The Magical Tides have now been Claimed - books by Ilona Andrews
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- Shalini
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The Magical Tides have now been Claimed by Ilona Andrews are a play on the titles of the two books, Magic Tides and Magic Claims.
Table of Contents
The Magical Tides have now been Claimed by Ilona Andrews are a play on the titles of the two books, Magic Tides and Magic Claims.
Blurb of Magic Tides
Kate, Curran and their son, Conlan have left Atlanta, vowing to keep a low profile, and are settling into a new city and new house…but some things never change! Magical mayhem is about to erupt when Kate undertakes the rescue of a kidnapped youth, while Curran guards the homefront.
It should be a simple retrieval, but with monsters on land and sea, Kate’s got her work cut out for her. Still, she’s never let her blade dull or her purpose falter. And that low profile? It’s about to wash away with the raging tides!
Publication Date: January 2023
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My Review of Magic Tides - Book #1
What was Magical Tides all about
Magic Tides by Ilona Andrews was a new world specifically created by the dynamic author duo for Kate Daniels and her shifter husband, the Beast Lord, Curran in Wilmington. Away from their old life in Atlanta, they tried the domestic bliss way for 7 years, living the life of relative ignominy.
Until her son Conlan brought his friend home along with a problem. And seeing that, Kate couldn’t ignore the call for help.
Off she went to poke all the baddies with her sword, until she reached the one who had made a deal with the God. Then the tides turned, and it took all her power to twist everything in her direction.
A novella this was supposed to be, but the book had potential. Therefore, the authors subsequently made this into a short story. And it didn’t end there. The book #2 soon followed.
This was a standalone, but you had to read the original Kate Daniels series set in Atlanta to understand the world. The author duo had gone out of the way to explain everything in this book, thereby making the book to be full of narrations, but to feel the thrill of the story, the original ten books had to be read.
Urban fantasy kicks my heart into overdrive. And this book did the same. I had to admit that the original series had crisper writing and better action scenes. This was just the beginning in a new place, so maybe Kate Daniels needed to be the same but also different as she was a mother in this.
The Hook
Trigger Warnings: hmm… nothing. This was a mild urban fantasy. But the action was the hook that kept me deeply rooted into its pages.
In some ways, the book matched my expectations in giving me a different storyline but in others like effective storytelling and using compelling words to lure me in, the book lacked its shine.
Ilona Andrews was talented in making the book sparkle. This book had lost some of that shine.
There were other good books in this genre, but since I was a long standing fan of this author, I would read any book written by them as long as it reached me.
The Characters
I loved the characters-having been loving them since the original series. But the two lacked the zing and spice between them. The air throbbed with Kate and Curran were in the scene, but in this all of that was missing. And I deeply regretted that. I wanted more of a bond between Kate and Curran. What was shown was slightly more forced in this book. The book #2 did redeem itself in some scenes as they fought together.
In action, Kate was good. She was a mother in this, so I thought I would get to see some warmth with her son, but I supposed the Shifter Pack rules were set for all. In this entire book, the characterization could have been detailed.
But you had to remember that this was supposed to be a novella but the characters flew out of the control of the authors, and the story had to be told in this manner.
The Intricacies
There were a lot of explanations and rules in the interactions of Kate with each being in Wilmington. And there were many when the magic wave brought in some new ones. So this book had a cause and effect kind of storyline where Kate had to go from point A to B to C and so on, until Curran came to help her where none was required.
So there was no convoluted plot but a lot of introduction to new ways. The writing still managed to grip me, and I could finish the book in two sittings. That was because I had a hectic work day.
The action scenes and to see Kate performing her magic were two key points that kept me hooked on to the book.
My Review of Magic Claims - #Book2
Kate and Curran have just settled into their new home and their ‘low prolife,’ when a local businessman approaches them with an offer they can’t refuse. A mysterious evil has spawned in the nearby forest and is holding a defenseless town hostage. The ‘due date’ is rapidly approaching.
It’s exactly the kind of fight the Lennarts can’t resist, not for the prize the town offers, but for the people who will surely die if they ignore it. If they succeed, they’ll be rescuing an entire community and can build a strong new base for their family and the Wilmington Pack. If they fail…well, fail is a four-letter word.
Nothing comes without a price. Now Kate must decide if she has what it takes to pay it.
Publication Date: June 2023
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Magical Tides of the first book were now claimed by Kate Daniels in the second book, Magic Claims, as she started accepting her father’s powers which were far beyond that anyone could have ever imagined.
All books of the dynamic duo authors, Ilona Andrews had to be read in order because there were always elements of the first book in the next one. None of them really work as standalone. And their writing was so delicious, why would anyone not want to read their books in order?
Urban Fantasy was the theme and it was as exciting as ever because the main characters Kate and Curran had to deal with animals of ice age along with the frozen queen and pumped-up powers.
The Hook
Trigger Warnings: None whatsoever. Magic and Kate Daniels kept me hooked to the story. Yet, the news books couldn’t match to the first 10 of the original Kate Daniels series in Atlanta.
I hoped that some day the authors would get back to their original zingy words.
The Characters
The main characters were the same in all the books, but this time there was the added couple of characters of the townsmen amongst humans and more shifters joined Curran.
The villains were quite out of this world, the creatures of the Ice Age loaded with magic. So you betcha, there was quite a bit of fight in the story.
The Intricacies
The creatures of the Ice Age were quite interesting. Furthermore, they were ramped up with different kind of magic. So the way Kate dealt with all of them compelled me to read the story in one go.
Nevertheless, I was hoping that the third book would have the pack work more cohesively as these authors thought up different harass villains. Despite the heroes making the book, credit had to be given to all the villains to pump up excitement in our books.
The Setting of Both Books
The entire book was an urban fantasy where the world was ruled by the tech and magic wave alternating with each other. Magic destroyed tech and tech stopped working in magic wave. During the tech wave, their gadgets and cars worked. Hence Kate had a horse-like donkey as she didn’t want to get stuck when her car stopped during a magic wave.
The setting of new beings and magic and the underdogs and the victims in a new environment was well maintained where bows and swords and claws were still used.
The Pace of Both Books
Being a short story with loads of action, the pace didn’t slack off in any of the books. All in all, I would say they would make a good afternoon read.
The style of writing - The Prose of Magical Tides
If you were new to this world, you would be enamored with the writing. But since I knew how good their writing was, I found the words having lost their sparkle in this series.
The voice of Kate Daniels was still compelling. She called and I went running. To be honest, it just felt that it could have been better, if the authors had made the energy pulse within Kate and between Kate and Curran. This was altogether true for both the books newly released.
How Magical Tides made me feel
The first emotion was excitement on getting my hands on this book. This was followed by finishing the book in nearly one sitting. Then I had to get book #2. And finished that book too in record within one day.
As I have said before, the prose and dialogue needed to have a bite to them.
Do I recommend these books?
If you were a true fan of Kate Daniels, you would definitely love this book. And if I get my hands on book #3, I would definitely read it the same day. That was how much I loved the book.
But this series was for Kate Daniels fans only. So read the original books first. Click here
Check out the other Ilona Andrews books available on Amazon here.
I downloaded the digital version of the book from an online retail, and this is my journey down its pages, straight from the heart. STRICTLY HONEST and UNBIASED.
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One Response
Sounds like you really loved those–not an author I’ve read yet.