Magic Binds by Ilona Andrews

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The last book assigned for January for the Kate Daniels readalong hosted by Stef, Heather and Megan is Magic Binds. This is book nine in the long running series by Ilona Andrews. I was able to use this for the prompt white on the cover for the 2nd board of Winter's Kiss and for the prompt a light kidnap for the Heaving Bosoms 2022 Reading Embrace!

We pick up shortly after Magic Shifts. Kate and Curran are on the brink of war with her father Roland. When he starts doing more to antagonize Kate and Curran as well as the other groups in Atlanta, Kate realizes she needs help. While Curran and crew plan to rescue the kidnapped Saiman, Kate returns to her father's prison Mishmar to ask for help from her own blood. As the first major battle approaches, will Kate and company be able to not only withstand Roland, but possibly defeat him?

Oh my gosh. This book has so much. The first 20% just has so much going on and you jump right in. There's so much I could talk about, but I don't want to get too spoilery. I just was blown away by so many pieces that were put into place (some that we didn't even realize were pieces to play). One thing that I really enjoyed (as well as with Magic Shifts) was that we get Curran and Kate together for most of the book. Now that Curran has resigned as Beast Lord of the Pack I love getting to really see Kate and Curran be equal partners and really be able to put themselves and their family first without politics getting in the way. A big plot line throughout this story is the planning of Kate and Curran's wedding. Kate is very much not a wedding person so Roman ends up basically planning everything and officiating. I loved seeing Roman again. He's become one of my favorite characters of the world.

I also loved the Kate didn't really get or need a "power up." I've been wanting one for her, but I love that there was more emphasis in that she actually does have the power, just doesn't know how to effectively use it. So while she is technically getting stronger, it's not the gaining of more power. I character that I really enjoyed earlier on in the series is back to help train her and I loved learning more about the history of Kate's family. So many characters come back in this book and I loved getting to see a lot of them again. We also get to learn more about some that have been around for a few books that have been more mysterious.

I'm so excited to see how things wrap up in the series, but am also sad it's almost over. The books we read this month really amped up the overall storyline. Next month books 9.50 and 10. I believe the readalong group will then be moving on to the Aurelia Ryder spin-off and I'm so excited to see Julie as our new hero. I've really enjoyed my time reading Kate Daniels and if you are looking for an expansive universe in an Urban Fantasy, definitely check it out!

Have you read Magic Binds?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STASTICS: Magic Binds, Ilona Andrews, 5-stars, 1 day, eBook, 352 pages, published in 2016, traditionally published