Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Blood Heir (Aurelia Ryder #1; Kate Daniels World #1) by Ilona Andrews

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My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Content: Strong Language

 

Atlanta was always a dangerous city. Now, as waves of magic and technology compete for supremacy, it’s a place caught in a slow apocalypse, where monsters spawn among the crumbling skyscrapers and supernatural factions struggle for power and survival.

Eight years ago, Julie Lennart left Atlanta to find out who she was. Now she’s back with a new face, a new magic, and a new name—Aurelia Ryder—drawn by the urgent need to protect the family she left behind. An ancient power is stalking her adopted mother, Kate Daniels, an enemy unlike any other, and a string of horrifying murders is its opening gambit.

If Aurelia’s true identity is discovered, those closest to her will die. So her plan is simple: get in, solve the murders, prevent the prophecy from being fulfilled, and get out without being recognized. She expected danger, but she never anticipated that the only man she'd ever loved could threaten everything.

One small misstep could lead to disaster. But for Aurelia, facing disaster is easy; it’s relationships that are hard.


When I heard these short web stories about Julie were being turned into a full length novel I was so excited. Ever since reading Magic Stars I've wanted to read more about Julie and Derek, and I knew Derek would be in this book as well. It seems a lot of people weren't crazy about a book about Julie, but I've never had a problem with her. Sure, she was a child, and teenager in the Kate Daniels series who got into a lot of trouble at times, but I loved her connection with Kate, and because Kate loved her, I loved her too. I also felt like I understood her. Now fast forward 8 years and Julie is all grown up, and much changed.

I especially liked the opening scene of the book, it was classic Ilona Andrews. It could totally have been Kate on that bridge, but this time it was Julie. In many ways Julie reminds me of Kate (maybe a little too much like Kate at times), only with a bit more polish. There were several things that happened in this book that did not surprise me at all, and I predicted a couple of things correctly. Other than that, there were only a couple of other things that I wasn't crazy about. One is the change in Julie's appearance, and the other is the political stuff that popped up at one point. I didn't enjoy reading that part and would love it if that idea was put aside in the rest of the books, but I have a feeling the politics will just get bigger. That being said those things weren't that bothersome to me, and I loved this book. I loved being back in the world, the nods to the original series, the appearances of several characters from that series, and the answers I got to some questions I've had since the end of The Kate Daniel's series. Thank you Ilona Andrews for writing this book. I'm looking forward to more!




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