Magic Breaks

Kate Daniels #7

by Ilona Andrews, Renée Raudman (Narrator)

No matter how much the paranormal politics of Atlanta change, one thing always remains the same: if there’s trouble, Kate Daniels will be in the middle of it…

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…

**Includes the bonus Kate Daniels story Magic Tests**

16 hrs and 23 mins.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Magic, Vampires, Paranormal Romance

Audible Audio

First published July 29, 2014

About the author

Ilona Andrews is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team. Ilona is a native-born Russian and Gordon is a former communications sergeant in the U.S. Army. Contrary to popular belief, Gordon was never an intelligence officer with a license to kill, and Ilona was never the mysterious Russian spy who seduced him. They met in college, in English Composition 101, where Ilona got a better grade. (Gordon is still sore about that.)

Gordon and Ilona currently reside in Oregon with their two children, three dogs and a cat. They have co-authored two series, the bestselling urban fantasy of Kate Daniels and romantic urban fantasy of The Edge.

Reviews

[Navessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this SO MUCH BETTER the second time around. Might have something to do with the fact that I skipped book six and am pretending it never happened...

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 5 out of 5]

➽ And the moral of this particular rererererereread is: one of the greatest chewing outs ever + Ghastek throwing a slightly hilarious epic tantrum + “DAUGHTER” =



👋 Until next time and stuff.



🐈 The Adventures Of A Brave Little Kitty Buddy Rerererereread (TAOABLKBR™) with the IA Addicts 🐈

➽ And the moral of this particular rererererereread is: if “Z’emir-amit. Z’emir-amit. Z’emir-amit” = WHEEEEEEEE, Jester Park = AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH and “HESAAD.” MINE. = bloody shrimping hell of the stinking fish, then Magic Breaks =



And that is a scientifically proven fact, my Little Barnacles.

P.S. I want an unnatural cannibal rodent for Christmas. Thank thee kindly.

👋 Until next time and stuff.



[April 2018]

⚔ The Grand IAA™ KD Buddy Rerererereread Extravaganza (GIAAKDBRE™), aka the yellow brick road to Magic Triumphs ⚔

Presenting Episode 7, or How Kate Daniels Learned That You Never Know When Your Puking Mutant Attack Poodle Will Come In Handy.

» And the moral of this particular rererereread is: I was obviously either very high or very drunk on top quality stuff (or both) when I last reread this book, because it seems I maybe perhaps have possibly mentioned somewhere but certainly not down there ↓↓ oh no absolutely not that I didn't like the first part of this book.



My thoughts exactly. It seems obvious that my feeble-minded two grey cells were possessed by my Evil Twin of Despicable Book Taste (EToDBT™) at the time. This is getting really old. I've had it with her reading books wrong on my behalf all the time. Anyway, if it had really been the real me really reading this book, I would have told you that the first part of the book is scrumpalicious because (you might consider taking a deep breath before reading the following. You are quite welcome):

I want Barabas to be my nanny and I want a bunnycat and I love plums and HAHAHAHA and I want a pork sword and also HAHAHAHA and I'm kidnapping adopting Ascanio and cool, it looks like someone has a future in the donkey whispering business and oooooooooh tentacles vines and spoiler spoiler spoiler and Desandra you’re slightly batshit crazy I lurves thee and virgin sacrifices are not always who you expect them to be and oh you scumbag, you deserved to die a much more painfully excruciating (and possibly agonizing) death and I'm thinking of breeding teenage werewolf sidekicks for entertainment purposes and EPIC EPIC EPIC and NOOOOOOOOOO and All Hail Kate Daniels Queen of Most Glorious Chewing Outs Ever (KDQoMGCOE™) and oh no he didn't oh no he didn't oh no he didn't and someone please kill that bitch already and oops, it looks while we just crossed the border to the second half of this book, oh well and hahahaha this is Freak Out Central (FOC™) hahahaha and I'm kidnapping adopting Christopher and did I already say EPIC EPIC EPIC that's too bad because there is so much epic epicness in this book I might blow up any second now and damn I love that place called spoiler spoiler spoiler (it's not the best holiday place though) and bones are underrated and of course you're not weird honey, this is all perfectly normal and swans are evil and hey look, someone is losing their shit again and HAHAHAHAHA and oh how I wish I'd cut down that vicious bitch myself and did someone say EPIC EPIC EPIC and breathe, Sarah, breathe!


P.S. Maybe by the time I read this book for the two hundred and twentieth time, I'll write a review for it. Have I heard this before? I think I've heard this before. No idea when or where, though. Certainly not down there ↓↓ oh no, absolutely not. Wait. This sounds familiar, too. Where I have heard it before? I really think I've heard it before. Certainly not up there ↑↑ oh no, absolutely not.
P.P.S. This series kinda sorta makes me feel like:





❣ KD is the Cure to All of Life's Problems Buddy Read (KDitCtAoLPBR™) with my dear wife Ange, and the poor IAA souls who have fallen into our deathly KD Surprise Reread Trap (KSRT™).

✎ Previous rating: 15 stars
✎ New rating: no longer counting Kate Daniels Stars (KDS™), remember? It's useless, my Little Barnacles! It's useless!

It has recently come to my attention that some of you think I'm very slightly biased when it comes to everything written by the Andrews (cereal box blurb included) this series. I have no idea why. Maybe because some of you are weird and kinda sorta silly? Yeah, that's probably it. Anyway, the answer to the question you didn't ask is: yes. Yes, I can sometimes put the hysterical, harebrained fangirl in me away, not be blinded by the Andrews' Failproof Halo (AFH™), AND show some tiny little bit of sense when it comes to this series. Sometimes.



I know, right? I really crack my little self up sometimes.

Okay, where were we? Oh yes, I can actually be critical of this glorious piece of awesomeness series. I kid you not. Take the first part of this book, for example: I don't like it very much. Yep, that's right. You think I'm full of crap? What if I told you that if it were for the first half of this book alone, I would have given it a 3-star rating? I kid you not {shocked silence ensues} I'm fully expecting to burn in Crappy Authors Hell (CAH™) for showing such lack of respect and reverence to the Andrews Gods, but I didn't come with built-in bullshitting at birth, and could not NOT confess this ugliest of ugly sins. And that is the awful truth, my Lovely Decapods. My name is Sarah the Ungrateful Andrews Worshiper (StUAW™) and I failed to hysterically fangirl about this book as a whole, as was expected of me.



His Furriness is not know for his lenience, but a crustacean can hope, right? Right.

But. And this is a big BUT here. A VERY BIG BUT.

After the meh-first-half-that-wasn't-too-bad-and-had-some-great-scenes-but-still-wasn't-as-good-as-it-should-and-could-have-been came Mishmar. And Jester Park. And Daddy Dearest. And FtP™ don't know what that one means? HA! And everything was right in the world again. And the book earned its no-longer-counting-stars rating.

» QED.

» And stuff.

» Bye now.

PS: maybe by the time I reread this book for the 100th time I'll write an actual review for it. Patience is a virtue, my Little Barnacles, patience is a virtue. Sometimes.



➽ Previous rerereread: July 2015.

Previous rating: 5
New rating: 15. Obviously.

► I hereby declare all reviews for this series to be utterly superfluous and completely unnecessary.

► Two possibilities here:
1/ You have read this series and therefore LOVE it and therefore know why all reviews are utterly superfluous and completely unnecessary.
2/ You haven't read this series and therefore lead an empty, sad, meaningless life and therefore shouldn’t even be allowed to keep breathing on Goodreads.


►► Kate Daniels, the best that ever was, the best that ever will be.

PS: in case you're wondering, yes, this is a real spoiler. Click at your own risk. Fuck the Pack.



• Book 1: Magic Bites ★★★★★
• Book 2: Magic Burns ★★★★★
• Book 3: Magic Strikes ★★★★★
• Book 4: Magic Bleeds ★★★★★
• Book 5: Magic Slays ★★★★★
• Book 6: Magic Rises ★★★★★
• Book 8: Magic Shifts ★★★★★
• Book 9: Magic Binds ★★★★★
• Book 10: Magic Triumphs ★★★★
· Book 10.5: Magic Tides ★★★★★
· Book 10.6: Magic Claims · to be published June 2023

[Jen Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ilona Andrews rocks my world. For real. This book is absolutely a must-read for any Kate Daniels fan. It features everything I love about the series. It's funny, in that wonderful, dry, sarcastic way that the Andrews team does so well. It's action-packed. It's got heart --and history. The world-building is fantastic and consistent. The characters are rich and well developed. It's got a romance I believe in. Satisfying sex. And. It. Is. Epic. The story is so big, the Andrews had to write a disclaimer that it's not a series finale.

After that disclaimer, the book begins with a great character breakdown and "up until now" synopsis that did wonders for reminding me of all the series particulars I forgot. And believe me, it was important to refresh my memory. This book brings together everything we have been building until now: with the pack, the People, the Order, the Witches, Hugh, and Roland. That's right, folks, it's time to meet Kate's dad and the entire story unfolds in spectacular fashion.

It starts with Curran having to leave town, basically ensuring Kate will have something terrible happen that she will have to deal with on her own. In fact, Curran is gone for much of the book, which may cause fans a pouty lip, but I felt like his absence was vital to the story. It allowed Kate to really make a necessary journey on her own and it proved two things: one, that she is more than capable of taking care of business, and two, that her relationship with Curran is more solid than ever after the events of the last book. --Plus, when he finally did make his return, it was so perfect, I cheered out loud.

Our Big Trouble comes courtesy of Hugh, who orchestrates a divide between the Pack and the People in order to force Kate to bend to his will. He believes that threatening the people she loves will make her sacrifice herself to him.

(Raise your hand if you think there is any chance of that happening.)

She has to race against the clock, putting herself and her team at risk to avert a war. Not only is there a threat from the outside, but there's also a threat from within. There is a mole in the pack who is unveiled in a terribly inopportune moment. Friends nearly die. In fact, more than one long time character DOES DIE. The stakes are huge. Hugh is no lightweight adversary, but he is nothing compared to Roland.

I don't want to give away too much. The journey is what is so great here. (Though the surprising ending is nothing to sneeze at either.) We see how much Kate has truly grown over the course of these books. The decisions she makes here are so very different than we have seen from her in the past. I love that we have witnessed this evolution. I love how this story has built on itself over time. I love Curran. And Jim. And Andrea. Almost everyone who has ever played a real part in the series, plays a part in this installment, Saiman and Dali excepted. I love how connected Kate has become to so many around her, especially when you look at how alone she was at the beginning of it all.

I have no complaints. It was truly awesome. Read it as soon as you can.

*ARC Provided by publisher for review

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Go big or go home, Kate.
This is a HUGE turning point in the series. So big, in fact, that team Andrews actually put a disclaimer in at the beginning to let fans know that this was not the last book in the series.
Boss battle incoming!



Not only will Kate and Curran face off with Hugh, but this is also the FINAL (not final) showdown with Kate’s father, Roland.
It’s time for all the characters to meet up, all the big guns to get called out, and everything that Kate has been training her entire life for to get put into practice.
What does this mean exactly?



Well, it means that we finally get to see the kind of powers that run in Kate’s dysfunctional little family.
And it turns out that Curran has a birthright power or two in his family tree, as well.
Speaking of family, Roland starts to morph into something other than what we’ve been used to thinking of him as, up till now. He’s still amoral and dangerous, but by the end of this book, he also becomes someone I want to read more about.



Oh, and Ghastek! He’s always lurking around in the background of every story - not good, not evil. Well, due to some spoilery stuff, we also get his backstory. It doesn’t necessarily make him a heroic figure, but at least now he’s a more sympathetic figure.



