Audio Book Review: Magic Burns

Media Type: Audio Book
Title: Magic Burns
   *Series: Kate Daniels #2
Author: Ilona Andrews
Narrator: Renee Raudman
Publisher: Tantor Media
Format: Digital MP3
Duration: 9 hours and 38 minutes
Source: Library Download
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Genre: Urban Fantasy

HDB Rating: 5 Keys to My Heart

Recommended to: Fans of the series! It just keeps getting better and better.

Down in Atlanta, tempers-and temperatures-are about to flare… As a mercenary who cleans up after magic gone wrong, Kate Daniels has seen her share of occupational hazards. Normally, waves of paranormal energy ebb and flow across Atlanta like a tide. But once every seven years, a flare comes, a time when magic runs rampant. Now Kate is going to have to deal with problems on a much bigger scale: a divine one. When Kate sets out to retrieve a set of stolen maps for the Pack, Atlanta’s paramilitary clan of shapeshifters, she quickly realizes much more is at stake. During a flare, gods and goddesses can manifest and battle for power. The stolen maps are only the opening gambit in an epic tug-of-war between two gods hoping for rebirth. And if Kate can’t stop the cataclysmic showdown, the city may not survive.

Narrator Review:
Renee Raudman’s voice is perfection! Her portrayal of Kate Daniels makes her gruff, kick-ass persona hop out of the audio book and kick you in the face. She’s got the sarcasm and dry wit down to a science! I was already excited about that, but even more impressed when I heard the wide range of voices that she has for each and every other character in the book. Hands down, great audio book!

Book Review:
I wasn’t sure that Kate Daniels could be more amazing, but once again I’ve been proven wrong! This book is even better than the first. Our heroine is back! Her sarcastic, strong and utterly likable personality is intact, and even more honed this time. I’m always a sucker for kick-ass female leads, but Kate takes the cake. Not only is she able to handle herself, but she does it for the love and protection of others. I profess to follow Kate until the ends of the Earth! Or, until the end of the series.

The reader is reintroduced to modern day Atlanta. A world filled with magic, rife with both wondrous and deadly creatures. This time around there’s a Celtic twist, and I thought that Ilona Andrews did a wonderful job of tying it in with the plot. It makes for an intriguing read. If you are an action rubbernecker, one that loves to see things heading for complete disaster, Magic Burns will be sure to please! The climax of this book almost killed me. It was perfection. Insane, amazing, perfection.

This installment also brings the sexual tension between Kate and Curran even more into the forefront. I think what I love most about Kate is that she doesn’t pine over the men around her. She might be able to see herself in bed with them (I mean, who wouldn’t?) but she’s not a “love at first sight” kind of gal. I can tell that the relationship between these two is going somewhere, but I’m loving the slow, steady and wit-filled build up that it’s taking. There are some definite milestone moments in Magic Burns, but I’ll leave those for you to uncover.

Best of all, Andrews adds to her roster of characters, and they are all vividly written. Each one brings a new facet into Kate’s life. Most notably added are Julie and Bran. Again, no spoilers here! Let’s just say that they both bring their own unique problems to the table. It allows Kate to once again show how much she cares about the people in her life. She knows that when people get close to her they are in peril, and she’ll do whatever it takes to protect them.