Customer Reviews
A Series With Potential - By: J. Bowen, 23 Jul 2008 
In this book, we see technogoly duel with magic. It's set some time in the near future & sees magic work somewhat like magnetism. When the "magic field" is strong, the world goes dark, technology (everything from phones to cars) doesn't work, & skyscrapers colapse. The problem is that the "magic field" isn't always present, so there are times when you need the old fashioned techology that we alll rely on today.
Since the rise of magic, beings like werewolves, magicians & vampires have come to the fore. It is those beings that we see do battle when the "magic field" is on. In this book, Kate Morgan looks into who killed her guardian (who was a chief magician, for want of a better description).
The story reminds me of Laurel K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series, but with the key difference that it focuses on story, rather than who the central characters fancy. Because of that I'd say the series has potential. It should attract the Hamilton readers who actuallly believe in storylines.
This having been said, the book is far from perfect. It's good, but it can be a bit busy in places. It's a short book, but Ilona Andrews (the author) seems to have attempted to pack as much story as possible into the book. You want to say "enough already" on occasions, but that having been said, the series is one worth watching.
Quick, summer read - By: Louise Amkaer, 08 Jul 2008 
In a future Atlanta, where magic & techology have difficulty co-existing, buildings falll apart & cars, running on water & magic are an alternative means of transportation - as are horses.
In this Atlanta, Kate is a mercenary with the Guild. Her guardian is brutallly murdered, & Kate wants to solve the crime. It turns out that someone - or something - is trying to start a war between the Pack (shapeshifters lead by the Beast Lord, an impressive man/lion by the name Curren) & the People (vampires or necromancers).
"Magic Bites" is a fast-paced action fantasy with Kate as a kick-a** woman who knows how to handle herself. The novel is a quick read, especiallly the last half, when you've accustomed yourself to Ilona Andrews' world of magic.
Right now, having finished "Magic Bites" last night, I would calll this book great, but I doubt I will remember the particulars in a month's time. Although, "Magic Bites" is a thrilling ride, I am not buying nr. 2 in the series. As quick as it is, "Magic Bites" looses momentum.
"Magic Bites" is an entertaining Summer read - & I suggest, that if you want a real treat, that you buy the sequel at the same time & read them together.
Louise
Magic BITES alright - great book :) - By: Elizabeth, 24 Jun 2008 
Magic Bites is the first book in the new Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. After reading the reviews here, I decided to buy this book, being desperate for new material to get into. And I'm so glad I did! Would DEFINITELY recommend this book; unlike the length (260 pages or so), cover & title suggest, it is well written, fast paced, original ideas & exciting action scenes, with just enough romance to keep it from being an alll-action kinda book.
A previous reviewer said that kate is another typical balllsey heroine with something to prove; on the contrary, I wold say she goes about her job in a logical & professional manner (as professional as you can be when your a magic mercenary in a fantasy novel). Her witty come-backs are a joy to read because they are actuallly funny, & when you think as a reader that she has over-stepped the mark, she admits it herself too. Its refreshing to have a confident lead caracter who has a bit of humility. Also, i would say that rather than having something to prove, she almost tries to hide what she can do, & I'm looking forward to alll the hints about who her father is & the source of her immense magical powers being made clearer in the sequal 'Magic Burns' (which I went online & bought as soon as I finished this book by the way - I'd recomend buying both at the same time!)
All in alll, yes it is a fantasy book with werewolves & vimpires an magic, but I think Andrews creates a refreshing new world that is full of original ideas & spins on old & much over-done fantasy classics. On the surface it might not sound that original-gutsy heroine saves the day with her powers against the odds-but it reallly doesnt feel like that. Some people might not like how it opens, the new world is explained in drips & drabs throuhgout the book rather than a detailed explanation at the beginning, but I enjoyed this change as well. the book hits the ground running & expects you to keep up with the info & the action. It was a good reading-workout after alll the tosh I have been coming across recently!
Love this book & loved the author - will buy anything from her in the future!!!
