Magic Bleeds (Kate Daniels, Book 4) [Mass Market Paperback]

Ilona Andrews (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 25, 2010 | Series: Kate Daniels (Book 4)

View our feature on Ilona Andrews’s Magic Bleeds.

Kate Daniels cleans up the paranormal problems no one else wants to deal with-especially if they involve Atlanta's shapeshifting community.

And now there's a new player in town-a foe that may be too much for even Kate and Curran, the Lord of the Beasts, to handle. Because this time, Kate will be taking on family.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Having an already exceptional series exceed your expectations is a rare and wonderful thing, but Andrews ... pulls it off with this astonishing read. Put this on your auto-buy list immediately! --Romantic Times, 4 1/2 stars, TOP PICK, GOLD MEDAL

From the Author

MAGIC BLEEDS is one of those pivotal books that can either make or break the series. Vital changes take place.  The enemy Kate faces in this book is the most powerful we've written to date.  When Kate shattered the blood sword during Midnight Games, she knew there would be consequences.  Well, the consequences arrive and smash her life to pieces.  She loses everything and her world will never be the same.

In so many ways, this is a fight or flight book.  Kate's opponent has been called the City Eater, and the moniker is well deserved.  The situation is desperate.  Kate knows she is outclassed and underpowered. The City Eater has centuries of experience, commanding the forces of nature and deadly disease.  Kate would have preferred facing anything else, a mythical monster, a legend, a god, but no, her opponent is much, much worse.  The City Eater is family.  This enemy has no mercy, no compassion, and no weakness.

Kate has to stand against her bloodline and probably die, or run, abandoning everyone she cares about, and live to fight another day. It very clear just how far she has to go in learning her powers and she has no time to do it. 

In the middle of this chaos she must decide if she should take that one vital step forward, bridging the distance between her and Beast Lord.  For the first time in her life she is truly, deeply in love.  But being with Curran means telling him about her ancestry, because as she says in the narrative, "You can't smelt happiness from a lie. The world doesn't work that way." Being with him means dragging him down into her private war, because Kate knows that once they're together, her problems will become his and Curran doesn't do backing down.

Eventually all prospective couples reach the point of no return: that spot in the relationship when they have to decide if they are together or not. This is the book where Kate and Curran decide.  They both know that whichever way they go, there is no turning back.  This is it. 

But no matter how grim the situation seems, no matter how terrible is the enemy, and how afraid Kate is, MAGIC BLEEDS ends with hope and excitement. It's the end of the old but also the beginning of something new.  It ties the plot threads raised in the previous three books, clears the field, and weaves new ones, so the characters can move on to new and exciting adventures. It was extremely difficult to write, but when we were done, I realized that I couldn't wait to write the next one, because of the new possibilities MAGIC BLEEDS brought and that made me happy.

We hope you like it.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Ace (May 25, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441018521
• ISBN-13: 978-0441018529
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (257 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #69,595 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

New York Times Bestselling 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 Portland 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.

You can read more about their work on their website: http://www.ilona-andrews.com

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#29 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#34 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy

#50 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy

#29 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#34 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy

#50 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

76 of 81 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Magic Frenzy - Humor, Edge-of-seat Tension and Scintillating Combat Action May 26, 2010

By Tarun R. Elankath

Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

The husband-wife writer duo have come out with the best book in the series! I thought it couldn't be possible after the Midnight Games in Magic Strikes but I am simply ecstatic to be proved wrong!

Kate Daniel's secret identity is swiftly unraveling, her relationship with Curran is on rocky volcanic plasma, her shape-shifter friends are in extreme danger since a very special big baddie has come to town to target them. And her Order boss doesn't want her to help or assist them. To mention anything more would be a spoiler...

I love the combat in Magic Bleeds, which by itself is good enough to rate the book 5 stars. The tension is ratcheted up several notches, the battle scenes are extremely vivid and unlike the earlier books, Kate is tested to the limits of her sword mastery - no easy monsters here. For the folks who don't care much action, the humor and witty repartee that has been a feature of these books since the beginning continue to make you laugh uncontrollably at times (don't read in public or you'll get strange looks). Yet the story is much darker and no character has it easy. This book truly begins the final countdown with Roland.

A fantasy series with no boring filler book! To hit the sweet-read jackpot again and again like this takes amazing skill and dedication on part of the authors.

61 of 68 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Wouldn't you love to meet Kate Daniels? May 27, 2010

By myotherself VINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback

SYNOPSIS: Kate Daniels is sent to investigate a fight at the Steel Horse, a bar in the area bordering the territories of the shapeshifters and the vampires. Not exactly a top notch tourist spot, but a regular local hangout. What she finds when she arrives is magic in a form she's never encountered before. It takes a lot of investigating to find that this magic is worked by someone every bit as powerful as Kate is herself. The bad news is, Kate has stumbled upon a relative of hers and only one of them can survive in the crumbling Atlanta that remains since the war between magic and technology started. If Curran (Beast Lord of Atlanta) hadn't stood her up for their dinner date Kate would gladly call on him for help with this problem. As it is, she might just kill him the next time she sees him.

