A review by onthesamepage
Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews

dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

“Great,” Curran said. “Another fine addition to your collection of uncanny misfits.”
“I take offense to that,” Barabas said.
“Don’t worry, I count myself in, too,” Curran told him.

I'm really glad I read this particular book knowing nothing about it, because looking at some of the more negative reviews now, I can see myself doubting if I should pick this up at all. I'm glad I did, though, because I really think this was a great installment in the series.

The stakes are high across the board. The Pack travels to Europe to protect a pregnant shapeshifter in return for access to panacea, a substance that can help prevent young shapeshifters from going loup. Then there's the relationship side of things. Kate's position as Curran's mate gets challenged at every turn, and a shapeshifter called Lorelei throws herself at Curran.

“This is going to suck,” Curran said. “It will suck much less if you come with me. You want me to level, here it is: I need you. I need you because I love you. Three months without you will be hell. But even if we weren’t together, I would still need you. You’re a good fighter, you’ve worked as a bodyguard, and you know magic. We may not have many magic users, but we don’t know if those packs do, and if they hit us with magic, we have no way to counter.” He spread his arms. “But I love you and I don’t want you to be hurt. I’m not going to ask you to come with me. That would be like stepping in front of a moving train and saying, ‘Hey, honey, come stand next to me.’”

The way Curran deals with this is frustrating, especially considering some of the previous events in the series. I actually thought the way Kate and Curran were communicating at the beginning of this book showed a lot of growth and maturity, but that feeling took a backseat when Curran's behavior suddenly changed back to that of the overbearing control freak he was when he first tried to get together with Kate.

The thing is, though, I guessed why he was acting the way he was. I can't read them as anything other than fully in this together, so even though I was annoyed, I wasn't worried.

These stories sometimes lose me a bit when it comes to the pacing, but in this case I was fully invested from the beginning, and that never changed. This had some of the most memorable fight scenes in the series so far, and Kate does a lot of ass-kicking. There were also a couple of difficult moments, so prepare for a lot of angst. I thought the way it wrapped up was a bit too neat, but overall I was highly entertained, and would definitely recommend giving this a fair chance, even if you're worried about the direction it might take. It'll be okay, Ilona Andrews has your back. 
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