Magic Shifts

Kate Daniels, Book 8

By: Ilona Andrews

Narrated by: Renee Raudman

Length: 14 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's Summary

In the latest Kate Daniels novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews, magic is coming and going in waves in post-Shift Atlanta - and each crest leaves danger in its wake....

After breaking from life with the Pack, mercenary Kate Daniels and her mate - former Beast Lord Curran Lennart - are adjusting to a very different pace. While they're thrilled to escape all the infighting, Curran misses the constant challenges of leading the shapeshifters.

So when the Pack offers him its stake in the Mercenary Guild, Curran seizes the opportunity - too bad the Guild wants nothing to do with him and Kate. Luckily, as a veteran merc, Kate can take over any of the Guild's unfinished jobs in order to bring in money and build their reputation. But what Kate and Curran don't realize is that the odd jobs they've been working are all connected.

An ancient enemy has arisen, and Kate and Curran are the only ones who can stop it - before it takes their city apart piece by piece....

©2015 Andrew Gordon and Ilona Gordon (P)2015 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved

Perfect story arc for the whole series

I can think of only one other series which develops the overall story without once tripping over earlier plot lines, and this series is flawless. While waiting for this book I listened to all seven of the early ones from the beginning. And wow, do these authors nail it.

Not only does the story arc keep climbing over all eight books without a stutter, the characters grow and change from book one to book eight, and still remain remain consistent. Goodness, many authors can't keep their characters within their original personalities within one book, much less eight.

In the early books we learn that Curan formed the Atlanta pack of different shape shifters because as a youngster his family was torn apart by a band of loupes, shape shifters who have gone crazy. He wanted his future family protected. The Pack repaid his work by not fully accepting his human wife, (well they kept challenging her to duels to the death for leadership of the Pack while he was in a coma, so that's less than accepting). So leaving the Pack that he spent years forming and supporting was not a deal breaker to keep both it and Kate safe from a great Evil. Doesn't mean it wasn't hard. Curan may not have the title of Beast Lord, but it is more than a title it is what he is, and leaving left a hole. The man is Bored.

Thank goodness his wife's problems are quite interesting. Being a mercenary and skilled swords woman, she has mad job skills. Her former employers the Mercenary Guild are willing, if not happy, to hire them both. Even the Lion of Atlanta, and the daughter of Evil (she does not take after her father) have bills to pay. And moving to suburbia has pitfalls of its own.

As usual Renee Raudman goes from an intelligent strong female character, to a growly male Curan, to an even more growly Jim, so smoothly that the listener is not jarred once.

Needless to say I love this series and these characters who are strong enough to have equally strong friends.

One has claws one has a sword

I know why so many readers review these books by just saying "This is a great book". The stories have interwoven plot lines and there are no filler characters, Each character deserves a description and discussing the plots lead to major spoilers. But I enjoy the books and talking about them.

The one with claws transforms into about a half ton of were lion. He also has the mind of a lawyer and the instincts of a five term senator. Except unlike senators he doesn't send people to war, when war is required he puts his considerable self on the line for his people. When Curan is not tearing enemies to bloody little pieces, he has the patience to teach his foster daughter to differentiate between wants and needs, and to ask for what she needs like an appeals brief. Of course he tries to protect the one with the sword when she will let him, and not being stupid she does count on him when things go pear shaped.

Kate Daniels is the one with the sword, and she is the reason I started these reading these books. In the beginning, when she didn't agree with Curan, he called her a no name Merc, who just wanted attention. Kate just picked up her sword and and continued to to solve her problem. Several battles and some dead monsters later he apologized. Kate had no idea why. I adore this character. So does Curan. Also, he will never again take their foster daughter out monster hunting without leaving a note.

In the last book Kate survived meeting her biological father, a man of literal Biblical power. Unfortunately survival is not a permanent condition and Roland is quite capable of killing anyone in his path, including his children. He has done it before. Right now he just wants to have dinner with Kate...at Applebes.

I'm not sure if the earlier reviewer was being ironic. Curan and Kate did leave the Pack. But its sort of like leaving your family to move to another city. Several of the best members of the Pack do keep showing up. Thank goodness we readers would miss them if they just disappeared. Not to mention Curan and Kate can use the back-up.

The humor here is interwoven in the plot lines, the main characters are powerful, and still capable of making mistakes, and dealing with those mistakes. Every character in this book is there for a purpose. There are no fillers here. Kate's and Curan don't look strong just because everyone else is weak. For example Kate's best friend is as good with guns as she is with a sword. The Pack's lawyer is smarter than both Kate and Curan and he totally supports both of them.

OK. I give up. This is a great book. Renee Raudman does a consistently great job.

A good filler in the series.

3.5/5; 4 stars; B+

Although this book wasn't my favorite in the series I still enjoyed it. The only thing is, there was a feel of a bit too much recycled or formulaic plotting. In a nutshell, a big bad monster of unknown origin is stomping around in Kate's territory, there is a lot of fighting, some near death experiences, and at the end of the day Team Kate/Curran prevails.

