Interesting story and great character/relationship development. Plus, some more background for Kate's character. ( )

Good addition to the happily readable Kate Daniels series. Kate continues to kick butt very respectability while learning to increase her capabilities and deal with her, um 'Daddy issues". She's sorting out a lasting romantic relationship, (not just the ‘I-want-the-hot-Alpha-bad-boy-but-I-shouldn't’ sort of lust that is so standard in novels these days), and faces a struggle against world shattering mayhem with a interesting cast of characters, (familiar from earlier entries in the series), who in some cases are helping to clean up the mess they helped to cause.
I quite enjoyed it. ( )

Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews
Kate Daniels series #5. Paranormal, dark urban fantasy.
After quitting the Order of Merciful Aid, Kate is having problems starting her own business. When Atlanta’s premier Master of the Dead offers Kate the job of finding a rampant vampire on the loose, she’s ready to take on the task. Of course, there is more going on than she was told.
Deadly stakes.

Kate’s adopted daughter keeps running away from school. She wants to be where Kate is. And while Kate agrees to keep her home now, the war between Magic and technology is not a great place to be. Kate has to call on all her Magic to try to save her.

Nail-biting suspense. Kate is bumbling in her mothering skills and even with some of her magic and her new “court” but she pulls out everything in the ending of this book.
Plenty of war and new husband issues but it was the Julie parts that pulled me in and will keep me reading. ( )

Oh Kate. Oh Curran. Oh everybody in this book series. After the commitment made by Kate in the last book to Curran, I was worried that some of the fun would drain out. It happens all the time right? Except Kate is still kicking Curran's ass for being an arrogant ass, Curran is still trying to run her life and getting snarly that he can't and the two of them are being constantly admonished for yelling at each other in public.

So really nothing changed except now we get sexy hot tub times when they make up. And some wibbling from Kate in regards to 'Oh no my love is making me weak!', but she quickly squashes those thoughts.

Things just keep getting upped and upped. Last book it was a sociopath aunt, this time its an idiot who could be MacGuyver on the dark side and a cult that makes the Spanish Inquisitors look like Girl Scouts with their ambitions. I love how the various plotlines all draw together in messy ways for Kate to untangle. Even Andrea comments on the fact that Kate doesn't get the easy cases. What began as 'Help us find this missing person and/or device' quickly became a problem that all Magic-users had to worry about.

The small things that Kate or Curran would say and do for the other caught me. Andrews concentrates on those sort of things and I think that places it apart from other urban fantasy series that delve into romance. Sure the two know what makes the other coo, but they also know how to bring them down when they're stressed, the words that comfort or the actions that reassure.

Ordinarily I would get tired pretty quickly over a character worrying about their significant other's motivations for being with them. Thing is Kate has a good reason to worry and given some of the secrets she learns through the course of the novel, its understandable that suddenly she'd think 'Is he with me because he wants to be?'. She didn't let this cloud her judgment and Kate never faltered in her belief that Curran would be there for her if she needed it. That wasn't what her worry was about, she didn't need any more reassurance about that.

So then what happens next? Other then the plot involving her father, very little is given over what could happen next. Something is hinted at, and it could be an interesting development to be sure, but until book 6 who know? ( )

Kate finally has her own business, Cutting Edge, and while people know who she is, she isn't getting any work due to the Order dragging her name through the dirt.

That all changes when Ghastek calls saying a vampire is on the loose and running towards her building, a vampire not even one of the Master of the Dead himself can hold.
Seemingly unrelated is a case from Rene, a Red Guard. The man they were protecting and the prototype he was building mysteriously disappeared, leaving behind area's fully devoid of magic.

Will Kate, Andrea (she's back yay), Curran and their allies get to the bottom of the peculiar happenings before shit really hits the fan or is this the end of Kate's new family and the whole supernatural community?

My take on the book:

Wow... this one is a solid 5 stars. I loved it!!! Whyyyyyyyyy did I wait so long to read this book???
The first part of the book was a nice and slow setting of the stage, a bit of a recap of the former instalment. But the second part... what... the... hell! It was a rollercoaster of action and emotion.
Up till now, this is my favourite one! Promising for the next parts :D

World-building is good, we move about the same locations as previous books, but for example, when Kate is following the duck turned rabbit into the forest, the author describes it so well it's so easy to imagine and as such very immersive.

Character building is excellent! Kate and Curran's relationship is in a bit of an 'in-between stages' sort of awkwardness. How does Curran really feel about Kate? Did he know she was Roland's daughter before taking her as his mate? On top of all the things Kate needs to handle in this instalment, this is always in the back of her mind, whispering, making her doubt their feelings. Really well done.

Pacing and flow were great, as stated before, the start was setting the stage, pointing out the difficulties of her new business. But the second half, well... you wont be able (or want to) put the book down!

The book in itself is really well written, I have found no (noticeable) errors and there is no sex described in the book (even though we know the characters do get their freak on), if that is important to you.

All in all, yeah... this one is up till now my favourite of the series. Read it now, you wont be disappointed! ( )