Sometimes, I'm a bit of a random reader.

I travel quite a bit and always try and bring several good reads with me while in transit. Airline delays being what they are, I occasionally end up between flights having already devoured the books I brought with me. When this happens, I wander about whatever airport I happen to be in and search for something resembling a bookstore. The rise of small-footprint "newsstands" makes this more difficult than you would think, as these establishments carry a very small selection of whatever books publishers pay the Jobber to put out. Since I'm not in to techno-thrillers or romances, my choices are usually quite limited.

However, in the midst of my slim pickin's, I sometimes find something that looks remotely interesting. And in that small subset of books I have bought out of desperation, there are a few that actually surprise me by being imaginative and engagingly written. The first two books in Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels series, Magic Bites and Magic Burns, are two such finds.

Nowadays, there is a veritable deluge of urban fantasy/paranormal romance books out there with spunky female characters who navigate supernatural peril all while looking fabulous! Most of these series tend to have a generic background and the same narrative voice. A few, however rise above the crop, and Andrews' books do just that.

The first thing that distinguishes these books is their setting. in Andrews' world, magic and technology are two "natural' forces that have interacted throughout human history. Like magnetic poles that reverse themselves, magic and tech have traded dominance across the centuries. At the time of the series opening, magical forces have returned to the world sometime in the near past, and technology is in the process of decay and disruption. Kate Daniels, the supernatural mercenary and protagonist of the story, must navigate magic waves (when tech doesn't work) and tech waves (when magic doesn't work) as she struggles to stay alive (and employed) in a kind of post-apocalyptic Atlanta, which has been ravaged by the waves of magic.

Unlike many fantasy writers, who tend to info dump their backgrounds, Andrews wisely chooses to slowly unveil the richness of her world throughout the course of both books. This has the effect of slowly drawing the reader in to the work, allowing them to appreciate each step along the way. This is a kind of narrative flirtation that could become annoying in the hands of a less-skilled author. However, Andrews pulls it off in the best possible way.

Sure, there are a few of the standard paranormal romance tropes that are annoying--particularly Kate's sexually supercharged yet frustrated relationship with Curran, the lycanthrope alpha. In a post-Twilight world, however, readers of Paranormal Romance just have to accept these elements in their reading (sort of like elves in epic fantasy). Even this bump is not insurmountable, as Andrews' crisp style and ability to create sympathetic, three-dimensional characters makes swallowing that narrative pill almost pleasant.

In Magic's Bite, we are introduced to Kate Daniels, freelance mercenary and one-time squire in the Order of knights of Merciful Aid. It turns out that someone has killed Kate's guardian and close family friend. Investigating this murder plunges her into the midst of ongoing tension between the Pack, a paramilitary band of shapeshifters, and the Masters of the Dead, necromancers who control and mentally "ride" vampires.

In Magic's Burn, Kate finds herself up against an epic tug-of-war between two ancient celtic gods hoping for rebirth!

Overall, I found these books to be highly addicting. It has been a very long time since I have read something that made me excited to get home and dive in to it again! If you like Patricia Briggs' Mercedes Thompson series, then Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels books are a must-read!