This was my first foray into Ilona Andrew’s popular “urban fantasy” series, and it was a fun ride—like Jim Butcher’s Dresden files with a little more sex and a lot more kapow, if possible! Gunmetal Magic is apparently a spin-off from the main series, and is centered on the story of Andrea Nash, best friend of the serie’s main character and all-around badass Kate Daniels. Andrea is definitely no slouch, and has an interesting backstory that calls to us from the very first pages.
Andrea and Kate are shapeshifters who lend their predatory skills to humanity’s defense from the bad guys—most of the time—and have very complicated romantic lives. The Magic series takes place in a post-apocalyptic Atlanta, where magic—mostly scary dark magic—grabs hold of the world for days at a time and then disappears again…until the next time it zaps everything and everybody. The magic wave usually manifests itself as the dismantling of technology, the destruction of buildings more than 3 floors from ground level, and the emergence of terrifying and fantastical monsters who threaten humanity and must be battled. There is regular law enforcement (they usually get ground up in these battles), there is the Order of the Knights of Merciful Aid created to wage war against magic, and there are the shapeshifter “guilds.” Andrea and Kate are were-hyenas, or “boudas” (author Andrews has fun creating words), which at first threw me, as hyenas are probably my least favorite of the animal kingdom—ugly, vicious, carrion-eating, cackling—but Andrews somehow makes them more appealing than they are. Why she chose hyenas is beyond me, but it is still a refreshing change from werewolves and vampires (although she has those too).
The battles escalate dramatically from chapter to chapter, starting with poisonous magic snakes and ending with a life-and-death confrontation with the power-hungry Egyptian god Anubis. Andrea’s painful history of abuse surfaces throughout the novel along with her extremely confused and confusing relationship with Raphael (who is the perfect meld of Janet Evanovich’s Joe Morelli and Ranger characters). Well written, with some humor, strong female characters, and entertaining, if ultimately forgettable, plots.
This is a really fun book but probably not the best entre into the world of Kate Daniels. If you’re so inclined you might want to check out the Kate Daniels Series Book #2 (skip #1). They’re solidly enjoyable, Kate is a great character, and while they aren’t really romances (far less so than Gunmetal Magic) the romantic elements are really strong.