. I would never want a shaved poodle but he helps her when she's sad and he's a good companion. He's also some kind of special dog.

We have a little more of Andrea in this book as well. She's Kate's best friend and she's the comfort Kate needs when dealing with the heartbreak over Curran. Andrea and Raphael are together in this book and they are extremely happy together. Knowing later books and the novellas and all the stuff I know now, I like them as a couple.

Saiman also has a large role in this story as well. He's key in figuring who the Mary is and he's also key in the Kate and Curran relationship. Basically he forced them together by his own stupidity and arrogance (view spoiler).****

Narrated by the
talented Renee Raudman

What I love about these books is the development of secondary characters. Usually main characters are the only ones with story arcs and the secondary characters are flat. Not in the Kate Daniels books. We learn through novellas but we also see a lot of development in the novels themselves. I love Doolittle and Aunt B and a lot of what I call "main secondary characters." Now I don't know the technical term for this but they are wonderful to me. Each character has their personality and story and I just love it.

My one disappointment is the scarcity of Derek in this book. I think this was mentioned to the authors because Magic Slays has a lot of Derek. That's another reason why I love them. They take their fan's opinions into account. Can you tell that they're one of my favorites. There is a reason why I stalk their blog.


Check out Curran's POV in Volume I and Volume II. Also, Curran's POV for the naked dinner here.

Five stars all the way. My favorite of the series. Read it read it read it!

Some awesome quotes:

“Who the hell would attack the Steel Horse anyway? What was the thinking behind that? “Here is a bar full of psychotic killers who grow giant claws and people who pilot the undead for a living. I think I’ll go wreck the place.”

“What's that?"
"That's my attack poodle.”

“The rabbis paled. I’d managed to terrify holy men. Maybe I could beat up a nun for an encore.”

“I picked up the phone and dialed Andrea's extension.
“Yes?”
“He glued the chair to my ass.”
Silence.”

“ Hi, Your Majesty, we drugged your love muffin and then let her walk out into the dark, in the snow. Her apartment is destroyed and we're not sure where she is...”

Review on Goodreads

Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews - 5 stars

Magic Strikes (#3) by Ilona Andrews
5 stars

Previous Kate Daniels Series Reviews

Magic Bites (#1) | Magic Burns (#2)

Magic Strikes is one of my favorites! It's also one of my favorite covers. I always love listening to this one. Maybe it's the developing relationship between Kate and Curran, or maybe it's the intense action throughout the book. It's extremely funny and I find myself laughing a lot. This is not an uncommon thing when it comes to Ilona Andrews.

Magic Strikes starts out with Kate getting a call from Maxine, the Order's secretary. I say call but it's telepathically, not through a phone. There was a shapeshifter death and since Kate had the lovely standing of "friend of the Pack," she gets to handle all shapeshifter related cases. When she gets there she sees a team of shapeshifters cleaning up and a severed limb. Not just a death, a murder. Jim sends Kate away saying it's under control.

Kate is home for ten seconds before she gets phone call from none other than Saiman. He's got Derek in a loup cage because Boy Wonder decided to break into Saiman's apartment and steal something of his. Kate has until dawn before Saiman calls the cops. Seriously, when does Kate ever get enough sleep? I think it's only when she's injured and it's a forced sleep.

Kate exchanges a night as arm candy and an evaluation of fighters in the Midnight Games for Derek's freedom and Saiman's discretion. For all of Kate's trouble, Derek gives her a note to give to a girl in the Midnight Games but makes her promise not to read the note. Of course Kate keep her promise and doesn't read the note. She sure does regret that later. Even though I've read this before, every time I get to this part I want to scream "Open the damn note! Just open it!" Of course published writing doesn't change but the urge is always there.

The Midnight Games is this gladiatorial competition that is highly illegal but there isn't much law enforcement can do about it. Of course Saiman is a part owner because he always has his hands in everything. There is a team, the Reapers, in the games that rubs him wrong. There is something not quite human about them. He asks Kate for her expertise and she gives it. These Reapers are not human nor are they a human derivative. For the Reapers to be able to compete that have to have a certain number of humans/human derivatives. Somehow they are beating the M-scanner and not much can do that.

Kate finds the girl, gives her the note, and then decides she actually needs to read it in case Derek has decided to do something extremely stupid. He was going to do something stupid and Kate tried to get there in time but was unable to. Derek was attacked and was on life support. He wouldn't shift. Something was up.

Curran sent out an order for Jim and his crew to pull in. Jim won't do this so Curran has three days to find Jim. Kate has three days to find a way to save Derek so Curran won't kill him. Basically everyone is on a time table.

Kate and Curran fight...again. Kate's mouth gets out of hand...again. Kate uses her sword to kill things...again. Julie makes an appearance and we also get the sexy Raphael. He has a huge crush on Andrea and he needs Kate's help to "woo" her. I love that Ilona Andrews explained the courting habits of the different clans of shapeshifters. Aunt B's is the best. We meet a few new characters including Dali, a legally blind vegetarian weretiger who knows a lot about Eastern culture and likes to drag race.

What I love about this series is there isn't any info dumping. The world builds slowly and easily. We don't know much in Magic Bites. The characters are all fresh and new and we start to learn. By Magic Strikes we are getting back stories to multiple characters. We know why Kate has to hide from Roland, we learn about Derek's and Jim's past, we learn what Saiman actually is, and the world of magic and tech still throws everyone for a loop. The only problem I have is the continual recapping of events from previous books. I asked the authors (yes you can email them questions and they will answer! How cool is that?) and they said their agent requires it. From the tone of their response, they hate it. They constantly have to re-introduce characters and try and find more creative ways of doing so. I applaud them.

This book brings Kate's identity closer to being discovered by Roland and I love the mounting danger Kate has in her life by doing to right thing. Magic Rises is coming out soon and she will be confronting a character that we meet in Magic Strikes. It should be quite interesting!

Gordon also provided Curran's point of view from the Hot Tub Scene. It's quite hilarious and I love Curran POVs. Read it here.
There is also a Curran POV in Curran: Volume 1. We get Curran's right before he falls into the loup cage and right after Kate leaves, leaving Julie behind. It's fantastic. Read it here free.

Some awesome quotes. Honestly there are so many so I had to cut it down. This is another reason why I love Magic Strikes...the writing is brilliant:

“Curran looked back at me. "Why is it you always attract creeps?"
"You tell me." Ha! Walked right into that one, yes, he did.” 

“As he passed me, he leaned to Curran and handed him a paper fan folded from some sort of flyer.
Curran looked at the fan. “What?”
"An emergency precaution, Your Majesty. In case the lady faints.”
Curran just stared at him.
Raphael strode toward the Pit, turned, flexed a bit, and winked at me.
"Give me that,” I told Curran. “I need to fan myself.”
"No, you don’t.” 

“I've never seen such a collection of idiots in my whole life.' Doolittle shook his head. 'If you participate in this lunacy, y'all will get yourselves killed. Then don't come crying to me.'
Now that would be a neat trick.” 

"No, he just needs a moment," Curran said. "Young bouda males. Easily excitable.” 

Review on Goodreads