Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I know I do not have to tell anyone that has already read Magic Rises that this book is great. I am the first to admit that I was apprehensive about reading it because I have been so invested in this story. I own each release in both ebook and audiobook and the earlier releases I had the paperbacks to go with my audiobooks. With the audiobooks I like to go through the series at least once a year. I started out listening to the book on my long commute to and from my office. I finished one book yesterday and decided to read it on my Kindle and ended up spending most of the afternoon into the night finishing it. I couldn't walk away. I had to know how the story finished. One of the things that kept going through my mind as the story was winding down was how Ilona Andrews has always been able to tap into my emotions with this series. Anyone in my family and close friends can tell you I avoid books and movies that make me cry or make me sad. But, this series is one where, from Kate's loss in the very first book when we first meet her, to the action and emotion-packed events in Magic Rises, I just couldn't walk away.

Magic Rises is the continuation of the Kate Daniels series but it is so much more. It is a story that becomes the story of all the people she interacts with whether friend or enemy. She develops relationships and feelings that are totally against how she was raised. As Hugh told her "we were raised to be serial killers". That is an extremely profound statement. The fact that they both had the same background but evolved into such different people speaks volumes. Based upon how the series has gone so far I think that despite Kate's bloodline I do not think that blood will always out, as they say. Kate has forged her own path and I believe when everything comes to a head she will continue to do that.

There is still the great displays of humor and I found myself thinking that possibly one of the reasons this series works the way that it does is because of the good give-and-take of the authors. I attended a great online chat and it was fun and interesting to watch them interact with each other. I had this chain of thought, right there is the heart of Curran and Kate. They leap off the page when we read their story because a lot of what is put into them comes from not only the imagination of Ilona Andrews but also from the heart of the authors. If you spend any time with Magic Rises you will see that it fully deserves its well-earned spot on the NYT Bestseller list.