Magic Binds by Ilona AndrewsMagic Binds by Ilona Andrews
Series: Kate Daniels #9
Published by ACE on September 20, 2016
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 384
Format: Hardcover
Source: Advance Reader Copy
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five-stars

Mercenary Kate Daniels knows all too well that magic in post-Shift Atlanta is a dangerous business. But nothing she’s faced could have prepared her for this…

Kate and the former Beast Lord Curran Lennart are finally making their relationship official. But there are some steep obstacles standing in the way of their walk to the altar…

Kate’s father, Roland, has kidnapped the demigod Saiman and is slowly bleeding him dry in his never-ending bid for power. A Witch Oracle has predicted that if Kate marries the man she loves, Atlanta will burn and she will lose him forever. And the only person Kate can ask for help is long dead.

The odds are impossible. The future is grim. But Kate Daniels has never been one to play by the rules…

Holy cow! I have no idea how to review this. I mean, it was epic. So much happened, and according the the witch oracle, so much more is going to happen. Soon. And not all of it good.

Kate has really been learning what it means to claim a land. When she claimed Atlanta to prevent her father from doing so, it connected her to the land, to the people, to the creatures. And the magic is starting to pull at her. Deep inside, where she doesn’t want to admit it, the magic makes her want to rule. Not just keep Atlanta safe, but rule it. That isn’t Kate, and she’s trying really hard to remember why ruling is bad.

But her dad has been building a castle on the border of her territory, and he’s pushing her buttons to see how far he can push her.

Meanwhile, Kate and Curran are trying to plan a wedding.

It can’t be easy, can it?

The witch oracle has called Kate and told her some horrible news. This news has no way for her to win. No matter what choice she makes, someone she loves will die, along with untold number of casualties. So Kate has to up her game. She learns, and she adapts. She’s an amazing heroine.

I really like Roland, her father. Is that strange? I mean, I don’t doubt his love, and I kept hoping the prophecy was wrong. I want Kate and him to have a relationship that doesn’t just involve blood and death. But at the same time, I totally believe he’d follow through with his threats. He’s one scary dude because he believes he’s right. Those are the trickiest villains, because they don’t realize they’re evil. And make no mistake, Roland is evil.

The ending blew me away. Knocked my socks off. Left me wanting more.

Ilona Andrews was always an amazing writer. From book 1, I’ve wanted to live in these books, but the writing in the past couple books has gotten deeper, more intense, and I can’t articulate how much I love it! So I’ll go simple- I absolutely love this series. The writing is fantastic. The story is fantastic. The characters are fantastic. If you haven’t read the Kate Daniels series yet, I think you’re missing out. Big time.

***ARC courtesy of ACE books

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five-stars