The Kate Daniels series is one of my favorite series of all time! The first book, though I didn’t love it as much as the rest of the series, still blew me away with the incredible world that Ilona Andrews created. And Kate totally hooked me in, with both her narration and character. Kate is a major badass. She’s like, queen of badass heroines. Sigh, I just love her so much. The second book was even better than the first, and that was when I started l o v i n g the series. And the third book, just, wow. Absolutely incredible, and still my favorite of the entire series (well, Magic Rises was a close second). The fourth and fifth books were amazing as well! I know I will always be wowed by a Kate Daniels book, and Magic Rises totally didn’t disappoint at all!

Magic Rises is full of everything you can expect in a Kate Daniels book—Kate being her badass, snarky, hilarious self. Crazy intense and exciting action. The best secondary characters (I love Derek so freaking much) that are just as fleshed out as the main characters. And CURRAN. Curran. Curran. Curran. Curran. Curran. This lion shapeshifter is one of my ALL-TIME FAVORITE book boyfriends. Like, ever. He’s the alpha of alphas (literally, he is), incredibly fierce, strong, loyal, hot, and most of all, he loves Kate with all his heart. He would drop everything he had worked for, all to save her. But of course, Kate would do the same in reverse. Their romance is one of my favorites. They’re strong and top dogs independently, but together, they can do and best anything. They bring out the best (and sometimes worst, which is usually hilarious to read) out of each other.

Curran. *SWOONS* *FAINTS*

Anyways, back to the err… fighting scenes. Yes! Fighting scenes. God, I get so crazy excited during all the action scenes in the Kate Daniels books. Because they’re just so well done! My head is completely into the fight, my heart’s beating, and I’m worrying about who can defeat whom. It’s so intense! And there are so many fight scenes in Magic Rises. LOVED them! I always enjoy action in books I read, and Magic Rises definitely gave me the rush and adrenaline I get when I read them.

There’s a special character who appears in the story, but I can’t say who, because it’s a spoiler! But I really liked him. Like, really really did. Even though he’s evil. There was just something so intriguing and dark and sexy about him… and his fight scenes with Kate! So. hot. Not that he could ever compare with Curran, but he’s still mighty fine on his own. If only he weren’t evil. Drat. Still, I’m excited to see more of him, and we definitely will be seeing more of him in future books.

The Kate Daniels series has romance in it, but it’s not a romance. It’s urban fantasy at its finest. So there aren’t really mushy, lovey-dovey scenes, and even if there were, they would make me feel kind of weird since lovey-dovey stuff is so not Kate and Curran. They usually make me laugh more often than they make me swoon, but I don’t love them any less for it! They’re perfect exactly the way they are. I never had a problem with Kate and Curran not really saying how much they love each other, since their actions speak louder than words, and I still don’t. But I didn’t realize how much I would enjoy reading an occasional mushy scene. And I swooned so. freaking. hard. I was all smiling, being all giddy and giggling, and I loved that even though Kate and Curran have been together for several books, their love is still going strong.

So go forth and read this series if you haven’t started! It’s a must-read series, and for those who are fans of Kate Daniels, you won’t be disappointed with Magic Rises!

5 hearts!

Reading Order: Kate Daniels series

#1 ~ Magic Bites: Paperback • Ebook • Goodreads
#2 ~ Magic Burns: Paperback • Ebook • Goodreads
#3 ~ Magic Strikes: Paperback • Ebook • Goodreads
#4 ~ Magic Bleeds: Paperback • Ebook • Goodreads
#5 ~ Magic Slays: Paperback • Ebook • Goodreads
#6 ~ Magic Rises: Paperback • Ebook • Goodreads
#7 ~ Magic Breaks: Hardcover • Ebook • Goodreads