Magic Slays (Kate Daniels, Book 5) [Mass Market Paperback]

Ilona Andrews (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 31, 2011 | Series: Kate Daniels (Book 5)

Kate Daniels has quit the Order of Merciful Aid, but starting her own business isn't easy when the Order starts disparaging her good name. And being the mate of the Beast Lord doesn't bring in the customers, either. So when Atlanta's premier Master of the Dead asks for help with a vampire, Kate jumps at the chance. Unfortunately, this is one case where Kate should have looked before she leapt.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"It takes both talent and hard work to keep a series consistently high quality, a feat deftly demonstrated by Andrews ... NO ONE does it better!" --Jill Smith, Romantic Times, 4.5 stars, TOP PICK

"Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews is simply amazing. The Kate Daniels series honestly gets better with each new release." --Night Owl Reviews

"Magic Slays was an excellent addition to powerhouse series that hits the spot. I cannot wait to see what else Ilona Andrews will come up with next, but I'm betting it'll be good." --Books by Their Cover

"Fifth of the Kate Daniels series delivers nonstop action and a few surprises while adding considerable background and depth to Kate's character ... This series continues to deliver top-notch urban fantasy." --Monsters and Critics

If Magic Bleeds was the turning point for the series, then Magic Slays is the reassurance and comfort we need afterwords. --Smexy Books

From the Author

Magic Slays: Happily Ever After... Not So Fast

Every one of us has read fairy tales.  Most of them follow the same pattern: a hero or heroine face a great enemy and many challenges.  They fight against overwhelming odds and eventually they prevail.  They marry a prince or a princess and live Happily Ever After.  No sequels - the story is complete and it's over the moment the hero kisses the princess against the backdrop of the setting sun.

It's a great narrative pattern and it endured through thousands of years.  That's why MAGIC SLAYS is a kind of book most authors hope they will never have to write.  It's the story that takes place after the sun has set and new collection of monsters besieges the happy couple's castle.

When you look at the rest of the series, the calm and sweet Happily Ever After doesn't really makes sense.  Kate, who has been a loner all of her life and avoided responsibility for other people, suddenly finds herself responsible for hundreds of shapeshifters within the Pack.  And when they say "responsible",  they mean it: they expect her to manage their troubled offspring, they expect her to sit in judgment and sort out their squabbles, and when danger arises, they expect her to put herself between them and that danger.  Stepping into the path of a threat for the sake of other people is nothing new to Kate.  However, this time the enemy isn't a single individual, but many.  They are well organized, ruthless and fanatic in pursuit of their goal.  And they threaten not just one or two people but literally everyone Kate knows. How do you guard thousands of potential targets against an enemy who could strike anywhere at any time?

It doesn't help that she isn't universally loved within the Pack. Technically her position as the Beast Lord's mate comes with great power.  Practically, she faces opposition.  She loves Curran, but he isn't the easiest man to live with either.  He is stubborn and overly protective, and mind-numbingly difficult when he wants to be.  And just when she thinks she has things in hand, her past returns once again and threatens to shatter her from inside out.

On other hand, Curran, who never had to share power before, is faced with the reality: Kate is his mate and he must share.  From the moment Mahon had found him, Mahon's intention had always been to hammer Curran into the ultimate alpha, a man who could subdue and keep control of the violent unpredictable leaders of the shapeshifter clans.  Mahon succeeded.  Curran is a skilled ruler: he manipulates, manages, rewards, encourages, and threatens the shapeshifters under his command to ensure peace within the Pack.

None of his methods work with Kate.  She reacts badly to any attempt at manipulation.  She refuses commands.  And occasionally she laughs at him.  So Curran must learn how to request rather than order, and that doesn't come naturally to the man who'd been an near absolute ruler for the better part of his life.

MAGIC SLAYS is a volatile book.  It's a boiling pot of emotions and danger, tragedy and comedy, defeat and victory.  It's a story of love and devotion above all else, but it's also a story of friendship and hate, where failure carries an ultimate price tag.  We won't promise you a smooth sailing, but we ask you to trust us.  When it comes to our books, that one, most important adage of fairy tales always stays true: we will bring our characters safely to port.

MAGIC SLAYS is a Happily Ever After in progress, wrought with danger, and perils, and some laughs.  We hope you'll give it a try.  Come fight the monsters with us.  You won't regret it.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Ace (May 31, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441020429
• ISBN-13: 978-0441020423
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (202 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #61,108 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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#28 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#32 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy

#40 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy

#28 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#32 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy

#40 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

78 of 83 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The calm before the storm May 31, 2011

By A Book a Day TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

We knew that Magic Bleeds was a game changing installment for this series. All the fears, angst, and tension culminating to Kate and Curran finally admitting their feelings for one another and giving their relationship a chance was something that made me do the happy dance, but once you're over that hump, you can't help but wonder if there's going to be breakups, petty fights and frustratingly stupid things to keep them apart or you fear that the story will focus on just the relationship and forget there's a greater picture that makes this, in my opinion, the best Urban Fantasy series out there. Not surprisingly, Ilona Andrews does an incredible job with the transition. I realize this is the fifth book, but it actually felt like a new beginning, almost Part II of a saga. If you've never read any of this series, this is definitely not the place to start. Go back to the beginning and read them all, you won't be sorry. As for a new beginning, it was like introducing Kate Daniels all over again. New characters and alliances are introduced and Kate realizes she may win the battle but not the war unless she starts using her magic.

