First read: 4 stars
Second read: 4.75 stars

 Second read review:

Looking back to my first review, I keep asking my 2015-self "why Ren, whyyy???". Maybe, that's the perk of reading and reviewing based on your mood. When your mood is not okay, the review kinda reflect that, lol. Was Kate having too much angst? Not really, to be honest. Yes, she admit to herself that she emotionally compromised but who doesn't after knowing the reality about their deceased parents? That Voron is not what Kate always think, that Kalina is not like what Kate expected? While Kate is ass-kick as she is, deep inside she clung to her picture of "ideal" Voron and Kalina. And when that picture shattered, emotionally compromised is the least that she can do. So, I can accept now that Kate have angst, that despite her bond with Roland that make her magic old, she's still human after all.

I like the relationship between Kate and His Fussiness/Furriness/Arrogance/etc. Theirs is one of good example of relationship between alphas. Yes, Kate is hot-headed. Yes, Curran is control freak. But they somehow manage to make their relationship work and Curran is totally in love with Kate he behave sometimes like a homicidal psycho but can be reasoned with. The way he want to let go the Pack if the Pack didn't respect Kate speak volumes. It's good to see Kate gradually accept her feeling to Curran and to see her emotional wall break bit by bit. I don't get at first why Kate take Julie under her wing, but Magic Slays show that maybe deep inside Kate crave a connection and she see herself in Julie. Since Julie also in need of mother, Kate then step up for that role. I do like the interaction between Julie and Ascanio. Sigh, I just hope there's no love triangle for Julie, Ascanio and Derek. Right now, I'm team Metal Rose, ftw.

Andrea is really Kate's BFF, but no appearance of Raphael. Seems like Raphael still sulking. The Wolf clan alpha, Jennifer, is a nasty character but I like that Kate successfully smack her down without violence. I get that Jennifer is grieving because Kate kill her sister, but in the hindsight the murder happen also because of Jennifer's decision. I'm curious about what IA have for Jennifer, she's a bitch yes, but she have a reason to act like vindictive person toward Kate. Barabas quickly become one of my favorite character. Also Roman! Now, I know why IA write his own novella. Roman is an interesting fella for sure. Roman's family also cracked me up and honestly the fight between Roman's parents is one of the highlight of Magic Slays. Another Sumerian myth that IA tackle is about Enkidu and it's different from Enkidu that I know. Quite unique.

Already address this in my first read review but the fanaticism theme in Magic Slays is pretty well written. Kate's enemies are fanatics and in this book, I don't have any sympathy for them. Their reason to attack is petty ones but since they are fanatics, they will do anything in their power to make their goal come into realization. Reading that make me sad and Dolittle's explanation to Kate about human's rage is still ring true.

With Magic Slays, my re-read of Kate Daniels's series is over and now I can continue reading Gunmetal Magic and the rest of Kate Daniels book from Magic Rises to Magic Triumphs (together with Hugh's book and Wilmington novellas, and Julie's book) from the first time. I can't wait!!

 First read review:

My... I feel bad that it's need almost 2 months to finish read Magic Slays :S. But, yeah, RL intervened, I'm enraptured by games I play (glare to games) and somehow I enter reading slump phase :/. Oh, some little trivia, Magic Slays is a book that I won from Ilona Andrews long long loooong time before I read Kate Daniels books :P. That time I don't know what to do with the book and its again my series OCD to not read 1st book, so I decide to but Magic Bites. Sure I always said that Bites don't wowed me but make me interested enough to know more about Kate world and all change after I read Magic Strikes. The rest is history :)

Anyway, Kate rocks like usual and I like that her relationship with Curran is established now, slowly but sure and become solid day by day. I think that their time together somehow too short for my taste, but their scenes always memorable. I don't give Slays 5* because I think Kate is too much having angst. I see that the emotional baggage that Kate carry is larger and complicated compared to the previous books. Her complicated feeling about herself and her magic, her anxiety about her relationship with Curran that also bring Pack problem to her feet, also her problem with Julie, that indeed show Kate with her bravado is just human afterall. Of course she still witty, throw sarcasm and dry humor here and there.

I love that, again, Andrews bring so many myth in Kate's world. Now, it's time for Russian myth (which is Ilona's birthplace) to take a place and reader will get more insight to the People. Kate's nemesis (and her dad) Roland not appear but he mentioned often. Duo Andrews also put some meaningful opinion and I think its connected with our condition right now. They show that when people have so much rage, they need something to blame. And that rage will turn into hatred, make them fanatic and destroy everything that stand in their path. Boy, sounds familiar?

Kate Daniels series is still my favorite and I will read the next book asap. If I'm not distracted with my games and other books ofc :v

Favorite quote:

"...Rage is a powerful thing. People get upset over many things. Frustating jobs, small paychecks, bad hours. People want things; people feel deprived and powerless. All this give fuel to rage. The anger builds and builds and if there is no outlet for it, pretty soon it transforms the person. They walk around like a loaded gun, ready to go off if only they could find the right target. They want to hurt something. They need it."

He refiled his glass and topped mine off. "Humans tend to segregate the world: enemies on one side, friends on the other. Friends are people we know. Enemies are the Other. You can do just about anything to the Other. It doesn't matter if this Other is actually guilty of any crimes, because it's a matter of emotion, not logic. You see, angry people aren't interested in justice. They just want an excuse to vent their rage."

Dolittle sighed. "And once you become their Other, you're no longer a person. You're just an idea, an abstraction of everything that's wrong with their world. Give them the slightest excuse, and they will tear you down. And the easiest way for them to target you as this Other is to find something that's different about you. Color of your skin. The way you speak. The place you're from. Magic. It comes and goes in cycles, Kate. Each new generation pick their own Other."