Review – Magic Slays (Kate Daniels, Book 5) by Ilona Andrews (4.5/5 stars)

Reading level: Adult 
Genre: Urban Fantasy 
Size: 320 pages 
Publisher: Ace 
Release Date: May 31, 2011 
ISBN-13: 978-0441020423 
Stand Alone or Series: 5th book in the Kate Daniels series 
Source: Bought 
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

This is the fifth book in the Kate Daniels series by the writing team that is Ilona Andrews.   I pre-ordered it because I had to read it right away!  I just love this series so much.  This was a great book with a lot going on in it; we even get to learn more about Kate’s elusive mother.  This is definitely not a stand alone book, so go back and read the previous books in the series first if you haven’t.

After being booted from the Order, Kate is trying to set up her own investigation company…but business isn’t exactly booming.  Then suddenly Kate gets a call from Atlanta’s Master of the Dead that a rogue vampire is headed her way.  Kate races to assist but things aren’t happening like they should; something is nullifying the Master’s control over his vamps.  On the heels of this she gets another call from the Red Guard they want her to chase down a researcher and his experimental device.  The catch is this device is somehow wrapped up with a secret cult and could possibly destroy Atlanta.  To add to the mess Kate is trying to keep her relationship with Curran working and then finds out that her ward, Julie, has run away from school…again.

This is the first time I read the book in this series rather than listening to it on audio book.  To be honest I think I like listening to them on audio book a bit better because the audio books are just so well done.

There is a lot going on throughout this book, more than in previous books.  There are a lot of different storylines pulling Kate in different directions; although by the end of it all the storylines come together nicely, if maybe just a bit too conveniently.  I know previous reviewers have mentioned that the timing of tech and magic waves are just a bit too convinient and maybe a bit contrived, and I have to say I agree.

Kate and Curran are finally sharing their feelings and trying to make their complicated relationship work.  Kate inherits a new minion, a bouda who is causing trouble for Miss Bea is assigned to Kate as punishment, and he is an entertaining character.

One of the favorite parts of the book is where Kate visits the witch and learns more about her mother, her father, and her past in general.  It was wonderful to learn more about Kate’s history.  There were a lot of awesome action scenes throughout the book and they are well done as usual.  There is some humor throughout the book, although not as much as in previous books, still I laughed outloud a few times.

I did miss the fact that Jim wasn’t in the book much and Julie, although she is in the story a lot, doesn’t get much oppotunity to talk back to Kate.  This book was a bit different than previous books because of all of the twisting and complexity of the plot, it seems like a bit of a transition book…like maybe we are finally gearing up for Kate to take on her father Roland.  The book ends well and completes the story well, but throws another little twist at the reader right at the end.

Overall it was an excellent addition to the series.  I think if you enjoy this series you will love it.  Not a book to start the series on, too many things are happening for that.  I enjoyed learning more about Kate’s past and am eager to see what the next installment in this series throws at us.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
– 100+ Reading Challenge