The story begins with Kate adjusting to her life as the Beast Lord's mate, dealing with her ward, Julie, accepting the return of her best pal, Andrea, and struggling to make her new investigations business a success. After two months of sheer boredom, everything ends up hitting her at once and she ends up landing her first real client. An inventor has gone missing along with a mysterious device and she's hired on to retrieve the artifact and the inventor in that order. She delves into the case, but it's hard to prioritize with all the strange and seemingly unrelated events that are wreaking havoc in Atlanta. During her investigations, she uncovers deceptions and truths that rock her to her core and we end up seeing Kate more vulnerable than she's ever been before. While she deals with her internal struggles, she slowly connects the dots that all these strange events are tied together with her investigation and that there is an imminent threat that jeopardizes everyone she cares for.

Magic Slays starts with a bang and ends with a bang, but ultimately the book had a different feel than the previous ones. So many things happened in this book and when you thought it was heading in one direction, it turned somewhere else and I wondered if they were going to go back and address it, and of course they did. There was the sass, snark, and humor we all love, but there was also a sense of foreboding throughout. The first 200 pages of just over 300 was limited in action and spent more time on world building, character introduction and revelations. Once I hit the last 100 pages, you couldn't pry the book from my fingers and the ending was so completely action packed that I didn't think they could possibly wrap it up in time. The most spine chilling moments are when Kate uses her magic and you start to see just how powerful and scary she really is. In the past, Kate typically acts on instinct and self preservation. The evil they face here unleashes a rage and determination we haven't seen before from Kate and it left me breathless. I'm not sure how this arc will be wrapped up in two more books because this installment has left it open for innumerable possibilities. I'll be waiting anxiously because the foundation that was laid here truly feels like it's leading you into a monumental storm.

51 of 57 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Very satisfying conclusion May 31, 2011

By Jen TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Coming off the high of the spectacular ending of Magic Slays, I've been staring at the computer for 10 minutes, trying to figure out why it took me a little while to really get into this book. And I think I've finally come up with the answer.

As the story begins, Kate is running the new agency that Curran set up for her since she has left the Order. Despite her competence and reputation, she doesn't have any clients. But just as her best friend Andrea returns from a two month absence, Kate is hired to find a missing man and the mysterious device he has built. She investigates; she is snarky; she is magic and bad-ass. But (insert light bulb here) I wasn't very invested in any of it, because Kate seemed to have no stake in it all, beyond completing a job. No justice mission like she had when searching for Greg's killer; no revenge for a brutal attack on a friend; no saving the world from a deranged aunt. Just a job.

It was when Kate realized what the device could do and what it would mean to her world, that I began to perk up. And then we were off and running. Without spoiling too much, I'll say that the device could have huge ramifications on Kate and all those she loves, if it is activated. And as we get into the second half of the book, Kate encounters a personal crisis, that makes her willing to risk everything to fix it. It's when Kate is desperate and loyal and determined that she is at her best. And here she shines, a heroine in the greatest sense.

Curran is back as Kate's mate, and I was worried that some of the spark would be missing from their relationship, now that it's more permanent. But Kate's paranoia keeps them from falling into the old-married couple routine. She still has questions about whether things can work for them long-term. But as the story progresses, he proves himself to be an utterly worthy hero. And I still enjoyed the fire between them.

For the last third of the book, I was completely unable to put it down. The ending was utterly fantastic and sets up even more drama for the next installment. I can't imagine that Kate is keeping her secret for much longer. 4 1/2 stars.

35 of 41 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars a magical read... May 31, 2011

By trixabelle

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

A book worth the wait since we've last seen Kate!

Funny, snarky, loyal and smart: I LOVE Kate's development in this book. She is growing into herself and into her and Curran being a couple. The story is well written, humorous and action packed. More story than you can actually believe! There are so many more stories to be told about all these characters.

As an aside::::::I so totally disagree with the reviewer "katiebabs". Kate and Curran as a couple have SO MUCH potential for further adventures. Like Frost's Cat and Bones and Robb's Eve and Roarke, stories can abound. Being in a "couple" in no way hinders the action and adventure. Look at the mess Chloe Neill made with her latest Chicagoland book. Fans are revolting left and right and if she doesnt pull out a grade A miracle she's going to lose everything FAST!!