Magic Bleeds (Kate Daniels, #4)

by Ilona Andrews

The fourth Kate Daniels novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author who “defines urban fantasy” (Fresh Fiction).

Kate Daniels works for the Order of the Knights of Merciful Aid, officially as a liaison with the mercenary guild. Unofficially, she cleans up the paranormal problems no one else wants to handle—especially if they involve Atlanta’s shapeshifting community.
 
When she’s called in to investigate a fight at the Steel Horse, a bar midway between the territories of the shapeshifters and the necromancers, Kate quickly discovers there’s a new player in town. One who’s been around for thousands of years—and rode to war at the side of Kate’s father.
 
This foe may be too much even for Kate and Curran, the Lord of the Beasts, to handle. Because this time, Kate will be taking on family...

• ISBN10: 0441018521
• ISBN13: 9780441018529
• Publish Date: 25 May 2010
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Ace Books
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 384
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780441018529

Reviews

The first time I read Magic Bites I didn't get why there were so many rave reviews. I mean it seemed pretty average. The world building was cool and Kate seemed alright but a bit standoffish. The romance between Kate and Crest was mediocre - it seemed like she didn't like him at all and it felt forced and awkward. The romance between her and Curran wasn't any better. It didn't make sense why he followed her home while he was on his date. I liked Derek and Ghastek was creepy. There was lots of snappy, witty dialogue and I had a few laughs - but I was just confused. It was good but it wasn't great.

Yeah - read the rest of the series. It gets SO MUCH BETTER. Kate stops being standoffish and starts letting people in. Derek becomes a total badass. Ghastek - well he's still pretty creepy. But also funny and kind and sweet when he wants to be. And Curran - I love him now. He is an absolute ass in this first book. But I forgot. He becomes everything you want in a love interest. There's a ton of new loveable characters; Julie, Andrea, Aunt Bea, Raphael, Barbaras. Some new evil ones; Hugh, Roland. So much action and adventure and intensity and laughs.

So do yourself a favour. Keep reading.


OMG I could kill Curran. He can be so DUMB. Three weeks? No call, no text? No sending one of a million people you know (and live with) to tell her you're sorry for missing your date? Fkn hell. These two.

But I could also kill the pack. Because wtf? Curran is supposed to be their leader and they just run roughshod over his mate the second he's not around to keep them in line? Poor Curran, it's a hell of a betrayal. On the other hand, Kate is badass fighting off all the challenges.

And I love Aunt Bea - she always knows how to pick a winner.

[Berls]

The action in this one was pretty good, as was the tension and relationship development between Kate and Curan. It'll be interesting to see where this phase of their relationship leads.

[Mercy]

4.5/5

[Chelsea]

Finally some romance! I was getting tired of waiting!

[Cocktails and Books]

These books get better and better. And FINALLY...Curran gets his wish.

[Kim Deister]

Magic Bleeds I think Magic Bleeds, the fourth novel in the Kate Daniels series, is my favorite. I loved everything about this book. The story, the characters, the mythology, the action. All of it combined to make a novel that was hard to put down!
 
Kate Daniels is probably my favorite female protagonist. She is fierce and strong. She knows her own mind and she isn't afraid to speak it. She is smart and independent. She is funny and brave and everything I want to be.
 
All of these things make her the kind of person that won't back down from a fight when it is for something she believes in. And that is truly the premise of the novel. She finds herself fighting the battle of her life and it forces life-changing decisions on her, decisions she never dreamt she would be in a position to have to make.
 
This story, while just as full of action as the others, felt somehow more personal. Kate has spent a lifetime avoiding personal relationships, whether romantic or friendships. But there comes a time when those things develop and now she has to make the worst kinds of choices.
 
A lot of questions are answered in this book, but by no means is the story over!!
 
Overall: The best yet!

[nitzan_schwarz]

FINALLY

[EBookObsessed]

A very exciting story. Very powerful forces are finding their way to Atlanta which have the power to bring plagues and make shifters crazy, especially male shifters. Kate will need to fight this danger alone if she wants to protect all her shifter friends. Meanwhile, sexual tensions and hurt feelings between Curran will peak when misunderstandings lead to make up sex.

You have to admire and fear a writer that will go to darker places with an Urban Fantasy. There will be happenings that will start bringing Kate to the attention of more people who will connect the dots to figure out her lineage. Will friends be willing to turn against Kate for to turn her over to Roland?

In Magic Bleeds, we have two pressing storylines. The first being something is bringing plagues to Atlanta and using shifters to get things started. And all the witness give a different description of the person involved. Kate is called out to investigate a bar on the outskirts of town, where a fight has ended in death. When Kate gets there, she realizes the body is quickly breaking down into a plague which is almost sentient in nature. It’s trying to spread. She exhausts herself trying to draw magical symbols to keep the plague contained until the Order’s technical people can arrive for clean up. No matter how fast she writes the symbols, the plague keeps trying to find a way out of the protection spell.

