Review – Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews

Title: Gunmetal Magic

Author: Ilona Andrews

Series: Kate Daniels World #1

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Published: July 31^st 2012

Book Description

Includes a free bonus: a Kate Daniels novella, "Magic Gifts." 
(Author recommends reading the novella first.)

The New York Times bestselling Kate Daniels novels have been hailed as “top-notch urban fantasy” (Monsters and Critics). Now, Ilona Andrews delves deeper into Kate’s world, and reveals its untold stories…

After being kicked out of the Order of the Knights of Merciful Aid, Andrea’s whole existence is in shambles. She tries to put herself back together by working for Cutting Edge, a small investigative firm owned by her best friend. 

When several shapeshifters working for Raphael Medrano—the male alpha of the Clan Bouda, and Andrea’s former lover—die unexpectedly at a dig site, Andrea is assigned to investigate. Now she must work with Raphael as her search for the killer leads into the secret underbelly of supernatural Atlanta. And dealing with her feelings for him might have to take a back seat to saving the world…

My Review

I have always loved the amazing books written by the fabulous husband and wife duo, also known as Ilona Andrews. So it is surprising that it has taken me so long to read Gunmetal Magic. I finally found the time to sit back and relax to read Andrea’s story, which turned out to be a rollercoaster ride right to the very end!!

Andrea has always been tough, for a pocket-sized warrior woman and not too many people have gotten close to her. She suffered a lot when she was growing up and we see further into her background in Gunmetal Magic. I enjoyed learning more about her while she dealt with those demons. Working on the new case involving the deaths of four shifters, she rediscovers herself and she may be able to put her past behind her to work on a better future for herself.

Taking a new case means that she has to work with her ex, Raphael, who appears to have moved on and likes to rub her nose in it. Dealing with an ex is never fun but is very entertaining for us to read about!! From the very first moment Andrea and Raphael meet in Gunmetal Magic, I could see that they still had sparks, but they are both very stubborn and prefer to argue instead. Throughout the book, they both play games with each other, practical jokes, and lead each other on, which is the shifter way……

Andrea is the type of person who has hidden her true self and needs to accept who she really is, a beastkin, a shifter that cannot fully change. The wall she has built around herself slowly crumbles as she tries to change her ways and she begins to see herself as a different person. I always liked Andrea in other books of the Kate Daniels series and throughout this book I began to like her more. She stepped up when needed and put things aside to fight for what is not only best for herself but the pack as well.

I was glued to this book from the start. There is plenty of fighting, detective work, humour and mystery which kept me guessing to the final page. There are cameo roles from lots of other characters from the Kate Daniels series and we stumble over new villains too. I loved it and I now want to go back and read the whole series over again!!