Blood Heir: Kate Daniels World, Book 1

When approaching a review I always try to think of how to best convey the feelings the book engendered in me and combine that with pertinent information about the story without being spoilery. Especially with books that I love as much as this one (as books that you love are notoriously more difficult to review than the ones were you found many things to criticize) I struggle with putting my impressions into words without resorting to empty industry platitudes. I have read (and loved) everything the author couple behind Ilona Andrews have ever written and I am also a faithful follower of their blog, where I also read their free online stories (The Innkeeper Chronicles) from the beginning as they were posted. So when they started to post Julie’s story (Ryder), I was all in. Initially they had written the first segment as a thank-you to fans of KD back in May 2020, but by popular demand continued it thru September, when they out of the blue not only stopped the roughly weekly schedule of posting, but also took down all the existing chapters, announcing that they were editing and finishing the book and that it was set to be released on January 12th, 2021. Now, of course we as readers don’t have a right to a free story, and Ilona Andrews can post on or take down from their website whatever they want; still, I feel this could have been handled better. I was not primarily upset that I now wouldn’t get my weekly story fix or that the final book would substantially differ from the online version, but by Ilona Andrews telling her readers to just forget everything they had written so far. I understand that books go thru a rigorous editing process that sometimes includes cutting, rearranging or even re-writing big parts of it; I don’t mind that, but her dismissive statement just to forget what they had written so far really rubbed me the wrong way; because obviously readers are not going to do that, even if they could (that’s not how memory works). Since I had fully planned on buying the book once it came out, I didn’t save the individual chapters to my computer, so I can only remark on the changes from memory. Normally, I might have registered the differences vis-a-vis the online version without putting too much significance on them (just considering them part of the normal editing process), but since Ilona made such a big deal out if it, this whole "changes discussion" was perversely stuck in the back of my mind while reading the book. Overall I didn’t feel that the trajectory of the book was substantially changed. It seemed that much more details about Julie’s/Aurelia’s background was strewn in throughout the earlier chapters. Another thing that I noticed was that parts of the story seemed to have been re-arranged, so cut out in chunk and put in earlier or later in the timeline. And if my memory is not playing tricks on me I thought that the first meeting between Aurelia’s two would-be suitors was slightly defused… Now that the preliminaries are out of the way, we can delve into the book proper. Although this is billed book 1 of the Kate Daniels World/Aurelia Ryder, this is not the book to start if you are new to Ilona Andrews’ writing. In order to really appreciate Julie and her various entanglements with all the other characters, you should probably read at least all the 10 books of the Kate Daniel series as well as Iron and Magic (part 1 of uncle "Hugh’s" story) and the novella Magic Stars (sort of a YA story featuring a young Julie and a scarred Derek on one of their early adventures). At the end of Magic Triumphs (KD 10) we see Julie riding off into an unknown future with her "grand-mother" Erra, as she strongly feels she has to make a life for herself independent of her adoptive mother Kate and the whole family, though she remains in contact with them. Now, 8 years later she is back in Atlanta, not only unrecognizably changed on the outside, but also having mastered strong blood magic. But nobody can know who she is. A witch friend of hers had a vision in which she foresaw the death of Kate and everybody Julie loved if they found out that Julie was back in Atlanta. At the same time, the only clue to how to fight this evil is connected to the murder of a local pastor in Atlanta, so Julie, now Aurelia Ryder inserts herself into the investigation. But the further Aurelia unravels the mystery of the murder, the more difficult it gets to avoid all the people from her former life, especially as she is far from the only one interested in that murder… Ilona Andrews have really outdone themselves with this book: it was mysterious, magical, mesmerizing. They understand to capture the reader’s attention from the first to last page by skillfully maintaining the arc of suspense while we follow Aurelia unravel the mystery. Throw in the bittersweet possibility of a re-awakened romance that never had the chance to bloom in the first place. And a capable and kick-ass heroine who not only manages to out-maneuver assorted bad guys but also runs rings around her two would-be suitors (at least one of them). Oh no, I’m just realizing my synopsis now sounds like your typical YA fantasy with the requisite romantic triangle, but it really isn’t. For one, the heroine, despite her young age, is much too mature and aware of her responsibilites, so she always thinks and weighs her options before she acts, and for another there really is just one guy who is in the running, and her actions are explicitly not dictated by the way she still feels – has always felt – about him, at least, mostly. Sometimes it’s difficult to lay one’s finger on why exactly one likes a book so much that one wishes to possess a magic wand (or a memory eraser) to be able to wipe one’s mind so that one could read a certain book for the first time again, but for me one of the reasons is the cinematographic quality of the Andrews’ writing. Especially their battle/fight scenes are written in a way that they play out like a movie in my mind. In an article about the cross-pollination of film and fiction I read the following quote: “if you use the cinematic viewpoint, you can kiss [interiority] goodbye”, which of course is garbage, as Andrews narrative strength lies precisely in combining the two, as the story is told from first person point of view, so we do get both, Julie’s/Aurelia’s interior landscape while she experiences those fights in film-like sequences. I think one of the "tricks" is that the authors have Julie describing the fights in a rather detached, matter-of-fact way, even as we as readers are aware that she is seething inwardly, but Julie knows that to get distracted by emotions is a sure way to get dead. Intertwined with that is the sense of place, and I don’t mean long tedious descriptive passages, but how the story is propelled by Julie’s movement thru space, the way her quest to solve the mystery has her passing the landmarks of Atlanta. I don’t live in Atlanta, or even the US, so I can’t rightly judge how accurate those place descriptions are, but for me it is more that with this post-apocalyptic urban landscape they evoke feelings of both familiarity and strangeness (the parts that have been warped by magic). Freud used the term "heimlich" to describe this feeling, as in German it not only means «uncanny», but thru its root «heim» (home) also carries the older, nowadays mostly obsolete, meaning of "homely/homey". Some reviews have remarked on the open-ended nature of the book, that it raises more questions than it gives answers. Frankly, I was not bothered by that as I assume there will be more books in the Kate Daniels World. Blood Heir does not end on a cliffhanger, but even as the evil magical entity has been dealt a crippling blow, it is far from vanquished, and the issue that brought Julie to Atlanta is far from resolved. If I would criticize anything, then it is the fact that I got the strong impression that there is actually part of the backstory missing. Julie several times references her (close) relationship and past interactions with "uncle" Hugh, which haven’t happened in Hugh’s timeline yet (since Iron and Magic took place before the last KD book). In a post in Spring 2020 Ilona Andrews announced that they were postponing writing Iron Covenant 2, as it was going to be a very dark book – with one of important characters dying – and because of personal circumstances and the pandemic they weren’t really in the right frame of mind to tackle such a dark book. I mention this for two reasons: first, I wouldn’t really describe Blood Heir as light fare (which makes me wonder how dark Hugh’s second book is going to be), and second, as Hugh is obviously still alive at the time of Julie’s story, my brain is now rotating frantically trying to figure out who might get killed off… Seriously, I CAN’T WAIT for the next book!