OPINION: I would just love to meet Kate Daniels. Ilona Andrews continues to write Kate in such a realistic way that I feel I could actually talk to her, argue with her, kid around with her, but never, ever fight with her. What makes this series of stories so outstanding for me is the absolute humanity I see in these characters. And since some of them are only partly human, that's quite a feat for these authors. I enjoyed the added twist of having one of Kate's blood relatives show up here. All through the previous three books we have been teased with references to Kate's blood and shown to what extraordinary lengths she will go to keep her blood from falling into the wrong hands. Well, now we understand why. I applaud the way the personalities of Kate and Curran have been blended, shaped and molded to allow these two incredibly strong characters to have a relationship that feels real and right.... I know that this couple will only become more complex and interesting as their bonding solidifies.

So why, you are asking, did I give this book 4 stars instead of 5? Well, because there were so very many demons that Kate had to face that it all began to blend together for me after the third or fourth or fifth huge battle-to-the-death scene. I was actually tempted to skim ahead through the fighting. Now, that's a great big no-no so I resisted, but the fact remains that I was tempted. The author says in the acknowledgments section that this was a very difficult book to write. I can certainly understand that after having read it and seen how complex it is. Still, for me, maybe tackling seven demons and the demon relative multiple times was a tad too many fight scenes.

RECOMMENDATION: As far as I'm concerned, this book is a must-read for Urban Fantasy devotees. As stated on the cover, this is the fourth book in the series. Quite honestly, I would suggest to a friend that they start with the first book and read them in order. This book contains wonderful background information, a very good attempt has been made to cover all the past history revealed in the previous books. But there is just no substitute for reading an entire novel to get your information first hand as the author unfolds it. So, for me, starting with number one and then galloping on to number two, then diving directly into number three will have you on the razor's edge of anticipation for number four. Just plan on not leaving the house, or talking on the phone, or getting any work done. You will be completely engaged in a magic world full of magical characters. Evidently Penguin Group (USA) is betting on that too. They have placed a money back guarantee on you liking this book. You might send yours back, but I'll fight anybody who tries to take mine! Read more ›

42 of 48 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Stellar May 26, 2010

By Laurel

Format:Mass Market Paperback

I don't usually review on Amazon but I wanted to throw in a five star review to weigh against the extremely illogical (and only) one star review by someone who hasn't read the book and is mad it isn't on Kindle. Suck it up, dude. I wanted it on Kindle, too, but once I realized I'd have to wait I went for the paperback and bonus! Got it a week early at BAM since it was a soft release.

In a season of disappointing series continuations this was a real standout. Just as tight as always, characters stay in character but we get to see a bit more of them, and the stakes get higher as Kate's family starts closing in.

Cannot wait for the next Kate book or the next Edge, either. Congrats to the author on delivering such a payoff without killing the tension.

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars When you create smart characters-keep them smart February 25, 2011

By jdr

Format:Mass Market Paperback

I loved the first three books in the Kate Daniels series, so I was surprised to not enjoy Magic Bleeds from begining to end.

Don't get me wrong, if you've started this series MB is a must read to keep up with the characters and series plotline. I have every plan to continue the series and will keep this book on my shelf. However the other reviews were sooo glowing I wanted to point out that this book, while good, was not IMHO the best of the series or the best Ilona Andrews can or has produced.

Spoiler alert

Problem 1: The failed date between Kate and Curran. These characters have been shown to be smart and capable people. So what smart man shows up four hours late for a date and is mad or surprised if the woman has taken off? Now let's test the logic of Curran's actions. You're leader of the free beasts of Atlanta and your future mate is not answering her phone, worried for her you travel to one of her homes only to find she is not there, you: 1. Call your army to arms and start searching 2. Call all of her homes and place of work to explain your tardiness 3. Leave a note pinned to the house you are sure she is not at to say "I am here" and then blame her for the failure of the date.

Problem 2: What was Kate's aunt in Atlanta to do? Infect the city, oh no that changed to cause mayhem, oh no that stopped and she moved on to killing all of the important people, oh no that changed to killing all the shapeshifters, no killing Kate, oh no that changed again to... dueling? Her logic, motive, and minions changed from chapter to chapter and was not up to the bad guys of Kate Daniels past.

Problem 3: Suddenly the shapeshifters hate Kate, when did that happen?... They are lying to Curran about phone calls, have forgotten they had befriended her in book 1 for helping them out, and trying to kill Kate when Curran is injured.

The bottom line for me is this: The problems seemed forced to get the charcters were Andrews wanted them for the end of the book. The miscommunications and general chaos of this plot wasn't in line with the characters behaviors from previous books.

Final thought: Guys if you get tied up before a date, give your lady a call before waiting four hours to show up at her house, and if she's pissed don't be surprised. This conflict wasn't realistic to the characters, and the length it was drawn out was unrealistic by any but the worst romance novel standards. Read more ›