Magic Breaks by Ilona Andrews (mild spoilers)

Thanks to Ace (a Penguin Group Science Fiction and Fantasy imprint) and my Twitter addiction, this happened on Monday:

Just in case you were about to underestimate how happy this made me,
please use the size of this picture to as an indication of my joy.
Now, increase that amount by an exponent of 10 and crank up the volume.

My sisters love me (or they were afraid of my excessive use of exclamation points), and they agreed that the ARC (advance reading copy) could come to my house.  It arrived on Friday.  So this was a BFD for couple of reasons.  As I texted, this is one my favorite series, but an ARC also meant I wouldn't need to wait until release day (July 29) to read the book.  

Suffice to say there was much fangirl-ing* in my house this week.

And, yet, this Kate Daniels fangirl has somehow never reviewed a Kate book for you before.  

A book set in Kate's world? Yes.  

A novella in anthology that is also in Kate's world? Yes.  

But an actual, honest-to-goodness Kate book? No. That just incomprehensible.
(And that word does mean what I think it means.)

This is our ARC.
You are not allowed to judge it by its cover.

Warning: mild spoilers found below.


Magic Breaks is the seventh book in this series; the authors are contracted for three more.  (I am unlikely to think that 10 is enough.)  The book opens with series summary by one of the supporting characters, so you could dive right in and read this book without being lost**.  Briefly, what that summary explains is that Kate lives in Atlanta at a time when magic pulses and technology works inconsistently.  Kate, due to her parentage, IS magic. She's also, due to her upbringing, quite the ass-kicker.  Her fiance, Curran, is the Beast Lord, the alpha's alpha of the Atlanta Pack of shapeshifters.  There are witches, trolls, and vampires*** in this world, and Kate works hard to protect her loved ones, the defenseless, and a few mostly righteous people willing to pay for her services****.

The story begins when the uneasy truce between the people who navigate the vampires and the shapeshifters is broken by the discovery that a shapeshifter killed a master navigator. Kate has to figure out how to prevent an almost inevitable war between the two sides--a war seemingly kick-started by Hugh d'Ambray, a wingnut with a twisted preoccupation with Kate.  Hugh is so preoccupied with Kate that when she manages to foil his master plan (curses!), he uses betrayal within the Pack to get Kate (literally) where he wants her.

So, war averted, but personal jeopardy ensured. (That's kinda Kate's MO.)

The copy  pre-ordered will look like this
when it arrives on Tuesday.

Hugh is a sociopathic wingnut, so he underestimates both the devotion and capabilities of Kate's friends and family, and that underestimation eventually leads to his embarrassment before his boss, Kate's father.  

Oh, I need to tell you somethings about Kate's dad.

He's . . . not nice. Nor is he weak.
He wants to "claim" Atlanta as his own, and he just might have a history of killing off his offspring.

So the part of this series and this story that has been leading up to a confrontation between Kate and her father? 

Err, tense and likely deadly.

So what have a described so far?  An urban fantasy about an ass-kicking, sword-slinging heroine; her devoted, psychotic (in a good way?) supernatural friends; and her messed-up family tree.  A heroine forced (through circumstances and her own conscience) into facing a powerful wizard who will try to control or kill her.

Sound like fun?  It's AWESOME.  It's so good, I'm going to read it again before release day. 

Now, excuse me, while my Precious and I go spend more time together.

One last look at our Precious for you.

*In my case, fangirl-ing involves dancing around the house with no concern for dignity, copious amounts of texts and social media messages--again, with no concern for dignity--and, of course, squee-ing. ZOMG!! We won an ARC.

**But for the love of my book OCD, start at the beginning.  There's a difference between not being lost and really appreciating what's going on.***These vampires are little like remotely controlled zombies.  On their own, they're mindless predators, but "navigators" can manipulate them like string-less marionettes. 


***These vampires are little like remotely controlled zombies.  On their own, they're mindless predators, but "navigators" can manipulate them like string-less marionettes.

