Review: Magic Shifts (Kate Daniels #8)

From Goodreads:
Magic Shifts (Kate Daniels #8)
by Ilona Andrews (Goodreads Author)

In the latest Kate Daniels novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews, magic is coming and going in waves in post-Shift Atlanta—and each crest leaves danger in its wake…
After breaking from life with the Pack, mercenary Kate Daniels and her mate—former Beast Lord Curran Lennart—are adjusting to a very different pace. While they’re thrilled to escape all the infighting, Curran misses the constant challenges of leading the shapeshifters. 
So when the Pack offers him its stake in the Mercenary Guild, Curran seizes the opportunity—too bad the Guild wants nothing to do with him and Kate. Luckily, as a veteran merc, Kate can take over any of the Guild’s unfinished jobs in order to bring in money and build their reputation. But what Kate and Curran don’t realize is that the odd jobs they’ve been working are all connected. An ancient enemy has arisen, and Kate and Curran are the only ones who can stop it—before it takes their city apart piece by piece… 

I've been a Kate Daniels fan for a couple of years now. What always surprises me, I don't know why, is that I like each book as much as the last. The characters, the storylines, and the series overall, is consistently good AND getting better and better!

Join me after the jump for a spoilery review of Magic Shifts. 




Kate is still kick-ass and funny as hell!

You know how sometimes, a character that is snarky or has that dry humor can get a little bit annoying? It just can get old. Not the case with Kate! Her inner monologue, and the things she says out loud, has me laughing out loud! I love it! 

In this scene, Kate is single-handedly battling a 70 foot giant, who is attacking the Guild. After she mortally wounds the giant, this happens:

The runner leaped, a spear in his hands, and I saw his face. Lago. He landed on the enormous cheek. The spearhead shone, catching the light, and Lago stabbed it straight into the giant's eyeball. Well, wasn't that nice and dramatic. Way to jump in there at the end. If I weren't holding on for dear life, I'd do a sarcastic slow clap. 

Curran is still protective, alpha to the bone, and oh yeah, he's funny too! 

...even though he is no longer Beast Lord. I gotta start off by saying, why is he still not Beast Lord?! LOL I mean, I was hoping that he would say he's stepping down so he and Kate can be together, but when the Keep needed him, they would *find a way* to have Curran resume his Beast Lord status. C'mon!! The question is, does the Pack need him? Well...Jim is doing okay, but he's no Curran! I love this quote, which demonstrates his extraordinary intellect as a leader:

"Take the emotion out of it," Curran said. "You will better persuade the other person if you make them understand the reasons behind your request. You have to demonstrate that in your place they would come to the same conclusion. Once they agree with you, saying no to you becomes much harder because they would be arguing with themselves." Once a Beast Lord, always a Beast Lord. Old habits died hard, and in his case, they probably never would. 

Aaaand Jim doesn't have a Kate Daniels for a Consort. Kate made Curran a stronger and smarter leader. They make a great team. Kate and Curran were running around town, meeting up with people that didn't know who Curran was. I truly enjoy their dialogue. They are not just lovers, they are clearly best friends. This had me cracking up!: 

Lago shifted in his seat, uncomfortable, and turned to me. "Who's the guy?" "He's my..." Fiance, honey-bunny? "He's mine." Lago nodded knowingly. "The thing with the Beast Lord didn't turn out, huh? That's okay, I heard that guy is a dick. You don't need that shit." Curran's face showed no emotion. Lago stuck his hand out. "Lago Vista. Call me Lago." "Lennart." Curran reached over and shook Lago's hand. [snip]

Curran walked next to me. "So, I am a dick?" "I can't help it if you have a reputation." [snip]

"The Beast Lord is an asshole," Luther said. I've dealt with his representatives before, and let me tell you, I don't want to piss him off." I really wanted to look at Curran's face, but I would to turn and it would seem odd. [snip] 

"Does everybody think I am an asshole?" Curran asked. "Only people who know you or have met you." He looked at me for a long second. "You were a zealous advocate of the Pack's causes," I said. "The Pack's interests are often at odds with human interests. I still love you. Derek still thinks you're the stuff."  

And the following quote just resonated with me. It demonstrates how REAL their relationship is. They are two alphas just trying to make it work. 

"I will kill anything that tries to hurt you," he said, his voice quiet. "I know. I will kill anything that tries to hurt you," I told him. Curran looked at me. "I just can't figure out what to do when you hurt yourself. Who am I mad at?" I opened my mouth. Nothing smart came to mind. "If anyone can figure it out, it would be you. You're the only one who'll put up with me."  

They can be far from romantic, but they are so so real!

Mahon is still a dick! 

Mahon being a prejudiced jerk is something we already knew. We knew how he treated Kate when Curran was near death. But now his daughter George loves a were-bison. Mahon is pissed off because he wants George to marry and have a family with only a were bear. 

"She isn't leaving your family," Thomas said. "She's leaving the Pack." "The hell she is." Mahon seemed to get bigger somehow, his face darker. He pointed at Curran. "Is this it? Is he your example? You want to throw it all away because some...human couldn't stand living in the Keep? She nagged at him and nagged at him until he gave in and now look at him. Years wasted! Years! And we are all worse off for it. He thinks with his dick, but you, you were always smarter than that."

I know Mahon better check himself!

  That's okay, because George told his ass off!

"...All your talk of duty and obligations means nothing. You think you know better than any of us. You don't. Look at what you're doing, Dad. You're challenging the Beast Lord you swore allegiance to because you don't like the man your daughter loves. Because it hurt some weird little place in your pride. This is how you serve and lead your clan. Don't you have any integrity at all?"

All the Rest

The plot, mystery-of-the-book, was very good and kept me engaged. One thing that I've said before is that while Kate is prepared for Roland to be the very worst, I think in actuality, it might not turn out that way. Maybe I'm just thinking positive. I like the vision of the baby, and I think that Kate and Curran will be awesome parents. They already are to Julie! 

I give Magic Shifts:

I truly enjoyed this latest installment of the Kate Daniels series! Let us know what you thought about Magic Shifts below!