Tag Archives: Paranormal Fantasy

Magic Mourns by Ilona Andrews

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

Magic Mourns

Title: Magic Mourns
Author: Ilona Andrews
In: Must Love Hellhounds (Charlaine Harris)
Series: Kate Daniels #3.5
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dystopia, Paranormal fantasy, Shapeshifters
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: The mass grew larger and larger, bigger than a house, bigger than Cerberus.

Synopsis

Andrea Nash of the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid – with an assist from her friend, Kate Daniels – tries to figure out why the giant three-headed dog who guards the gates of Hades is sniffing around Atlanta.

Thoughts

I loved, loved, loved this novella in the Kate Daniels universe. Andrea is an amazing character, and finding out more about her past and thoughts was a wonderfully fulfilling journey. She’s starkly different from Kate, not only in her weapons choice, but also in the ways in which she approaches the world and her task as a knight.

The last few stories have toyed with the idea of Raphael and Andrea. This novella further investigates this flirtation – not only their feelings for one another, but also for their own personal issues. Through this relationship, more of Andrea’s past (and her resulting reluctance to claim her beast kin heritage) is brought to light. I love that both Kate and Andrea, two of the phenomenal key characters in this series have had rough childhoods and experienced abuse. It is a great reminder that whilst abuse can scar and shape us, it can be overcome and a stronger and better future can be embraced.

Magic Strikes touches upon ideas from Celtic mythology, and this novella brings to life some aspects of Greek mythology. I love the personification of Thantos (the Greek God of Death). As a mythology buff, I love adaptations of ancient beliefs to the modern times. Andrews does this brilliantly, and this introduction of a Greek God beautifully sets up Magic Bleeds whilst also highlighting the presence of a range of mythological characters throughout the series.

<- Magic StrikesMagic Bleeds ->

Image source: Goodreads

Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews

Book Review, , , ,

Overview

Magic Strikes

Title: Magic Strikes
Author: Ilona Andrews
Series: Kate Daniels #3
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Dystopia, Paranormal fantasy, Shapeshifters
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Ace fantasy
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: Have you ever seen him sunburned?

Synopsis

When magic strikes and Atlanta goes to pieces, it’s a job for Kate Daniels…

Drafted to work for the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid, mercenary Kate Daniels has more paranormal problems these days than she knows what to do with. And in Atlanta, where magic comes and goes like the tide, that’s saying a lot.

But when Kate’s werewolf friend Derek is discovered nearly dead, she must confront her greatest challenge yet. As her investigation leads her to the Midnight Games—an invitation-only, no-holds-barred, ultimate preternatural fighting tournament—she and Curran, the Lord of the Beasts, uncover a dark plot that may forever alter the face of Atlanta’s shapeshifting community…

Thoughts

Magic Strikes finally lets us discover more about Kate’s unique and dangerous heritage. Something that has been niggling at me since I first started reading this series. Andrews is brilliant in slowly teasing out this information – each book reveals a new insight into her life before the series and provides an insight into her character and creation. Aside from the main plot line, this makes me want to continue reading the series.

Kate is finally letting people into her life and world, cracks are starting to appear in the veneer of her personal armour. Although I love the way in which she is able to stand on her own two feet and doesn’t require any romantic or social entanglement to feel whole, it is nice to see her finally reaching out for the companionship of another. Not only is her willingness to form relationships (and her struggle to go against Voron’s upbringing) endearing to the character, it also expands the cast of this story. This expansion is wonderful, and brings in so many more literary individuals that I have completely fallen in love with.

The extension of Kate letting people into her life is that Curran starts to truly pursue her. The rules of this are incredibly unique and weird, and left me giggling throughout the story. Although Kate is sorely tempted to pursue this relationship, she still continues to hold off. Not only due to her own issues, but also in an attempt to maintain her own identity and autonomy within the world. I loved that although she was tempted, she didn’t just fall out the man’s (lion’s) feet – as with everything that Daniels seems to do, there was a fight and warring attitudes within her own subconscious and she didn’t just fall for a pretty face. Such a refreshing courtship story, and one that I look forward to investigating further in the next book!

<- Magic BurnsMagic Mourns ->

Image source: Ilona Andrews

Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews

Book Review, , , ,

Overview

Magic Burns

Title: Magic Burns
Author: Ilona Andrews
Series: Kate Daniels #2
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Dystopia, Paranormal fantasy, Shapeshifters
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Ace fantasy
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: She kicked the blankets off and wrapped herself in the afghan, like a little mouse nesting.

Synopsis

Down in Atlanta, tempers – and temperatures – are about to flare…

As a mercenary who cleans up after magic gone wrong, Kate Daniels has seen her share of occupational hazards. Normally, 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. Now Kate’s going to have to deal with problems on a much bigger scale: a divine one.

When Kate sets out to retrieve a set of stolen maps for the Pack, Atlanta’s paramilitary clan of shapeshifters, she quickly realizes much more at stake. During a flare, gods and goddesses can manifest – and battle for power. 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…

Thoughts

I loved Magic Bites, but Magic Burns was even better. Not only were the stakes increased, but Kate Daniels’ secret is closer to the surface and the challenges are WAY bigger. From the first moment, I felt thrust into the action. With Kate’s unique voice and independence, Andrews took us on a ride of pure enjoyment and enthralling fun.

Again, I loved the refreshing fact that although there were potential love interests in the book, and people who definitely wanted to sleep with the main character, it wasn’t even remotely an important part of the storyline. Kind of a by-line that served to remind me of the fact that many men are confused and challenged by women who refuse to sleep with them – not attracted to. Although I’m sure that eventually Kate and Curran will end up together, it really won’t matter, both to the storyline and to the overall character arches if they don’t. There is potential, which keeps us excited, but it doesn’t matter if they don’t.

Magic Burns further explains the amazing world that was so beautifully created in Magic Bites. With the flares of magic, more of the principles and rules that govern Kate Daniels’ world are revealed and slowly you begin to understand more and more of the story. The more you learn, the more immersed you become in her reality. This is no femme fatale that simpers and begs for pity – she is the kick ass heroine that we all wish we could be.

<- Magic BitesMagic Strikes ->

Image source: Ilona Andrews

Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews

Book Review, , , ,

Overview

Magic Bites

Title: Magic Bites
Author: Ilona Andrews
Series: Kate Daniels #1
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Dystopia, Paranormal fantasy, Shapeshifters
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Ace fantasy
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: The morning after a night of hunting was the time for serene contemplation, as sacred to the shapeshifter as meditation to a Shaolin monk.

Synopsis

Atlanta would be a nice place to live, if it weren’t for the magic…

When the magic is up, rogue mages cast their spells and monsters appear, while guns refuse to fire and cars fail to start. But then technology returns, and the magic recedes as unpredictably as it arose, leaving all kinds of paranormal problems in its wake.

Kate Daniels is a down-on-her-luck mercenary who makes her living cleaning up these magical problems. But when Kate’s guardian is murdered, her quest for justice draws her into a power struggle between two strong factions within Atlanta’s magic circles.

The Masters of the Dead, necromancers who can control vampires, and the Pack, a paramilitary clan of shapechangers, blame each other for a series of bizarre killings—and the death of Kate’s guardian may be part of the same mystery. Pressured by both sides to find the killer, Kate realizes she’s way out of her league—but she wouldn’t have it any other way…

Thoughts

“jeans loose enough to kick a man in the throat” – quite possibly the best clothing description I have ever read. And this quote alone really sets the book’s tone and shows you how tough the heroine truly is. And what a smart ass she tends to be, a fact that I truly appreciate. Most heroines in books are gorgeous and they’re cheeky, but still respectfully so. Kate Daniels is not a stunner, she’s adequately alright looking, and she is so damn cheeky that throughout the book I constantly expect her to have her head chopped off (literally). I love the departure from traditional heroine, and this is definitely what drew me in.

Throughout the story, Kate’s mysterious powers are alluded to, and, this being probably my least favourite part of the book, not actually shown or stated. It has something to do with blood, and that’s all I really picked up on. Maybe if I read through the book again, I’d pick up on more information. I had expected this information to be revealed at the end of the book, but, even though more clues were dropped, I still have no idea why Kate is so damn special. Andrews did a great job with this – I picked up the next book straight away and I am eagerly devouring it, not only for the great storyline, but also because I want to know! (Can you tell how frustrated I am?) But, all in all, it’s a fantastic by-line within the story.

Andrews really twisted the modern paranormal fantasy genre on its head. Not only through the use of a dystopian future, but in the fact that whilst Kate has romantic interests, it is a very minor point throughout the story. And then there is the battle between the vampires and werewolves, a tale as old as time, but Andrews put a completely different spin on it! Werewolves are part of a shapeshifting clan that includes rats, cats and any other animal you can possibly think of. Meanwhile, vampires are far more terrifying than anything I had imagined before.

All in all, this is a great beginning to a new (to me) series. If you like paranormal fantasy books, I would recommend reading this and being thrown into an entirely new, and very unique world.