****For more insight into Kate's world, go here.  It's a new site, so I can't tell you much about it.

Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire

Anyone frantically looking for a place to let their attention rest while the talking heads on TV pretend they know what's going on with this election?

Me, too.

I voted, and I hope you did, too.  I just CAN NOT STAND the part of Election Night where everyone tries to predict an outcome with only 3% of precincts reporting.  So in the vein of providing you something else to think about, I give you Toby Daye.

Or, rather, Seanan McGuire gives you Toby Daye.

(If that author names sounds familiar it's because I reviewed the first of her InCryptid novels here.)

Toby Daye is a changeling, which in Toby's world means one parent is fae while the other is human.  She's a fairly weak changeling for her kind, and at the beginning of the Rosemary and Rue things aren't going well for her. In the human world, Toby is a private investigator, but in Faerie she's a knight-errant.  Her liege sends her on a mission that uses her P.I. skills, and unfortunately, Toby gets turned into a koi.  Yes, you read that right.  Toby becomes a big goldfish.

She spends 14 years this way before, inexplicably, she changes back.  By then the human world has moved on without her, and she's furious with Faerie for all she's lost.  The loss of a fae friend and ally pushes Toby back into the fae world so she can identify her friend's murderer.

I actually started Rosemary and Rue twice.  Toby is at a loss when the book opens.  I don't blame her; if I spent 14 years of my life in a pond I'd probably be a bit aimless, too.  But this makes for a dreary opening for a story set in a really interesting world.  There are bridge trolls and selkies and Cait Sidhe.  So? Interesting.  There's also well justified bitterness (well, ruefulness, more likely) in Toby, and she's basically ignoring everything but her cats.  So? Dreary.  That made is easy to set Toby aside for me.  Finally, though, based on my love of Discount Armageddon I went back to Rosemary and Rue, and I'm glad I did.

Toby is tough and loyal and smart, and she takes you on a crazy journey into the magic of Faerie trying to solve the murder of Countess Evening Winterrose.  Rosemary and Rue is a mystery, and a fantasy, and the opening of redemption story all rolled into one.  If you like your mysteries served amidst a world of Daoine Sidhe, this is the story for you.

By the end of the book, Toby's bitterness isn't limited to her feelings about her time as a koi, so this isn't an easy book.  It is, however, an good introduction to an amazing series.  (You know I couldn't just offer up one book to you, yeah?) There are currently six books in the Toby Daye series, and I devoured all six of them since the beginning of the school year.  Toby grows a lot across the series, and right now, after six, she's in a pretty good place.  If you want to find her there, you'd best pick up Rosemary and Rue.

Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews

I am SO sorry.

I have neglected you.

First, I missed a post last week.  (So, yes, I'll post a second one today. I owe you.)  Alas, that's the least of my transgressions.

I could have SWORN I reviewed a Kate Daniels book.  Really, I was sure of it.  I was so sure of it that  I went into the archives to search for the review so I could link to it in this one.

AND . . .

I came up empty-handed.

Yes, there's this review of a novella in an anthology.  That is wildly insufficient.  The Kate Daniels books are some of my favorite on the planet right now.  I KNOW I've recommended the series to some of my urban fantasy reading pals.  (Hi, Patricia!)  I was feeling a bit guilty about reviewing a book related to a series I had already fawned over.  

ONLY, I haven't.

And, technically, this review still doesn't get it done.

A good book,
even when Andrea has a day
to rival Alexander's
bad day of all days.

See, today's review is about Gunmetal Magic, a book set in the world on Kate Daniels, by Ilona Andrews, but not actually about Kate.

Seriously, I've failed you again.

Luckily, I'm bringing you a REALLY good book, so hopefully you'll love me anyway.

