Audiobook Review: Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews

Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews
Narrator: Renée Raudman
Series: Kate Daniels #6
Published by Recorded Books
Published on: July 30, 2013
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Length: 15 hrs & 6 mins
Format: Audiobook
Source: Gifted

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Atlanta is a city plagued by magical problems. Kate Daniels will fight to solve them—no matter the cost.

Mercenary Kate Daniels and her mate, Curran, the Beast Lord, are struggling to solve a heartbreaking crisis. Unable to control their beasts, many of the Pack’s shapeshifting children fail to survive to adulthood. While there is a medicine that can help, the secret to its making is closely guarded by the European packs, and there’s little available in Atlanta.

Kate can’t bear to watch innocents suffer, but the solution she and Curran have found threatens to be even more painful. The European shapeshifters who once outmaneuvered the Beast Lord have asked him to arbitrate a dispute—and they’ll pay him in medicine. With the young people’s survival and the Pack’s future at stake, Kate and Curran know they must accept the offer—but they have little doubt that they’re heading straight into a trap…

In the opening chapters when Aunt B, Saiman, Curran and Kate find themselves stuck on a boat in the middle of the ocean together I just knew that this installment was going to kick butt. Trapping these four in a confined space is a recipe for disaster but throw in a few pirate were-dolphins (yes, you read that right!) and you have yourself a boatload of action right out of the gate! This book has it all; from epic fight scenes, to heart-breaking loss, to one of the most messed-up happily-ever-after-for-now’s that I have ever read. Magic Rises proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that the Ilona Andrews author duo deserve to be crowned king and queen of Urban Fantasy.

Throughout this series Curran hasn’t exactly been subtle about his dislike of all males who look at Kate the wrong way but up until this point we haven’t seen much jealousy from Daniels. Meet Lorelei, the pack princess and all-around scheming brat; I think it’s safe to say that green is definitely NOT Kate’s colour! Unfortunately, Curran acts like a tool for the better part of this book and does absolutely nothing to reassure his mate so her feelings aren’t entirely unjustified. There were points in this story where I wanted to rip the Beast Lord a new one for being such a dummy and at times it seemed like Andrews almost enjoyed stringing readers along for as long as she did. Thankfully, the authors more than make-up for their mind games by delivering one heck of a resolution, blood, fire and all!

In a lot of ways this novel felt like Kate’s “coming out” party; she had no choice but to tell Julie about her past, a few other pack members overhear some tidbits along the way and then, Hugh d’Ambray shows up at the meeting in Europe. This series is known for its epic battle sequences but Magic Rises really ups the ante in that department. Andrews does a phenomenal job of writing detailed yet intense fight scenes. Kate’s arch nemesis goads her into a duel and the result is jaw dropping. Both these characters were trained by Voron so watching them finally face-off was truly something to behold. The action is far from over though and this novel culminates in a battle that’s worthy of legendary status.

There are a lot of interesting developments in this installment; Kate learns an important new skill that’ll come in handy when she eventually clashes with her father and a pretty significant character dies. I’m still a little upset about that last one. Even Dolittle doesn’t make it out of this one unscathed. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Hugh; learning about his past made him seem like less of a monster and his hidden agenda was… unexpected. He’s the type of villain you just love to hate and I look forward to round 2 between him and Kate in a future installment. Daniels also adds a few new people to her merry band of misfits which is just one of the many reasons why I love her so.

I continue to be blown away by Renée Raudman’s narration of this series; they couldn’t have picked a better voice to bring Kate Daniel’s story to life in audio. Magic Rises is off-the-charts awesome with plenty of heck yeah and oh shit thrown in for good measure. My only complaint is that the next book doesn’t come out until August. AUGUST!

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