I'm going to try out something a little new, a little different.  There are so many series that I love to follow, re-read, or want to dive into, so I've decided to start highlighting some of those on Sundays with an on-going series of posts about series. :)

To start it off, I want to talk about the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews, which I only just started reading last year or late the year before, but they are so easy to devour and I'm already caught up to book 9.  I still need to read that one, but I'm comfortable enough with the series to share some overall thoughts before I finish it.





Although this series had been on my TBR for ages, I didn't get around to purchasing any of the books or reading them even until my involvement with the AceRocStars program through book 7 in my lap and demanded I pay attention.  (Maybe it wasn't quite that forceful, but still.)  Since I hadn't yet read any of them, I obviously had to go back  to book one.  I can't start a series in the middle.  I just can't.  Really glad that I finally picked it up though because it quickly became one of my favorites, and now I can't stop telling all my friends about it.



My favorite thing about this series is that even though each book deals with an impending "end of the world" scenario, the characters, and their relationships', allow the reader to suspend their disbelief that Atlanta can host so many of these catastrophic events.  And technically, not every book deals with an apocalypse.  But, there are plenty.

My second favorite aspect of this series is the worldbuilding. I love the post-apocalyptic setting of magic and technology warring for supremacy and having to adapt and adjust to indeterminable waves of each.  Brilliant!  And a great narrative structure.  Reading how the characters deal with situations they confront while also working with the environment creates another level of fun and excitement.



Although I'm almost caught up in the main series, there are a whole bunch of fun companion novels, novellas, and ebooks to hunt down one I am.  I've definitely heard good things about all the extras, so it sounds like they are not just extra fluff.  And that means I can continue my journey in this amazing world built by a wife and husband pair.  Did I mention that this is the brainchild of Ilona and her husband, Gordon?  No?  Well, I am now!  Go pick up this series.  You won't be sorry :)

Biography

“Ilona Andrews” is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team. Ilona is a native-born Russian and Gordon is a former communications sergeant in the U.S. Army. Contrary to popular belief, Gordon was never an intelligence officer with a license to kill, and Ilona was never the mysterious Russian spy who seduced him. They met in college, in English Composition 101, where Ilona got a better grade. (Gordon is still sore about that.)

Gordon and Ilona currently reside in Texas with their two children and many dogs and cats.

They have co-authored four NYT and USAT bestselling series, the urban fantasy of Kate Daniels, rustic fantasy of the Edge, paranormal romance of Hidden Legacy, and Innkeeper Chronicles, which they post as a free weekly serial. For complete list of their books, fun extras, and Innkeeper installments, please visit their website at Ilona-andrews.com.

Series 1: Kate Daniels

Urban Fantasy, Publisher: Ace, Editor: Anne Sowards

The Order of Books:

MAGIC BITES
MAGIC BURNS
MAGIC STRIKES
Magic Mourns (Raphael and Andrea novella)
MAGIC BLEEDS
Magic Dreams (Jim and Dali novella)
MAGIC SLAYS
GUNMETAL MAGIC – Andrea’s book – Kate Daniels World #1
Magic Gifts (Kate novella)
MAGIC RISES
MAGIC BREAKS
Magic Steals (Second Jim and Dali novella)
MAGIC SHIFTS
Magic Stars (Derek’s First Novella)
MAGIC BINDS
Kate 10 – untitled, under contract