Tabs’ review of Magic Triumphs (Kate Daniels, Book 10) by Ilona Andrews
Urban Fantasy published by Ace 28 Aug 18
This is the tenth and final Kate Daniels book and while I am extremely happy that the series is ending at its logical stopping place, I am also going to miss Kate and Curran and the gang so damn much. Though a finale, this book also very much feels like business as usual. Kate has assassins to put down, a mystery to solve, a new foe to vanquish, an old foe to vanquish, and a too-smart-for-his-own-good toddler to wrangle.
It’s been nearly two years since the events of the last book, Magic Binds. The first part of the witch oracle’s prophecy has come to pass and Kate and Curran have welcomed the birth of their son, Conlan. Kate’s conflict with her father has been in a deadlock, but he’s still coming for her child and Kate can’t let that happen. She and her allies have a desperate last-ditch plan ready to be executed, but can they get all of the pieces together in time and how much will they have to sacrifice to win? As if Kate needed more things to worry about, a powerful player is also attacking Atlanta and decimating entire towns in truly gruesome fashion. Fighting a war on multiple fronts is something Kate is used to, but she’s never had to do it with a magical shapeshifter toddler in tow.
I love seeing the gang back together and, in some ways, I love that the more things change the more things stay the same. Kate’s been a parent for a while, but watching her manage a toddler is imminently satisfying. Grandparents who sneak him food he shouldn’t have, obnoxious toys bought by best friends, and wreaking havoc wherever they go, etc. is all super enjoyable to read.
However, I ultimately felt a little let down by this book when all was said and done. The conflict between Kate and her evil nigh-immortal wizard father has been building to a final confrontation for the entire series but it felt sidelined here. It really felt like no new Kate/Roland ground was tread. I liked how everything shook out at the end, but I wasn’t thrilled with how we got there. I’m really hoping that this is just the closing of a chapter and that Andrews will continue to write more books in this world though it looks like that’s very much not a sure thing. Ah well, here’s to Kate Daniels and her engrossing adventure.
Grade: B
Summary:
Kate has come a long way from her origins as a loner taking care of paranormal problems in post-Shift Atlanta. She’s made friends and enemies. She’s found love and started a family with Curran Lennart, the former Beast Lord. But her magic is too strong for the power players of the world to let her be.
Kate and her father, Roland, currently have an uneasy truce, but when he starts testing her defenses again, she knows that sooner or later, a confrontation is inevitable. The Witch Oracle has begun seeing visions of blood, fire, and human bones. And when a mysterious box is delivered to Kate’s doorstep, a threat of war from the ancient enemy who nearly destroyed her family, she knows their time is up.
Kate Daniels sees no other choice but to combine forces with the unlikeliest of allies. She knows betrayal is inevitable. She knows she may not survive the coming battle. But she has to try.
For her child.
For Atlanta.
For the world.
