Wednesday 15 February 2017

Magic Binds / Ilona Andrews

4 out of 5 stars
Mercenary Kate Daniels knows all too well that magic in post-Shift Atlanta is a dangerous business. But nothing she’s faced could have prepared her for this…

Kate and the former Beast Lord Curran Lennart are finally making their relationship official. But there are some steep obstacles standing in the way of their walk to the altar…

Kate’s father, Roland, has kidnapped the demigod Saiman and is slowly bleeding him dry in his never-ending bid for power. A Witch Oracle has predicted that if Kate marries the man she loves, Atlanta will burn and she will lose him forever. And the only person Kate can ask for help is long dead.

The odds are impossible. The future is grim. But Kate Daniels has never been one to play by the rules…
 



”You’re like a crazy cat lady, but you collect killers instead of fluffy cats.”

A pretty accurate assessment of Ms. Kate Daniels, by her husband-to-be, Curran Lennart. A standard fantasy fiction trope—the charismatic leader who draws a motley band of followers to achieve some glorious objective. But I really like the spin that the Andrews team give it. Kate would be just as happy not to have to defend Atlanta (which her god-like father Roland/Nimrod provoked her into claiming), but she feels responsible. And she is definitely a people collector—Julie, Derek, Christopher, Barabas, Andrea & Raphael, plus this book adds Adora to the mix.

What makes Kate different from your average fantasy leader is that she is motivated by love—everyone that she takes under her wing, be they people, mules, or dogs, is a being that she cares about. She has gone from being a lonely killing machine, created by her foster-father Voron, to having real relationships. This book adds a new dimension to Kate, as she plans (or tries to avoid planning) her wedding.

A must read for those of us who are enjoying the Kate saga. There is plenty of action, but I keep feeling that this is fantasy for those of us more interested in relationships than in smiting things. I will be most desolate when the Andrews decide that they have written enough Kate adventures.

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