If you know me, then you know this series usually ranks number one or two on my favorite series lists. I’ve been following it for many years. It is a series that I started off reading, but then as soon as I listened to the first book on audio (no idea which book it was. It even could’ve been starting over with book one for a revisit), I’ve been a diehard audio only for this series ever since. I’m as big of a Renee Raudman fan as I am of Ilona Andrews. They are the perfect pair (triangle?? LOL) of author and narrator. When I heard that the audiobook was going to be late because of a schedule conflict with Raudman, of course I was a bit disappointed, but then she is allowed to have a life outside of narrating Ilona Andrews books. I’m so glad that the writing pair agreed it was better to wait on Raudman than get a new narrator. That would’ve been such a HUGE bummer.
Anyway, if you haven’t read the Kate Daniels series, then here’s a bit of a background. In her world of a kinda dystopian Atlanta, magic and tech are fighting each other. Magic comes in waves and knocks out everything that it deems “man-made”. Skyscrapers have fallen. Gasoline engines don’t run when magic is up, so they have enchanted water engines. But if tech is up, these water engines won’t run, so some cars have both. Many people have also gone back to animal transportation. There are shifters of many kind, witches, monsters of all kinds and vampires. The vampires in this book are completely different than anything I’ve read before. They are completely mindless and hunger driven. However, there are navigators who can take over the vamps minds and send them out on tasks. These people are part of a group call The People. Okay, that is about as simplistic as I can make it, but it is way more complex that this.
This is a series that has been getting better with every book. No, really, each book is better than the previous book. Kate’s world is full of many different kinds of horror. But, her and her friends/family have learned to live within this world. And I will say, things are not easy for them. This version of Atlanta always seems to be in some kind of peril. Kate has a ton of magic that she’s hidden for years, but she continues to let more and more of it out in order to save her friends. She’s one of those characters who will walk through hell for you if she calls you a friend.
In this story, we learn a lot about Kate’s family history. Her father is more in the picture. Roland is not a good guy, but he can play one when he wants to. He does like to show is true colors when he wants to.
One of my favorite parts of this story is the fact that Kate and Curran are finally going to get married. They’ve asked a friend to officiate the wedding. Roman, the priest of Chernobog, the Russian dark god. Some think Roman is evil, and many even question Kate and Curran’s decision to have him officiate the wedding. Personally, I’ve always like Roman. I like him even more after this book.He takes it upon himself to not only officiate, but also plan the wedding. That leads to some great hilarity as Kate wants nothing to do with planning. She has more important things going on, like fighting with her father and preventing some visions from coming true.
So as not to spoil anything, I will just say that this is another really fun, action packed installment in the series. Kate has a lot of battles to fight, not just with the enemy, but also within herself. There is some news from Andrea and Raphael. There is a lot we learn about Christopher. There is stuff about the wedding (so much fun).
This is a series that I love because of the banter and the characters. Every time I start a new book in this series, I come to love some of the characters even more. Some really piss me off. And some don’t make it and others make it and you have no idea how they got themselves out of the mess they were in. I’m on pins and needles with every book, in a great way. I’m so excited to see where the story goes from here. Now to leave you with some great quotes from the book, because this is one of those books that always has way more quotes than I could put into a single review.
“Hypothetically speaking,” Robert said, “if the attack happens, and Roland retaliates, what will you do about it?”
“She is a princess of Shinar.” My aunt burst into existence in the middle of the kitchen. “It is by the grace of her mercy you are still breathing.”
Robert stumbled back. Raphael’s hands went to his knives. Andrea bared her teeth, cradling Baby B. You could hear a pin drop.
“I have family in town for the wedding,” I said into the silence. “My aunt, Eahrratim, the Rose of Tigris.”
Curran covered his face with his hand.
I hung up and opened the envelope. Inside on a crisp piece of paper embossed with roses and outrageously curvy cursive said, With great pleasure we invite you to the union of Kate Daniels and Curran Lennart. “What is this?”
“It’s a wedding invitation,” Julie said.
“I didn’t order any.”
Julie grinned at me. “Roman.”
“Oh, that’s right.” I waved the envelope at her. “It has flowers on it.”
“Did you want gore, swords and severed heads?” she asked.
Smartass.
Narration
Renee Raudman continues to nail this series. I love the many (and there are many characters in this series) voices that she uses for this series. Each person’s voice is unique. There are accents, there are growly alpha male shifters, there is the snark that goes on inside Kate’s head, not to mention what comes out of her mouth. Raudman narrates all of Ilona Andrews series, and I’m so happy about that. She really understands what Andrews is going with their stories. If you haven’t tried this series on audio, then you really must give it a shot.