Magic Burns

By: Ilona Andrews

Narrated by: Renee Raudman

Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's Summary

In the second book in number-one New York Times best-selling author Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels series, tempers - and temperatures - are rising!

A mercenary in magic-torn Atlanta who cleans up after magic gone wrong, Kate Daniels has seen it all - and some things she couldn't even have imagined. Normally, waves of paranormal energy ebb and flow like an ocean current. But once every seven years, a paranormal flare comes and brings magic like a tidal wave. Now Kate faces 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 organization of shapeshifters, she quickly realizes the stakes. During a flare, gods and goddesses can manifest and battle for power. The stolen maps are only the first contest in an epic tug-of-war between two gods hoping for rebirth. And if Kate can't stop their cataclysmic showdown, the city may not survive.

©2008 Andrew Gordon and Ilona Gordon (P)2009 Tantor Audio

These are such great Audible books!

Action, drama, romance, magic, gratuitous violence, shapeshifters, witches and monsters... What else do you need? Oh there’s heroes and heroines too! This series rocks! Excellent delivery by the narrator.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Good Story, Sad Narration

I really like the Kate Daniels series written by the Illona Andrews Duo. I’ve read the entire series and I was thrilled to find them on Audible. Unfortunately, my excitement has been doused by Renee Raudman’s narration. I suspect she would excel at children’s stories. She has a sweet voice and it is expressive; however, Kate Daniels is not a sweet character. She is a badass with a big heart. The story is full of shapeshifters and she makes the hyenas sound like they are retarded. Her rendition simply doesn’t make me feel like any of the shifters are being I need to be cautious around.

Want to Read the Whole Series Now!

Love all the twists and turns in the story. Kate is a fantastic protagonist. I enjoy her energy, humor, kick-assery, and tenacity... the magic powers are a bonus!

Great story!

Loved it & couldn't put it down! 1 of those books I devoured...held my attention.

A Great Continuation of the Series

Overall, this is a solid paranormal romance series. In this second installment, we continue to see character growth in our female protagonist, Kate, as well as come to know some of the supporting characters better. The fantasy world created by the writing duo of Ilona Andrews continues to be intriguing, especially with the twist of a magic flare in this book, and I enjoy the many references to various mythological creatures that make their way into these books. The tension between Kate and Curran brings some heat to the plot that doesn't disappoint either.

Once again, Renee Raudman struggles with very specific things, so I can't give her more than an average rating. She's fine with pacing and overall variation of her voice (she's not monotone), but she makes occasional silly mistakes with pronunciation, and her interpretation of characters isn't always great. She's also a bit too heavy with intensity during more poignant material, which is distracting for me as a listener.

I recommend this to fans of paranormal romance, the authors, and the series. People who like paranormal books will probably like it as well if they don't mind a little flare of romance.

Excellent storyline!

Good twists and turns that I haven't found in other fantasy themes. This book brings in a little more history about our heroine without giving too much away.
still not sure about the narrator...

My life is reading- FAVORITE STORY IN FOREVER!

I want to take a moment to humbly thank the writers of this one. (I read Andrews is a husband-wife team?)
Maybe this is a kind of twist in the genre - while technically leaning more YA I would guess, there’s so much for grown-ups like me who still secretly love stories of fantasy and adventure. And I don’t mean fantasy chick lit. The opposite. But there are some definite jolts of yummy fiery grown-up sexiness there, while staying in bounds. Which for me is the most beautiful, slow burn to super hot kind of sexy there is. Maybe I’m the one reader tuned exactly to the pitch of this particular book- this is first series of Andrews I’ve read. I was delighted by book one but simply adore book two.
Excellent adventure and creative world. I’m sure there’s meaning etched into the rolling tides between tech and magic but I’m having too much fun to examine right now. My favorite kind. Tough heroine but not too tough. Uberty uber tough hero who is allowing some kindness to show- probably only because he’s decided to allow it, he’s so disciplined.
To my surprise, there is a slowly but VERY entertaining and tender romance growing through the series. Fills me with, um, “Toska”. (Have to google or read book to find meaning of that.) There’s ‘meaning of life’, and ‘what is all this about’, ‘value of self’ and ‘why do we bother’ questions galore, but so well hidden in either well-written humor or pretty prose- it flits by, take it or leave it. However, I dare you to not get a lump in your throat at least once.
And the EPILOGUE is simply, truly delicious. PRICELESS. I want to read it for the first time, over and over. Sigh. Perhaps the crafty authors ARE onto me and my silent sisterhood - moms forced to gorge on the reading fodder of our kids, only to find, oh no, we don’t hate some of it. Adventure still sings to a part of my heart that is unrepentantly young- however wizened by real life the whole of it is. The authors’ wink to us, I think, is the real paperback story mentioned in the last sentences - popular before the time of the millennials - and the final word spoken comes from the lexicon of pre- 2000 as well. I can only hope to get more.
As for the narrator- great job! Being able to pull off a feminine voice and a sufficiently masculine male voice and a tremulous child’s voice. Bravo. Gotta say what I say to anyone trying to pull off a southern accent- don’t do it unless you grew up there or are for sure you’ve got it. It’s the trickiest to do right of all the accents.

good series

I'm really enjoying this series. I'm looking forward to the next book. I did notice one mispronounciation of Perseus & one small section repeats itself. Other than that, the narration is great.

Miscast Narrator

What made the experience of listening to Magic Burns the most enjoyable?

The story.

What other book might you compare Magic Burns to and why?

The Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Renee Raudman?

I do not know, but someone else was needed.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Tears.

Any additional comments?

The narrator was not right for this book. She was too breathy with a distressed damsel voice. Kate Daniels is not a damsel and would not sound so whiny. The narrator is also terrible of at delivering Kate's dry humor. I will not purchase the next book in audio format.

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

Good Continuation

Good Continuation of the story. You get to know the returning characters more and get introduced to new ones. The story keeps you guessing on the ending till everything comes together.

Great Book Brilliantly Read

Whilst the first book in this series was good - this one is excellent, probably because the scene setting was all done in book 1 this one just kicks off and you are hooked from page 1
Renee Raudmans narration is perfect and I would give it 6 stars if possible

My only moan is the rest of the series is all recorded - for example I can buy book 3 on Audio CD from Amazon UK for £25.00! but its not on Audible - in fact none of the rest of this series is on Audible UK (though all but books 3 and 4 are on the US site) so having to resort to Kindle for the rest which is fine when I have time to sit and read but not so good when I want to listen whilst doing other things.
Also the Narrator is one of those rare ones whose performance is actually better than just reading the book so its a bit annoying.

I wouldn't let it put you off the series though as long as you dont mind reading rather than listening