An ancient presence has decided to destroy Atlanta for fun…and for Kate. They are using shifters as both puppets and as plague bringers, and they can control any males. Kate realizes that she needs to keep Curran, Jim and the others away, which doesn’t go well with the overprotective, macho shifters.

The ancient presence also has focused on Kate and her connection to Roland. Like the People, they can control the undead, but unlike the people, the are controlling undead mages and still using their magical abilities. With centuries of experience over Kate, Kate might just be in over her head against someone she should call — family.

More importantly, in this story the sexual tensions between Kate and Curran will come to a head. Kate lost the bet in the last book when Curran found where she, Jim and his people were hiding out. Kate was supposed to make Curran dinner — and serve it naked. Kate makes dinner, but Curran never shows. When she call the keep to find out if he is alright, she is told that Curran doesn’t wish to speak to her. While her first inclination is to storm the keep and kick some lion butt, she fears she is just setting herself up for further humiliation if she gets tossed out or worse, finds Curran there with another woman. So Kate crushes the fragile dreams she has been weaving about a future with Curran and ignores him for as long as possible. But it is hard to ignore a pissed off Beast Lord, especially when he finds you out with another man. Was the whole thing a misunderstanding or was Curran truly setting Kate up for a long, hard fall?

THOUGHTS:
I definitely have been enjoying this series more reading it rather than listening to it, but oddly enough, I still hear the narrator in my head as far as Kate’s voice. Strange how that works. Kate always gets into a fix during these stories, but in this one there was a lot of nail biting over the plague-bringer and I don’t want to give away too much on that for anyone just starting the series.

Kate is also in over her head with this nemesis. They are much more powerful and Kate has to keep most of her friends out of the line of fire or they will be used against her. I really couldn’t figure out how she would survive this one.

There is a huge connection between them and Kate and Roland. Those around Kate are starting to pick up on Kate’s magic and connecting some dots to Roland. She knows her father would be pissed after raising her to keep her head down and don’t get close to anyone that she now allows people close and has put herself out there enough to save her friends so they are guessing her connection to Roland. The big question is whether any of those who know will betray Kate or will they stand beside her? I can’t wait to read more.

The tension here between Kate and Curran is as nail biting as the rest of the story. There was a lot of he said/she said screaming about whose fault their non-dinner was and finally Kate breaks down and confesses that his attentions made her think she might someday have all those things she never let herself believe in — home, husband, family, love, and Curran not showing for their date broke her heart. And she wanted nothing more to do with him. They both smart people and eventually started questioning why the other was so vehement that they were there and the other didn’t show. But still I just kept waiting and waiting and waiting for somebody to make a move. Come on! These two really made you wait for it.

I can’t wait to get to the next book, but I will have to since I have a huge list of books to review and try as I might to keep the list light for the upcoming holidays, another and another keep getting snuck in. I do want to get back to this at the first opportunity since I am becoming addicted.

[celinenyx]

3.5 Stars

Another good book in the Kate Daniels series. I couldn't get into the plot at first, hence the lower rating. Magic Bleeds shows how much Kate has grown, and the slowly developing relationship between her and Curran is lovely to behold.

[kimbacaffeinate]

Kate Daniels has to be one of my favorite protagonist. She is snarky, confident, badass and does not whine instead she gets even. Curran, the beast lord oh, he makes me giggle, roll my eyes at his alpha ways and then go weak at the knees.

Kate begins investigates a fight at the Steel Horse. The Steel Horse is a bar that borders two territories those of the shape shifters and the necromancers. Of course, this is not your garden-variety bar fight and Kate soon finds herself battling one heck of a villain. I cannot tell you who because, well, “spoilers darling.” What I can tell you is that we learn so much about Roland and the battle that unfolds is intense, dark and gritty. Lives will be lost, hearts broken, alliances made and whoa, baby is this villain terrifying. Once again, mythology plays a role as we battle this villain and I love how Andrews weaves these into her tales. Thank goodness, Kate is such a smart cookie because her villain has YEARS of experience and she will need to match them with her wit. I was completely engaged and holding my breath.

While this world is dark, and gritty Andrews gives us a romance with delicious, often hilarious banter and swoon worthy moments that just make me melt. Kate and Curran together is magic, even when they are bickering I cannot help but smile. The relationship sees major developments and you will not want to miss even one moment of this courtship. Ooo and Kate picks up another stray..and you will love it. Just sayin'

If you have not read this series or read book one and thought it was meh I am begging you to pick it back up. Magic Bleeds is one of my favorite of the series to date and I cannot wait to dive into Magic Slays.

This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer