Full Series Review for the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews

Alright, I had a long time to ruminate about this book (since I miscalculated and only brought along one book on vacation) and the series in general.


To keep this short and simple, the series itself was cute but nothing special. There were moments that I wanted to go "Awww!" and moments where I got angry and wanted to scream some sense into the characters. There were moments were I was surprised at how blindsided I was to what just happened (either that was good because I didn't expect the development or bad because there was no hint whatsoever to go off of beforehand) and moments where I wished the revelation had come ten chapters earlier because that's where I first figured out the plot "twist."


I think the Kate Daniels series has a lot of promise, but it keeps teasing us to the real problem: Roland. So far, Kate's big bad daddy hasn't made an appearance except by name. Meanwhile, I felt like the series has pandered to the fangirls with 5 very episodic entries. Don't get me wrong. I like being a fangirl as much as the next self-indulgent reader does. But I had the chance to reread Magic Slays and its prequels several times the last week because I had no other books left. I found myself comparing the books to my favorite television series. I enjoy the breaks in the main plot to dip my toes into the character development and light action and adventure, but the reason I keep returning to watch the newest episode is to figure out what is the next clue to the overall grand scheme of things (because you know there has to be one, right?).


The character development is alright. Curran will never really be too memorable for me since I read his carbon copy in almost EVERY other adult PNR I've read this year (*cough* Barrons *cough*), but there are still moments between him and Kate that are cute enough for me to enjoy. But he kind of lost his edge in Magic Slays, which now makes him slightly less memorable than he already was...and Kate, well...she's a pretty straightforward protagonist. I don't have too much to say about her because she doesn't break any new boundaries. I found that she spends a lot of time charging headlong into dangerous situations, only to spend the next chapter getting healed, and then the next chapter back in the field because she has her daddy's magic blood to revive her. It got really repetitive. The hospital scenes really appeared to be fanservice devices for Andrews to appeal to the readers who want more Curran-Kate moments.


So I'll stick with the series for now because I want to read the fated showdown between Kate and Roland. But...meh. I need more substance!!!