<- A Questionable ClientMagic Burns ->

Image source: Goodreads

A Questionable Client by Ilona Andrews

Book Review, , , , , ,

Overview

A Questionable Client

Title: A Questionable Client
Author: Ilona Andrews
Series: Kate Daniels #0.5
In: Dark and Stormy Knights (P.N. Elrod) & Small Magics (Ilona Andrews)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dystopia, Paranormal fantasy, Shapeshifters
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: St Martin’s Griffin & NYLA
Year: 2013
5th sentence, 74th page: He would make any bodybuilder gym proud.

Synopsis

In a world beset by magic waves, Kate Daniels works as a mercenary. She is tired, hungry, and there is foul-smelling blood on her boots. All she wants to do is to go home, but when Mercenary Guild offers her a job she can’t refuse, she finds herself protecting a man against Russian wizards.

Thoughts

Kate Daniels is quite possibly my favourite literary heroine. At least this week. And her introduction in A Questionable Client did not disappoint. This short story was a fantastic way to be thrown into Daniels’ chaotic future, one where magic and technology war for dominance and humans are powerless to do anything about it.

In Magic Bites, Kate’s past gig as a bodyguard for Sianim is often mentioned and alluded to, it was great to read the full story. Not only did it give me more of a glimpse into her work as a mercenary, and even the reasons why she isn’t insanely well off, but it also provided a glimpse into the selfish and manipulative nature of Sianim.

This was a great Kate Daniels fix while I wait for the next book in the series to arrive, and I would definitely recommend reading it as part of the overall series.

<- More Ilona AndrewsMagic Bites ->

Image source: Goodreads

Industrial Magic by Kelley Armstrong

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

Industrial Magic

Title: Industrial Magic
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Women of the Otherworld #4
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Orbit
Year: 2004
5th sentence, 74th page: I’d just finished finding my fourth stray cat when a distant voice hailed us.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

‘The blade pressed into my throat, and blood trickled down my neck. In that moment, it seemed that even to breathe might be fatal…’

Paige Winterbourne is in exile. Ousted as leader of the American Coven, she decides to turn her back on her old life and start afresh. But fate, of course, has other plans.
A murderer is on the loose – someone with apparently superhuman skills and a grudge against the supernatural community. When Paige discovers that the killer is targetting children, she has to get involved.

Desperate to protect those she loves, Paige is thrown back into a world she thought she had left behind for good. But if she wants to stop an apparently unstoppable psychopath, she will have to find allies in some very dark places…

Thoughts

So far this has been my least favourite of the Women of the Otherworld books, but I still absolutely adore it! After Dime Store Magic, it was really nice to find out what Paige, Lucas and Savannah are doing with their somewhat changed lives. That, and finding out more about Lucas’ family and the difficulties of his life was fascinating – although it took a little while for the storyline to really build up steam.

Finding the potential culprit of the killings in the first half of the book seemed really bizarre to me at the time – the whole main point of the story is that someone is killing supernaturals. And needs to be stopped. And is found in the first half… ?? But, eventually it begins to make sense – a red herring that really does help to further along the storyline. Not only does the potential culprit lead to stronger ties within the characters’ relationships, but also to greater explanations of their new positions in life. Dime Store Magic led to upheavals in the lifestyles and very fabric of being in Paige’s life. This also had rippling effects to Adam’s life. I loved revisiting him, and all in all, although confusing, I found that just the reappearance of Adam in the story made the slightly odd red herring well worth it.

I loved how Armstrong likened the sorcerer Cabals to the mafia, not only literally throughout the storyline, but also in its very conception and creation. The idea of a paranormal gang running half of America and the supernatural community was really fascinating to me – mob and gang mentality has always interested to me, so combine this with a world of fantasy and I’m just hooked. The contrast between a rigid, utilitarian, money-making corporation with the prodigal son, Lucas, someone who works for a cause (and almost never money) really highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of each group.

The need of Lucas’ father to connect with him (beyond the running of the Cabal) emphasised the relationships between parent and child. This idea was explored a little in Dime Store Magic when Paige and Savannah are forced to deal with the loss and grief of a beloved mother, but the need to connect to an estranged parent is a major driver in the storyline and both characters’ lives. I love how Armstrong highlights the love between family – it isn’t easy, and it is almost never simple (even in amicable cases), but it is important.

<- Dime Store MagicWedding Bell Hell ->

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Dime Store Magic by Kelley Armstrong

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

Dime Store Magic

Title: Dime Store Magic
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Women of the Otherworld #3
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Orbit
Year: 2004
5th sentence, 74th page: No, not a man, a boy, maybe seventeen, eighteen.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

‘I was bought into this world for one reason… A daughter born and raised to lead the Coven.’

