Review: Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews

Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews
Book purchased from Book Depository

AH’s Review – 4 Skulls – A-

The Kate Daniels series is one of Badass Book Reviews favorite series. I thought I would try something different with this review. I had a lot of thoughts to organize and I thought it best just to note them in a kind of point form.

AH’s Initial Thoughts – Honestly, I never really thought a lot about Andrea when I was reading the Kate Daniels books. Maybe I’m just a bad fan, but she never really made that much of an impression on me. Perhaps it’s because I was smitten by His Royal Furriness, or maybe because Kate is that strong of a character, I’m not really sure. So when I heard that Andrea was going to have her own series, I wasn’t sure if she could hold an entire book. Let me say that I was pleasantly surprised. I love Andrea now and I would love to read more about her. She is one badass heroine.

Andrea’s background – Andrea’s old pack was absolutely horrible. I can’t imagine condoning that kind of behavior. Andrea was abused and beaten as a young child because of her beastkin background. She still suffers from the abuse and has recurring nightmares.

Andrea’s character – A badass heroine that likes to read fluffy romance novels with “…a pirate in a poofy shirt on the cover.” Andrea is fierce, a born fighter. I loved the scene where Andrea played a pretty girl stuck in traffic and then she got to take out her very big gun. Badass! Oh, and we can’t forget Andrea’s “Swiss Army Purse”.

Big Giant Snakes – Warning! This book has big giant snakes! And Snake People!

Raphael – OK, at first I just didn’t get it. Raphael shows up with a fiancee? What’s with that? Why are the men in this series so dense when it comes to these mating games? Of course shifters work on a different level from us mere mortals. I never thought making a bouda dangerously jealous would be part of a mating game.

Mating Games – Lots of misunderstandings at first. I think when I look back at this series, the mating games stand out for me. From Curran stealing a pie to Kate and the catnip, then the glue on the chair episode, the mating games make me laugh so hard. This book has some funny pranks and everyone seems to be in on it. I’ll never look at a purple shag carpet the same way again. 

Ascanio – What a cutie pie. Loved his character. A were-hyena hormonal teenager. The interactions between Ascanio and Julie were hilarious. Julie is going to be a power to be reckoned with later on.

Roman- Roman’s character was really interesting, especially when he was vying for Andrea’s attention.

Mythology and Lore -This entire series is rich in mythology and lore from many different cultures. I liked how the various creatures, gods, and the like were integrated into the story.

Kate and Curran – Still my favorite urban fantasy couple.  Need I say anything more?

Humor – I love the author’s wry sense of humor. It permeates their writing. Every character in this book has a fun side to them, even the villains. I also found it amusing that the characters are often exasperated with each other and use humor to defuse a situation.

Tie-ins to the series- Rather than going through the repetition of telling the reader what happened in previous books, the author ties in several characters and events. For example, Andrea must visit Sheriff Beau (the same sheriff from the hot tub incident) to bail out some teens from the pack. The draugr was also in a previous book.

Some quotes:

“You’re the most experienced investigator I’ve got who’s not tied up in something, and I can’t ask the Consort to look into it, because A)she and Curran are working on something and B)when the Consort gets involved, half the world blows up.” – Jim to Andrea.

“Who me? I don’t date. I only steal virgins to sacrifice.” - Roman

“He didn’t wear his tuxedo like a relaxed gentleman would wear a dinner jacket, nor did he wear it the way a knight wore his armor. Raphael wore it the way an assassin wears his leathers and cloak. He was a dagger in a black sheath. I wanted to reach for him, even knowing he would slice my flesh to pieces.”

“Your horse looks pink.”
“So?”
“If you paste some stars on her butt, you’ll be riding My Little Pony.”

Rating:  ☠  ☠  ☠  ☠  ☠ 

Highly recommended series.

Series Reading Order:

1. Magic Bites
2. Magic Burns
3. Magic Strikes
4. Magic Bleeds
5. Magic Slays
6. Gunmetal Magic (Kate Daniels World 1, Kate Daniels 5.5)

There are a few other short stories available in the Kate Daniel’s series. See the author’s website for the full list.

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