Giveaway Winner Announced – Gunmetal Magic
Hi everyone! As usual, I want to thank all of you for participating, but now we have a winner. If you posted in the comment section of the announcement thread, you were entered for a chance (or multiple chances for those following the blog multiple ways) to win. And the winner is:
Crystal Watson-Andresakis
Please check your email, Crystal! Hope you enjoy! Thank you everyone for the continued support and I look forward to the next giveaway, which I plan to announce…TOMORROW! Yes, I’m in a very giving mood. Stay tuned!
Gunmetal Magic (Kate Daniels World #1) – All About Awesome Andrea
No Kate Daniels review of mine is complete without a quote, so let’s kick it off with my favorite:
“We’re engaged to be engaged,” Rebecca said. “We’re waiting until the end of the physical year to officially announce.”
“You mean fiscal year?” Dear God, she was a moron.
“Yes, that’s what I meant.”
The Andrews clan has yet to let me down. I really enjoyed Andrea’s short story, Magic Mourns, in the Must Love Hellhounds anthology. So I was really looking forward to her solo novel. As an added bonus, they even throw in the final version of the Magic Gifts novella. This book was a gift that kept on giving.
Andrea is down and out after being ousted by her old job. To make matters worse she goes through a nasty breakup with Raphael, and just for good measure she’s still being pressured to join the Bouda clan. This threatens her lone hyena status which she likes just fine. She’s trying to keep herself occupied by running her and Kate’s start up investigation firm, Cutting Edge. Keeping her distance to avoid Raphael and his new main squeeze was initially going well, but unfortunately (or is it?) that becomes impossible as a string of murders ties his business into the thick of things. No, he’s not the culprit, but the two must work together to solve the grisly crime. And sparks will fly…
This book offers everything you want in a Kate Daniels read. I laughed quite a bit, I cringed at some of the action and crime scenes, and I even found myself frustrated at times with the complicated relationship of Andrea and Raphael. Their banter is extremely entertaining, but I definitely found myself wanting to smack sense into both of them. So many of their issues could be solved easily through real communication, but hard heads make for soft bottoms.
I liked the addition of Ascanio, though it may have been a little formulaic. He felt like Andrea’s Julie or Derek, but I like how the youth are incorporated and have interesting story lines. I find that I genuinely care about these characters because they are forced to grow up really fast, but they still possess threads of innocence and naivete.
The villains have interesting powers, but I wasn’t quite as enthralled with the characters themselves. I was more interested in the lasting effects their powers could potentially have throughout the rest of the series. This felt more contained, but do hope it carries over to other novels.
Overall I thought it was a necessary novel to explore Andrea’s character and her journey of self-acceptance while she puts her life on the line for the ones she loves. Though frustrating, Andrea is a fantastically layered character which can sometimes be a challenge for writers (which is why the most interesting characters are side characters), but the Andrews handled giving her the spotlight very well.
If you love Kate Daniels novels, I can’t imagine you’ll want to miss this. Kate and Curran do make cameo appearances here and there as well. It is worth the read.
*Copy provided by publisher
Giveaway Tyme! Gunmetal Magic (Kate Daniels World #1) by Ilona Andrews
Though I’m not quite finished reading it yet, I felt like that shouldn’t delay me from sharing the wealth with you guys! It’s a bloody fantastic book and I’m super excited to be giving this away. Many of you know the drill, but in case you don’t:
I am collecting entries through Saturday, August 18th. I will announce the winners the next day.
How to Enter (PLEASE READ CAREFULLY): My giveaways are only open to followers of Your Urban Fantasy who are 18 years of age or older. In order to enter YOU MUST COMMENT ON THE ANNOUNCEMENT POST! If you’re a new member, sign up on the right panel to follow my blog via email and/or Twitter. (Make sure you check your email to confirm your subscription. You should receive a notification immediately, so check your spam folder if you don’t see it right away). Current followers can just say so in their post and your entry will be added. Overall, there are up to 3 chances to win:
- Follow this blog via email (THIS IS REQUIRED)
- Follow me on Twitter (bonus entry)
- “Like” Your Urban Fantasy on Facebook (bonus entry)
While I do appreciate RSS subscribers, I cannot confirm your status as a follower so your entry will not count (sorry!); however, you are welcome to sign up by email and Twitter or Facebook. Good luck!
Win a Gunmetal Magic ARC by Ilona Andrews
I debated with myself about whether or not I should the word (because the smaller the pool the greater my chances, right?), but I decided to look out for my peeps because you guys rock. So yeah, if you want a chance to win the book then check out the Ilona Andrews Blog:
And if one of you wins, you HAVE to tell me! I’m entered so I’ve got my fingers crossed. Good luck everybody!
Gunmetal Magic by Illona Andrews – Cover Reveal
http://www.ilona-andrews.com/writing/cover-reveal-gunmetal-magic
I gotta say I really like it! Looks like Andrea is ready to kick butt and take names! I’ve always liked her character so I’m really looking forward to this release. Not that I don’t love Kate and Curran as well of course.
Magic Strikes Hot Tub Scene (Curran’s POV)…and 1 more hour until the Kim Harrison and Patricia Briggs Streaming!
