Audiobook review: Magic Triumphs
Author: Ilona Andrews
Narrator: Renee Raudman
Audio Speed: 1.25x
Series: Kate Daniels #10
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Source: Brilliance Audio
Magic Triumphs is everything I wanted from the concluding book in my all-time favorite series. Having read the book last month, I already knew that it is an emotional story. Filled with the typical Kate shenanigans, amazing dialogue, and phenomenal storytelling, Magic Triumphs doesn’t short change long-time fans.
From my original review:
Magic Triumphs is filled with laughter, tears, and heart-warming moments. These emotions are magnified a hundred times over knowing this is the final book in the series. I did cry a few times, but I laughed even more.
I love watching Kate and Curran develop their parenting style based on the constant danger surrounding their lives. Whereas the addition of a baby can tank a series, or the child gets relegated to a background character, Conlan is important in his own rights. He demonstrates the evolution of power, along with the possibilities of the future – both evil and light. His character also helps the continuing development of both Kate and Curran. In their love and what they are willing to go through for their son, we see both Kate and Curran become even more.
The battle with Roland is one of the primary focuses of Magic Triumphs, but it’s a complex issue. The authors bring the long-looming war to a head, but in a less-than-direct route. I actually love how it all goes down, leaving me completely satisfied.
The narration by Renee Raudman is perfect and amazing. Over the years of listening to the Kate Daniels books, I have come to know each of her characters’ voices, making them completely familiar as she brings to life these old friends. She is Kate. She is Curran. And this time around, she is Conlan. She nails the sounds of a toddler better than anyone else I’ve heard. As I have said time and time again, Ms. Raudman adds so much to the stories she reads, increasing the caliber of these already amazing books. She infuses Magic Triumphs with powerful emotion, adding in heart, pain, and joy, triggering strong reactions on my part. I laughed, I cried… I felt it all. She truly is a gift.
In the end, Magic Triumphs is nearly the perfect conclusion to the Kate Daniels series. I loved taking this final journey along side Kate as read by Renee Raudman. It wasn’t easy, but it was amazing. The duo that is Ilona Andrews has created such an incredibly written, well-researched, amazing world, that it is hard to say good-bye. Every book has been top-notch, with many notable moments. I will continue to read and listen to these books time and time again.
My Ratings:
Story: A
Narration: A+
Review copy provided by Brilliance Audio
Jen
About the Book:
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.