Review: Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews

Title:  Magic Breaks
Author:  Ilona Andrews
Series:  Kate Daniels, #7
Publisher:  Ace
Release Date:  July 29, 2014
Pages:  302
Rating:  

 

As the mate of the Beast Lord, Curran, former mercenary Kate Daniels has more responsibilities than it seems possible to juggle. Not only is she still struggling to keep her investigative business afloat, she must now deal with the affairs of the pack, including preparing her people for attack from Roland, a cruel ancient being with god-like powers. Since Kate’s connection to Roland has come out into the open, no one is safe—especially those closest to Kate.

As Roland’s long shadow looms ever nearer, Kate is called to attend the Conclave, a gathering of the leaders from the various supernatural factions in Atlanta. When one of the Masters of the Dead is found murdered there, apparently at the hands of a shapeshifter, Kate is given only twenty-four hours to hunt down the killer. And this time, if she fails, she’ll find herself embroiled in a war which could destroy everything she holds dear…

"Your sword is made out of your grandmother’s bones?” “Okay, I see how it sounds weird when you say it in that tone of voice…”

I was so very excited and nervous to read MAGIC BREAKS. Excited, because finally I get my hands on another Kate Daniels book and nervous, because I've heard very scary things. You must be warned that some spoilers will be included because it's just not possible to review this book then, except saying how awesome it was, but I want to say so much more!

In the previous book Hugh D'Ambery finally makes his appearance and in this book Hugh still has his sick obsession with Kate and will do anything, kill anybody to get his hands on her and present her to Roland. And of all times Curran is away on business. MAGIC BREAKS is a little different from the previous books, but I still devoured and loved it. We have some minor characters we get to know more. We get to know more or see the rat Alpha, Robert and he is tired of being in the dark about Kate.

A character new from the previous book, Desandra is in the pack now and wants to challenge Jennifer for the role of Alpha. I seriously didn't remember much about the last book with the new characters, so I barely remember her. But, HOT DAMN! I like Desandra. She brought more life into the book in some parts and I loved it. And I loved her showing up Jennifer, because Jennifer is a total bitch, wants everyone to feel sorry for her, because her husband died and she isn't doing her duty as the Wolf Clan Alpha. Desandra deserves the role. So, the back and forth between the fate of Wolf Clan was awesome! Happy with the outcome!

Curran’s eyes went gold. His voice dropped into a rough growl. “If you’re going to shoot, make sure to empty the clip, because after you’re done, I’ll shove that gun up your ass sideways.” Blue Jacket blinked. “Can you even do that?” I asked. “Let’s find out.” Curran stared at the thug. “Well? Shoot, so we can start this experiment.”

My big thing that drove me insane was that Curran was absent for more than half of the book. That didn't sit well with me because I am a Curran Fanatic. You basically see him in the first chapter and won't see him again until you get through half of the book. That probably needed to happen though for storyline development. I freaking love Hugh and I welcome more of his craziness. I love Andrew's characters to death, every one of them!

And finally! We finally meet Roland! I know he's suppose to be the bad guy, but I like him! We get introduced to him, but we don't really know his agenda, because he was introduced close to the end of the book. And all we know right now is that he wants to get to know his daughter. But who knows? I need to get to know more about his character. I just freaking want more of this awesome series!

I don't know what to say about Kate and Curran! Curran was absent, but from what we did get he's still madly in love with Kate and he makes a big sacrifice for Kate and it will be interesting to see what the fallout of that decision will be. By the time I finished this book, I was in happy happy joy joy mode, because I believe there is so much more to come and I'm excited for it!

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Review: Banishing the Dark by Jenn Bennett

Title:  Banishing the Dark
Author:  Jenn Bennett
Series:  Arcadia Bell, #4
Publisher:  Pocket Books
Release Date:  May 27, 2014
Pages:  384
Rating:  

 

Complicated does not begin to describe Arcadia Bell's life right now: unnatural magical power, another brush with death, and a murderous mother who's not only overbearing but determined to take permanent possession of Cady's body. Forced to delve deep into the mystery surrounding her own birth, Cady must uncover which evil spell her parents cast during her conception…and how to reverse it. Fast.

As she and her lover Lon embark on a dangerous journey through her magical past, Lon's teenage son Jupe sneaks off for his own investigation. Each family secret they uncover is darker than the last, and Cady, who has worn many identities—Moonchild, mage, fugitive—is about to add one more to the list.

