Magic Burns (Kate Daniels, #2) by Ilona Andrews

• Title: Magic Burns 
• Classification: Adult Fiction
• Genre: Urban Fantasy
• Format: Paperback, 272 pages
• Publisher: Ace (April 1, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 9780441015832
• ISBN-13: 978-0441015832
• ASIN: 0441015832  
• Notes: Language used that some individuals may find offensive.

“Theory said that magic and tech used to coexist in a balance. Like the pendulum of a grandfather clock that barely moved, if at all. But then came the age of Man, and men are made of progress. They over developed magic, pushing the pendulum further and further to one side until it came crashing down and started swinging back and forth, bringing with it tech waves. 

And then in its turn, the technology over saturated the world, helped once again by pesky Man, and the pendulum swung again, into the side of magic this time. The previous Shift from magic to tech took place somewhere around the start of the Iron age. The current Shift officially dawned almost thirty years ago. It began with a flare, and with each subsequent flare, more of our world succumbed to magic.”  (From Magic Bites)

"Flares" come only every seven years or so. During the "flares" magic fluctuates. At times reducing or boosting the power of spells. It also allows some beings to cross over to our realm.....

Kate Daniels is now the official liaison between the Mercenary Guild and the Order of Merciful Aid (aka Order). She is also the official go between for Weres and The Order. In this book, someone has stolen maps from the weres and killed a person Jim and Kate had just apprehended for the bounty on his head. The link to the events are the bolts that were used to kill victims. Without much to go on, Kate returns to the scene where her bounty had been murdered. While looking for clues, Kate stumbles upon the daughter of a witch who claims her mother and her entire coven of witches has disappeared. While searching the area where the coven was last seen another bolt is found. The other common element to the crimes is a mysterious man that seems to be able to instantly appear and disappear in and out of places. This one will boil down to a power struggle between two ancient mythological beings, and if the wrong one gets control, it could be the end of mankind.  

I am really enjoying this series so far. The magical world Kate lives in is fun and exciting. One of my favorite things that an author can do is to incorporate some mythology into a story. Ms. Andrews does this while taking some creative license with the mythological beings of Morrigan and Morfran. 

I'm also loving the relationship that seems to be developing between Kate and Curran. It's nice when every once in a while a series takes it's time to bring two individuals into a full blown romance. The relationship of Curran and Kate is fun to watch, and I can't help but think it will grow into something special. Loving the bantering that is going on between the two. Here is a little excerpt from two of my favorite conversations between Kate and Curran. I took the liberty of removing some sentences and keeping the ones I felt were most important:

"If I let her go, I'll need a replacement. Want to volunteer for the job?"(said by Curran)

"And be girlfriend number twenty-three soon to be dumped in favor of girlfriend number twenty-four who has slightly bigger boobs? I don't think so."(said by Kate)

"If  we were the last two people on Earth, "I'd find myself a moving island so I could get the hell away from you." (said by Kate; pages 106-107)

Curran's response later in the book. Obviously he didn't like her previous declaration.*grin*:

"Not only will you sleep with me, but you will say 'please.'" 

I stared at him, shocked.
 

The smile widened.  "You will say 'please' before and 'thank you' after." 

Nervous laughter bubbled up. "You've gone insane. All that peroxide in your hair finally did your brain in, Goldilocks."  (page 184)

I gave this one 4 out of 5 roses.

Mythological Notes: 

Morrigan, a figure from Irish mythology, is a goddess of battle, strife, and fertility. "She sometimes appears in the form of a crow, flying above the warriors, and in the Ulster cycle she also takes the form of an eel, a wolf and a cow. She is generally considered a war deity comparable with the Germanic Valkyries, although her association with cattle also suggests a role connected with fertility, wealth, and the land." 

The above information gotten from Wikipedia. To learn more check out this link to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Morr%C3%ADgan

Morfran is a figure in Welsh mythology. "Usually portrayed as a warrior under King Arthur, he is noted for the darkness of his skin and his hideousness. He appears in the narratives about the bard Taliesin and in the Welsh Triads." 

The above information was gotten from Wikipedia. To learn more check out this link to Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morfran


Order of Series:





























1. Magic Bites
2. Magic Burns
3. Magic Strikes
4. Magic Bleeds
5. Magic Slays