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Magic Bites

Author: Ilona Andrews
Publisher: Ace Books
Category: Book

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Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

22 reviews
Sales Rank: 714

Media: Mass Market Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 272
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 6.6 x 4.1 x 0.8

ISBN: 0441014895
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780441014897
ASIN: 0441014895

Publication Date: March 27, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: New book. Due to problems with Standard Airmail delivery times from the USA, we have switched to using PRIORITY AIRMAIL ONLY. UK & European delivery is 7-10 days.

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Customer Reviews: Read 17 more reviews...

3 out of 5 stars

A Series With Potential July 23, 2008
In this book, we see technogoly duel with magic. It's set some time in the near future and sees magic work somewhat like magnetism. When the "magic field" is strong, the world goes dark, technology (everything from phones to cars) doesn't work, and skyscrapers colapse. The problem is that the "magic field" isn't always present, so there are times when you need the old fashioned techology that we all rely on today.

Since the rise of magic, beings like werewolves, magicians and vampires have come to the fore. It is those beings that we see do battle when the "magic field" is on. In this book, Kate Morgan looks into who killed her guardian (who was a chief magician, for want of a better description).

The story reminds me of Laurel K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series, but with the key difference that it focuses on story, rather than who the central characters fancy. Because of that I'd say the series has potential. It should attract the Hamilton readers who actually believe in storylines.

This having been said, the book is far from perfect. It's good, but it can be a bit busy in places. It's a short book, but Ilona Andrews (the author) seems to have attempted to pack as much story as possible into the book. You want to say "enough already" on occasions, but that having been said, the series is one worth watching.

4 out of 5 stars

Quick, summer read July 8, 2008
In a future Atlanta, where magic and techology have difficulty co-existing, buildings fall apart and cars, running on water and magic are an alternative means of transportation - as are horses.

In this Atlanta, Kate is a mercenary with the Guild. Her guardian is brutally murdered, and Kate wants to solve the crime. It turns out that someone - or something - is trying to start a war between the Pack (shapeshifters lead by the Beast Lord, an impressive man/lion by the name Curren) and the People (vampires or necromancers).

"Magic Bites" is a fast-paced action fantasy with Kate as a kick-a** woman who knows how to handle herself. The novel is a quick read, especially the last half, when you've accustomed yourself to Ilona Andrews' world of magic.

Right now, having finished "Magic Bites" last night, I would call this book great, but I doubt I will remember the particulars in a month's time. Although, "Magic Bites" is a thrilling ride, I am not buying nr. 2 in the series. As quick as it is, "Magic Bites" looses momentum.

"Magic Bites" is an entertaining Summer read - and I suggest, that if you want a real treat, that you buy the sequel at the same time and read them together.

Louise

5 out of 5 stars

Magic BITES alright - great book :) June 24, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Magic Bites is the first book in the new Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. After reading the reviews here, I decided to buy this book, being desperate for new material to get into. And I'm so glad I did! Would DEFINITELY recommend this book; unlike the length (260 pages or so), cover and title suggest, it is well written, fast paced, original ideas and exciting action scenes, with just enough romance to keep it from being an all-action kinda book.
A previous reviewer said that kate is another typical ballsey heroine with something to prove; on the contrary, I wold say she goes about her job in a logical and professional manner (as professional as you can be when your a magic mercenary in a fantasy novel). Her witty come-backs are a joy to read because they are actually funny, and when you think as a reader that she has over-stepped the mark, she admits it herself too. Its refreshing to have a confident lead caracter who has a bit of humility. Also, i would say that rather than having something to prove, she almost tries to hide what she can do, and I'm looking forward to all the hints about who her father is and the source of her immense magical powers being made clearer in the sequal 'Magic Burns' (which I went online and bought as soon as I finished this book by the way - I'd recomend buying both at the same time!)

All in all, yes it is a fantasy book with werewolves and vimpires an magic, but I think Andrews creates a refreshing new world that is full of original ideas and spins on old and much over-done fantasy classics. On the surface it might not sound that original-gutsy heroine saves the day with her powers against the odds-but it really doesnt feel like that. Some people might not like how it opens, the new world is explained in drips and drabs throuhgout the book rather than a detailed explanation at the beginning, but I enjoyed this change as well. the book hits the ground running and expects you to keep up with the info and the action. It was a good reading-workout after all the tosh I have been coming across recently!

