Magic Triumphs

Review coming on release day.

This book finished almost as I expected. A lot of lose ends were tied up.

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Magic Triumphs

Kate has come to terms with claiming Atlanta. While she doesn't like how drastically life has changed, she has had no choice but to accept it and move on. And now that far reaching dream of a home and family has come true. Kate has a family and a group of friends willing to defend them. When her father puts out a hit on her son, and an ancient enemy rears its head to attack Atlanta, it's just another battle to Kate and the crew. But this time Kate has a lot more to lose.

Watching Kate as she struggles to balance being a mother and working her cases was a new level of entertainment. Ilona Andrews paired the skills Kate developed in the field into motherhood so well, even though I would never have thought the two would coincide. But having lightning fast reflexes with a toddler does come in handy. Especially because a child from Curran and Kate is bound to get into trouble, repeatedly.

There were a few areas where the book time jumps. But even with the slight gaps in the story, it flowed well, and I understood why the pace needed to pick up. Being the last in the series, Magic Triumphs, had a lot of loose ends to tie up. True to the Kate Daniels' style, the pages flew by, but Ilona Andrews brought the series around full circle and made sure nothing was left unanswered. They even snuck in one last new culture of monsters and symbolism.

The final installment in the Kate Daniels series is everything fans of the series could hope for. Everything we have come to know and love about the series is compounded into one last book, and some older characters we haven't seen in a while have a last chance to shine. There are myriad of short stories that take place in between the major books of the series, and I'm going to backtrack to read them and stay in this world a little bit longer. I'm just not ready to say goodbye.

I have finished a whole series of books for the first time in YEARS, and I am unmoored. Bereft. Lost. What do I do without my Kate? sigh

This book was perfect though. So, so perfect.

What a RIDE!! 10 books later, I'm just as riveted with the whole story and in this epic conclusion, the Andrews' are inimitable. Packed to the brim with action, betrayals, reunions, and options for at least 3 spinoffs (I'm SO ready for iron covenant 2!!!!) - it's everything and more. Everyone is tested and not everyone survives - except my insatiable hunger for more! 5 Roaring Stars! 🌟

Magic Triumphs is an entertaining enough book by itself (though still not nearly as good as earlier Kate Daniels books), but I felt that it was a horrible finale to a ten-book series. It seemed like a middle “filler” book until around the 90% point, and then Magic's Big Triumph happened and was over in about 20 pages. This was followed by a brief summary explaining what happened to various characters and an epilogue teasing yet another spin-off.

If this had not been the conclusion and just a fun-if-not-particularly-amazing book in the middle of the series, I probably would have given it 3 stars. However, given the way it hastily tied everything up, I think it deserves a lower rating.

I'm disappointed since I used to LOVE the Kate Daniels series, but they're just not working as well for me as they used to and I'm not planning to read any more related books.

Full Review with Reflections on the Kate Daniels Series