I cannot believe this was the last book! What a short series! I think I just wanted Arcadia Bell to go on forever, because it was such an awesome series! BANISHING THE DARK is where we wrap everything up. A bombshell cliffhanger happened in the previous book, Binding the Shadows. Cady was locked up by Dare, killed Dare and was sent to the hospital. Oh, and the last thing she heard before she passed out was that she was pregnant with Lon's baby.

In BANISHING THE DARK, Cady is on a mission to get her mother out of her head and keeping her from finding out about the baby by any means possible. And completely stopping her altogether. She has quite the task for her and Lon and Jupe, (decided by Jupe himself) decide to help her anyway that they can. And the best part. Jupe has his own chapters. We get to dive right into the mind of Jupe Butler!

I'm not going to give anything away, because I want you to read it for yourself and find out. I enjoyed the Arcadia Bell series immensely. Jenn Bennett really made some fun and unqiue here and I enjoyed every minute of this series. I'm looking forward to more books by Jenn Bennett.

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Review: Mark of the Demon by Diana Rowland

Title:  Mark of the Demon
Author:  Diana Rowland
Series:  Kara Gillian, #1
Publisher:  Bantam
Release Date:  June 23, 2009
Pages:  370
Rating:  

 

Cop and conjurer of demons, she's a woman in danger of losing control—to a power that could kill....

Why me? Why now? That’s what Beaulac, Louisiana, detective Kara Gillian was asking herself when an angelic creature named Rhyzkahl unexpectedly appeared during a routine summoning. Kara was hoping to use her occult skills to catch a serial killer, but never had she conjured anything like this unearthly beautiful and unspeakably powerful being whose very touch set off exquisite new dimensions of pleasure. But can she enlist his aid in helping her stop a killer who’s already claimed the lives—and souls—of thirteen people? And should she? The Symbol Man is a nightmare that the city thought had ended three years ago. Now he’s back for an encore and leaving every indication on the flesh of his victims that he, too, is well versed in demonic lore.

Kara may be the only cop on Beaulac’s small force able to stop the killer, but it is her first homicide case. Yet with Rhyzkahl haunting her dreams, and a handsome yet disapproving FBI agent dogging her waking footsteps, she may be in way over her head...

I hear about the Kara Gillian Series a lot for the Urban Fantasy Readers and I just had to jump into it. I was too damn curious not to. And I am glad I did because MARK OF THE DEMON was absolutely amazing!

Kara is a normal girl, who is a detective and oh, also she is a demon summoner, which seems pretty cool, right? Well until she summons one of the powerful demons into existence. Kara accidentally summons the demon lord, Rhyzkahl. He is ruthless and dangerous and you do not want to piss him off.

Kara is pretty cool and loves her work and what she does. She's not very confident in the relationship department. She's totally into Ryan Kristoff who is working on the case of the 'Symbol Man' with her. And Ryan is totally cool I will be enjoying more of their relationship and seeing where that goes

Now, let's move on to Rhyzkahl. Sometimes in Urban Fantasy I want a change. I absolutely love that Rhyzkahl is ruthless and dangerous. The don't mess with me type. Rhyzkahl does have a fascination with Kara and I would like to learn more about that as the story continues, but I do like him in general. This is seriously one hot demon lord.

I loved MARK OF THE DEMON. I will definitely be continuing on with it and hopefully each book in the series will get better and better. I can't wait for more Kara and her summoning adventures!

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Review: Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins

Title:  Spell Bound
Author:  Rachel Hawkins
Series:  Hex Hall, #3
Publisher:  Hyperion Book CH
Release Date:  March 13, 2012
Pages:  327
Rating:  

 
Hailed as “impossible to put down,” the Hex Hall series has both critics and teens cheering. With a winning combination of romance, action, magic and humor, this third volume will leave readers enchanted.

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?

“In the past few hours, I’ve been possessed, nearly had my head caved in, and found out my mom is secretly a Prodigium hunter. And before that, I lost just about everyone else I care about, and discovered that people I trusted are secretly demon-raising creeps. My life sucks pretty hard right now. So, yeah. I’m making jokes.”

Oh, man! Oh, man! Oh, man! I was nervous to read SPELL BOUND because I had waited so long to read it and that I may need a memory refresher as well, but none was needed at all! I jumped right back into the series where I had left off and couldn't stop once I started and SPELL BOUND definitely delivers!

“I’m the worst fiancée ever, aren’t I?” Cal lifted one shoulder. “Nah. This one warlock I knew, his betrothed set him on fire.”

