If you read Kate Daniels, I don't highly recommend this book . . . I INSIST you read it. And all the real fangirls (and boys) will. So next year, when you're gearing up to read KATE #9, and you see a bunch of posts like, "OMG, what's Hugh (<------hell, yes, I did just name drop) going to do now that _______?!" or, "Is Julie going to tell Kate ________?" you won't get to spew your righteous anger b/c spoilers, b/c NOT SPOILERS. Not if you're current. You CANNOT skip this novella. I'm not saying that b/c love the Andrews (which I bloody well do). I'm saying that b/c at least three major events take place in this book. THREE. At least. A variant of the car commercial is one that takes place in outer space and features a race between a satellite and a meteor. Emotionally it creates a bond: when worn as matching partner jewellery, the Magic Stars moon and star jewellery collection strengthens the bond of friendship or a loving relationship.

stars. Does anyone know what has happened with this Grey Wolf spin-off series from Ilona Andrews? Was Hugh just that much more exciting than Derek? Just wondering ... I've enjoyed everything these two have written and trust that Julie's tale and journey, the entire 'Grey Wolf' series, would have been a marvelous adventure... Julie isn't Kate. She's Julie, FFS. She's still growing, still figuring out who she is, after all she's been through. She makes choices, she makes mistakes, she learns, and she eventually finds her way. Sure, she isn't perfect, but who is? She's an interesting character with incredible gifts worth exploring and she has a good heart. I was looking forward to seeing who she would become going forward...The scenes in the water were disapointed, it didn't feel like a 2017's production (even for a low-budget) but like a 1990's production... Aside from being filled with action, Magic Stars brings new on the romance front, just a tiny hint of something I’ve been hoping for for a very long time. With these two, a mere hint is enough, a subtle promise of more to follow somewhere down the line. I’m sure it won’t be simple or easy, but that’s half the fun. Whichever way the tide turns, Ilona and Gordon will make it endlessly entertaining.

That's it. That's all the hints I'm giving about Magic Stars, so you'll just have to read it if you want to know more. But make no mistake, just because this one is a novella, it doesn't make it unimportant. Magic Stars, while enjoyable, just doesn't live up to it's big sister full novels. Derek the wolf is hunting down killers when he runs into Julie at the crime scene. Together, they adventure. It's all very magical with interesting creatures and lots of action, tempered by Derek's internal dialogue. However. However, the pacing feels off, going from fight to fight without much consideration. Julie's been powered up, and feels a great deal like Kate Junior, with teenage attitude. Tough talk, wealth of knowledge, magic in a pinch (beyond her inherent, rare magic), fighting skills and ingrained emotional distance. It has been my heart’s desire to see a Huge. Epic. Swordfight. between Kate and Hugh. I want to see that SO BADLY. I want Kate to kill him in a long drawn-out fight scene, and I do NOT want it to be with a powered-down Hugh.These two are Kate and Curran's mini-mes in so many ways. It's easy to see Derek becoming the Beast Lord when he's older and Julie has been training in magic and she could give Kate a run for her money when she comes fully into her own power. Hugh. Oh. My. God. HUGH!!!!! Is that seriously what happened to him?! I’m kinda mildly devastated right now. But also very interested to see where IA takes this. The end is cliché but still nice to watch and the last scenes are really touching (really talking about the last last last scenes, like the 1-2minutes before the ending song).

This drama is not perfect, not the best one and the storyline is not well-made BUT I still had a good moment. Like, you know, you like watching "dumb"/easy things but they reveal themselves to be good and entertaining ! Like, you was waiting for nothing from them but you are satisfied at the end, like if you spent some hours with silly friends. I had this feeling after finishing this drama. I really recommend it for spending some hours watching an easy-going drama. This story centers around Derek's investigation into the murder of a human family with ties to Kate and Curran. He takes it personally when someone murders children. Julie gets pulled into the investigation when the case she is working ends up tied to his. There were some hints of her awesomeness that in the last little bit of the story lines. But I didn’t realize how much of a powerhouse she was becoming until this book….and I was amazed. I was both excited and horrified to learn what Julie does with her time when Kate isn’t around. She is playing a very dangerous game and she could very well be the lynch pin in the final upcoming battles.And that’s only the beginning of this night’s troubles. It’s frankly astounding, how many different types of near-fatal trouble Derek and Julie get into in one brief night together. Magic Stars begins the Grey Wolf series, a spin-off of Ilona Andrews’ Kate Daniels series, in which Derek, a 20 year old shapeshifter who can turn into a wolf, takes center stage, although fans of Kate and Curran will be pleased to know that they make a brief appearance. Review first posted on Fantasy Literature.

In this novella, Derek was more than just there. We are treated to character insight that I have been sorely NEEDING of late, and I am satisfied. Julie is Kate's kid. Julie has had a rough childhood too. Kate found her living on the streets when she was 12. Things happened that almost cost Julie her life but through magic Kate saved her but there's a price for the magic that was used. And someone said that it was really bad that the drama doesn't contain real romance... OH GOSH, I'm so HAPPY that it doesn't contain that much of romance ahah. The female leads are really boring and annoying, so putting too much romance scenes, it would have make the drama garbage, for real... And actually, there is romance... There are plenty of scenes, and not only two-three like the person said (in the other review).

Here's what IA had to say in response to a reader who obviously (like me) wanted more about Julie and the rest of the crew: Julie! Yes, Kate's adopted daughter, constant troublemaker, and Derek's biggest fan, also stars in this story. And while she's too young for Derek (and he knows it!), you can tell that he is beginning to realize that Little Julie is starting to grow up...and he doesn't like it. The only bad part is that it's short BUT it's listed as a series so that means = MORE! And that's always a good thing!