5 stars for Magic Triumphs (Kate Daniels book 10) by Ilona Andrews.
The problem with reading a good book is that you want to finish the book, but you don't want to finish the book. That is exactly how I feel each time I pick up this series and go into the Kate Daniels mode.
Much as I want to uncover the plot asap in this last book of the series, I want to go slow and savor every moment of each scene, which is how I find myself keeping a nervous watch over the tiny numbers on the bottom right corner of my kindle and hope against hope that the percentage shown there will come to a standstill, if not climb up ever so slowly. Well.. the existence of this post less than 5 days from the last one is proof enough of a fat lot of good it does me.
Magic Triumphs has this super-duper grand finale feel right from the start. Many of the characters, big or small, make a welcome comeback. No surprises there. What takes me aback instead is the reappearance of the oh-my-I-so-miss-this term of endearment "Here, kitty, kitty, kitty". It definitely brings me back to the days of old when Kate meets Curran for the first time in Unicorn Lane. The author certainly knows the right button to push to teleport Fans back to the nostalgic past.
On top of the characters, all the different factions in Atlanta make their appearance as well. We have the Pack, the People, the Covens, the Order, the Guild, the Biohazard, the Red Guard, the National Guard, the Mages, the Druids, the Mercs, the Volhvs, and even the Iron Dogs. And then, as is, there is the bloodbath and screams and howls and snarls from all the fighting on the battlefield.
I have literally followed and watched Kate Daniels grow up, or perhaps grow older and wiser, over a span of eleven years; from a headstrong loner in Magic Bites to the self-sacrificing girl in Magic Strikes to the struggling owner of Cutting Edge Investigations in Magic Bleeds to the Beast Lord's consort in Magic Slays to the best sword fighter in Magic Rises to the kick-ass mercenary in Magic Shifts to the wife-and-mommy heroine she is today in Magic Triumphs. Even with a son in tow - yes yes, they have a child now - the sparks between Kate and Curran never fizzle out. Instead, it is even more heartwarming to see how the dynamics of their relationship changes to accommodate the additional family member.
I am sad, but not that sad, that this series has drawn to a close. The beauty of excellent storytelling is having the heart to kill off great important characters and knowing when to wrap up the story and series. This husband-and-wife writing team certainly recognises the need to end the series as she/he sees fit and proceeds to do it. This is what set author Ilona Andrews apart from the rest of them mediocre ones.
Not only have I come a long way with Kate Daniels, I also bear witness to the changes in her urban fantasy world. Yes, changes and definitely for the better. The author(s), the stories, the writings, the world building all just keep getting better and better. So, I did not see it coming; the freakingly frank admission in the authors' acknowledgements in Magic Triumphs.
"If you’ve never read us before, and this is your first Kate book, thank you for buying it, but please put it down and find a copy of Magic Bites. It’s not our favorite, and we would probably rewrite it if we could, but we all have to start somewhere, and it’s always better to begin at the beginning."
What is so bravely penned down by the authors is exactly how I have felt all along as a reader and loyal Fan of Kate Daniels and how I will have felt if I am the writer myself.
Grand finale. Last instalment. No more Magic something. No more Kate. No more Curran. The end. But.. if you have read Magic Triumphs, you may agree with me based on the ending which is an ending but not an ending ending, that there is this - no matter how small but it is there - possibility that this well-loved series may return once again. Perhaps one day years down the road, the author(s) may have a change of heart and decide to surprise us readers. Who knows, right? Until that one day which of course may never materialise, I can only and will surely re-read the series. Again. And again.
1. Magic Bites
2. Magic Burns
3. Magic Strikes
4. Magic Bleeds
5. Magic Slays
6. Magic Rises
7. Magic Breaks
8. Magic Shifts
9. Magic Binds
10. Magic Triumphs
Publisher: Ace
Publication date: 28 Aug 2018
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Kate has come a long way from her origins as a loner taking care of paranormal problems in post-Shift Atlanta. She’s made friends and enemies. She’s found love and started a family with Curran Lennart, the former Beast Lord. But her magic is too strong for the power players of the world to let her be.
Kate and her father, Roland, currently have an uneasy truce, but when he starts testing her defenses again, she knows that sooner or later, a confrontation is inevitable. The Witch Oracle has begun seeing visions of blood, fire, and human bones. And when a mysterious box is delivered to Kate’s doorstep, a threat of war from the ancient enemy who nearly destroyed her family, she knows their time is up.
Kate Daniels sees no other choice but to combine forces with the unlikeliest of allies. She knows betrayal is inevitable. She knows she may not survive the coming battle. But she has to try.
For her child.
For Atlanta.
For the world.
*Blurb from author's website*
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