I had missed all of the characters! I love this series and its snarky dialogue and couldn't get enough of it. I enjoyed the new characters and the old. We get to see Sophie's dad, James again. I love that man to death! For some reason I want a short story on Sophie's dad and mom! Hehe Okay. Moving on. I missed Archer and Oh, Cal! I cannot believe they did that to you. Is there this rule that when there is a love triangle that you gotta kill off the other love interest or something that I don't know about. Jeez.

“Whoa, I'm your girlfriend now?" Archer shrugged. "We've tried to kill each other, fought ghouls, and kissed a lot. I'm pretty sure we're married in some cultures.”

Anyway, SPELL BOUND could not have ended better. I loved Sophie and Archer! I heart you so much, Archer! And Cal, you will be missed! I will really miss Sophie and the whole gang. Amazing end to the series, I really enjoyed it and I am sad to see it go!

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Review: Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews

Title:  Magic Rises
Author:  Ilona Andrews
Series:  Kate Daniels, #6
Publisher:  Ace
Release Date:  July 30, 2013
Pages:  327
Rating:  

 
Atlanta is a city plagued by magical problems. Kate Daniels will fight to solve them—no matter the cost.

Mercenary Kate Daniels and her mate, Curran, the Beast Lord, are struggling to solve a heartbreaking crisis. Unable to control their beasts, many of the Pack’s shapeshifting children fail to survive to adulthood. While there is a medicine that can help, the secret to its making is closely guarded by the European packs, and there’s little available in Atlanta.

Kate can’t bear to watch innocents suffer, but the solution she and Curran have found threatens to be even more painful. The European shapeshifters who once outmaneuvered the Beast Lord have asked him to arbitrate a dispute—and they’ll pay him in medicine. With the young people’s survival and the Pack’s future at stake, Kate and Curran know they must accept the offer—but they have little doubt that they’re heading straight into a trap…

“One word,” he whispered, his voice taut with suppressed anger. “Say one word, and I’ll rip him apart. He won’t see the sunrise.” I looked into his eyes and realized he would.

I feel like I have been FOREVER for MAGIC RISES. I think been going totally insane for my Curran and Kate fix! But don't worry I am okay, I finally got that bloody book in my paws! YEEESSHHHH! Okay, enough about my nut of a self. MAGIC RISES was definitely a tad bit different from the previous books in the Kate Daniels Series.

The babies of the pack are dying because they can't handle the beast transformation, so the European packs have the medicine that reduces a child from going loup and Kate and Curran will do anything to get it. They will have to travel there and play into the hands of the European Pack. And we obviously know it's a trap of some kind, so Andrea, Rapheal, Mahon, and a few others tag along.

I wasn't a huge fan of this book taking place somewhere else, or the characters of the European pack. We still got that Kate Daniels aura though where it still felt like a Kate Daniels book. MAGIC RISES was so emotionally grinding to your heart in more ways than one. Kate and Curran are never boring and that fact still remains to be true.

He kissed my hair. “I’m used to watching for people with swords,” I told him. “I never saw the knife. You were too close.” “Kate, I didn’t stab you.” “Are you sure? Because it still hurts.”

Their relationship continues to grow, but there are moments in this book that literally breaks your heart in half! I WANTED TO SCREAM! I WANTED TO THROW THINGS ACROSS THE ROOM! And I WANTED TO SHOOT CURRAN IN THE LEG! And by the end I wanted to kiss Curran. I can't explain it! You'll just have to read it. But still those two make me SWOON! My heart goes to Kate as always. She is one hell of a woman and doesn't let anyone push her down. ANd I loved getting those "don't mess with me" moments

I think we're getting closer to meeting Roland. I for one can't wait for that to happen! It will forever be an EPIC MOMENT. I know that even before I end up reading it. Hugh finally makes an appearance and I have a love/hate relationship for the little bastard. The second half of the book was more Kate Daniels bad ass style and I loved it.

By now, from several rumors, I'm sure you know that a character dies in MAGIC RISES. I am pissed about. For me, every side character I ABSOLUTELY LOVE! I have a place in my heart for all of them, so I would be pissed for any of them to die. But this particular character really made an impact in the series and I was sad to see them go. I say, Peace, I Love you and you will forever be remembered. All and all, a pretty awesome book! OMFG to the ending, please continue! I'm looking forward to the next as always, so HURRY UP AND RELEASE ALREADY!!!

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