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booksthatburn's review
adventurous
funny
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I like this more mature version of Kate, I’m not quite sure how old she is here, but it’s been at least a decade since MAGIC BITES. She’s at least in her late thirties, possibly in her early forties, and she makes a few references to what she would’ve done before and how she’s changed. She’s consistent with the threads of that earlier self, but she’s older, wiser, and has a very different set of resources and connections than she had by the time the main series ended. I hope this can be a good starting point for new fans, and I’m excited to see where it goes.
The main plot deals with bringing a kidnapped child home. Kate tracks him down and deals with the people responsible. Implicitly, later books will deal with Kate and Curran continuing to set up their new home, as well as what Conlan is like as he grows up, but this doesn’t make any attempt at a cliffhanger because it’s more about the general path forward rather than trying to keep any particular storyline dangling open.
This is the first book in a new series of novellas within the broader world of the Kate Daniels books. One of the biggest changes as a long time reader of the series is that this is narrated by Kate, Curran, and briefly by Conlan rather than just Kate. There have been various other stories in spinoff series with different narrators, but it’s new to have Kate narrating alongside someone else. It would be very hard for me to really assess how much the summaries of the backstory would make sense to someone who had this is their starting point. I think it does a pretty good job of bringing up only as much is actually matters to this story, which is the only really fair thing to ask for a world developed already through so many stories. I particularly enjoyed getting Curran's perspective. I have read most of the Curran POV stories, but it was nice to get this in an intentional way rather than as an addendum. There's a particular moment between Curran and Conlan that helped me get a sense of who Curran is as a father to a son who's now old enough to understand what he's saying.
I excited for more of Kate and Curran, and I'll have to keep an eye on Conlan as this isn't the only new book where he appears. Splitting new books into a cluster of parallel/intertwining series is a very smart way to keep each specific series focused, not all needing to involve the very extensive cast of characters which had built up in the original series.
The main plot deals with bringing a kidnapped child home. Kate tracks him down and deals with the people responsible. Implicitly, later books will deal with Kate and Curran continuing to set up their new home, as well as what Conlan is like as he grows up, but this doesn’t make any attempt at a cliffhanger because it’s more about the general path forward rather than trying to keep any particular storyline dangling open.
This is the first book in a new series of novellas within the broader world of the Kate Daniels books. One of the biggest changes as a long time reader of the series is that this is narrated by Kate, Curran, and briefly by Conlan rather than just Kate. There have been various other stories in spinoff series with different narrators, but it’s new to have Kate narrating alongside someone else. It would be very hard for me to really assess how much the summaries of the backstory would make sense to someone who had this is their starting point. I think it does a pretty good job of bringing up only as much is actually matters to this story, which is the only really fair thing to ask for a world developed already through so many stories. I particularly enjoyed getting Curran's perspective. I have read most of the Curran POV stories, but it was nice to get this in an intentional way rather than as an addendum. There's a particular moment between Curran and Conlan that helped me get a sense of who Curran is as a father to a son who's now old enough to understand what he's saying.
I excited for more of Kate and Curran, and I'll have to keep an eye on Conlan as this isn't the only new book where he appears. Splitting new books into a cluster of parallel/intertwining series is a very smart way to keep each specific series focused, not all needing to involve the very extensive cast of characters which had built up in the original series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Sexism, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Ableism, Slavery, Terminal illness, Excrement, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
wickedgrumpy's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Seven years after Magic Triumphs, with a whole new crew and some mention of old faves. I'm definitely excited to see what comes next for Kate and co.
I liked the multiple POVs, it was a nice change and it makes for a more robust story when a lot is going on in different places.
I liked the multiple POVs, it was a nice change and it makes for a more robust story when a lot is going on in different places.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Self harm, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism