The Magic of Iloma Andrews: A Study in Worldbuilding

Ilona Andrews is the pseudonym for the husband-and-wife writing team of Ilona and Andrew Gordon. They are best known for their Magic series, which is a collection of urban fantasy novels set in a world where magic and technology coexist. The Magic series follows the adventures of a powerful mage named Kate Daniels. In this world, magic waves periodically sweep over the Earth, causing technology to fail and magical creatures to roam freely. Kate is a mercenary with a dark past, and she navigates this treacherous world with her wit, strength, and magical abilities. The series is known for its action-packed storytelling, vivid world-building, and quirky and relatable characters.

The series is known for its action-packed storytelling, vivid world-building, and quirky and relatable characters. Ilona and Andrew Andrews have created a detailed and immersive world, complete with its own history, politics, and magical systems. The characters are well-developed and complex, and readers will find themselves rooting for Kate and her allies as they battle various supernatural threats.

A Mediocre Halloween special at Dollar Tree

Mediocre (though not yet cracked) flasks in stock at Dollar Tree in the Halloween section (get there now, buy it before its gone).

Also new cackling witches and skulls/ghosts that moan out Happy Halloween. This year they do NOT come with built in batteries; you need to provide your own but the upside is the battery case and switch is much nicer than previous years and you CAN replace the batteries without breaking the figures apart…

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@chienfou We usually set up a row of them on the porch rail on Halloween; as trick or treaters walk up they trip them in sequence so they do a lot of cackling. Sorry, no bananas

@duodec
I was just in a dollar tree (not my dollar tree though) yesterday and we didn’t have Halloween stuff up yet actually happy bc it still summer and I want to enjoy it.

@duodec @Star2236 Around here, you’d have trouble getting the candy out to the car before it melted into a solid mass - and if you didn’t bring a cooler and some ice packs, the heat inside the car will finish the job anyway.

Needs a banana for scale!

@tinamarie1974 Did you see what Costco has.
My favorites are the pumpkin lights, but they’re expensive. (Not as $$ as the ghoul, though!)
https://www.costco.com/halloween.html

@tinamarie1974 I’m a little unhappy about it; stuff sells out and now I’m having to buy 3 months ahead to make sure I have it. Dollar Tree may or may not restock any particular item. The motion sensing witches and skulls are already half gone at the closest store.

@Kyeh @tinamarie1974
Bandit on the other hand would leave a trail of tiny holes as he climbed up to get to his face.

@chienfou @Kyeh Charlie would be terrified, as would my niece. But it is pretty cool. Still trying to figure out what this years costume will be. Niece recently discovered Kiss and she is in love! Wants the two of us to dress up as them. I really hope she changes her mind between now and October. Not that I dont love Kiss, I just dont want to be Paul Stanley.

@duodec @tinamarie1974
I agree way too early for Halloween stuff. And most of the time with dollar tree when an item is gone it’s gone so you have to get it now.

@duodec @Star2236 @tinamarie1974 I only accept the Christmas stuff I see in August when it’s in the craft store. People need time to make their cards, decorations, etc., so putting the supplies out now makes sense. Halloween stuff should stay in their boxes until mid-September.

@sammydog01 Maybe you can develop an adaptor that takes them and wire that in. Between yours and what others have I am sure you could keep it going all season.

@sammydog01 The new ones this year all seem to use a pair of AAA batteries. The previous year ones that you had to break open to replace batteries, sorry I don’t remember the battery number but they were button cells, not ‘coin’ type.

@duodec I have an unreasonable number of AAA batteries from Woot events. I hope I can find a witch in stock.

@duodec I’m stealing your idea about lining the front walk but it will mostly be with orange lanterns that stay lit and don’t scare the kids. I checked and I have two unopened boxes of 36 AAA’s I got at Woot because they were cheap and I’ll probably use them someday? AND I AM!

@sammydog01 Huzzah! FWIW the little ones were not scared, more fascinated by the witches, But last year the ghosts didn’t growl Happy Halloween, they did a kiddy-voice “Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat”. The witch’s cackling has stayed the same for at least the last 2 years.

