Home of the Alpha Showdown, and one-stop shop for urban fantasy, paranormal romance and fantasy news and reviews.
Magic Shifts (Kate Daniels #8)
Ilona Andrews
Published: Aug. 4, 2015 (Ace)
Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon
Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review
Reviewed by: Krista
Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars
Note: While this review will be spoiler free, it will make reference to previous books in the series. If you haven’t started yet, check out VBC’s review of book 1, Magic Bites.
Magic Shifts is the follow up to Magic Breaks, the seventh novel in the Kate Daniels series and the original intended series conclusion book. As a fan I was ecstatic to find out that the series was being extended and as a reader I was relieved because I felt trying to wrap up the overarching storyline in the seventh book wouldn’t do justice to the world Andrews has created. So Magic Shifts is the first step in extending the series beyond the original storyline and the question is whether Andrews was successful. In my somewhat bias opinion (llona Andrews is one of my favorite authors), yeah they are.
At the beginning of Magic Shifts, Kate and Curran have stepped down as Beast Lord and Consort and separated from the pack. Cutting Edge is starting to take off and they are settling into their lives as a suburban husband and wife, kind of. It’s as if Kate doesn’t trust it; doesn’t trust that this will be enough for Curran and that someone won’t come take it away from her. She pretty much is just waiting for the other shoe to drop (pardon the cliché). Surprisingly though when trouble does come it’s not directed at them, at least not at first. Kate and Curran come home to find George on their doorstep looking for their help finding her fiancé Eduardo.
One of the things I appreciate about Andrew’s writing is that there are consequences. The hero isn’t always going to come out unscathed. There can or will be a price to pay. You can argue saying that Kate and Curran do get their happy ending but really look back at what they have also lost. Kate and Curran both have to learn what claiming Atlanta and walking away from the Pack will cost them. For the reader this is a much different story than we have become familiar with. I also adore that Kate isn’t some Mary Sue character who always does the right thing, has the right answer or the right power to win the day. Kate’s mistakes and limitations just make her that more interesting.
As much as I enjoyed this latest outing I was almost constantly wondering where they were going. Yes, I loved how much they flushed out post-shift Atlanta, the action scenes were spot on and the dynamic between Kate and Curran is as enthralling as ever. These books are never read slowly, more like inhaled as quickly as I can read them. They move fast with little to no down time. But it wasn’t until the very last sentence that I had my WTF moment and was able to see everything clearly. Well played, Andrews. Well played.
Magic Shifts could be considered a book between books, but it is a book between books done right. It laid the foundation for upcoming books without detracting from its own plot and story. I feel as if there is now an endgame insight. I am completely on board with the shift the series has taken and I am eager to see how everything plays out.
Sexual content: sex
Love the series! My favorite is definitely Magic Strikes!
Same!!
I am so excited for this book!
I love all.of their books!
I’ve never read an Ilona Andrews book I didn’t like, making it almost impossible to pick just one…
I also cannot wait for this book.I love all books in series.Each one is different and when finished reading you cannot wait for another!
If I had to pick one it would be Magic Bites 😉
I’m so so excited for this book! My favourite book is probably Magic Slays, but really, I love them all!
Yes, I’m a fan. Magic Strikes is my favorite so far.
An absolute fan. I just hit publish on my Magic Shifts review yesterday. I totally loved it. My favorite though is Magic Strikes.
Never miss a IA publication !
Can’t choose a favorite -everyone has you on the edge
Can’t wait for Magic Shifts!
Pre-order here before midnight! Re-reading series right now…only one to go then…Shifts!
Magic Strikes is fantastic, but all the books in the series are great 😉
I am a huge fan!!! I really love all of their books. I just started re-reading the series for the hundredth time in anticipation of Shifts! If I had to pick one though it would probably be Magic Strikes!
I don’t think I can pick a favorite but I’ll have to go with MagiC Strikes!
I am a fan and I like all the books in the series, but my favorite is Magic Bleeds – I loved the Midnight Games and how this book was the turning point of reveling her bloodline and how deep was her love for Curran and friends.
Burn For Me. It was by far the strongest of their books.
Magic Strikes was a personal fave but all of the KD books are awesome
love this series can not wait for moor
Love all of the books to hard to choose.
My favorite is Magic Strikes
Magic Bleeds- loved it, massive changes action
I love the entire Magic series by Ilona Andrews! Awesome stuff – can’t wait to read the new book!
I have followed this pair of authors from almost the beginning and read everything they have written. I do not do that for other authors (I read a lot of books). Everything they write is believable and creative! Ilona Andrews ROCKS! Can’t pick a favorite as I love them all! I will say, though, Curren POV’s are soooo good!
I love the Edge series.
Love every book!
I like them all.
Magic Rises is my favorite Andrew’s book so far!
One of my favorite series.
I think my favorite book is Magic Breaks because it’s so much stuff finally coming together.
I love book 7 because I love how it ends… but book 6 is also very special because the romance is very intense there too. 🙂
I love Kate Daniels and the whole clan! There is just no possible way to pick just one!
I couldn’t pick just one. Love Kate and Curran but… Burn for me is a fun new series too.
Yes, I am a fan. I don’t know how to pick just one book. I love all “Magic” books and novellas (Kate, Andrea and Dali). From the Edge series, my favorite is probably the third one, Kaldar. Both kinsmen are great. Clean Sweep and Sweep in Peace are awesome. I’m still waiting for the second Burn book.
Pick a favorite! Not possible. I love each one more than the last but then I go back and re-read and each one is my favorite again.
Ilona Andrews are my favorite authors and are so generous with their readers.
I am so looking forward to the Burn for Me sequel.
Love all the books. My favorite in the Late work is actually Gunmetal Magic.
I am a huge fan!! I can’t set a book apart, though….
Magic Bleeds will probably always be my favorite since that’s when Kate and Curran finally really got together. I love this series and every other series Ilona Andrews has written. If fact, my friend and I are driving three hours today to their book signing in Edina, MN! Can’t wait!!!
They are all to good that it is way to hard to pick a favorite! Just impossible.
I love Magic Rises 🙂
I love everything I’ve read by them, but every time I think of Bayou Moon I smile so I’m going with that one.
Love love love Burn For Me
I’ve been a fan since I randomly picked up the first book. I can’t pick a favourite as I’ve reread them all prior to the next release. I love the whole series.
I love Burn for Me! I can’t wait for the next book in the Hidden Legacy series to be released!
KD series is one of my all time favorites… and I love all the books. Can’t just choose one.
I’ve never been more hooked, more excited, or more in love with a book series as I am the Magic/Kate Daniels series!
I’m about to read the newest release…I was so excited to head home today & dig in!