I had also forgotten what a big role Desandra played here. She’s one of those characters that sneaks up on you and makes you love seeing her get page time. ←she needs her own book.



Bottom line, this was the conclusion to the first story arc.
And it. was. fantastic.
Highly Recommended.




2014

Buddy Read with my (real life) BFF.
This spoiler doesn't have anything to do with the book and is just unrelated nonsense to annoy my friend.
In honor of the fact that she actually read this one with me, instead of hanging me out to dry, I'm adding a few Blast From the Past! pictures.
Why? Let's just call this payback for Frankenstein.
I have some very incriminating stuff lurking on my hard drive, Jill. Oh, yeah. Remember the Glamour Shots? I still have them.

High school Besties!
Who doesn't love mall photos?



Ill-Fated Trip to Costa Rica!

Taken before the dysentery set in.



Roommates!

Remember the time we drank all that Boons Farm & Moonshine, while your sister and her friend drove us to that restaurant?
Yeah. I don't remember much either....



Ok, ok. I'm done torturing my friend.



This series just keeps getting better and better!
There were so many times when I thought maybe I knew how everything was going to go down, and then the Andrews just pulled the rug out from underneath me!
There's just so much to love in this one, I don't even know where to start.
Wait. Yes, I do.
Desandra!
I have a girl crush on her. She's so evil/funny/loyal/awesome that she's definitely my favorite side character in this book.
Although, I really loved Ascanio, too. I mean, how can anyone resist that kid?!
And speaking of kid, there's a fun short story about Julie at the end. Well worth reading, in my humble opinion.

Hugh, the bastard! How could he do that?!
And Roland! We finally get the confrontation with Kate's biological father! Ahhhhhhh!
Too. Much. Emotion!

And when you think it's over?
It's not! There's more!
The ending?!
Perfect!
I want more. Please.

[Robin (Bridge Four) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listening to the new Graphic Audio version.

I'm loving all of the Graphic Audio releases of one of my favorite series. Having an entire cast of voices actors and sound effects just makes everything more epic!!!

Reread of the Kate Daniels series with my friends at Ilona Andrews Addicts (IAA) only a few weeks to go before Magic Binds comes out.

What is it with this series. Everytime I reread a book in it I love everything even more.

Original Review July 2014:

3.5 Roland You Are a Bad-Ass Stars rounded to 4 stars because of my love affair with all things Ilona Andrews.

“How did I turn out? Are you proud of the monster you made?”

I really don’t want to spoil anything for anyone so I will have a lengthy thoughts, feelings and theories in the spoiler section at the bottom. WARNING: Do not click on the spoiler tag unless you want to know almost everything that happened in this book.

It has been a week since I read this and I feel like I can at least put my feelings into a comprehendible review. There are some things I really loved in this book. There are some things I really hated in this book. And there are a few things that I’m still on the fence about. But this is one of my favorite authors and so while some arcs were resolved there were also some big bombs dropped and a great set up for the finally trilogy part of this series. That is why this felt more like a middle book transitioning than a final epic battle.


This beginning starts out pretty strong, well minus the prologue that is completely bipassable if you read the last books, it was just a summary of what has happened up until now from Barabas (theories on that in spoiler). Kate and Curran have had some down time since coming home from Europe and seem to have fallen into a steady rhythm. But, all too soon he is called away to negotiate with other shifters about access to panacea though and Kate is left to go to the monthly Conclave meet alone. What could possibly go wrong? Well it is Kate so the correct answer is EVERYTHING.

This is like most of the other books so far, where Kate runs around trying to solve the mystery and almost getting killed many times along the way. There is banter and jokes and fighting of inventive and creepy creatures.

”How did the French kill it?” Derek asked.
“They send a Christian virgin out, and she bound it with her hair and led it back into the city, where the citizens slaughtered it. We don’t have a virgin handy.”
“No shit,” Desandra said.
The central monster bared her teeth, They were thick, sharp, and crooked.
“Quick, Derek, it’s your chance to shine.” Ascanio said.
Derek gave him a withering look.
“Desandra is a mother, Robert is married, Kate’s affianced, and I’m an old soul. You’re the closest thing to a virgin we’ve got. Get on with growing some flowing locks.

I was really enjoying everything about the book at this point. I really loved the expedition involving Derek, Ascanio, Desandra and Robert. It was the funniest chapter in the book and Desandra really became one of my new favorite characters, I hope she continues to be in future books.

Hugh is still trying to get to Kate. I have really liked Hugh as the adversary and while he is darker in this he steals the page whenever he is on it. Hugh has a plan but Kate is not one to go alone quietly and she resists him every step of the way. Hugh might have stepped over the crazy line though altogether in this one

”Long term, I want to win. And I will win, Kate. You’ll put up a good fight, but eventually you’ll be sleeping in my bed and fighting with me back to back. We’ll be good together. I promise you.”
“What part of no don’t you understand?”
“The part where I don’t get what I want. You need to be taught your place. It’s not the Keep”

There is this section in the middle that gets a bit muffled and has extra stuff that wasn’t needed or I just missed Curran so much I was distracted and didn’t care as much as I might have. I will say that when I re-read through some of the trip down the rabbit hole I got a few more things out of it and I enjoyed getting to delve deeper into Gastek’s past and find out what his true motivations are.





The only thing really missing for me was Curran. I really felt like he was missing for 2/3 of the book. That might be a slight exaggeration but I really wish he would have come back into the story a little earlier. I was actually so happy when he a Kate were back on page together that they could have been sitting in a room reading a book and I might have been just as happy. But no they are struggling for their lives as always so it was interesting.

Kate learns even more about her family and her power in this book. Some of it was weird and this is the part where I’m still not sure how I feel about the story. But it wasn’t dull to say the least and I loved how Curran no matter what is happening and what new facet of Kate or her family is revealed he just rolls with it.

“Do you know what most people have from their grandmother? A tea set. Or a quilt.” Curran smiled. “If your family had a quilt, it would be made out of chimera skin and stuffed with feathers from dead angels.”

But the biggest surprise I found in this book was ROLAND. His character is the definition of dichotomy. He seemed almost charming and fatherly at times, but then you see the towers he built and he talks of the destruction he has wrought and it is as if the two aspects don’t join up. I know he isn’t a nice guy, just look at how broken Christopher is after being his guest/prisoner, but I really liked him.

“When he decides to do away with us, he’ll do something elaborate, like send us magic seeds, which will sprout beautiful flowers with poisonous pollen. The pollen will root through our veins, we’ll die in agony, but out corpses will be covered in gorgeous blooms. If he’s feeling like making a statement, the flowers will drip blood just for fun.
Roland smiled. “Death should have a terrible beauty to it, don’t you think?”

He has a plan for Kate and I have no idea what it is but it seems like it might be one hell of a ride. The ending and set up for the next book is what really saves this book for me. I loved the last 15% of it so much. I can see why there needs to be another three books to deal with the Roland arc and I’m totally in for the ride.

Now onto all the spoilery stuff I want to talk about:

FINAL WARNING DO NOT CLICK UNLESS YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE BOOK OR WANT TO HAVE THE ENTIRE THING SPOILED

Okay so I have thought long and hard about this book and even had a detailed discussion with Jessica about some of it as well to come to a few conclusions or theories.

1) Barabas’s intro to the book. I really didn’t understand why this was in the book. It seemed unnecessary because none of the other books have had any kind of re-cap. But I am wondering if it was done this way so that Barabas has a reason to be in Kate’s life in the next books. Since they left the pack and are severing ties he really wouldn’t have much reason to still be a part of their lives. But if he is writing a history of Kate or rendering a book about what is happening then there is an excuse for him to still be involved. Plus he was Christopher’s main watcher/babysitter and I hope that will also play into the future books. I NEED to know more about Christopher and as discussed with Jessica I totally want to jump on a ship involving them.

2) I didn’t like that Kate didn’t get to say goodbye to Julie in person or on the phone, I sorta live for those touching moments. I would have felt a little better about this if Kate had asked Barabas to retrieve a letter for Julie or if she talked with her on the phone to tell her why she had to get out of town. While I do think that Julie would skedaddle without much of a fight because this has to do with Roland and after book 6 where Kate explained her blood and Roland being her father and how he would want to use Julie I think she would fight against it too much.

3) Andrea being pregnant, I was a little meh about this. I just worry that this will be a way to move Andrea and Raphael out of the picture a little bit since they will be busy with a kid and being Alpha’s. I really like the friendship between Andrea and Kate so I hope she isn’t moved out of the books completely. Andrea did come on the rescue mission even though she is pregnant so maybe I’m overthinking it. It will be interesting to see where they take that story line.

4) Was Kate able to claim the city 100 years before she should have been able to do so because of Curran’s ancestors bond with the land? He was touching her and she still felt the power flowing into her so I wonder if he was able to channel his power into her for that. Seems likely so far.

5) Okay so I know some people feel like Kate waiting for Curran to rescue her was anti-Kate behavior but I totally bought it for the following reasons. First, she tried to find a way out and it all seemed pretty secure. Finding out later she was in a cell at Roland’s tower I don’t think there would have ever been a way for her to escape. Second, it showed the level of trust that she has come to have for Curran. She isn’t alone anymore and knows it, he will do anything and everything to save her. Third, Gastek was there if she were alone in the cell I think she might have gone to Hugh to settle it by herself, but if she left Gastek it would ensure that he died. Even though they aren’t great friends, she knows him and they have helped each other a few times. Kate puts her neck on the line for anyone in need so I don’t think she could have left him there. Last, her sword was broken. Even if she went to have a ‘discussion’ with Hugh, she had nothing to fight him with and she was weak. Bad position to be in all around.

6) Hugh went a little cray-cray. Most men would bring you flowers. Hugh kills all the people he thinks have slighted you and tells them to beg you for their lives. His obsession with Kate is extreme. He is much darker in this, I was sure he was in on the shape shifter killing somehow so that was not a surprise. I’m sure he thought that he would paint Kate into a corner and she would come with him willingly to save the pack from war with The People. When that didn’t work out he decided to kidnap and starve her to death. I really didn’t get many of his motivations in this one, he seemed to go off the deep end. I’m not sure if he was hoping that she would join him and they would put up a fight against Roland together later, or that he would be in a better position with Roland if Kate cared for him. Also, how is he not dead!!! I really thought to close out one of the arcs Kate or Curran would kill Hugh for good but he is like a cat and has nine lives.

7) Kate, Kate, Kate *shakes head* why did you have so much faith that Curran would come to save you and then so little faith that he would do ANYTHING to keep you. When Roland tells her she can’t be Consort and have power over the pack she is so sure that Curran will choose the pack over her. This seemed a little odd since in book 5 he already told her he would give it up for her. So I guess Kate still has some doubt in her heart.

8) NICK – well that was interesting. Nick Feldman is of a relation to Greg. I’ve learned a little bit of their plans for this storyline and I’m so in. I think it is a great addition and can’t wait to see how they roll it out in the books. I’m sorta hoping that Nick takes over the order operations. That would give Kate access to the high ups in the Mercs, Witches, Order, People and Pack, a very interesting position to be in.

9) The Desandra and Jennifer alpha mess. Wow Jennifer I never liked her at all but she rose to new heights of hate in this book. I did love the Kate verbal smack down that was given. Desandra was a surprise, I totally loved her in this book. She was funny and so irreverent and her reasons for wanting to be the alpha of the wolf pack was great. I loved the comic relief she provided. I really hope she is in the next books, although I heard a rumor and if it remains true we should totally see more of her.

