Brought to you by OBS reviewer Omar

Summary:

No matter how much the paranormal politics of Atlanta change, one thing always remains the same: if there’s trouble, Kate Daniels will be in the middle of it…

As the mate of the Beast Lord, Curran, former mercenary Kate Daniels has more responsibilities than it seems possible to juggle. Not only is she still struggling to keep her investigative business afloat, she must now deal with the affairs of the pack, including preparing her people for attack from Roland, a cruel ancient being with god-like powers. Since Kate’s connection to Roland has come out into the open, no one is safe—especially those closest to Kate.

As Roland’s long shadow looms ever nearer, Kate is called to attend the Conclave, a gathering of the leaders from the various supernatural factions in Atlanta. When one of the Masters of the Dead is found murdered there, apparently at the hands of a shapeshifter, Kate is given only twenty-four hours to hunt down the killer. And this time, if she fails, she’ll find herself embroiled in a war which could destroy everything she holds dear…

Review:

The couple author, Ilona Andrews, calls Magic Breaks “the end of an era,” and after reading the book I can certainly see why, but it doesn’t mean that the series has to end there. We can see in our history that when one era ends, a new one starts, hoping it is better than the previous one.  And, as a fan i can say that the new one is exciting.

Magic Breaks has losses; some old ones from the first book, some recent, and some characters just cling to life. We see important characters from previous books for which we wondered, “What happened to them?” We finally get answer to important questions and new ones rise to fill their place.

By the summary of the book, we know that “Roland,” Kate’s father is coming. We finally meet the Builder of Towers, The Powerful Wizard, The Creator of the Vampires and the People, a being of almost godlike powers, the man with many names throughout history. We finally know his name.  I don’t want to spoil it, but I can tell you that when I first read the series and learned about “Roland” I did my research and I overlooked that person, but know that I know his name I have restarted and I plan to know all I can about “him”.

I can see why some fans of the series might have not liked the book. Some actions from characters were not right, some were bad, and some really wrong; some choices were made by desperation, others by anger, and some by that crazy person in every group.

But you must remember that the characters and events occurred in a fictional world and thank God that a shift like that hasn’t happened to us, even though some of us would like it. Also the major decisions that were made were done with logic and for the safety of a lot of people and loved ones.

But with all the seriousness and some sadness there are funny quotes and moments in the book, courtesy of the amusing couple of Kate and Curran. With them together, the level of sarcasm can reach high points. And there are times when a character given a straight answer and we get a laugh from their reaction,

“I pulled Sarrat out of its sheath. Landon spun the wheel. The Land Rover nearly carried, turning off the road.  Landon parked and bolted out the car, slapping the driver’s door closed behind him. Awesome. I’d terrified the Legatus of the Golden Legion just by showing him my sword. If I waved it around, he’d probably explode.”

This is the first hardcover book for the writing couple, Ilona Andrews, the book also contains Julie’s short story Magic Test that appeared first in the anthology An Apple for the Creature. I myself like this because I met Kate Daniels’ world through that anthology and became a fan of the authors after reading the rest of their work.

For the fans and newcomers of Ilona Andrews I recommend you read Magic Breaks. The book has powerful magic, fight scenes, funny moments, prison break, change in the world as we know it, and most of all, it’s time for the world to meet Kate Daniels daughter of ‘X’ Roland Builder of Towers.

What did you think of the book? Tell us in the comments.