[Abyss]

QuickTidal, on 17 August 2016 - 04:18 PM, said:

Possible Andrea spoilers, as I can't recall what book this was revealed in...

Spoiler

Andrea is Beastkin though, not a normal Lyc-V infected shifter, so I'll wager she has different senses, no?

Nope.

Spoiler

The basics are the same. The only difference is her parentage. Also beast kin have no animal form and a more natural warrior form without the fucked up musculature most weres have.

[Abyss]

MAGIC MOURNS ... short story from Andrea's pov. Good fun, nicely short with some neat nods to other stories. Bullets versus Cerberus makes for solid action.

Would suggest reading this before GUNMETAL MAGIC, but you won't miss anything major if you don't.

[Abyss]

MAGIC DREAMS... short story, Doli pov.

This was stupidly enjoyable. The Andrewses managed to make the nearsighted drag-racing nuclear curse-magic wielding Indonesian vegetarian weretiger even more endearing than she was in STRIKES.

Extra points for Jim being the damsel in distress, and some neat Asian and South Asian magic and mythologies. Totally fun. If you like the series and even remotely like the Doli character, read/earbook this.

[QuickTidal]

Abyss, on 22 September 2016 - 12:59 PM, said:

Nice!
Am earbooking #6, MAGIC RISES. It's great. The time the Andrewses spent building up the supporting cast to this point really pays off here.

Agreed. Characters like Derek especially. Like he feels kind of like a throwaway nobody character in the first book and second...but by book 6 he's goddamned Dresden's Molly.

[Andorion]

QuickTidal, on 22 September 2016 - 01:10 PM, said:

Abyss, on 22 September 2016 - 12:59 PM, said:

Nice!
Am earbooking #6, MAGIC RISES. It's great. The time the Andrewses spent building up the supporting cast to this point really pays off here.

Agreed. Characters like Derek especially. Like he feels kind of like a throwaway nobody character in the first book and second...but by book 6 he's goddamned Dresden's Molly.

oh this is out! Have to start it over the weekend

[QuickTidal]

Andorion, on 22 September 2016 - 01:37 PM, said:

QuickTidal, on 22 September 2016 - 01:10 PM, said:

Abyss, on 22 September 2016 - 12:59 PM, said:

Nice!
Am earbooking #6, MAGIC RISES. It's great. The time the Andrewses spent building up the supporting cast to this point really pays off here.

Agreed. Characters like Derek especially. Like he feels kind of like a throwaway nobody character in the first book and second...but by book 6 he's goddamned Dresden's Molly.

oh this is out! Have to start it over the weekend

I would have assumed you'd be finished it by this point Ando.

[Andorion]

QuickTidal, on 22 September 2016 - 01:59 PM, said:

Andorion, on 22 September 2016 - 01:37 PM, said:

QuickTidal, on 22 September 2016 - 01:10 PM, said:

Abyss, on 22 September 2016 - 12:59 PM, said:

Nice!
Am earbooking #6, MAGIC RISES. It's great. The time the Andrewses spent building up the supporting cast to this point really pays off here.

Agreed. Characters like Derek especially. Like he feels kind of like a throwaway nobody character in the first book and second...but by book 6 he's goddamned Dresden's Molly.

oh this is out! Have to start it over the weekend

I would have assumed you'd be finished it by this point Ando.

I totally missed the date! Plus I have been reading a bunch of short stuff. Saturday start hopefully.

[Abyss]

QuickTidal, on 22 September 2016 - 01:10 PM, said:

Abyss, on 22 September 2016 - 12:59 PM, said:

Nice!
Am earbooking #6, MAGIC RISES. It's great. The time the Andrewses spent building up the supporting cast to this point really pays off here.

Agreed. Characters like Derek especially. Like he feels kind of like a throwaway nobody character in the first book and second...but by book 6 he's goddamned Dresden's Molly.

MINOR SERIES SPOILERS BELOW TO AT LEAST BOOK 6


True, tho still more sidekick (so far in bk 6) than Molly who evolved beyond that role. He has a solo novella now w Julie.

Andrea's really grown on me, from victim/sidekick to asskicker in her own right. And Aunt Bea cracks my shit up every time she's around. I was p[repared to dislike Raphael but he grew on me in the Andrea books. At time it felt like the hyenas are just the authors not wanting to go with the traditional werewolves but not doing anything clever about it, but gradually they give them more and unique characteristics like the female dominance, the laugh, the different fighting style, and the idea has grown on me.


Jim has always been neat, Doli hit her stride in DREAMS. I enjoy Doolittle giving everyone a hard time. Barabas has been a fun surprise, even if the character in GUNMETAL was very different from how he appeared in the Kate books.

[Andorion]

Abyss, on 22 September 2016 - 02:12 PM, said:

QuickTidal, on 22 September 2016 - 01:10 PM, said:

Abyss, on 22 September 2016 - 12:59 PM, said:

Nice!
Am earbooking #6, MAGIC RISES. It's great. The time the Andrewses spent building up the supporting cast to this point really pays off here.