Gunmetal Magic is Andrea's story. She is Kate's best friend and business partner.  While Kate is busy saving the life of an innocent child, Andrea has her hands busy figuring out who (or what) killed four members of the Atlanta Pack.  This world of Kate's (and, therefore, Andrea's) is full of magic that takes down technology in waves and leaves the world without.  There are vampires, and shifters, witches, and plain ol' humans all trying to live through the waves.  It's a bit of a struggle on a day-to-day basis because the magic will topple buildings and kill a car.  Really nice cars in Kate's world have both combustion engines that run on gasoline (technology) and enchanted engines that run on water (magic).  Andrea is faced with something beyond that day-to-day struggle because a couple of Egyptian gods are rearing their animalistic (snake and jackal) heads.  To add insult to injury, Andrea must face up to her ex, Rafael, and make a decision about joining the Atlanta pack.  That's quite more than just an honest day's work.

Gunmetal Magic, like all the Kate Daniel's books, is full of action, tight storytelling, and compelling wonder.  The friendship between Andrea and Kate is a strong, just like the women involved.  There are dashes of humor and smoldering moments.  It's a really great urban fantasy.  I've read all Kate Daniels' stories, so I know exactly why Rafe is Andrea's ex, but I believe the back story is well enough explained that if you wanted to jump into the series here, you could.

And the coolest thing? There is a Kate Daniels' novella, Magic Gifts, in Gunmetal Magic.

So, please, forgive me for my transgressions, because I bring you (almost) two GREAT books in one.

Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire

Urbania, Italy, my current home away from home
(almost 5,000 miles from home and seven hours ahead of CDT)

I have good news and bad news.  Which should I share first?

I can't hear you.  I don't know if it's the distance or the time difference, but you're doing a lousy job of making your wishes heard.

Seriously, you need to learn to speak up.  I will, however, persevere.

Let's go with the good news.  

I read a book. (Yes!) 

It rocked.  (Yes! Yes!) 

It's part of a new series. (Yes! Yes! Yes!)

Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire is the first of the InCryptid series.  Verity Price, of those Prices, is living in Manhattan trying to balance her love for competitive ballroom dance and her family's vocation.  The Prices, you see, are dedicated to studying and preserving cryptids (creatures not proven to exist) that can peaceably co-exist with humans.  Other cryptids don't exactly DO peaceable, so the Prices are prepared to rehabilitate or extinguish the mean and nasty things that go bump in the night.  Very's parents and siblings are dedicated to the family mission, but she's torn between dance and duty.

In addition to the Prices who keep order with the cryptid community, the Order of St. George also has own opinion about how to deal with the atypical creatures.  The Order's way is a little harsh, so when Very realized that young, unmarried cryptids are disappearing from Manhattan AND that someone from the Order is in town, she's a bit alarmed and suspicious.

An excellent choice for DWTS fans

I won't give away any of the good stuff, but I will say that Very does get to the truth of the matter,  that the guy from the Order is a hottie and that Very has her hands full.

This was a fun book with free running (a type of parkour), ballroom dance, romance, boogie men, dragons, and ghouls.  I highly recommend it for fans of urban fantasy AND fans of "Dancing with the Stars".

But there's still some bad news.  

While this is part of a new series, it's currently a stand alone. (No!) 

The second book isn't tentatively scheduled to be released before March 2013.  (No! No!)

So if you finish the first and are dying to read the second, you're in for a wait. (No! No! No!)

Hexed by Ilona Andrews, Yasmine Galenorn, Allyson James, Jeanne C. Stein

Curses! Foiled again!

Except that this book is more like "Curses! But then safe again."

