Book Review: 1 trash can
Kate Daniels Series, Book One
Publisher: Tantor Audio, Program Type: Audiobook, Listening Length: 9 hours and 6 minutes, ASIN: B001PLND3E

Kate Daniels, a mercenary who can wield magic, becomes a temporary member of the Knight of the Order of Merciful Aid when she investigates the murder of her mentor and friend. Kate wields a magic sword and has magic in her blood. During her investigation she suspects that the Masters of the Dead or else Curran, the beast lord, are the most likely suspects, but are they?

Ilona Andrews is the pen name for Ilona Gordon and Andrew Gordon, a husband and wife writing team. There are currently nineb ooks in the Kate Daniels series, a contemporary fantasy series where magic and technology are continually at odds. When magic is flowing, technology doesn’t work and vice versa, with each power source continually in flux. Monsters roam the streets including naked, sinuous and bloodthirsty vampires who are controlled by necromancers.  Ilona Andrews has also written three books in the The Edge Series and two in the Kinsmen Series. Magic Bites is told in a first person narrative by the main protagonist, Kate Daniels.

The Kate Daniels books have quite a large following and some of the books have even ended up on the New York Times best selling list.  I can see how some of the original ideas, like the portrayal of the vampires and the way magic and technology are at odds can be appealing.  That is why I decided to give this series a try.  However, after reading, I could not understand why anyone would enjoy this book, I did not. Perhaps the quality of the writing improves as the series continues. I thought the dialogue was cheesy with a confusing story that jumped around without much flow while following a weak plotline.

Although this is a standalone book and the story resolves by the end of the book, the journey was painful.  I do not recommend this book.

 Question to ponder: Has anyone read all or any of the books in the series and if so, is the writing in the later books an improvement over the first book?