White witch Paige Winterbourne has spent her whole life hiding her true nature. But when she takes over the guardianship of Savannah Levine – orphaned daughter of a notorious black witch – Paige’s carefully constructed world comes crashing down.

Someone is plotting to take Savannah and corrupt her already unsettling wild power. But how can Paige fight them without exposing her own gift – the ultimate taboo? And how can she trust the one man offering to help her fight, when he stands for everything she hates?

Thoughts

Dime Store Magic was a total change of pace in the Women of the Otherworld series. Going form Elena’s hard-edged, tough approach to life and her slightly psychotic lover to Paige and the trials of new-motherhood was a very interesting step. I loved the stark difference between the tone and personalities of the two heroines in this series. The inclusion of Elena and Clay within the storyline (even if it was a small one) also helped the transition between characters. This still felt like part of the same series, not just two books set in the same fantasy world.

The re-emergence of Leah was, admittedly a little terrifying. Take the woman who was partially responsible for all of the tragedy in Stolen and remove Paige’s back-up muscle. I was a little worried about how that scenario would end. But, as with all of Armstrong’s books (or at least the ones I have read so far), Paige and Savannah are able to find their own sense of power and embrace it. I think that this is what endears Armstrong’s book so much to me – the characters don’t necessarily start out as strong and independent, they are able to find their own power and self through the encounters that befall them.

Dime Store Magic begins with Paige Winterbourne at a crossroads in her life – the happenings of Stolen not only bought Savannah into her life, but it also led her to question her own self-assurances. She is forced to question her own infallibility and leave behind the delusions of youth. While her foundations are shaken, it takes a custody case, the appearance of an old enemy and the entrance of a sorcerer offering help that truly brings her world crashing down around her ears.

After being exiled and having her world completely destroyed, Paige is still able to come out with hope for the future. Another reason why I loved this book, no matter what happens to the heroine, there is always a happy ending, love and hope for the future.

<- StolenIndustrial Magic ->

Image source: Goodreads

Stolen by Kelley Armstrong

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

Stolen

Title: Stolen
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Women of the Otherworld #2
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Orbit
Year: 2003
5th sentence, 74th page: That’s what we need in these meetings.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

Elena Michaels is a wanted woman. Ten years ago she was transformed into a werewolf by her lover. Her transformation makes her powerful. But in the wrong hands, it also makes her deadly.

And now, just as she’s coming to terms with it all, a group of scientists learns of her existence. They’re hunting her down, and Elena is about to run straight into their trap. But they haven’t reckoned on Elena’s adoptive family, her Pack, who will stop at nothing to get her back.

They haven’t reckoned on Elena, either. And that’s a very big mistake…

Thoughts

It’s taken me a while to read the second book in the Women of the Otherworld series. Mostly because I didn’t own it when I finished Bitten, and also a little because I have a LOT of other books that I want to read. But, even after all this time, it didn’t disappoint! I’m so glad that I have the whole series sitting in my bookcase, because I just couldn’t wait to get my hands on the next book in the series.

Stolen reintroduced me to Elena and Clay, the most contemporary couple I have read about in a long time. I think that their very distinctiveness is what draws me so completely to this book. Elena is damaged. She admits that, the author admits that, we all get to understand that. And with no bones about her damaged, she has someone who is just as twisted as she is, albeit in other ways. Their ability to completely accept each other for this is so admirable. Plus, it’s nice to read about a truly damaged heroine – she’s not very nice at times, has an attitude and a tendency to completely disregard how her actions may affect others. Basically, everything that I can be at moments in my life, and the fact that she is blatantly aware of it just makes her storyline all the more impotent.

Stolen was a story where the greed of science meets the insecurities of powerful men. As someone who studies science I’ve long been aware that the moralities of my actions and the ability to expand on current knowledge can be mutually exclusive. I loved investigating the point at which this can go completely wrong – using other human beings to expand on our medical knowledge is morally abhorrent, but it has the potential to give us new knowledge.

This book was a beautiful, well written reminder that the pursuit of knowledge is not the noblest pursuit – caring for one another is.

<- EscapeDime Store Magic ->

Image source: Orbit Books

Homecoming by Patricia Briggs

Book Review, , , , , ,

Overview

Homecoming

Title: Homecoming
Author: Patricia Briggs
Series: Mercedes Thompson #0.4, Mercy-verse #2
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Graphic novels, Paranormal fantasy, Strong women, Werewolves
Pace: Medium
Format: Graphic Novel
Publisher: Penguin
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: He’s hardly even a snack.