10) Kate and Curran left the pack….I totally wonder how that is all going to shake out. With Jim at the helm I’m sure they will still have pack access and support of some kind. But I really love some of the pack characters and hope they still get page time. I think Derek and Ascanio will since they work at Cutting Edge for the time being and Andrea and possibly Doolittle since Kate is always getting hurt. I’m very interested in how that will change the dynamic of the story.

11) The Witches. How much did they know going into this. They made Kate that wool sweater and told her to wear it for 24 hours because it will keep her warm when wet, but they couldn’t tell her she was supposed to claim the city or…idk how to avoid being teleported to a prison cell.

12) Revenge against Hibia and the silver chains dude…WOW one of the more gruesome scenes. Kate went a little off the deep end there and showed how truly cruel she could be. Had she not lost Voron and was raised a bit by Greg or if Roland had raised her I think she could easily have turned out like Erra or the version of her that Hugh is hoping she will dip into.

13) Roland at the end - He totally made the ending for me. It seems like he is going to test Kate out to help her grow a bit. I’m not sure if he is looking to die like Erra was, but he made that comment that it is not a bad thing to be killed by your blood. I almost think he is training her so that she can eventually kill him and possibly take his place.

I think that is it, but maybe I’ll add more later.

[Felicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite urban fantasy series totally delivers on this SEVENTH installment of Kate Daniels?! Damn, that's a lot of books! VERY satisfying ending to a lot of overarching storylines set up back in book one. Not as much romance, but the action and interaction between the characters made up for it. The fight scenes, as usual, were HELLA awesome. I just can't recommend this series enough if you want a fun adventure with a kick-ass lady lead and a bit of supernatural romance throw in to boot (but not too sappy, so guys, you should be safe). :)

[Teodora · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.35/5 ⭐

I can't even fathom to tell you the level of inner anxiety those chapters towards the end gave me. And also, on top of that, I got a pretty amazing...cliffhanger ending.
What the hell, really? This series gets me going out of my mind.
So, besides the fact that it's frustrating

it's also pretty damn good.

(Book-styled)

[Sophia Triad · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Death is forever. Death is nothing. But to save a life, that's everything."

But unfortunately deep down everything is politics and diplomacy…

• Kate has to behave appropriately in front of the Pack.
• Kate has to behave and talk correctly in front of the Pack council.
• The Pack needs to be reserved with Curran (although not really too reserved with his consort).
• The Pack members have to respect hierarchy and follow Alpha’s decisions even if they are stupid.
• The Pack council needs to have a certain attitude with the People council.
• Pack has to behave in a certain way in front of the People.
• Everybody have to be careful in front of the witches.
• The police have to respect the Pack. The Pack has to respect police’s decisions.
• Everybody needs to respect Roland.

And nobody has a high opinion of Kate, until she is showing her powers.

Sometimes I wished that Kate had just embraced Hugh’s proposal and just smashed everyone down to the ground.

Hugh is such a bad boy in this book.
He is definitely fascinated with Kate. But at the same time he is so manipulative so that you are not really sure if he wants to sleep with Kate because he has feelings for her OR because he just wants to prove that he is the best and she is just a trophy he needs to win and take her away from Curran.

“I meant what I told you before. Their lives don’t matter to me. If I have to crush the coal to get to the diamond, I’ll do it.”
“Aha. And I’m the diamond?”
“You cut like one.”
“Flattery, really? Subtle like a hammer.”

“Long term, I want to win. And I will win, Kate. You’ll put a good fight, but eventually you’ll be sleeping in my bed and fighting with me back to back. We’ll be good together. I promise you.”

I don’t know if my problem is that I like bad boys, but I find this possibility FASCINATING.
Maybe, because Kate and Hugh are really the two sides of the same coin. Kate’s light counterbalance the darkness in Hugh.
And I have to admit that although Hugh left her almost to die in this book; he keeps saving her friends just to prove his point. This is kind of sweet.
Of course Hugh plays much dirtier now. He has tested Kate’s limitations in Magic Rises and now he knows where to strike. So he keeps pushing Kate’s kindness and her love for her friends and her people.

By the way, I really cannot understand how come Kate is so nice. Her father is a ruthless psycho killer, her mother was a manipulative witch. Kate is just nice and fair and somewhat innocent.

She is doing what she is doing, she is violent because she has no other choice:

“This is my city. These are my people.
HESAAD. MINE."

Woah!!! Just for this scene where she shows that she is daddy’s little girl.

You may notice that I did not comment on Curran.
I was rather disappointed with him in this book. And he definitely did not make an impression.

The end of the book finds Kate bigger and better, more powerful, with a better weapon, with the chance of a family life and with more responsibilities unfortunately which could not be avoided.
Oh, yes… she has also a daddy now.

[Em Lost In Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread.

My favorite books in the series, and it has all the things that I wanted from this series. Action, murder, intense pack rivalry, magic, and all this without the Kate-Curran relationship drama. it was good to see Kate have faith in him, and he In turn proved that why he deserves her and what length he would go to be with her.

Hugh was a big disappoint here. He came, created some ruckus, literally stole Kate, and put her in a magical prison. But then our hero came against all odds, fought the bad guy, and told the girl that they are forever. how cute!!

Climax was what shocked me the most. Leaving everything so easily, I was not expecting that but that what people do in love.

not 5 stars because our super intelligent heroine didn't see the mole in the pack that was so easy to pick out.

3 days more till the finale comes out, and I have two more books to read. I better start reading it now.

[Corina · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not a secret that I love this series. And Magic Breaks has so many amazing scenes it's hard to fathom that the series is getting better with each book.

I love the wit, sarcasm, and the clever banter that are the authors signature. Even after reading the books multiple times, they still make me chuckle and laugh out loud. I must admit there is nothing, no other book that can compare with the sassy and smart dialogues that can be found in every Kate Daniels novel.

Even though Magic Breaks is the 7th book, the character cast is getting bigger and better. I love that each book adds to an amazing cast. Unique characters, with fascinating backgrounds, and skills continue to show up, and stay. This time my most favorite character is a donkey. Her name is Cuddles, and she is a female American Mammoth donkey. She steals the show in every scene she is in, and makes me grin like mad. The way people react to her is hilarious and delivers comic relief between the action scenes that leave me breathless.

Among many favorite scenes, the one when Kate meets her grandmother is one I'm always looking forward to. And everyone's reaction to Sarrat. It's easy to see why I love these books so much. Kate Daniels stories are vibrant, all consuming, and action packed. Every conversation and dialogue is meaningful and always contains a slew of mythical information. The research that goes into these books is insane. I would love for the authors to publish an encyclopedia with drawings and definitions of every character and creature that has ever played a role in this epic tale. I often find myself googling mythological beings just to be able to picture them more clearly.

Magic Breaks was INTENSE!! But when is a Kate Daniels novel not intense. There is always a near death situation. And Curran is always growling and roaring, and Kate always puts her foot down and does what needs to be done.

This time, more and more lines are drawn. New allies found, and old relationships cemented in loyalty and blood. Even though Kate's closest circle goes through battles and comes out bloody and hurt, their never-ending grit and willingness to fight to protect innocent bystanders is what makes me love them so passionately.

This is MY MOST FAVORITE series. I love the writing. I adore the wit and sarcasm. It's entirely me, and every time I read these books, I immediately feel at home. This series speaks to me in more than one way.  In my mind it's perfection.


___________________________________

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. My opinions have not been influenced by the publisher or the author.

[Ferdy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars - Spoilers

I'm not quite sure how I feel about Magic Breaks, in some ways I hated it with a burning passion and in others I absolutely bloody loved it. What I do know is that it was a definite improvement from the last book, which read like a silly teeny-bopper book with lots of misunderstandings, insecurity, douchery, and female doormatery. Thankfully, there wasn't any of it that rubbish in this one.

-The first half of the book really dragged for me, there were moments that were wonderful but for the most part I was rather bored. I enjoyed Hugh showing up and basically declaring war on the pack, he was so conniving and fun. Sadly, after that the rest was rather dull and repetitive, it mainly consisted of Kate, Desandra, Derek and their merry gang going from one dangerous place to another so they could prevent Hugh's war. One scene they were fighting vampires, the next some random creatures, then someone else, and then another random creature… It was the same cycle over and over. It was only when Kate was taken and trapped with Ghastek that the story actually gained some momentum for me… I loved getting to know more about Ghastek, he was fleshed out and given dimension whereas before he was just kind of there. Then it really got good when Curran finally showed up with the gang and lots of things actually started to happen — the introduction of Kate's grandmother, Ghastek's boss, and most importantly Roland. It was great to finally get some answers/development.

-I was kind of dreading the introduction of Roland, there was such a huge build up to his character in the previous six books… I was expecting him to be disappointing after all that suspense and mystery surrounding him. Thankfully, he was quite an entertaining character… he wasn't some evil, flat caricature who I wanted to just die. Sure, he was all powerful but he actually had depth and personality and seemed to genuinely care about Kate and want to know her. I'm hoping Kate never has to fight him because the way he was described pretty much ensured her never being able to win because he was that strong… So if they do ever go head to head down the line, Kate will have to die, her winning would read as contrived and unrealistic… It's been made very clear how weak and insignificant she is in comparison to him.

-On to something that pissed me off: The whole Curran acting like a disloyal, lying, two faced douche in the last book has been completely forgotten about… And instead Curran/Kate's relationship was more perfect than ever. Ugh, why bring up all those HUGE relationship/trust issues only to drop them because it didn't suit the current story line? Why do authors even bother writing angst/drama in a relationship when they can't even resolve it in a proper way? Curran saying he would lie again and again and showing how little faith he had in Kate was never addressed. Well, there was one off hand comment about them promising to be honest with each other but that was bullshit since Curran has shown before how little his promises and assurances mean.
To me, at the end of the last book Kate's character took a huge nosedive, she pretty much just shrugged and said it was cool Curran lied to her so convincingly, humiliated her in front of the pack, made her feel like rubbish, and had zero trust and faith in her… And then when he proposed she squealed like a loser, said yes, and forgot the way he treated her. Where was the badarse, take no prisoners Kate?! Where was the groveling and them actually working on their relationship? I wanted to see Curran working on proving himself again. I know he'd risk his life for Kate but I wanted to see him actually respecting her, trusting her, and honouring his promises to her… One random comment about them being honest to each other was nowhere near good enough.

-When Curren left in the beginning I just thought typical Curran conveniently leaving so that Kate as usual had to deal with all the pack politics, the bureaucratic nonsense, and the meeting with the People. The lazy bastard. I've always hated that Kate gave up so much for Curran (her home, her job, Andrea for a while, her secrets, her time and personality so she could be all diplomatic for the pack) yet he didn't have to change or sacrifice anything to be with her.
That's why I loved the ending when Curran left the pack, it was about bloody time he gave up something for Kate.

-Oh, and Curran being missing for most of the book felt like a cheap way of making readers miss him and thus forget what a wanker he was in the last book. Well, it didn't work on me. Yes, I missed his character but I didn't forget him disrespecting Kate, humiliating her, and making her feel rubbish. To me, he still needs to earn back Kate's trust.

-My favourite characters were probably Desandra, Hugh, and Roland. Desandra was so funny and crass and badarse, I'm glad she became alpha wolf in the end. I'm hoping she'll still be there for Kate even though she's no longer Consort.
Hugh was a great villain, I loved all his dirty/cheeky comments to Kate, I'm pleased he survived because I'd like to see him cause more problems for Kate and Curran, at least for a little while. I hope he doesn't become one dimensional though, his humour should remain, it makes him more interesting.