This, most recent, foray into the Kate Daniels world is a compulsive read. TBH, everything that the husband-wife duo of "Ilona Andrews" writes manages to end up on my must-read list. I think Ilona and Gordon are part of a new wave of authors who care about being accessible to their fans and, like the rest of us, are trying to get through this pandemic with their sanity intact. This book stemmed from a request to the authors from a front line healthcare provider in NYC, NY for a distraction from the daily chaos and death that has become the fight against COVID 19 in the United States, and world. Given the state of the publishing industry right now, it's a miracle that they managed to get it into print as quickly as they did. It is a fun distraction and a gift. Thank you! Ilona and Gordon have a gift for creating interesting characters with complex relationships, cinematic fight scenes, and fun plot lines. This book has all of those things. Characters that you loved from prior books make an appearance, as do their children (!) because life goes on. The fight scene in the old VA hospital is particular cinematic - I could also see it in a graphic novel without much translation. I also enjoy how they manage to pull in mythology and legends from other parts of the world that we as readers may not be as familiar with. Here, they start with the biblical figure of Moloch as the "big bad" and give him his own cult/priests as the uncontroversial antagonist. I think it's pretty rare in literature that we can follow a character from childhood to adulthood and then interact with them as adult protagonists of their own books. In this book, we have three. Julie (now Aurelia) left Atlanta at the end of the final Kate Daniels book. Derrick Gaunt, Curran's protege who was such a major character in the KD series that it was easy to forget how young he actually was. Also, Ascanio Fererra, bouda Beta and ambitious playboy. There was a lot of complaining from the idiots in the peanut gallery of fandom when Julie got her own book - we saw her as a pre-teen and teenager in the KD series and she didn't always make good choices. In fact, some of her worst choices were major plot devices. People need to get over themselves - if you don't believe someone can change from age 10 to their mid 20s, I'm very sad for your children and everyone you've ever interacted with. I think she's grown into a self-aware young woman and it's interesting how her approach to things is different from that of her adopted mother (and former series lead), Kate Daniels. She's definitely more politically savvy, which I think bodes well for the series if this continues. Derrick return with a new role and some epic new magic. He seemed more leading man material in this book and I wish we'd gotten to see more of him. He is in Atlanta for his own reasons and those require that he go off-"screen" while we follow Julie around. I wish that his relationship with Julie had moved a bit farther in this book too - the tension was ramped up and left that way at the end of the book. Def. a slow-burn. If that bothers you, you may want to wait until the next book or two are done and out. That's really my only complaint about the book. More Derrick, more conflagration (of the romantic kind, there's plenty of the burning the world down kind). Finally, this book has an awful lot of Ascanio, the bouda clan Beta (#2 in the power structure). I have always liked Ascanio, but he's one of those bad boys who has always gotten away with things because he's hot. I particularly like how this book handles the concept of "consequences of your own behavior" when it comes to him. There's an underlying plot line of succession and leadership too that I thought was interesting. Ascanio is a terrible leader. Unless he goes through a great deal of redemption/reformation, I don't see him in that role. Derrick, on the other hand, although that might complicate things with Julie as the heir. Ah well, I'm hoping that we get a sequel or two and that it all works out okay in the end. If I had a wishlist (let's be clear, I do have a wishlist), I'd want books in this order: (1) finish this Julie/Derrick thing within 3 volumes because as much as I love them, I can't take a 10 volume arc again; (2) ROMAN needs his own arc; and, (3) Ascanio needs to meet his match.