Agreed. Characters like Derek especially. Like he feels kind of like a throwaway nobody character in the first book and second...but by book 6 he's goddamned Dresden's Molly.

MINOR SERIES SPOILERS BELOW TO AT LEAST BOOK 6


True, tho still more sidekick (so far in bk 6) than Molly who evolved beyond that role. He has a solo novella now w Julie.

Andrea's really grown on me, from victim/sidekick to asskicker in her own right. And Aunt Bea cracks my shit up every time she's around. I was p[repared to dislike Raphael but he grew on me in the Andrea books. At time it felt like the hyenas are just the authors not wanting to go with the traditional werewolves but not doing anything clever about it, but gradually they give them more and unique characteristics like the female dominance, the laugh, the different fighting style, and the idea has grown on me.

Jim has always been neat, Doli hit her stride in DREAMS. I enjoy Doolittle giving everyone a hard time. Barabas has been a fun surprise, even if the character in GUNMETAL was very different from how he appeared in the Kate books.

I will always love Dali for Crimson Jaws of Death and Jim's reaction

[QuickTidal]

Dali is easily my second fave side character after Derek.

[Abyss]

Love Dali... such an absurdly great character.
I laugh at the crimson jaws of death because,

BOOK 3 SPOILER


....at first read it seems at tho she cast the curse, then you realize 'all' she did was invert the mage's elbows so that he cast in on himself.

And that was after she said her curses usually don't work.

[Andorion]

You finished QT? I am in Chapter 5

Ok three things I have read so far are not making sense:

Spoiler

1. Roland has been talking Julie? When?

2. What is this Ifrit box thing?

3. Kate refers to a trip to John Hopkins with Christopher that almost turned deadly. Have we read about this?

[QuickTidal]

Andorion, on 23 September 2016 - 12:14 PM, said:

You finished QT? I am in Chapter 5

Ok three things I have read so far are not making sense:

Spoiler

1. Roland has been talking Julie? When?

2. What is this Ifrit box thing?

3. Kate refers to a trip to John Hopkins with Christopher that almost turned deadly. Have we read about this?

I'm at Chapter 6.

Spoiler

1. I was thrown by this too, but I THINK this occurs in the 8.5 novella MAGIC STARS (Derek's first novella, which co-features Julie), which I've not read. It didn't happen in book 8.

2. MAGIC SHIFTS, Kate explains the box to Curran. Page 129.

3. Possible in MAGIC STARS as well, I don't recall.

I've heard from more than one person that at least 3 major events occur in MAGIC STARS.

[Andorion]

QuickTidal, on 23 September 2016 - 01:01 PM, said:

Andorion, on 23 September 2016 - 12:14 PM, said:

You finished QT? I am in Chapter 5

Ok three things I have read so far are not making sense:

Spoiler

1. Roland has been talking Julie? When?

2. What is this Ifrit box thing?

3. Kate refers to a trip to John Hopkins with Christopher that almost turned deadly. Have we read about this?

I'm at Chapter 6.

Spoiler

1. I was thrown by this too, but I THINK this occurs in the 8.5 novella MAGIC STARS (Derek's first novella, which co-features Julie), which I've not read. It didn't happen in book 8.

2. MAGIC SHIFTS, Kate explains the box to Curran. Page 129.

3. Possible in MAGIC STARS as well, I don't recall.

I've heard from more than one person that at least 3 major events occur in MAGIC STARS.

Ah. It really does seem like I should read Magic Stars then. BTW are you getting a climaxy feel? I think this book is going to end big.

[QuickTidal]

Andorion, on 23 September 2016 - 04:46 PM, said:

BTW are you getting a climaxy feel? I think this book is going to end big.

Yup, I was JUST thinking that this morning.

Spoiler

Kate's conversation with Roland in Chapter 2 led me to believe we've begun to reach a climax.

I THINK she's signed on for 10 books thus far, so we could be in the penultimate volume right now. I know in the past she's basically been extended every few books by her publisher, so we may get another trilogy after 10. Not sure.

[amphibian]

Isn't this series a collaboration between husband and wife?

[Salt-Man Z]

amphibian, on 23 September 2016 - 07:54 PM, said:

Isn't this series a collaboration between husband and wife?

Yes, Ilona Andrews is the pen-name for a husband/wife team.

[QuickTidal]

amphibian, on 23 September 2016 - 07:54 PM, said:

Isn't this series a collaboration between husband and wife?

Yes but it's easier to use the pronoun for the pen name when discussing it.

[Andorion]

Just finished Chapter 10. Hoooly Shit, QT you reading this?

Spoiler

I think this is the most serious and dark book I have read of the series so far. Kate is really pulling out all the stops. And the revelation about Christopher came out of nowhere

[Andorion]

Finished.

Daaaaaamn

Spoiler

One hell of a book. And a Harry Potter twist. I have a feeling that the Ifrit box will be the key