Synopsis

Mercy Thompson is a walker, a magical being with the power to transform into a coyote. She lives on the fine line dividing the everyday world from a darker dimension, observing the supernatural community while standing apart.

When Mercy travels to the Tri-Cities of Washington for a job interview, she quickly finds herself smack-dab in the middle of a gang war between rival packs of werewolves. And as if fangs and fur weren’t bad enough, Mercy must deal with the scariest creature of all: her mother, who is convinced that Mercy is making a mess of her life and determined to set her daughter on the right course.

Thoughts

This is the first graphic novel that I have read in my adult life, possibly my entire life. And I found it really enjoyable. I’m not hunting out other comics / graphic novels that will capture my fancy. Although I still don’t think that anything can replace a good, solid book. Homecoming was the origin story of one of my favourite fantasy characters – Mercedes Thompson. I’ve loved her from the moment I read Moon Called and this love affair has extended to all of Patricia Briggs’ books.

I thought that visiting Mercy Thompson’s first days in the Tri-Cities and telling the full story that is alluded to in the series, was a really nice concept. And doing this in a graphic form was such a novel idea to me (I’m sure many other authors have done this, just none that I’m currently obsessed with). Some of the storyline was not what I expected – I didn’t realise that there was a competition for control of the Tri-Cities for example when she first moved in. But so many details from the books were beautifully illustrated on these pages.

The characters in the graphic novel look nothing like what I pictured – but I think that that’s the beauty of writing – you can create your own images as you read. I had a similar experience with the Harry Potter books and movies. I’ve read a few reviews that said that this completely put them off, but I just found it to be a different take on what I was already visualising.

This was a nice, quick, easy to read story that I was able to digest on a car ride into the city. I liked the simplicity and the ease of access to Mercy’s story and thought that this was a great little addition to a series that I am already WAY too obsessed with.

<- SilverGray ->

Image source: Patricia Briggs

Switched by Amanda Hocking

Book Review, , , , , ,

Overview

Switched

Title: Switched
Author: Amanda Hocking
Series: Trylle #1
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Fae, Paranormal fantasy
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Tor
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: A wind came up, blowing back her coat a bit, and she reminded me of some kind of action star, like she should be in The Matrix.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

Wendy Everly knew she was different the day her mother tried to kill her and accused her of having been switched at birth. Although certain she’s not the monster her mother claims she is – she does feel that she doesn’t quite fit in…

She’s bored and frustrated by her small town life – and then there’s the secret that she can’t tell anyone. Her mysterious ability – she can influence people’s decisions, without knowing how, or why…

When the intense and darkly handsome newcomer Finn suddenly turns up at her bedroom window one night – her world is turned upside down. He holds the Key to her past, the answers to her strange powers, and is the doorway to a place she never imagined could exist: Forening, the home of the Trylle.

Finally everything makes sense. Among the Trylle, Wendy is not just different, but special. But what marks her out as chosen for greatness in this world also places her in grave danger. With everything around her changing, Finn is the only person she can trust. But dark forces are conspiring – not only to separate them, but to see the downfall of everything that Wendy cares about.

The fate of Forening rests in Wendy’s hands, and the decisions she and Finn make could change all their lives forever…

Thoughts

I have to admit that I was a little worried when I started reading this. Goodreads had suggested Amanda Hocking as an author, so I obliged. And the beginning of this book felt a little bit like a teeny-bopper romance along the lines of Twilight. I love a good romance novel, but not the teeny-bopper, angsty, dramatic crap. Most of the time I think that it just makes the lead female look whiny, needy and kind of sad. Luckily for me, this novel quickly turned out not to be one of these sagas.

Don’t get me wrong, there was still a little teenage angst and she kind of made a fool of herself multiple times for a guy. But who hasn’t really? The darkness of her past and her inability to connect with others echoed a state that many of us have felt as teenagers. I also thought that it added a sobering amount of reality. Love stories are rarely easy (in my experience), and it’s the hurt, both in one’s past and present that make it such a beautiful thing.

Switched wasn’t just about romance and teenage love though, it embraced the idea of Changelings and the Fae (a not-so-mild obsession of mine). I loved the incorporation of teenage dilemmas with faery tales that have existed since modern man stood on his hind legs. The new and the old were a great combination that has made me order the second book online… now I just have to wait for it to arrive!

 <- More Amanda Hocking reviews Torn Review ->
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