Magic Bites (Kate Daniels Series #1) by IIona Andrews

From Barnes & Noble

The Barnes & Noble Review
Following in the footsteps of other contemporary paranormal fantasy authors like Laurell K. Hamilton and Kim Harrison, Ilona Andrews's Magic Bites features saber-wielding heroine Kate Daniels, a "magic-touting mercenary" who investigates the brutal murder of her legal guardian only to be pulled into a volatile power struggle between two rival groups within Atlanta's supernatural community.

Atlanta is a city immersed in magic. Like the tides, when the magic is up, modern technology fails (guns don't fire, cars don't start, etc.) and magicians and other supernatural beings rule the world. In the midst of all this are organizations like the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid whose mission it is to keep the peace. But when knight-diviner Greg Feldman -- the guardian of Daniels -- is ripped to shreds by some unknown monstrosity, the butt-kicking heroine vows to avenge his murder at any cost. Her investigation, however, places her directly between the Pack, a powerful clan of shape-changers, and the Masters of the Dead, a group of necromancers who control a virtual army of vampires…

While Andrews brings nothing particularly revolutionary to the paranormal fantasy mythos -- her characters are well developed but formulaic, the plotlines are conventional, etc. -- the strength of this novel comes from brilliant pacing and atmosphere. The narrative is as fluid as it is direct; and Andrews's dark and lyrical description of the supernatural underworld of Atlanta -- especially at night -- masterfully draws the reader into her urban fantasy realm. Though Andrews doesn't exactly reinvent the wheel with Magic Bites, she does create a story that is an undeniable stay-up-all-night page-turner. Paul Goat Allen

From the Publisher

Mercenary Kate Daniels cleans up urban problems of a paranormal kind. But her latest prey, a pack of undead warriors, presents her greatest challenge.

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