104:60 Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews

Urban Fantasy with a twist. Ms. Andrews does not content herself to play in the world that we live in while just adding in paranormal creatures. She redefines the way the world works so that it is at once familiar but very different. In her world, magic and technology cannot both be in force at the same time. Technology became rampant and now magic is making a come-back to put things back into balance. What does this mean? During magic surges cars and lights and other technological wonders cease to function but when the magic surge dies back, they start working again. Easy to be stranded that way so horses have made a comeback as a more reliable mode of transportation.

As the human race was thrust into this new magic world, the paranormal creatures have come out as well and the humans are trying to cope. We have the standard weres although the different flavors have a single code and leader which is interesting. Vampires are around but are much different than in the usual lore. They are neither beautiful nor enticing but rather horrid, decaying things that are typically controlled through necromantic handlers.

In this world we meet Kate Daniels who is a mercenary, one who can operate on both sides of magic surges and who is not without a little magic of her own. Her godfather has been murdered and she is determined to find the killer and have revenge while meanwhile People (vampires) and Pack (weres) have gone missing as well. What happens when the killer wants to be found and is something even she has never come across before and is more powerful than she can imagine?

I read a short story based on this world in an anthology not long ago and that threw this series way up on my to-read pile and I was not disappointed. Things were a bit slow at times with a little more reminding of how the world worked than I cared for but otherwise I loved Ms. Andrews re-imagining of the world where technology and magic could not co-exist and how where some things did, she had an explanation rather than glossing over it. This looks to be an incredible new series for me and I'm so glad I have the rest lined up on my shelf.

Page count: 260p/18,065