-I wasn't happy with Kate constantly being surrounded by male characters. It was as if she wasn't allowed to share scenes with more than one female character at a time, and when she was with more than one female character, it was either a very short scene or one of them always faded into the background.
Julie is meant to be Kate's ward, they have history, and a complex relationship yet she was barely in it. Instead random fairly new teenage character, Ascanio, was constantly hanging around Kate. I don't give a fuck about Ascanio or his relationship with Kate, he's a nobody, Julie should have been the one that ended up on Kate's mission. But oh no, it had to be a guy instead. Never mind actually developing her existing relationship with Julie, lets instead shove some random teenage guy in the story that Kate can mentor and interact with. I bet if Kate's ward had been a teenage guy, there would have been PLENTY of interaction, guidance, and bonding going on… But because Julie's a girl, there's no need to bother, apparently female characters/relationships just aren't all that important.
Ugh, Kate has/had FAR MORE interactions/close bonds/complex relationships with male characters, in comparison she has had very few with females, and the ones she is close with she only occasionally gets to share scenes with them. No, just no.

-I LOATHED Kate's pining and whining about Curran. She sounded like a pathetic YA heroine. I could understand her saying she missed and loved Curran once or twice but she kept banging on about him even when she was in danger and people around her were dying. And she was so mushy and sentimental about it. It really put me off her character, Kate was never like that before. She focused on what was going on around her and kept her cool, but all of sudden she turned into some loser Curran fangirl. Ugh, I hated that part of her character.
Also, she was kind of a damsel in distress in this one. Yea, everyone needs saving occasionally no matter how badarse they are but Kate's mantra of Curran rescuing her made her seem more like a useless princess rather than the kickarse nutter I knew and loved. I wouldn't have minded Curran saving her but I would have preferred if Kate kept trying to save herself (even if she was failing) instead of sighing and fantasizing about Curran coming to the rescue.

-I really wanted to see Raphael's reaction to finding out Andrea was pregnant. I doubt it'll be shown in the next book.

-Where the hell was Dali? She's such a cool, useful, and fun character yet she was nowhere to be seen. I would have rather had her as one of the prominent side characters instead of the run-of-the-mill male scowling-growling shifter Kate's usually with.

-There were lots of parts that were very info dumpy and slow, I didn't really notice that occurring in earlier books. I wanted more action and dialogue instead of dull history lessons on random creatures/people/places.

-Now that Roland has been dealt with, and Kate claimed Atlanta, and Kate/Curran are no longer pack… It feels as if the only plot there'll be is the stereotypical villain-of-the-week type plot that Kate will have to deal with. I'm hoping that's not the case, and instead there'll be continuing, interesting arcs in the next few books.

I'm guessing the series is back on track for me because even though I adored and despised this one all at once, I'm excited to read the next book in the series.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars - Loved it!

Well mostly the second half, the first wasn't as great but luckily it picked up later.
I'm not very happy about the whole Curran thing from the last book not being resolved (= groveling).
Roland was great!
But Kate didn't really act like herself. She was so much stronger in the first books... Yes she didn't have as much to lose then but I can't imagine that Kate whining as much and waiting to be saved.
I did love the ending! Finally Curran sacrifices for Kate. (It still doesn't make up for him not believing in her/trusting her and hurting her like he did in the last book)


***

1/27 - First two chapters!!: http://www.ilona-andrews.com/books/ma...

***

9/08 - Snippet from the blog:

“You still haven’t told me what you want for Christmas,” Curran said.

“Time,” I said. “For you and me.”

“Check the glove compartment?” he asked.

I opened it and pulled a piece of paper out. Cordially invited… thank you for your reservation… “Is this…?”

“The Black Bear Lodge,” he said.

Two weeks ago we had to go to Jackson County, North Carolina to remove a loose troll of campus. The Appalachians had a large shapeshifter population and many of their kids went to Western Carolina University. We had stayed in the Black Bear Lodge, a newly built, timber lodge with good food and cozy rooms with huge fireplaces. We’d spent two glorious days there, hunting the troll, drinking wine in the evening, and making love in a giant soft bed. I didn’t want to leave so much, it almost hurt.

He got the reservation for me.

“How long?” I asked.

“Two weeks. We could leave as soon as I get back and stay until Christmas. We’d have to come back for the holidays or they will scream and howl, but with the leyline it’s only a two day drive.”

“What about the petition hearing?”

“I handled it,” he said. “Remember that emergency session that ate up the last Thursday? I cleared everything.”

“The Gardner law suit?”

“Handled it too.” Curran leaned over and looked at me. His grey eyes glowed with tiny golden sparks. He slowly furrowed his blond eyebrows and moved them up and down.

“Is that your smoldering look?”

“Yes. I’m trying to communicate the promise of nights of ecstasy.”

I laughed. “Did you read that pirate book Andrea left for me?”

“I might have leafed through it. So how about it? Will you do me the honor of accompanying me to the Black Bear Lodge, so we can lay in bed all day, get drunk, fat, and not have to think about anything related to Atlanta for the entire time?”

“Will I get nights of ecstasy?”

“And days. Ecstasy all the time.”

Two weeks, just Curran and me. It sounded heavenly.

“Deal, Your Majesty.”

[Maja (The Nocturnal Library) · Rating 5 out of 5]

For Ilona and Andrew Gordon, the husband-and-wife writing team behind the pen name Ilona Andrews, Magic Breaks is the ultimate show of strength. These two have nothing left to prove, their writing is reliably excellent and funny as all get-out. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve felt any trepidation when buying one of their new releases. Magic Breaks is the book in which all their skill and their significant experience come to light.

This is a pivotal point in the Kate Daniels series – a seven book long story arc about Kate’s origins and a certain member of her family finally comes to an end. There is no Luke-I-am-your-father moment; by now, we all know who Kate’s father is, but this is where we learn more about his appearance and his feelings towards Kate and the shapeshifters.

This is Kate’s most difficult journey so far, be it emotionally or in the skill department. Her father had thousands of years to develop his magic and his strength; in comparison, Kate’s life and training seem like child’s play. It is hard for both Kate and the reader to imagine a positive outcome. A strong sense of hopelessness is always threatening to envelop us all and only Kate’s heart full of love and integrity keeps us from falling into a pit of despair.

And still, even the apocalypse right around the corner doesn’t stop our Kate from letting her trademark sense of humor out to play. Her constant sarcastic remarks stopped this from turning into gloomy read, even when there was very little hope on the horizon.

There is a prologue of sorts at the beginning of Magic Breaks, told by Barabas, everyone’s favorite weremongoose, Kate’s trusted friend and the Pack lawyer, in which he recounts the important things that happened in the previous six books. Because of this, the actual story didn’t need to be burdened with endless recaps on which the editors at Ace usually insist.

In the end, Magic Breaks wasn’t at all what I expected (not that I knew what to expect in the first place). In many ways, it was even better, and the brilliant ending paved the way for a whole new story arc, which we’ll be able to enjoy in the three more books that are certain at this point.

If you’re interested in this series, stop by to read a multi-blogger interview about the Kate Daniels series, put together by my friend Mihir, with me as one of the interviewees.

Thanks to the lovely people at Penguin, I’m also currently running a giveaway of three copies of Magic Rises, the previous book in this series. Make sure to stop by and enter.

[Maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

*´¨)
¸.· ´¸.·*´¨) ¸.·*¨)
(¸.·´ (¸¸.·3,5 Stars

So... I just finished Magic Breaks, a book I have been waiting for !!364!! Days and I can't help but feel disappointed.
It was still good but not as good as Magic Rises [btw still fangirling about that one]. Maybe my expectations were too high or this book is just introducing us into the new developments that take place in this series but still I feel a little bit let down. :(

I will keep my review short; just 3 good and 3 bad things about the book ;)

What I liked:

► The sarcasm:
That is always so Kate :D

► Hugh:
I don't know why I like that bastard so much, I just think he is an a wonderful arrogant idiot ♥

► The ending: Very promising, I'm dying to see how this will play out =D



What I didn't liked:

► The whole first 40% seemed unnecessary. They had nothing to do with the second part of the book



► WTF happend to Kate??? Since when is she that needy damsel in distress???

► The meeting between Kate and Roland was strange. I would have expected sth more..


------------------------------
I want my fix... I need my fix.... 4 days left!!! *impatient-happy-dance*



and then there are ARC-people... [yes, I am jelouse!!!]




__________________________________________________________

[Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars. Review first posted on Fantasy Literature:

In Magic Breaks, the seventh book in Ilona Andrews’ KATE DANIELS urban fantasy series, the overarching plot lines of the series takes a lion-sized step forward, with a few major surprises along the way. *some spoilers for earlier books in the series*

Kate Daniels, her mate Curran, the Beast Lord of Atlanta’s shapeshifter Pack, and their group have returned from their perilous trip to Europe, described in Magic Rises, where they ran into conflict with Hugh d’Ambray, the warlord of Roland. Roland is an ancient, immortal legend with nearly godlike magical powers, and Kate has been both hiding from him and planning his death since her childhood: Kate was raised by Voron, a man with an enormous grudge against Roland. Hugh’s been circling around Kate for several books now, attempting to establish beyond any doubt that she is Roland’s daughter. Their group barely escaped him in Europe, and Kate knows Hugh will be back around again to cause more trouble. A couple of new friends joined Kate and Curran in Europe and are now part of the Atlanta Pack: Christopher, a mage who was severely mentally damaged by Roland and Hugh’s torture, and Desandra, a werewolf who is now becoming a powerful figure in Atlanta’s Clan Wolf and is giving the current wolf alpha, Jennifer, fits. (For that alone I adore Desandra.)

Curran is invited to bring several of the most powerful members of the Pack on a hunt in the mountains. Despite his and Kate’s concerns that it’s part of a plan to leave Kate without his support, the trip is important as part of a key negotiation, so Curran, Mahon and others go. Sure enough, once they’re out of town, Kate and the Pack get hit with a serious problem. At Conclave, a meeting between the vampire masters and Pack leadership, Hugh appears and dramatically throws down the gauntlet. Actually, what he throws down is the dead body of a Master of the Dead, who has clearly been murdered by a shapeshifter.

Kate now has twenty-four hours to find the shapeshifter killer and hand him or her over for punishment. A deadly war is on the verge of breaking out between these two supernatural forces, the vampire masters and the shapeshifters. Curran is still out of town, and Kate knows that Hugh is manipulating events to try to get control over her in one way or another, and presumably then deliver her, giftwrapped, into the deadly hands of Roland. And a cryptic but heartfelt warning is given to Kate by Christopher, who seems to have some foresight into future events.

Magic Breaks takes a while to really get rolling, though the story is given some color and humor by a lilac bunnycat and a giant-sized, black-and-white spotted stubborn mule named Cuddles (apparently by someone with an overactive sense of humor). But once the plot kicks into high gear it’s a fascinating tale. There’s a slight disconnect between the two halves of the story, a shift in focus that is marked by a sudden change in scenery. But the second half of the novel is worth the wait, and will remain etched in my memory … helped along by one or two rereads of key scenes after I finished the book.

