Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, #1) by Ilona Andrews

• Title: Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, #1) 
• Classification: Adult Fiction 
• Genre: Urban Fantasy
• Format: Paperback, 272 pages
• Publisher: Ace (March 27, 2007)
• ISBN-10: 9780441014897
• ISBN-13: 978-0441014897
• ASIN: 0441014895

 

"When people had trouble of a magic kind, the kind that cops couldn't handle, they called the Mercenary Guild. If the job happened to fall into my territory, the guild then called me." 

Kate Daniels is a mercenary who can wield magic. Her guardian, Greg, whom was the last person she considered family, has just been murdered. She's out to find out who killed him and why, then she'll kill them. The world she lives in is filled with parnormal beings and magic. To make things more difficult, Greg was a knight-diviner, a member of a group called the Order of Merciful Aid. Knight-diviners are nearly impossible to kill because they're powerful and well trained.    

"The Order of Merciful Aid offered just what its name suggested: merciful aid to anyone who asked. If you could pay, they would charge you; and if you couldn't, they would kill shit on your behalf pro bono. Officially their mission statement was to protect humanity against all harm, by magic or by weapon."  

Just weeks before he was killed, Greg tried to persuade Kate to rejoin the Order. She had declined. Now she must see what case Greg was working on when he was murdered, and try to track down his killer. Hopefully, she'll be able to avoid the fate of her guardian.

Besides the murder mystery involving Greg, there is also the mystery as to whom Kate's real father was. Make no mistake she knows, we (the readers) have no clue. Throughout the book Kate must make sure not to leave any DNA blood trace. She'll actually burn her blood with gasoline if it's spilled on the ground, and burn any clothes that her blood has her blood on it. Whoever he is or was, he must have been powerful if she's willing to go to such extremes to hide it.

I really loved this story. Yes, there are a lot of paranormal books out there, but this one seemed to get back to the basics with a little darker, a little creepier version of some of the paranormal beings involved. You have vampires that crawl on ceilings like spiders and weres that are huge and about as fierce and scary as they come. No vegan vampires in this one. Be prepared to enter an alternate dimension when you pick up this series. 

I gave this one 5 out of 5 roses.

Order of Series:





























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