Magic Binds (2016)
Written by: Ilona Andrews
Series: Kate Daniels #9
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 342 (Paperback)
Publisher: Ace
Why I Chose This: My 2019 Resolution Project for Speculative Chic is to read the books in the Kate Daniels series and finish up with a first read of the final book. I first read Magic Binds in 2017 and reviewed it at my own blog.
The Premise:
Mercenary Kate Daniels knows all too well that magic in post-Shift Atlanta is a dangerous business. But nothing she’s faced could have prepared her for this…
Kate and the former Beast Lord Curran Lennart are finally making their relationship official. But there are some steep obstacles standing in the way of their walk to the altar.
Kate’s father, Roland, has kidnapped the demigod Saiman and is slowly bleeding him dry in a never-ending bid for power. A Witch Oracle has predicted that if Kate marries the man she loves, Atlanta will burn and she will lose him forever. And the only person Kate can ask for help is long dead.
The odds are impossible. The future is grim. But Kate Daniels has never been one to play by the rules…
No spoilers
Discussion: I’m a sucker for a wedding. Having planned my own, I’m also a sucker for reading about other people experiencing the trials and tribulations of wedding planning. Alas, Kate learns of a vision that spells disaster if she and Curran get married, so wedding prep is put on hold while Kate’s supporters in Atlanta prepare for battle with her father instead.
The adventure of this story leading up to the final conflict follows a bit of video game logic. Complete quest A to get item B needed for quest C which will give everyone a bonus for later missions. This far along in the series, many of these plot points revisit old friends and foes rather than introduce new ones. Long-kept secrets are revealed with fascinating results, both to the benefit and tragic detriment of our heroes.
The authors have done fascinating research into mythology from various corners of the globe for previous book installments. Now, however, they’ve reached back into a magical prehistoric era of their own creation. The way the information is presented to the reader half makes me believe that these empires existed, and that Kate and her father are the remnants battling in this modern age.
Though they might have incredible power, a minor quibble over who gets to claim the territory of Atlanta doesn’t stop Kate from having a (highly dysfunctional) relationship with her father. He wants her to serve by his side. She’s pretty sure he’ll destroy everything and everyone in Atlanta. He has opinions about the dining options at her wedding. She would like him to not kidnap and torture her allies. They discuss this over beer. They also discuss it a few times while screaming at each other in the ancient language of magic. You know, typical father-daughter spats.
Finally, civil discussion between them is no longer an option. If I enjoy wedding planning, I love stories that culminate in multiple allies and factions coming together to fight a larger opposing force. I get a taste of that in this penultimate book to the Kate Daniels saga. It’s a delicious teaser to what I might expect in the final installment.
And where is Curran, the groom-to-be, in all of this? He has his own work to do, and while some conflict still exists, I love the level of trust shown between him and Kate. From potential adversaries to true partners, seeing their relationship evolve over nine books has been a joy.
In conclusion: I’m more excited than ever to finally reach the last two books in this series, neither of which I’ve read before!
I really wish I’d been reading along since you started this re-read. This is the book I tried to pick up and realized I’d forgotten a LOT of what had happened in the series, so I couldn’t keep going. I’m so glad you’re doing this as your Resolution Project!