Several long-term characters develop new depths in Magic Breaks. Ghastek, one of the most powerful vampire masters in Atlanta, becomes a far more well-rounded character. He and Kate share a traumatic experience that leads to Ghastek sharing his personal backstory with Kate, including the eyebrow-raising origin of his name. It makes him a more sympathetic character. Curran, once he rejoins the story, reveals new facets of his character as well. Kate herself needs to step up to the plate in a new and unnerving way, accepting and publicly displaying her full magical powers, not just her swordfighting abilities. And the long-awaited Roland finally makes an actual appearance. Despite his godly powers, he isn’t what readers might have expected. Roland is much more nuanced, a chilling mixture of fatherly affection and implacable, deadly power.

In the end, Kate and Curran each have a huge personal choice to make. While in some ways it’s a regrettable move, it opens the door for the series to move forward in a fresh way.

Bonus content: The paperback copy of this book includes Magic Tests, a bonus short story about Julie, Kate’s adopted teenage daughter. “Magic Tests” is narrated by Julie, Kate’s teenage adopted daughter, who refused to stay put at the boarding school where Kate originally placed her. Julie and Kate visit Seven Stars Academy, where Kate hopes Julie will be willing to continue her education, despite Julie’s reluctance. Kate and the academy’s director sweeten the pot with an intriguing mystery that they ask Julie to help investigate: A freshman girl has disappeared without a trace, but the location spell indicates that she is still on the school’s grounds. If Ashlyn isn’t found within the next twenty-four hours, the school will need to alert the authorities, which they’re hoping to avoid.

As Julie jumps into the investigation ― and, as a natural side effect, starts to befriend some of the students there ― more of her personality is revealed, along with the functioning of her magical powers and her views about her relationship with Kate. Julie displays some admirable planning and deductive skills. I’m still mystified, though, about why a collection of apples that Julie finds locked in Ashlyn’s desk are suffused with mysterious bright green magic to Julie’s eyes. The source of the green magic is disclosed later, but not its connection to Ashlyn’s apples.

“Magic Tests” is a quick, light read; it’s not particularly memorable, but I enjoyed it.

Initial post: 4, maybe 4.5 stars. The overarching plot lines of this series takes a huge step forward in this 7th book in the series, and I am HERE for that. All the players finally come together, and there were a few real surprises along the way.

[J.L. Sutton · Rating 4 out of 5]

“What the hell is this?” Desandra asked
“This is Cuddles. She's a mammoth donkey.”
Derek grinned, leaning on the fence. “Do you have any self-respect left?”
“Nope.”



At times, Magic Breaks (Kate Daniels, #7) seemed almost too action-packed. This was a fun read, though, and I really like heroines who solve problems and save other people (rather than waiting to be saved themselves). It also had fun, not too snarky banter, that didn't keep the story from moving forward. 3.5 Stars.

[carol. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I re-read this yesterday as a way of keeping awake post night shift (switching one's body clock around can be a pain in the neck. Sometimes literally). It's a challenging reading mood--I need something to engage me without too much brain-work, but not stupid enough that I lose my very limited patience. And what do you know? Magic Breaks worked.

At first, there were doubts, largely arising out of the structure and pacing of the initial pages. Magic Breaks opens with a 'Thank you to the readers,' which, while kind, seemed misplaced and more appropriate to end notes. It helps to have the knowledge that this was originally conceived as the final book in the series arc. However, the wild popularity of the series and the development of a number of storylines has meant that the authors could legitimately continue to play in their world and so another three book arc is in the works. Gratitude is followed by a listing of 'Cast of characters,' clearly misplaced. If you haven't read all the books by now, book seven is a lousy place to start. If one must include it, an appendix is most appropriate. Finally, we get to the meat of the book, or so it seems: chapter one. Only it isn't; it's pretty much a short story that helps fill in details for those who might be new to the series with a segue into the beginning of the plot at the end. Again, can I stress, lousy place to start? I don't know; I don't market these things. It is the debut of the first hardcover in the series, so I understand the publisher positioning it to appeal to a new audience. The first chapter was pre-released on the Andrews' website, so it served as a nice teaser/short for fans. I just wish it would have been a little less obvious that the beginning wasn't geared to new readers or as a marketing tool.

So when the plot actually starts, Pack Leader Curran is called out of town to meet with an outlying wolf-pack who owns a silver mine and is indiscreet about buyers. Oh-so coincidentally, he is gone during the mid-winter Conclave, the meeting between the opposing factions of The People and the Pack. Curran expects no trouble, so of course the reader realizes there will be plenty. At the Conclave, Roland's second-in-command Hugh appears, dumping a murdered vampire navigator's body on the group and accusing the Pack of the murder. Kate conceals shock at Hugh's reappearance, endeavors to discover the details of the crime and navigates a politically acceptable solution, all while worrying about Curran's safety. At the tension-packed (ha-ha) follow-up meeting, she's mysteriously teleported with Ghastek to a water-filled prison and then things really spiral out of control.

For me, pacing was one of the biggest troubles of the book. The beginning filler and the slow start lead to action-packed investigative scenes which mostly alternate from pauses to explosive action. In theory, pauses are appropriate for planning the explosive action, but it feels more like a campfire that's having a hard time catching. Story drags again when Kate is imprisoned. The first time I read it, the prison scene was an eye-rolling waste of time that mostly served to reinforce sentiment the series reader already knows. But in terms of a conclusion book, time spent on reflection makes sense, as well as those moments of emotional intimacy with a nominal enemy.

After rescue (seriously, how can that be a spoiler?), the action accelerates, and even if it's still along the lines of "how will we escape?" it proves engaging. Nice character interaction, interesting world reveals, family revelations and psychedelic architecture all contribute to the kind of action, dialogue and inventiveness that made me a fan of the series. The ending was absolutely perfect, both in structure of the story and in emotional tone. I could see how the dramatic arc could have ended at this point and would have found it satisfying. However, I'm sincerely glad the Andrews are continuing the series, because I think there's so much more of their interesting world to visit.

Three star beginning, five star ending. Averages, you know?

[εllε · Rating 5 out of 5]

First read August 2014, rating 4 stars
Second read May 2016, rating 5 stars

I really loved the book this time. This changes everything. So many important things happened. So many changes and new developments.

* Spoilers *

Firstly, I liked that Curran was missing for a good part of the book. I liked seeing Kate working and fighting alone. Her interactions with Hugh are so epic. I know they'll never be together, but I can't ignore their chemistry.

“Don’t bring my people into it,” I said. “I’ll make you regret it.”
“I love it when you make threats,” Hugh said.

.................

“I love that snarl in your voice,” he said. “Sexy.”
I rolled my eyes.
“I like that, too,” he said.”

..................

“Tell me, Kate,” he said, his voice casual. “When Lennart is on top of you and you’re waiting for him to finish, do you ever think of me? Just to spice things up.”

...................

“Long term, I want to win. And I will win, Kate. You’ll put up a good fight, but eventually you’ll be sleeping in my bed and fighting with me back to back. We’ll be good together. I promise you."

I don't know if Hugh is obsessed or his feelings are real, but he really fights for Kate. He's eager to do everything for her. We can see it when he slaughtered everyone at the Order, just so he could revenge Kate for the humiliation she endured. He even defied Roland and did things on his own for her. I don't know what Hugh ultimate intentions are. I would like to see him being converted into a good guy or at least a benevolent villain ( does this make sense?), but I don't think there's a female good enough for him. I would have loved Julie to be the one, when she grows up, but her story took another direction.

I liked Ghastek also in this book. His story was interesting and I like how his character has developed. Yes, I want to know more of him. He's not a tool in Roland's hands. He has his own mind.

Another character I liked in this book was Desandra. I was sceptical about her in the last book, but she really is a strong woman. I'm so glad Jennifer is dead. Desandra is a better Alpha than she was. And she is soooo funny.

“Hey, Kate? Have you thought of walking up to Hugh and telling him that he’s got the biggest dick ever?” She spread her arms to the size of a baseball bat.
“No, you think it would work?” I asked.
“It’s worth a try. Maybe he’ll be so happy you noticed his pork sword, he’ll forget all about trying to kill us."

.................

“While we were at the Black Sea, he showed me a room full of shapeshifters and told me he would slaughter every single one of them for a chance to have dinner with me.”
Desandra shrugged. “That’s kind of hot. In a sick way.”

And the moment we've been waiting for finally arrived. I LOVED Roland. I know he's so powerful and he's only playing with Kate now. He's testing her limits and he hasn't been challenged in a long time. So Kate is spicing up things for him. Being a father is a new experience and he is so intrigued by her. I can't wait to see more of them. That epilogue was just great!

And finally Curran. Until now I've disliked him and I've hated him. I didn't buy his motives and I didn't believe his intentions. I really liked the part when Kate was fighting Hugh and Curran appeared. He really knows how to make an entrance.
I've said in my older reviews that I began liking Curran only in book 7-8. Maybe he really loves Kate now. You better Curran, because I can dislike you so easily!! Just like that!
So, do I forgive him now? Yes, Curran, you may live.
After all Kate loves him. As always, I'd prefer Hugh, but there was never anything between them, Kate never doubted her feelings toward Curran. But, I would want to know what would have happened if Kate had met Hugh before she met Curran. I would want there to have been a possibility.

[mich · Rating 4 out of 5]

With all the mother-effing ARCs floating around a few months ago and all the KD craze I’ve been seeing lately, it is a goddamn miracle that I somehow managed to go into this book blind and unaffected by anyone else’s opinion. And I’ll be damned if I do it to you so if you haven’t read this book yet -- JUST STOP! Stop reading reviews and just read the fricken book! (this is a big reason why I binge-read these books on release day -- because I REFUSE to be spoiled even a teeny tiny bit by other people’s reading updates and reviews.)

I am a hard-core Kate Daniels fan and I liked this book. Yes, I had some issues with it. I didn’t think it was the best of the series, or even the second or third best. But I still liked it. The End. Now go read the book.
***************
I’m spoiler tagging the rest cuz it’s spoilery. (DON'T click on it if you didn't read the book! Go read the book!!) It’s just my immediate thoughts upon finishing this book, which I just finished. And keep in mind that I got zero hours of sleep last night after which I then worked eight hours at the office and now my mind is kind of a hazy jumbled mess right now so if what follows doesn’t make sense. . . whatever, I don’t give a fuck. I’m tired.

There was so much to love in this book. SO MUCH. The Ascanio and Derek duo. Desandra. Ghastek. (man, do I love Ghastek. Clueless, clueless Ghastek.)

And Hugh. Oh my god - Hugh. The bad guy is so very bad and I fucking loved it. He’s so unapologetically, ruthlessly evil and I appreciate that these authors don’t shy away from giving us this kind of villain (cuz watered-down bad guys are lame and, people - say all you want about Hugh but he is NOT lame.) I sat up at attention for every scene that he was in (what can I say? The dude is charismatic). His interactions with Kate always had me at the edge of my seat and I loved how she handled him. Every. Single. Time. (Favorite Hugh/Kate scene? The one that starts off with her casually leaning against the wall cleaning her sword as she waits for him at the crime scene where both their wards were up. Hehe. LOVED that entire part, especially how it ends with Hugh knocked the fuck out.)

But, nothing tops Kate. NOTHING. She rocked. Beginning. Middle. And end.

Oh, and you know what? I’m glad Curran was MIA for so long. Am I still pissed off at him from book 6? Guess so. I’m not into him that much anymore and every time that Kate thought of him and missed him (which was pretty often), I’d think, ehhh, enough already. Aaaand now I feel like talking about some of the things that didn’t quite work for me in this book.

The not so good stuff:

--This is probably just me, but I don’t have the strong feelings I used to have about Kate and Curran’s relationship. All the lovey-dovey talk and the he will always come for me and we will do anything for each other stuff just didn’t make the impact that it should have on me and I’m so bummed out about it! I just don’t feel the sizzling chemistry between them anymore. Nor am I feeling the deep, deep soul love. Not only that, I thought it was even a little cheesy.