Yeah, so if you didn’t know, now you know (and you SHOULD know that it’ll be R-rated-ish):
http://www.ilona-andrews.com/snippet-writing/magic-strikes-hot-tub-pov
Nice short. I always appreciate reading Curran’s side of things. Above all, I really appreciate that the Andrews team doesn’t allow their series to be brought down by gratuitous sex scenes. The plot really does remain at the forefront.
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And yeah, if anybody will be around in an hour, I hope you can tune into the stream and chat! I’m really looking forward to what we’ll be hearing about Rachel and Mercy.
Magic Gifts – there’s Naked Curran…’nuff said
So now that I have your attention…
There IS naked Curran, but there’s always more to say when it comes to a Kate Daniels story. I initially didn’t even read the synopsis because Kate gets an insta-click. The cover is really cool, making me wonder if covers for future novels are in for a style change.
This story takes place after Magic Slays (Book 5) and runs simultaneously with Andrea’s upcoming novel, Gunmetal Magic. Kate and Curran just can’t seem to catch a break as their dinner date goes horribly wrong. I swear this is probably the most quotable series. Kate sums it up perfectly:
“Best date ever. Well, until people died and vampires showed up. But before that it was awesome.”
It turns out the source of the trouble is a magical necklace that kills whoever wears it. The first victim was a navigator. The second potential victim is her kid brother. Well, he will be unless Kate and Curran can figure out how to get it off without killing him. This of course segues into a fast-paced, action heavy adventure for our favorite duo.
It’s fun to see Kate and Curran working as a team. They bicker, but you know the love is there. Aside from that, there are plenty of laughs along the way, a couple of sad moments, and one HUGE development! I was expecting all filler, but there is a major spoiler within this story, making me want to read Gunmetal Magic ASAP. While Magic Gifts is a novella, it is very substantive, resulting in a satisfying Kate Daniels fix for me. I’m up for Kate and Curran anytime, but I’m a fan of Andrea too so I’m really looking forward to reading her novel.
This story was a wonderful surprise and holiday treat from the Andrews team, so I’m just another fan expressing my thanks!
Consistent quality in the second time around
Bagic Burns (Book 2 of the Kate Daniels Series) by Ilona Andrews
Magic Burns takes off more or less where book 1 left off. Kate’s still working for the Order, she’s still broke, and she’s still alone. She gets a new little friend in this book though.
I gotta say, normally when children are introduced into a series it sort of slows the pace of the book and takes away the swagger. But I can actually say I was more interested in her interactions with Julie than any of her fights with all of the super natural big bads. I really liked seeing Kate so dedicated to helping her, literally risking life and limb to see her reunite with her mother. She had a believable balance of distance with her, but I think it’s a great quirk to Kate’s character that she has an actual reason for wanting to be distant with people. It doesn’t feel contrived at all.
Bran was also a pretty cool character, and interesting frenemy of sorts. His banter and come ons to Kate were almost as entertaining as her interactions with Curran. If you’re a huge fan of Curran, you won’t see him too much in this book, but when he’s there, it’s eventful to say the least. Their interactions and courting etiquette make so much sense, haha. I seriously would have thought Kate would have been clued in on what he was doing since she’s so knowledgeable, but it’s cool. The moment was funny.
Again, I really like the angle chosen for the vampires in this series. It adds so much intrigue because you really want to know who navigates them.
Kate’s a wise-ass with a heart of gold, and wears bows on her panties. What’s not to love?
Kate Daniels – I’ll be back for seconds! (Gordon Andrews dropped by!)
Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, Book 1) by Ilona Andrews
Excellent intro to this series
The Kate Daniels series kicks off strong with Magic Bites! I bumped this series up in my TBR list after all of the raves from my fellow urban fantasy fans, and so far I’m pleased with the decision! Normally I’m not that into darker urban fantasy, but this one works for me. There is certainly enough humor to keep me interested, so a comical dark urban fantasy can be done! It bridges the gap for all fans of this genre, bringing something to the table that everyone can enjoy.
Aside from a few quotes that really had me laughing, I also love the magic and the world building. It has somewhat of an alternate universe apocalyptic feel where horses (or mules) are becoming more of the norm than cars as a mode of transportation. I am certainly a “VampireNovelFan” and typically like it when they’re pretty, but if you’re going to make them ugly, you’d better make it good. This series makes it good. This take on vampires is very fascinating and original. It stands out in a genre where there are so many variations that vampires are reduced to “sparkling” and even lacking fangs altogether in an attempt to differentiate themselves.
The magic is pretty cool and it comes along in waves called “Flares.” Tech-based weapons and devices won’t work during this time, so that adds to the unpredictability of the story. I also liked her weapon, Slayer. It sort of has a mind of its own and I love imagining it in action.
While the pages are short, the read actually feels like it’s just enough. I really respect a series that doesn’t drag out the plot just to increase page count. It keeps the story tight and focused.
Just when I was starting to wonder if there could be anything original in the urban fantasy genre, this book does it. I really look forward to cracking open book 2, and 3, and 4, and 5 when it’s released. This is definitely a must-read if you love urban fantasy.
Your Urban Fantasy 