Love this book and loved the author - will buy anything from her in the future!!!

4 out of 5 stars

Don't judge a book by its cover - or you'd run a mile from this! March 29, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

I liked this book very much. It has a likeable heroine, though I would be delighted, just once, to read a book of this sort that doesn't have a mouthy, belligerent, desperate to prove something female lead! (See also Stray by Rachel Vincent and Dime Store Magic and Haunted by Kelley Armstrong - I adore her werewolf books though.) This has many other good characters, I particularly liked the King of the Beasts and the crazy Gunslinger-esque character, lots of action, humour and style - and an unusual otherworld. I thought though, that the supernatural world should have been better described to allow the reader to get a feel for it, as the method of just carrying on as though the reader knows all about it already was confusing. There's nothing wrong with a bit of mystery, but when the reader gets lost and has to backtrack, then it's going too far. I think this could have been made a lot clearer with a bit more attention paid to setting the scene in the beginning, which would have helped draw the reader in, and I would have loved a bit more detail on magic taking over technology, and a but more background about Kate herself. I suppose this is being held back for revelations later in the series, but I found references to the power of her blood tantalising, and was frustrated when these references remained oblique throughout. I would read the next one to find out more about this, and I hope that as the author gets more into her world, she'll put in a bit more preamble so that everyone knows what is going on.

One other thing that rankled, though it has nothing to do with the quality of the writing - was that the book jacket is one of the worst I have seen in a long time! It is dated, ugly and actually made me ashamed to read this on the bus. This was mainly due to the fact that it looked like the worst kind of soft porn supernatural fantasy, which the book isn't at all. In fact, had this jacket been on the front of one the later Anita Blake books, the tone would have fitted perfectly (if not the subject). If publishers are willing to spend money on re-branding romance novels into chick-lit, to make them look fresh, stylish and classy, why can't the same be done with fantasy, considering the writing is often of a better standard and the plots and characters usually far more believable? It is a lot easier to believe in Andrews' world than the fantasy world that chick-lit heroines inhabit, where misunderstanding is rife and unrealistic coincidences abound!

4 out of 5 stars

Flawed but enjoyable and it cracks along at an incredible pace December 31, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

My biggest complaint about this book is that I really wanted it to be twice as long as it was. Ilona Andrews packs a hell of a lot into the 258 pages she's got and she's come up with an intriguing concept of a future world where magic and technology exist side-by-side, colouring it with many ideas that I've never seen before (particularly vampires being little more than undead puppets). Told in a tight first person voice, Kate Daniels is a pretty believable character, who leads you through what's happening to and around her. Whilst I think that some of the story is too exposition heavy, I think that's more to do with the limited length available to Andrews and I certainly didn't feel that any of it was needless.

I have reservations - the hints at Kate having some potential uber-power could rapidly disintegrate into some ripe Mary-Suism, although I must stress that in this book Andrews never crosses the line. I also wasn't a big fan of Curran the Beast Lord, mainly because arrogant men have never been my thang. I'd have liked to be shown some of Kate's relationship with her guardian, Greg, rather than be told about him (although again - I suspect this is more to do with page constraint) and I'm not sure that the relationship between Crest and Kate is really allowed to develop enough to give an impact to what happens between them. I also think that the pacing gets too full on in the final quarter, when Andrews resorts to dropping in key information suddenly to move onto the next thing and some events happen off page that I'd have liked to have seen and I think that the villain suffers as a result, dropping any Machiavellian qualities that they had.

However I think that for all this, Andrews's skill as a writer to watch shines through - I particularly liked Saiman, whose quest to come up with the ultimate in attractive men was amusing and who sells his encyclopaedic knowledge as a service to anyone willing to pay and there's enough wit in the text to make you care about what happens to Kate. It's also refreshing to see a fantasy writer who has clearly thought through the world they've created (although I had a tiny, tiny nitpick with the Crusader in the final act who tries to use conventional weapons when 'tech' isn't dominant) and who is trying to weave together pre-existing fantasy tropes with elements that are (to me at least) wholly original. I'm keen to see whether and how Andrews develops her heroine, given the set-up that the reader is left with at the end of the book and I think this has the makings of a solid urban fantasy series for readers who like tough female characters.