--The wedding talk annoyed me. Again, I realize this is probably just one of my personal annoyances, but whatever. It annoyed me. It just felt like a bone thrown by the authors.

--Speaking of bones being thrown, I guess this was the book to bring back every single fan-favorite side character that Kate has ever interacted with, ever. Even for appearances so short that you kind of wonder why even bother. (The Roman cameo in particular totally felt thrown in / forced -- it was like, hey! I know you guys really liked Roman so here you go! This should keep you happy, now shut up.)

--There seemed to be a lot of reminiscing crap going on throughout the book, and I wasn’t into it. It was unnecessary filler. For instance, Doolittle’s heart-to-heart talk with Kate? I didn’t need it. I know who Kate is, I don’t need other characters to validate that for me. All. Un. Necessary.

--The way Nick’s cover was blown with Hugh was done so crappily and I suppose it’s all Ted’s fault but I can’t help but be disappointed at what I saw as a huge wasted opportunity for added awesomeness. There was so much potential for how that could have played out! But it was just, eh, cover blown, The End for that side plot. Splat. Wtf was the point?!

--The battle with Hugh – oohhh, this sucked for me big time, I felt robbed, ROBBED! I wanted Kate to fight him, not Curran!! Grrrr, still not over that one.

--There was a lot that happened in the second half, starting from when Kate and Ghastek get rescued, and a lot of it felt rather choppy. I kinda just went with the flow and was cool with it, but I really think it could have (and should have) been executed better. In particular, the showdown with Roland happened in multiple parts that came off as a bit messily fragmented to me. But I will say, my favorite part of that was Kate’s show of power as she made the walk to approach him in the throne room and cut through everyone that got in front of her. And Hilba. Damn! It’s disconcerting to see Kate like that, but personally, I’ve always been fascinated by this bloodthirsty side of her and I liked seeing it.

And hey, to anyone who bothered reading all this and who feels like commenting, I’m curious -- did you think the Roland thing was anti-climactic? I did a little, but just a little. It’s been hinted at in a couple of the previous books that Kate’s big introduction with daddy wouldn’t end up being an outright showdown (i.e. battle). I’ve seen that people have been saying this book is the end of the story arc (and the authors say it in their note in the beginning as well), but I didn’t really get that feeling at all -- that this book finishes the long-running Roland story arc, that is.

To me, this simply felt like a book 7 out of a 10-part series. So it worked for me. But if I thought of this as a book that finishes up that story arc, then I think I’d be feeling pretty disappointed right now. And I’ll say this -- if something big and I mean BIG doesn’t happen in book 10, I will be one sad, let-down girl.

Also, I felt that the Roland that is finally portrayed in the flesh here totally matches with what the authors have meticulously set up throughout the series. I was satisfied. I’m curious -- Were you?

Anyway, I guess that’s it. Another year of waiting begins. There was a lot of stuff that didn’t quite work for me in this installment, but it’s nothing like how I felt about the last one, and I still liked this book and I still really REALLY love this series.


Btw, does anyone know what the deal was with the sweater that Edvokia gave to Kate? I think I read too fast and missed something, and for some reason I’m wondering about it now. . .





----------------------

Is it crazy to use up a vacation day from work just to read a new release book? I kinda feel like being crazy...

[Zala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magic Breaks was uncharted territory for me. When I first got into the Kate Daniels series I stopped reading after Magic Strikes, and now I'm very disappointed in myself for stopping right before the very book in which we get to meet [redacted]. This was a fun one with some very emotional scenes, but it also exposed certain weak spots the series has.

Some spoilery highlights:
Gotta love Barabas' introduction. “My name is Barabas. I was named that because my mother was ambitious. It could be worse. One of my cousins is named Lucifer.”

Boop. “The rope slid up, as fast as if wound by a winch. I shot upward. What the . . . ?
I cleared the edge and found myself face to face with Curran. Oh boy.”

This explains a lot. “Mahon has a doctorate in medieval history.”

Everyone needs a therapist. “'You should talk to someone. The Pack has twelve therapists on our payroll.'
Right. 'I’m fine,' I told him.”
Gotta love how Curran tells Kate she should see a therapist when he should too, and how she says she's fine even though she'd give anyone else the same advice.

Is that... ethical? “As a result, shapeshifter families from all over the country began settling on the border of the Pack’s territory, forming a buffer between us and the outside world.” 

You love to see it. “Either he would see the writing on the wall and retire or his new people would screw up so badly, it would give them grounds to remove him.”

Desandra is a delight as usual. “See those three guys with her? They’re her bodyguards.” Desandra sneered. “She has to have bodyguards, Kate. I can smell the fear.”

Probably because it is the start of a war. “The last thing I saw was Ghastek’s face from the other doorway. He looked like a man who had just witnessed the start of a war.”

Kate can't get a break even in Magic Breaks. “The colossal tortoise stared at me with dinner-plate-sized irises and opened its gargantuan mouth.
Right. The full treatment. Just once, would it kill them to meet me in a gazebo someplace or in a fried chicken joint?”

What in the colonialism. “We killed the Native people of this land. There is no forest anymore. There are just saplings, families of settlers and immigrants, the oldest from the seventeenth century, but most even younger.” [...]
“We committed genocide. We destroyed a people and now we have to pay the price for the terrible crimes we perpetrated.”
The Indigenous erasure here is wild, and the implication that the Natives of the Americas wouldn't have any ancient powers like Roland waking up after all this time??

Love this gang. “His T-shirt followed. Yep. Just like I thought.
'Before you start dancing, we don’t have any cash!' I called.
'Woo!' Desandra waved her arms. 'Take it off!'
'How do you want to go about this?' Robert asked me quietly.
'I can give it a shot,' Ascanio offered.
'Sit your ass down, Don Juanabe,' Derek said.”

We need to know what he doodled!! “Hugh shifted his weight, reached over, and drew a doodle on my ward.”

Does this mean Hugh has a British accent? “Voron, my adoptive father, found Hugh on the street in England.”

Love Doolittle. “I thought of commissioning a palanquin. Something understated.”
“With silk and crimson velvet?”
“And golden tassels.” Doolittle rolled forward. “Then I could be transported in a manner appropriate to my vast experience and wisdom.”

Gasp. “Andrea hesitated, opened her mouth, and closed it without saying a word.
'What is it?'
'I’m pregnant.'”

YESSSSSS. “I could tell by Ghastek’s eyes that he was out. Whatever Hugh decided now, I had done my job. I had stopped this war from happening.
A roar rolled through the snowy field, shaking the winter air like a sudden, terrifying clap of thunder.”

Ghastek snapping was honestly cathartic. “With a guttural snarl, Ghastek punched the water. 'That’s it. That’s fucking it!'”

I'm not crying, you are. “He stared at me. His eyes were horrified. 'Kate? Jesus Christ.'
My lips moved. 'Please be real.'”

The bad news. “Do you want bad news or bad news?” Thomas said.
Curran sighed. “Give me the bad news.”

Living for Kate's family weirding out everyone. “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 . . .”

GASP. “'Don’t!' Thomas screamed.
'I love you,' Robert said, and let go of the lever.”
This was so sad, but I lowkey wanted a more major character death at this point in the series because it's been too easy for them up to now. Yes, I like misery.

Try it. “I’ve often wondered the same thing. I’m positive that if I set him on fire and spread the ashes into the wind, he wouldn’t regenerate.”

No, I don't think that's how it works. “Persuade you to come to Jester Park of your own free will.”

Kate's family freaking people out, part two. “Landon spun the wheel. The Land Rover nearly careened, turning off the road. Landon parked and bolted out of the car, slapping the driver’s door closed behind him. [...]
Landon paced back and forth, his eyes a little wild.
'Well, he took it worse than I did,' Curran said.”

His job is swan. “Why a swan?” Curran asked.
“He’s fond of them”

"It's all brown to me." “He could’ve been Arabic or Jewish, Hindu or Hispanic.” Made me burst out laughing, but also - no, that's not okay.

It would appear we like Roland now? “It was like being in the light of the morning sun. When the power of those eyes shone on my mother, she had no chance.”

I knew it. “I had claimed the city. I had marked Atlanta as my dominion.
My father smiled and disappeared.” He's so proud of his daughter. Knew it would go in this direction because she couldn't fight him and win at this point.

I'm keeping this mental image. “Cute fluffy kittens. Just sitting on Jim’s lap.”

Just a little family reunion here. “Roland glanced at the sword hilt protruding over my shoulder. 'You visited your grandmother.'”

She's his daughter alright. “Mishmar is the safest place for her right now.”
“Close enough so you can crush her if she tries to rise?”
“Exactly.”

Early retirement. “Effective tomorrow, we are retired. Jim has our blessing.”
I love how they just noped out, but I do wish they had a bit more consideration for their friends in the Pack. One of the reasons Curran chose to keep this spot was always that no one else would be strong enough to hold it, and I don't see when that changed. I doubt Jin could defeat all the other alphas (Mahon, Raphael, other members of Clan Heavy) if one of them decided to challenge him. “We were supposed to be attending an emergency Pack Council session, except the three of us sneaked out of the Keep instead.”

He's loaded. “Can we afford this?” I asked Curran. It had to cost an arm and a leg.
“Yes,” he said. “I’m loaded.”

[Jo ★The Book Sloth★ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 Stars

I'm wondering if I can write a review which consists of more than...



There will be many and major SPOILERS in the review. If you haven't read the book then I wouldn't advise continuing.

Let's start from the beginning...

First 2/3 of the book and Curran is nowhere to be found. He's gone off to make a deal with another pack and Kate has to deal with anything pack realted until he returns. Of course this is exactly the time when the shit hit the fan.

Hugh shows up at the Conclave (a meeting between the People and the Pack) bearing the dead body of one of the Masters of the Dead who was obviously murdered by a shapeshifter and demands the killer be delivered to him by the next day. Now Kate must find who did it, avoid Hugh's goons out to get her, and find a way to punish the killer without either appearing weak by delivering a shapeshifter to the People or starting a war by not delivering.

This part of the book lacks excitement. In typical Kate fashion she is running around in circles, trying to find the perpetrator, trying to keep everyone alive, trying to find all the right solutions.

I once commented on a review of mine that what I loved most in Ilona Andrews' writing was that they didn't fill page after page with pointless plot twists and obstacles just to increase the length of the book. That wasn't exactly true in this one. I got the feeling that half of the first 200 pages of the book could have been avoided.

This is not to say though that I didn't enjoy it. There were the one-liners and the bickering between Ascanio and Derek, and Kate's badassness and generally all the things that make Kate Daniels a great series.

And of course there were two revelations that stood out.

Andrea's pregnancy!*happy dance*
And Nick Feldman!



And then Hugh teleports Kate and Ghastek(by accident) in a magical prison and the real fun begins. This is were the -0.25 star goes. Kate sat in that prison and waited for Curran to save her. WTH? This is so not Kate!!

“You’re a survivor. Voron put you on the edge of that cliff again and again until he conditioned you to claw onto life. You’ll do whatever you have to do to survive, and I’m your only chance of getting out. At first you’ll balk, but with every passing hour my offer will look better and better. You’ll convince yourself that dying will accomplish nothing and you should at least go out with a bang. You’ll tell yourself that you’re accepting my offer just so you can stick that broken sword into my chest and feel it cut through my heart. Even if you die afterward, the fact that I’ll stop breathing makes your death mean something. So you’ll call me. And you’ll try to kill me. Except you’ve gone three days without food, and that body . . .” He tilted his head and looked me over slowly. “That body burns through calories like fire goes through gasoline. You’re running out of reserves. I can put you down with one hit.”