Obviously this formula works for me because this is one of my favorite PNR series but I don't want anymore like this.

What saves this book from being a 3 star rating for me is all the rich character interactions. There were a lot of funny moments that a person probably wouldn't appreciate so much if they didn't know the characters from previous books but they include Grendel, Christopher, Ascanio, Derek and even Roland.

I loved the parenting discussions squeezed in between fights and upheavals (it really annoys Kate that Curran doesn't leave a note when he does fun things like taking the kids out to fight ghouls!). I enjoyed the sense of family and community woven throughout the book.

I have to confess, I am kind of tired of Kate's 'Daddy' issues....I hope that the authors find some kind of creative way to resolve them without blowing up Kate Daniels world.

On a positive note, I really enjoy Renee Raudman's narration. She is s good choice for this series.

A Fresh Look at an Amazing Series!

Would you consider the audio edition of Magic Shifts to be better than the print version?

Yes - Renee Raudman knows these characters almost as well as the wonderful writing team of Ilona and Gordon Andrews. Her depiction of each character pleases me and matches my mental "picture" of their voices.

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

Earlier books in the series - Magic Bleeds and Magic Slays. Kate and Curran are out of the Pack - by their own choice. Curran especially needs to remake his life now that he is no longer the Beast Lord. A missing were and a mercenary guild case brings the couple in contact with old friends and foes and helps Curran discover an exciting way to spend his days. I love this book because, in a way, it takes us back to an earlier time with big monsters to hunt, friends to care about, and two careers that need to be built.

What does Renee Raudman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She is very good at using her voice to show all the emotions of our beloved characters. I wouldn't change anything about her performance!

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

I did laugh out loud several times throughout the book. There are also some extremely touching moments between Kate and Julie that were perfectly written and read. I love the interaction between these two in this book. It may be my favorite book in the series!

Any additional comments?

I don't want this series to end...ever! This book is so well written and thought out that it actually surpassed my expectations. I highly recommend this book. It is beautifully done. Thank you!

B rating...

My Review:
Overall: 4.0
Performance: 3.75
Story: 4.25

It's been a while since I visited the Kate Daniels world. I'd forgotten how much I love it. I enjoyed this book, buy you know what? I enjoy them all. There are little hints that the end of the series is coming and while that makes me sad, I love how Curran and Kate have evolved and how their place in post-shift Atlanta has also evolved.

This book found them battling an ancient, powerful djinn...some interesting interactions with Kate's father...and some epically hair-raising injuries for Kate. I'd planned to listen to the audiobook slowly, but then got caught up in the story and managed to listen to it all in three days rather than the ten I'd planned for. Yeah, it was pretty good.

This is a series that I recommend you start from the beginning...and I do recommend you do that. It's a GREAT series! Two more books for me to read after this one, since it sounds like #10 is the end.

They do it again!

Perfect combination of story and narration. The storyline is picked up shortly after the end of the previous book and the characters are just as smart and funny and engaging as they always are. This was one storyline that keeps you guessing until the end. Renee Raudman does her usual awesome job keeping voices consistent and well done. I forget the male voices are actually a female actor most of the time. She never goofs up once she sets the characters voice she uses it consistently among all the books. Can't wait for the next installment

Wow

I didn't want it to ever end so much action, adventure and a little romance all combined to make a great edition.

Fantastic

Any additional comments?

What makes a good book....the plot, storyline, & characters. What makes a great book....everything in a good book plus that little extra like wit, charm, comedy, danger, friendship, honor, and love. What makes a fantastic book .... everything in a great book plus a mixture of words at just the right moment that moves the reader so much that they laugh or giggle out loud or silently cry tears as they hear a passage. This book is fantastic! My only regret is having to wait another year for the next book.

And the stories keep coming

I love this Series. Ilona Andrews does a wonderful job of keeping this story going. The debth of their stories are amazing. Their stories, this one included, provides the reader/listener with romance, thrill, suspense and every other word that you can come up with to describe their story creating. This book did not disappoint. I wish they would never stop writing the Kate/Adam stories. The characters are so real and the narrator, Renee, does a great job of giving us the characters that the authors have created. There seems to be no end to the magic in the stories and by the stories. If you can imagine it, Ilona Andrews will give it to you.

Not the best, but memorable moments!

While this was not my favorite in the series, this book did contain some of my favorite lines and moments! I am getting a little tired of all of the heavy action, mega fight scenes. I found myself forwarding through parts, which was a first. And while I love the injured Kate bringing Curran's ultra loving side out, I do not prefer every book having someone near death. I did, however, LOVE the sweet interaction between Curran and Julie...heart melting moment. My ultimate favorite in this book was the interaction between Kate and Roland. It was so clever, unexpected, and humorous. I do like hanging on the edge to figure out Roland. I am so hopeful he will turn out to be a positive character in Kate's life. My hope for the next one is that we have more time for the romance side of Kate and the former Beast Lord.