So happy we get more

Of all the fictional worlds out there, Kate Daniels is my favourite. I worried a lot about Aurelia Ryder would affect their live. I knew Kate and Curran's involvement would be quite like a cameo but i missed kate. I wish there had been more of all my favourite characters. Kate Daniels' fans like me are going to enjoy this book, you are in for a few surprises. Thank you Ilona Andrews, i wish i could have had all the sequels now as well but i will wait. Because i know that even if life doesn't turn out how i planned i havd kate and curran or in this case Derek and Julie to take me away. ❤️

J'avais tellement hâte de lire cette nouvelle série ! Je suis ravie de cette entrée en matière bien que j'ai eu l'impression de rester un peu sur ma faim. J'ai eu la sensation de le finir très vite... Était-ce dû à mon excitation à la lecture d'un nouveau livre d'Ilona Andrews ? Fort probable ! Quoiqu'ilensoit j'ai adoré replonger dans l'univers de Kate Daniels (bien qu'il s'agisse d'une toute nouvelle série qui se passe bien après) et retrouver Julie et Derek !

Blood heir is the latest, self published, release by Ilona Andrews a husband and wife team who write primarily Urban Fantasy with a strong romantic element. I love urban fantasy and count Jim butcher, Seanan McGuire and Patricia Briggs as among my favourite authors I consider Ilona andrews as good as any of them and one of the very few authors I will preorder so it’s with a lot of excitement and a small bit of trepidation that I was looking forward to Blood Heir. Blood Heir is Book one of a new series set in the Kate Daniels universe, a Urban fantasy set in a post apocalypse America where Magic is returning in waves known as shifts and Technology is slowly dying as old myths and legends return and new ones rise. Blood Heir follows Auralie Ryder formerly Julie Olsen the adopted daughter of Kate Daniels the Main Character of the original series. The Kate Daniels series mixed action with slow burn romance and this continues with blood Heir with maybe a bit more emphasis in Blood Heir on Auralie potential relationship woes then there was in the first book of the Kate Daniels series there are valid in story reasons for this that are hard to explain without spoiling that said the primary emphasis is still on the plot and world building with the standout being the characters make no mistake this is imaginative and well written UF first and foremost something for which I don’t think the authors get enough credit for. Blood heir is a worthy continuation of the Kate Daniels series it features a lot of characters and old favourites from the original series but also has some new stand outs in Marten and Namtaur I think it does a good enough job of drawing the reader in and providing information without info dumping that it can be enjoyed as a standalone. Like the original series Blood heir doesn’t reinvent the wheel as such the romance and some of the plot is a bit predictable perhaps but it’s well written with some decent tension and avoids some of the worse tropes so no insta love or falling straight into bed the authors like the original series seems to be taking a slow burn approach which gives the story time to breathe, it has a good bit of action and the authors can write a decent action scene, romance is a important aspect but for for people that are looking simply for a decent urban fantasy and aren’t huge romance fans there is a a fantastic secondary cast some snarky one liners and a mythology that takes a lot from more then just the usual European sources there’s a lot to enjoy no matter what you are into. Ilona andrews has become my go to for feel good reads with interesting characters, exciting if a bit predictable plots, real stakes and some grit and darkness but ultimately based around the idea of found family and the idea that anything can be overcome if you stand together and Blood Heir continues that tradition. Indeed my only negative isn’t the books fault just a concern that even though it’s labelled book one and ends on a cliffhanger whether there will be a sequel there has been a few offshoots of the Kate Daniels series that looked to be the start of a series Gun Metal, Grey Wolf, the Hugh series that are still waiting on a sequel however that doesn’t stop me from heartily recommending this book as far the plot.. Eight years after leaving Atlanta Julie Olsen now Auralie Ryder returns with a new identity and a new face. Trying to prevent a dark prophecy she is soon pulled into a mystery surrounding a series of murders while complications from her past makes her mission harder while threatening to pull her into local politics. Home to Witches , Shapeshifters and the Undead Atlanta is unaware of the danger as ancient evil rises with only thing standing between the City, and her family, and annihilation is Auralie Ryder. Presuming her past doesn’t get her killed first.

This book was everything I ever wanted, and more. Words can't express how much it meant to me, or how much I loved it. I just can say that you need to read it, it's not a want but a necessity. Thank you Ilona and Andrew for making this possible, you're the best ❤️