This above is Kate. The Kate we've come to know would have done exactly that. She wouldn't have sat there on the brink of death and expect that Curran will somehow, magically save her! But I did like the put down Kate gave Hugh.

Time for a reality check, Hugh. “You have what you have only because my father mixed your blood with his. Everything you do and everything you are, you owe to someone else and when he’s done using you, he’ll toss you aside.”
Hugh’s eyebrows came together.
I kept going. “I’ve carved my own life out of this world. You try getting by without Roland’s help and then come back and lecture me. Oh wait, you did, and first I kicked your ass, then Curran broke your spine and threw you into a fire. How does that feel, Hugh? To know you’re second best?”
“You’re pushing it,” he told me.
“You’re hired help. You can’t even tell Roland no. So how about you shut up and go back to what you do best. Roland’s boots need cleaning.”

After the rescue though come the really good parts of the book. I'm not gonna tell you exactly what. I'll just say that Kate has the best family EVER!!! I'll be so sad if Kate does have to kill Roland in the end.

And the end of the book...



Favourite scene in the book:

“My turn. Do you carry Voron’s sword?”
“No.”
The excitement died in Landon’s eyes.
“Hugh broke Slayer,” I told him. “I loved that sword. It was a part of me for over twenty years.”
“A convenient excuse,” Landon murmured.
Oh screw it. “I mourn my sword, but that’s alright. Grandmother gave me another one.” I pulled Sarrat out of its sheath.
Landon spun the wheel. The Land Rover nearly careened, turning off the road. Landon parked and bolted out of the car, slapping the driver’s door closed behind him.
Awesome. I’d terrified the Legatus of the Golden Legion just by showing him my sword. If I waved it around, he’d probably explode.
Sarrat smoked on my lap. Its magic wasn’t subtle, like Slayer’s. No, this sword emanated power. It coiled around me. It liked me.
Landon paced back and forth, his eyes a little wild.
“Well, he took it worse than I did,” Curran said.
“I don’t see what the big deal is.”
“It’s a sword made out of your grandmother’s bones, Kate.”
I shrugged.
Landon stared at me through the windshield, turned around, paced back and forth, and stared at me again.
“Do you know what most people have from their grandmother? A tea set. Or a quilt.” Curran smiled. “If your family had a quilt, it would be made out of chimera skin and stuffed with feathers from dead angels.”

BR with Aly!!

[Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars. Review first posted on Fantasy Literature:

In Magic Breaks, the seventh book in Ilona Andrews’ KATE DANIELS urban fantasy series, the overarching plot lines of the series takes a lion-sized step forward, with a few major surprises along the way. *some spoilers for earlier books in the series*

Kate Daniels, her mate Curran, the Beast Lord of Atlanta’s shapeshifter Pack, and their group have returned from their perilous trip to Europe, described in Magic Rises, where they ran into conflict with Hugh d’Ambray, the warlord of Roland. Roland is an ancient, immortal legend with nearly godlike magical powers, and Kate has been both hiding from him and planning his death since her childhood: Kate was raised by Voron, a man with an enormous grudge against Roland. Hugh’s been circling around Kate for several books now, attempting to establish beyond any doubt that she is Roland’s daughter. Their group barely escaped him in Europe, and Kate knows Hugh will be back around again to cause more trouble. A couple of new friends joined Kate and Curran in Europe and are now part of the Atlanta Pack: Christopher, a mage who was severely mentally damaged by Roland and Hugh’s torture, and Desandra, a werewolf who is now becoming a powerful figure in Atlanta’s Clan Wolf and is giving the current wolf alpha, Jennifer, fits. (For that alone I adore Desandra.)

Curran is invited to bring several of the most powerful members of the Pack on a hunt in the mountains. Despite his and Kate’s concerns that it’s part of a plan to leave Kate without his support, the trip is important as part of a key negotiation, so Curran, Mahon and others go. Sure enough, once they’re out of town, Kate and the Pack get hit with a serious problem. At Conclave, a meeting between the vampire masters and Pack leadership, Hugh appears and dramatically throws down the gauntlet. Actually, what he throws down is the dead body of a Master of the Dead, who has clearly been murdered by a shapeshifter.

Kate now has twenty-four hours to find the shapeshifter killer and hand him or her over for punishment. A deadly war is on the verge of breaking out between these two supernatural forces, the vampire masters and the shapeshifters. Curran is still out of town, and Kate knows that Hugh is manipulating events to try to get control over her in one way or another, and presumably then deliver her, giftwrapped, into the deadly hands of Roland. And a cryptic but heartfelt warning is given to Kate by Christopher, who seems to have some foresight into future events.

Magic Breaks takes a while to really get rolling, though the story is given some color and humor by a lilac bunnycat and a giant-sized, black-and-white spotted stubborn mule named Cuddles (apparently by someone with an overactive sense of humor). But once the plot kicks into high gear it’s a fascinating tale. There’s a slight disconnect between the two halves of the story, a shift in focus that is marked by a sudden change in scenery. But the second half of the novel is worth the wait, and will remain etched in my memory … helped along by one or two rereads of key scenes after I finished the book.

Several long-term characters develop new depths in Magic Breaks. Ghastek, one of the most powerful vampire masters in Atlanta, becomes a far more well-rounded character. He and Kate share a traumatic experience that leads to Ghastek sharing his personal backstory with Kate, including the eyebrow-raising origin of his name. It makes him a more sympathetic character. Curran, once he rejoins the story, reveals new facets of his character as well. Kate herself needs to step up to the plate in a new and unnerving way, accepting and publicly displaying her full magical powers, not just her swordfighting abilities. And the long-awaited Roland finally makes an actual appearance. Despite his godly powers, he isn’t what readers might have expected. Roland is much more nuanced, a chilling mixture of fatherly affection and implacable, deadly power.

In the end, Kate and Curran each have a huge personal choice to make. While in some ways it’s a regrettable move, it opens the door for the series to move forward in a fresh way.

Bonus content: The paperback copy of this book includes Magic Tests, a bonus short story about Julie, Kate’s adopted teenage daughter. “Magic Tests” is narrated by Julie, Kate’s teenage adopted daughter, who refused to stay put at the boarding school where Kate originally placed her. Julie and Kate visit Seven Stars Academy, where Kate hopes Julie will be willing to continue her education, despite Julie’s reluctance. Kate and the academy’s director sweeten the pot with an intriguing mystery that they ask Julie to help investigate: A freshman girl has disappeared without a trace, but the location spell indicates that she is still on the school’s grounds. If Ashlyn isn’t found within the next twenty-four hours, the school will need to alert the authorities, which they’re hoping to avoid.

As Julie jumps into the investigation ― and, as a natural side effect, starts to befriend some of the students there ― more of her personality is revealed, along with the functioning of her magical powers and her views about her relationship with Kate. Julie displays some admirable planning and deductive skills. I’m still mystified, though, about why a collection of apples that Julie finds locked in Ashlyn’s desk are suffused with mysterious bright green magic to Julie’s eyes. The source of the green magic is disclosed later, but not its connection to Ashlyn’s apples.

“Magic Tests” is a quick, light read; it’s not particularly memorable, but I enjoyed it.

Initial post: 4, maybe 4.5 stars. The overarching plot lines of this series takes a huge step forward in this 7th book in the series, and I am HERE for that. All the players finally come together, and there were a few real surprises along the way.

[Anzû · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hugh is my boi.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just amazing. This writing team of Ilona Andrews has knocked another one out of the park. In this seventh edition of Kate Daniels' adventures, there has been a murder by a shapeshifter of an influential person, and Kate is on a ticking timeline to figure out the motive and find a solution in order to avert a war.

These two never fail to come up with thrilling plots and out of this world world-building, and this edition is perhaps one of their finest, as Kate's confrontation with her father looms ever nearer. There were so many times I believed I was at the final climax of the book and NO, things just kept racheting up.

But what I really appreciated in this book was the way the writing made me care about characters in small, tender moments, and particularly about secondary characters. Curran is absent for a large chunk of the book, which allows for characters we don't see as often to take a more leading role (even though I missed Curran.) I loved the scenes with Robert, who up until now has been a background character, leading up to the scenes near the end. And the history shared with Ghastek, in particular, was moving. When he said, "I am still a Master of the Dead," I was a little sniffly. Gosh darn you Ilona Andrews, making me actually like Ghastek!

This was amazing, and I can't wait to read book 8. 5/5 stars.

[Antonella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series!




This was a non-stop action, full blast into Atlanta with the amazing Kate and all the outstanding side characters. Love the meet with the "dad"- finally.

I loved Kate in previous books, but in this one, she is even more honorable and relatable. She matured. Yes, she is still badass, but in this one; she is more.... so much more.


KATE!KATE!




Only I got a bit upset with the authors at the beginning of the book. Why did they put a list of characters?! After seven books. Seven! I know readers complained that the series makes little sense or starts at book three. And I am one of those people. In the beginning, there is a weird jump into the series with many characters and no sense. And I stuck it out. I had to read slowly, but I got intrigued and loved the heroine and other surfaces. But come on, do this now!! I'm simply insulted. After six books in a couple of novellas, I think I can grasp the characters and who they are. It's not that difficult. Besides, if this is for new readers, I really don't know anyone who would start a series of 10 books with book number seven. So what is the point?! If I'm still reading this, that means I love it, I care for these characters, and I KNOW about them, so don't treat me like an idiot.

Sorry for the rant, but that really bothered me. Thank you for listening to my TED Talk.


I still gave this book five stars because I love it and it's a brilliant book. But that beginning, yeah, I will just pretend it never happened.


This is a fun read. I enjoyed it. More, please.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

1st read - April 2014
2nd read - July 2014
3rd read - July 2015
4th read - August 2016
5th read - April 2018
6th Read - July 2018
7th Read - September 2019
8th read - October 2020
9th read - January 2021

Full Review

I've said it before but I'll say it again - I'm an Ilona & Gordon Andrews fan girl, in fact, I'm a total addict of this series and Kate & Curran are one of my favourite fictional couples ever. So it would be fair to say that I was excited to get my hands on an advanced copy of Magic Breaks. In fact I was so excited about it that I actually read it twice before the release date - that's how fantastic this book is. So, you're probably wondering why it has taken me so long to write this review and my answer is that I've been feeling intimidated. How can I possibly describe the level of awesome that this book (in fact, this entire series!) has reached? I'm afraid to say that this review will probably involve a lot of gushing but I've decided that I just have to share my feelings about it and hope you'll forgive me for lack the of sensible insight.

Fans of the series will already know that this book is the cumulation of the long running story arc with Kate's father Roland, that doesn't mean this is the end of the series, just that Magic Breaks is a game changer. This confrontation has been a long time coming and it's fair to say expectations were high for Kate and Roland's first face to face meeting. I've spent a lot of time throughout the books wondering what would happen when they met but I don't think I could ever have been fully prepared for what actually happens. The showdown is nothing like I was expecting but it has totally set things up for exciting things in the future. That ending was epic and I can't wait to see where things go from here.

I love how much Kate has grown as a person throughout this series, she has come such a long way but she still has a lot to learn about her abilities and she doesn't have full control over her powers yet. The most special thing about these books has been seeing her go from a lonely young woman who felt she had to keep everyone at a distance to someone who has close friends and a self-made little family that she would give her life to protect. She has worked hard to find her place in the Pack and she comes into her own even more in this book when she has to take charge while Curran is absent. I love how her relationship with Curran has developed too, they have become such a strong couple and no matter what happens they never lose faith in each other. I adore them both and find myself wanting to reread every single moment they spend together.