Hexed is an anthology of four short stories about curses (well, hexes, really) foisted onto characters from existing series by the four authors. I knew of two of the series when I noticed this book, and I bought it solely for the Ilona Andrews contribution. I was not disappointed. Magic Dreams focuses on two characters previously introduced in the the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. This series is urban fantasy with a touch of romance set in a world where magic and technology no longer co-exist. When magic is "up" technology stops working; conversely, when magic is "down" technology works as it should. In addition to an interesting take on vampires and weres, this series incorporates magical legends from cultures that aren't always represented in today's urban fantasy books. I really love the series, and it was great to get a closer look of the two re-occurring characters, Jim and Dali. The plot was an excellent stand alone story where Dali must save Jim from a Japanese whore-spider curse. (Yes, you read that correctly.) If you haven't read any of the Kate Daniels' books, this is an intriguing peak into her world.

The second series familiar to me was created by Yasmine Galenorn. Ice Shards was a decent short story about a house sprite trying to discover the truth from her past and lift a curse that's preventing her from having children. There's just something about this series that doesn't speak to me. I've started two of the full stories and have never finished them. I think it's just a matter of personal preference.

Of the two that were new to me, the Allyson James story, Double Hexed, really intrigued me. In Double Hexed, someone has worked a double hex (one that doubles in strength when someone unsuccessfully tries to remove it) into the wards on a hotel. The characters in this story are featured into Allyson James' Stormwalker series. I'm going to look into those books because I liked her main character and a few of supporting characters. Double Hexed is considered 2.5 of a 4 book, to date, series.

Blood Debt by Jeanne C. Stein was the weakest of the four stories, in my opinion. Here, a relatively new vampire is called to task for past actions and needs to save herself and a friend's brother. Short stories always make it hard to tell, in my opinion, but I found the romance part of Blood Debt to be a little too sudden and a little too pat. I was ready for the story to end, and that's never something that happens when I'm reading the Ilona Andrews' books.

One of the reasons I buy anthologies is for the opportunity to discover new series on the cheap. I would have considered this book worth the price even if I had only liked Magic Dreams by Ilona Andrews. However, the Yasmine Galenorn story was decent enough filling and finding the Stormwalker series was an added bonus and treat!

I recommend this book for fans of urban fantasy, but don't take my word for it. Check out the reviews on amazon.com.

River Marked by Patricia Briggs

I want to be friends with a Volkswagen mechanic, and that's probably a sign that I'm certifiable. I already have a host of amazing good friends, I don't drive a VW, and the mechanic in question lives out of state in a fictional world created by Patricia Briggs.

Mercy Thompson, the heroine of River Marked, is seriously cool. In addition to being a self-employed VW mechanic, she's an extremely loyal and resourceful friend. Then there's the part where she changes into a coyote at will, but unlike most were-animals from urban fantasy she wasn't "turned". She was born a skinwalker, her status attributed to her long-passed Blackfeet father. Her skinwalker status also means she changes quickly and effortlessly compared to the bigger, stronger werewolves in these stories. So, really, who wouldn't want to be friends with a loyal, resourceful mechanic who can protect you from all sorts of bad guys?

Perhaps the biggest question is what Mercy would get out of being friends with me other than my utter devotion to her series of books*. River Marked is the sixth book of this series, and it's an adventure that Mercy and her mate, Adam, take primarily on their own--without the usual cast of characters that surround them. Nice people are being lured into the water and disappearing, and it takes Mercy, Adam, and a full cast of First People to put the situation to rest.

It was lovely, for a change, to have Adam as a main character in the story instead of part of the subplots. It was also nice that Mercy learns about herself, her genesis, and her heritage. This story, more than the others, had plenty of Native American history and lore. The enemy vanquished is from that Native American lore instead from the vampires and fae that normally plague Mercy and, by extension, Adam's werewolf pack. So while I've loved all six books this one may be the most complete in addressing all aspects of Mercy's life.

Here's the link to Amazon's River Marked page.

*I've long thought that my contribution to any of the fictional friendships I would claim would need to be of the early-nerdy, pre-witchy Willow research-type contribution that served Buffy so well. Yes, yes. I know. Certifiable. I've spent way too much time thinking about this, but I read about the coolest, booty-kickingest fictional women, and I wouldn't be much of a fictional friend if I didn't contribute SOMETHING.