Book Review: Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews

So you say you've been lookin' for a fun post-apocalyptic novel with a kick-ass heroine, creepy vampires and an assortment of werecreatures? Well whaddya know, I just read one of those. It's called Magic Bites and it's the debut novel from Ilona Andrews (a name you'll be hearing more from on this site).

Kate Daniels' got the magixes and a big shiny sword, and boy does she need both. It seems Atlanta has hit the skids. Magic rolls through in waves, causing massive technical difficulties and destruction. When it happens, you'd better have a horse or a car that runs on spell-infused water 'cause public transportation is for shit in this town. What's worse? The closest thing Kate has to a relative has been murdered and it looks like the culprit is hellbent on setting up a war between the shapechangers and the "people," a cult-like group of necromancers.

My favorite thing--among many--is Andrews take on vampires. They aren't the romantic leads or mastermind villains; they're drones, and scary ones at that. They hang from ceilings like pasty yellowed spiders! Jesus! I hate spiders.

Magic Bites is an awesome read, urban fantasy on the horror border. Andrews' heroine is well drawn, funny, and heroic; her world-building is beyond intricate, yet totally accessible. I gotta figure out how she does that. I'll be badgering her for an interview, soon.

The sequel, Magic Burns, is due out in April.

Next Book:Bright Lights, Big Ass: A Self-Indulgent, Surly, Ex-Sorority Girl's Guide to Why it Often Sucks in the City, or Who are These Idiots and Why Do They All Live Next Door to Me? by Jen Lancaster