@sammydog01 We also got a mister (amazon has them) with different color LEDs that runs off a USB power supply; its meant for tabletop water displays. Put that in a halloween store black kettle filled with black and dark purple/blue glass stones then top with water, so in the corner of our porch there’s a cauldron that glows and has steam flooding off it and onto the ground. It puts out enough mist to visibly travel a foot or so from the kettle and it gives a cold clammy feeling if you get your hand in the mist. That one gets attention. Wish we could easily get 120v power to that corner; I’d put a more powerful one in a larger cauldron. No need for those fogger fluid boxes that you need for larger spaces.

@duodec I have a little mister in a plastic cauldron. It’s one thing that makes it out every year. I love the glass stones idea, I bet I can get some at the craft store. Foggers didn’t work that well for me and were a pain in the ass, especially the bubble fogger that I had high hopes for.

@sammydog01 I saw mist cauldrons, scary doorbells, and snack holders that look like scalped skulls held up by bony hands (in multiple colors) today, many of them in the plus aisle (which is $3 - $5) Also some interesting candles, I’ll try to post pics. The ribcage is also a candle, and there are flask candles behind them that I just noticed.

@sammydog01 The mist cauldron is wimpy. It works but the mist is thin and faint, would only work in a dark area where the LEDs in the cauldron are the only light. I’m going to stick to a pond mister.

I was at Lowes yesterday. They had two skeleton witches, one of which was playing the drums (with music playing) and the other standing there moving around (upper body, was otherwise in place). A bit bigger than human sized tall. No idea if they were for sale or just obscenely early decorations.

Dollar Tree is going to bankrupt me a buck and a quarter at a time. (Love the flowers with eyeballs.)

@sammydog01 There is a shoe company on Amazon that has a mid-heel printed with flowers with eyes, and if I were bold enough to order heels online I’d have had them for months by now.

@duodec
I was just in a dollar tree (not my dollar tree though) yesterday and we didn’t have Halloween stuff up yet actually happy bc it still summer and I want to enjoy it.

One of the highlights of the Magic series is the romance between Kate and Curran, the Beast Lord. Their relationship is intense, passionate, and often laced with humor. Ilona and Andrew Andrews expertly balance the romantic tension with the fast-paced action, creating a compelling and addictive reading experience. Another strength of the series is the snappy and witty dialogue. Ilona and Andrew Andrews have a knack for writing sharp and funny banter between characters, which adds levity to the darker and more intense moments of the story. Overall, the Magic series by Ilona Andrews is a must-read for fans of urban fantasy. The blend of magic, action, romance, and humor makes for a captivating and entertaining reading experience. Whether you're a longtime fan or a new reader, the Magic series is sure to delight and enchant..

Reviews for "The Role of Fate and Destiny in Iloma Andrews' Magic Universe"

1. John - 2/5 stars - I was really disappointed with the Iloma Andrews magic series. The characters were one-dimensional and predictable, and the plot was lackluster. I found myself struggling to finish each book because I just didn't care what happened to the characters. It's a shame because I had high hopes for this series, but it fell short for me.

2. Sarah - 1/5 stars - I couldn't get into the Iloma Andrews magic series at all. The writing felt amateurish and the world-building was confusing. There were too many characters introduced without proper development, which made it hard to keep track of who was who. I also found the pacing to be incredibly slow, and it felt like nothing really happened until the very end. I wouldn't recommend this series to anyone.

3. Alex - 2/5 stars - The Iloma Andrews magic series had potential, but I couldn't get past the cliché and overdone tropes. The love triangle between the main characters felt forced and unnecessary, and the dialogue was cringe-worthy at times. The world-building was interesting, but it lacked depth and consistency. Overall, I was left feeling underwhelmed and uninterested in continuing with the series.

4. Emily - 3/5 stars - While there were some aspects of the Iloma Andrews magic series that I enjoyed, overall, it just didn't captivate me. The writing style was engaging, but the plot felt predictable and lacked originality. The characters were also quite bland and didn't have much depth. There were a few interesting moments, but they were overshadowed by the overall mediocrity of the series. I wouldn't actively recommend it, but it might appeal to those who enjoy light, easy fantasy reads.

The Hero's Journey in Iloma Andrews' Magic Series