I don't want to say too much about the plot of Magic Breaks because I would hate to give spoilers but I will mention a few other highlights. I loved the bickering between Derek and Ascanio who had me laughing out loud numerous times with their antics. Kate's confrontation with Jennifer was a long time coming but so worth the wait - that really was the best smack down EVER. I enjoyed getting to learn a bit more about Gastek and his background and I'm actually kind of starting to like the guy. Andrea is awesome and she always has Kate's back no matter how dangerous the situation, how fantastic is it to have more than one strong female character in a series! Magic Breaks is everything I want from a book in this series, it is humorous and has some fantastic one liners, it is action packed and full of unexpected surprises and most of all it has the best characters, the strongest friendships and a wonderful relationship between the main characters. There is so much to love about these books and it's quite unusual to find a series that is still this fresh and exciting seven books down the line, I never want it to end.
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1st Read

Previous thoughts:

10th April 2014 (my response to getting the ARC!):
OMG OMG OMG OMG I HAVE IT!!! I have an ARC of Magic Breaks!!!!!!!!!!!!

*dies of excitement*

11th-14th April 2014 (first read):
Loved it, love Kate & Curran, love the humour & just generally love the whole series. Full review to come closer to the release date.

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3rd Read

I'm taking part in a mass reread of this series with the lovely peeps from the Ilona Andrews Addicts (IAA) Group

Anyone is welcome to join us & here is the reading schedule if you want to take part:
→ Magic Bites - April 27
→ Magic Burns - May 11
→ Magic Strikes - May 25
→ Magic Bleeds - Jun 8
→ Magic Slays - Jun 22
→ Magic Rises - July 6
→ Magic Breaks - July 20
→ Magic Shifts - Aug 4

I loved it even more the third time around. I'm so relieved it's nearly time for Magic Shifts because I'm dying to see how things play out after that ending!

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4th Read

2016 Kate Daniels series reread with my fellow Ilona Andrews Addicts!

I think I've run out of sensible words to say about this series. I love the characters, love the world building, love the mythology, the action, the friendships, the relationships, the humour. Everything is just pretty much perfect. Kate and Curran are my favourite fictional couple and the series has some of the best side characters you'll ever come across so rereading these books is like catching up with old friends.

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Want epicbadassery? Well, don't let the opening of the book fool you, this one ends with a real bang.

And you know what? There's a MINIMUM of relationship miscommunications! WOOOO WOOOO... of course, that's only because Curran's out of town for a big portion of the book, but isn't that how it always is? The only way to prevent relationship troubles is to make sure there's lots of out of town business meetings. Yeah. Right? No.

Of course Kate gets thrown into the blowback from the previous novel. Of course she had to face an armageddon of undead and shifters, filled with many reversals, betrayals, and one heartbreaking scene where Slayer gets broken, but do you think that's enough to carry a whole book? Well, yeah, it might have been, but this is where things get really funky.

Roland's here.

Who?

Daddy's Home!

....And we have a showdown. Whew. Awesome. Totally cool. Feels like a series ender, even, but relax! We know there's more books coming, and the end of this one is a really cool twister. :) I'm perfectly happy with the series and I think this might be the very best yet. :)

[Haïfa · Rating 4 out of 5]

6th read, graphic audio this time.
Edited, spoiler-free, review below
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Magic Breaks stands clearly as a turning point in the series. Or rather, as a point of no return. In the previous installments, revelations about Kate's origins and long term plans unraveled gradually but despite them threatening the life she built for herself and the people she loved, there was always a getaway, the freedom to choose whatever path she wanted to follow in order to save her life and the lives of her loved ones. A lot of the events in Magic Breaks lead to irrevocable consequences and definitely less options to choose from. I enjoyed these consequences and the new turn the overarching plot took. They were inevitable and I was totally prepared, even though I'm nostalgic for the times where Kate was free of ties and responsibilities. 

Despite this, I thought the book was equally amazing and frustrating. I chose a bullet point kind of review that would convey better what worked amazingly for me and what worked less. 

Awesome stuff

♡♡♡ Kate's romantic relationship. Kate and her significant other steadily learned to talk to each other and they finally realized that decisions were made together. I loved the trust, the absolute loyalty and the mutual understanding they developed. A certain sequence of events actually wrecked my heart, and then just as suddenly proceeded to mend the pieces together and gave me back a bigger, fuller one.

He opened his mouth and closed it. "As you wish."
I love you too.

♡♡♡ Crazy Kate was back. Responsible, well-behaved Kate was great and all but she was also quite grim and a tad boring. Insane Kate was much more fun!

I slid the blade back into the sheath and petted it.
"It's okay, Sarrat. If he insults you, I'll cut his head off and you can drink his blood."

 

♡♡♡ The development of the major secondary characters. I know I'm repeating myself but I have to, so I convince you to pick this series and get to know them for yourselves! :) They were well fleshed out, complex, flawed and special, each in their own way. Strong, fearless, crazy Desandra was a great surprise. Don Juanabe (aka Ascanio) and Broody (aka Derek, one of my favorites)'s bickering was hilarious and their loyalty absolute and very touching. We learned more about Ghastek (one of the People's premier masters of the Dead), Doolittle (the Pack's medmage), Robert (the Wererats's Alpha), Jennifer (the Werewolves's Alpha)... All of them got their chance to shine. I absolutely loved the fact that the authors kept developing their characters and giving a couple of them, in turns, more screen time in each book. And I loved the fact that even the dead ones were mentioned and still had an impact.

“I thought your teeth fell out?” “They did.” Desandra bared a new sharp set at me. “I found out I was coming to this meeting and they grew all on their own.”

♡♡♡ Hugh d'Ambray, Preceptor of the Order of Iron Dogs and one of the most formidable enemies Kate had to face to date. He gave me the creeps. The guy was a cold, manipulative, crazy powerful sociopath and I hated him for a lot of unnecessary and cruel deeds. But he was undeniably a great character, for obvious narrative and dramatic reasons. I was glad to see that the more he pushed, the more he steered Kate toward spectacular decisions. Most of the scenes involving Hugh were extremely intense. I'm thinking about the battle in the Vault for example, terrible, beautiful and heart-wrenching all at the same time.

"We, the alphas, we’re not always good people. We try to be, but there are times when there are no good choices. If my clan were running from an enemy, I would sacrifice myself for their sake in a heartbeat. But if they were running to a door only I knew how to open, I would race ahead of them even if it meant that some of those behind me might fall. We think in numbers, not individuals.”

 

Last but not least, the climax sequences were epic! Not in scale but in insane display of powers and skills and in sheer tension. And this is where I stop, lest I spoil vital elements of the story. Just know that you won't be able to put the book down once you reach the last 25% of the book (may be even the halfway mark!).


The gorgeous new french cover

Things I liked less

☹ Curran's absence in almost half of the book. Even if I understood the necessity of it in the narrative and in Kate's role in the Pack, I found a book without Curran to be decidedly blander.  

☹ The uneven pace. The book wasn't as well-balanced as the previous books in my opinion. Some parts dragged almost painfully, like the killer's chase in the first part of the book, while more interesting subplots could have been longer. 

☹ The conclusion of the book. During my first read, I wasn't sure if I loved or disliked the very end but it sure felt a bit rushed. After rereading the series twice, I could totally collect the many crumbs left here and there, and see how they lead inexorably toward this path. Retrospectively, it made a lot of sense. But whether it was the best course of action or not, I can say for sure that the last page was priceless!

Conclusion
All in all, Magic Breaks was still excellent as a whole and a lot of unexpected things happened. The middle of the book was very emotional, get your hankies ready, y'all! After my first read, I took a necessary little break to process all the emotions and revelations (and to spin out the pleasure and the fun as well!). And at the same time, I couldn't wait to devour the remaining books. In 3 years, Kate Daniels has become one of my favorite series of all time, my comfort read and one that I would gladly reread over and over whenever the mood strikes me.  

[Jessica ❁ ➳ Silverbow ➳ ❁ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Magic Breaks is the last book in a seven book story arc—not the last Kate Daniels book, the authors are contracted for three more books, but the last in a story that has been building for seven years.

SEVEN years. That’s a long time.

In Magic Rises the jig is up. Hugh d’Ambray has figured out exactly who Kate is, and lures her to Europe with the express purpose of handing her over to her father, the great and powerful Roland.

Hugh fails spectacularly, in a way that if he’s not dead, Roland has almost certainly been made aware of Kate’s existence.

This is a Big Deal.

Up to this point, Kate’s entire life has been led to avoid discovery.

Her whole life. One purpose.

Okay, her life purpose was to avoid discovery until she was powerful enough to kill Roland. So two purposes.

Regardless. BOTH purposes have now been foiled.

And in Magic Breaks you don’t have to wait long to know this to be true.

A very much alive Hugh crashes the monthly Conclave between the Pack and the People, throws the mauled body of an important navigator of the People on the table, announces said body was killed by a Shapeshifter (as evidenced by the mauling), and basically starts a war between the two most powerful factions in Atlanta.

😱

And it isn’t just a war. It’s an excuse for the full might of Roland to come down and crush the Pack and to end Kate.

It’s Kate’s worst nightmare come alive.

All her loved ones dead.

All her loved ones dead b/c of their connection to her.

She immediately sends Julie away, which is a bummer, b/c it means Julie is absent for the entire book.

Also absent for most of the book is Curran, who is away on a hunt for diplomatic reasons, which is also a bummer.

I’m writing this review after reading Magic Breaks for the second time. I didn’t write one the first time, b/c for reasons I can’t replicate, I didn’t like it very much.

I was really upset about Curran’s and Julie’s absence. I felt like Kate lamented entirely too often that Curran was gone. Certain scenes seemed, at the time, to be ridiculous. Bunnycats. Cuddles. WTF?

The second time around, none of these things bothered me.

Of course Julie was sent away. Curran shows up when Kate needs him the most. Of course Kate misses him. Her entire world has just collapsed, and he’s away on a freaking hunt. He doesn’t even like to hunt. And bunnycats and Cuddles were much needed moments of levity in a very, very stressful book.

Ultimately, Magic Breaks is a satisfying ending to my favorite urban fantasy series, and I can’t wait to see what comes next.



My other reviews for this series:

A Questionable Client (Kate Daniels, #0.5)
Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, #1)
Magic Burns (Kate Daniels, #2)
Magic Strikes (Kate Daniels, #3)
Magic Mourns (Kate Daniels, #3.5)
Magic Bleeds (Kate Daniels, #4)
Magic Dreams (Kate Daniels, #4.5)
Magic Slays (Kate Daniels, #5)
Magic Tests (Kate Daniels, #5.3)
Magic Gifts (Kate Daniels, #5.4)
Gunmetal Magic (Kate Daniels, #5.5)
Retribution Clause (Kate Daniels, #5.6)
An Ill-Advised Rescue (Kate Daniels, #5.8)
Magic Rises (Kate Daniels, #6)
Magic Steals (Kate Daniels, #6.5)
Magic Shifts (Kate Daniels, #8)
Magic Stars (Kate Daniels, #8.5, Grey Wolf, #1)
Magic Binds (Kate Daniels, #9)
Iron and Magic (Kate Daniels, #9.5)
Magic Triumphs (Kate Daniels, #10)
Curran POV Collection

[Anna [Bran. San. Stan] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hugh has got to be my favorite psychopath.