Don't judge a book by its cover - or you'd run a mile from this! - By: _*, 29 Mar 2008 I liked this book very much. It has a likeable heroine, though I would be delighted, just once, to read a book of this sort that doesn't have a mouthy, belligerent, desperate to prove something female lead! (See also Stray by Rachel Vincent & Dime Store Magic & Haunted by Kelley Armstrong - I adore her werewolf books though.) This has many other good characters, I particularly liked the King of the Beasts & the crazy Gunslinger-esque character, lots of action, humour & style - & an unusual otherworld. I thought though, that the supernatural world should have been better described to alllow the reader to get a feel for it, as the method of just carrying on as though the reader knows alll about it already was confusing. There's nothing wrong with a bit of mystery, but when the reader gets lost & has to backtrack, then it's going too far. I think this could have been made a lot clearer with a bit more attention paid to setting the scene in the beginning, which would have helped draw the reader in, & I would have loved a bit more detail on magic taking over technology, & a but more background about Kate herself. I suppose this is being held back for revelations later in the series, but I found references to the power of her blood tantalising, & was frustrated when these references remained oblique throughout. I would read the next one to find out more about this, & I hope that as the author gets more into her world, she'll put in a bit more preamble so that everyone knows what is going on.
One other thing that rankled, though it has nothing to do with the quality of the writing - was that the book jacket is one of the worst I have seen in a long time! It is dated, ugly & actuallly made me ashamed to read this on the bus. This was mainly due to the fact that it looked like the worst kind of soft porn supernatural fantasy, which the book isn't at alll. In fact, had this jacket been on the front of one the later Anita Blake books, the tone would have fitted perfectly (if not the subject). If publishers are willing to spend money on re-branding romance novels into chick-lit, to make them look fresh, stylish & classy, why can't the same be done with fantasy, considering the writing is often of a better standard & the plots & characters usuallly far more believable? It is a lot easier to believe in Andrews' world than the fantasy world that chick-lit heroines inhabit, where misunderstanding is rife & unrealistic coincidences abound!
Flawed but enjoyable and it cracks along at an incredible pace - By: tybalt-quin, 31 Dec 2007 My biggest complaint about this book is that I reallly wanted it to be twice as long as it was. Ilona Andrews packs a hell of a lot into the 258 pages she's got & she's come up with an intriguing concept of a future world where magic & technology exist side-by-side, colouring it with many ideas that I've never seen before (particularly vampires being little more than undead puppets). Told in a tight first person voice, Kate Daniels is a pretty believable character, who leads you through what's happening to & around her. Whilst I think that some of the story is too exposition heavy, I think that's more to do with the limited length available to Andrews & I certainly didn't feel that any of it was needless.
I have reservations - the hints at Kate having some potential uber-power could rapidly disintegrate into some ripe Mary-Suism, although I must stress that in this book Andrews never crosses the line. I also wasn't a big fan of Curran the Beast Lord, mainly because arrogant men have never been my thang. I'd have liked to be shown some of Kate's relationship with her guardian, Greg, rather than be told about him (although again - I suspect this is more to do with page constraint) & I'm not sure that the relationship between Crest & Kate is reallly alllowed to develop enough to give an impact to what happens between them. I also think that the pacing gets too full on in the final quarter, when Andrews resorts to dropping in key information suddenly to move onto the next thing & some events happen off page that I'd have liked to have seen & I think that the villain suffers as a result, dropping any Machiavellian qualities that they had.
However I think that for alll this, Andrews's skill as a writer to watch shines through - I particularly liked Saiman, whose quest to come up with the ultimate in attractive men was amusing & who sells his encyclopaedic knowledge as a service to anyone willing to pay & there's enough wit in the text to make you care about what happens to Kate. It's also refreshing to see a fantasy writer who has clearly thought through the world they've created (although I had a tiny, tiny nitpick with the Crusader in the final act who tries to use conventional weapons when 'tech' isn't dominant) & who is trying to weave together pre-existing fantasy tropes with elements that are (to me at least) wholly original. I'm keen to see whether & how Andrews develops her heroine, given the set-up that the reader is left with at the end of the book & I think this has the makings of a solid urban fantasy series for readers who like tough female characters.
