Magic Burns

I've decided to catch up on this series (I have books 1-4) before reading any new ones.  If I don't catch up, I may never get around to finishing it.  Plus you lose the flow of the story and characters and then you start to wonder which name belongs to which person.  And I'm especially glad I continued since the second book was laden with mythology, both Greek and Celtic, a subject that I absolutely adore.  If I thought it would be a viable job option, I would study mythology for a living.  Honestly.

Magic Burns is book 2 in the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews.

In Kate's world, technology and magic are at war for complete supremacy, with magic slowly winning.  According to Kate, "[t]heory said that magic and tech used to coexist in a balance.  Like the pendulum of a grandfather clock that barely moved, if at all.  But then came the Age of Man, and men are made of progress.  They overdeveloped magic, pushing the pendulum farther and farther to one side until it came crashing down and started swinging back and forth, bringing with it tech waves.  And then in turn, technology oversaturated the world, helped once again by pesky Man, and the pendulum swung again, to the side of magic this time" (p 16).  Every seven years a magical flare arrives, where magic and tech shift more frequently, with the magic building up each time, and never truly going away.  And right now they're leading up to a flare.

This book you learn more about Kate's magic: Julie, an orphan that Kate takes under her wing is a human m-scanner: a sensate.  She can determine the magic used by its colour.  She is also able to blend into the magic so it doesn't sense her; however, when under attack, Julie finds Kate's magic too alien to blend with.  It is also impossible for Kate to ever be infected with the Lyc-V (lycanthrope virus) or the vampire bacterium. 

The story explains how Kate's mom sacrificed herself so that Kate and her father may survive.  And how Kate's father (who is actually not her birth father) was a warlord by the name of Voron (meaning 'raven') and how he left it behind for Kate.

Mostly, the story focuses on mythology: first Greek, with the sightings of the Stymphalian birds and then on to Celtic myths; more specifically on Morrigan, her son Morfran and their battles with the Fomorian.  Since, y'know, every deity needs a foe to fight.  There's even an triumvirate Oracle to consult, which lives in the belly of a giant tortoise. 

This book was extra fun because of the mythology.  It has made me want to read up on Celtic myths, as well as Merlin and King Arthur, since Morrigan and Morfran are part of the stories.  Due to the magic waxing on and becoming more powerful, I expect the next book to contain even more mythos!  I also do expect something to happen between Kate and Curran.  My favourite part of the story was right at the end when he leaned in for a kiss, then said "psych" and walked off.

I find Kate and her many boys interesting.  Normally it annoys me when all the guys want to get into the pants of the main female; however, I think Kate's attitude towards it is refreshing.  She knows that Saiman only wants her because she said "no" and that Bran is only doing it because she's female.  And she doesn't think of them that way.  The way she looks at Curran now makes me laugh because she is convinced that the only reason why she finds him sexy is because she needs to get laid; however, to listen to her talk to Julie about sex, it makes me think that there's more to Kate than she lets on.  While she definitely isn't waiting for marriage before having sex, I think that she does place more importance on it than just a one-night stand.  And I find it refreshing.