Magic Stars by Ilona Andrews

I received an ARC of this book from the author…and all I can say is wow! I loved it! I am a fan of the Kate Daniels series so I was actually excited to buy this book come the end of December, but thanks to the Andrews team I got to read it early. So lets talk about it.

Blurb: Derek Gaunt has no family and few friends. Scarred, solitary, he is the lone wolf who separated from his pack. When those close to him are murdered, he’ll stop at nothing to hunt their killer through magic-drenched Atlanta.

Soon Julie Olsen joins him and what begins as revenge turns into the race to save the city. Their search puts them against powers they never imagined and magic so old, it predates history. It may cost Derek his life, but there are things for which even he would risk everything.

Review: I love this world, so for me this was icing on the cake. The awesome part is that it doesn’t have the throw away feel like most novellas do. This had solid world building, so if you’re not familiar with Kate Daniels (If you love UF this series is a must read) then you could still picture the post-shift Atlanta. Also being it Derek’s mind was a refreshing twist, one I didn’t expect, and the moments when he was talking to Julie were right on point for both of their characters. The story was interesting too, not too complicated with the shortness of the book, yet not immediately revealing, making you want to read more. If I could give future writers advice (and I really shouldn’t since I’m not one myself, but think of this purely from a readers standpoint) this is a great example of how, no matter how long your story is, fundamentals are key. This story had a clear beginning, middle and end but still left me with questions, making me hungry for the next book.

Great read and I highly recommend it, though it’s not available yet, mark your calendars for this book. Remember end of December, grab a copy you won’t regret it.