tui magic life jacaranda 5

Onyx the Fortuitous is a character created by Andrew Bowser, a filmmaker and comedian. Onyx is a satirical take on a wannabe horror host, with exaggerated and comedic mannerisms. One of Onyx's most popular videos is titled "Onyx the Fortuitous and the Amulet of Souls," which parodies old-school horror movie tropes. In the video, Onyx discovers an amulet that supposedly has the power to grant eternal life and decides to open it on air. The main idea of this video is to entertain and parody the horror genre. Onyx's character is over-the-top and melodramatic, adding a humorous element to the video.

Overall, it’s not terribly deep or insightful, but it’s a fun read and I think it achieves very well what it’s trying to be. And the series seriously improves by the third book.

It picks back up after that, though, and there s a suspenseful showdown with the baddie, and an ending that ties up the story nicely but leaves room for sequels, the first of which is already out. KELLY LASITER, with us since July 2008, is a mild-mannered academic administrative assistant by day, but at night she rules over a private empire of tottering bookshelves.

Onyx's character is over-the-top and melodramatic, adding a humorous element to the video. Onyx's excitement and enthusiasm about potentially obtaining eternal life through the amulet of souls is comically exaggerated. Throughout the video, Onyx encounters various obstacles and challenges that prevent him from opening the amulet.

Magic Bites: A lot of points for creativity

Magic Bites (2007) is an exciting urban fantasy with a unique premise and detailed world-building, somewhat marred by an unsatisfying twist in the story’s central mystery.

I give Ilona Andrews a lot of points for creativity here. In Magic Bites‘ near-future setting, magic and technology come and go a bit like the weather; when magic is working, tech isn’t, and vice versa. The shifts are unpredictable, but it can be assumed there will be several per day. Andrews explores all the aspects of this situation and the ways people find to cope with it (magic-powered light bulbs to back up electric ones, horseback travel, etc.). I loved the well-thought-out explanation for why telephones occasionally work during a magic phase. Especially haunting was the image of downtown Atlanta, its skyscrapers crumbling away with every onslaught of magic.

Also laudable is Andrews’ use of mythological creatures. As a fan of urban fantasy, a trend that saddens me in many recent novels is the fixation on vampires and werewolves to the exclusion of everything else. World folklore gives us a lot of “things that go bump in the night” to play with. In Magic Bites, there are vampires and werewolves (of course) but also other beasties, and the central villain is a horrific creature that exists in folklore but that I’ve never seen used before in a novel.

The heroine, Kate, is part of the novel’s uniqueness as well. At first, I didn’t like her — she seemed to be yet another of those urban fantasy heroines who constantly make fools of themselves to prove they’re tough, and somehow everyone loves them anyway. It turns out, though, that while Kate wisecracks constantly, there are consequences to her abrasive style. Andrews allows other characters to be offended by her heroine, and that’s something that’s all too rare.

Where Magic Bites lost me was in a brief series of scenes late in the story. There are two characters who might have done something awful; we’ll call them A and B. For reasons I never quite understood, everyone becomes convinced that A did the deed. Beats me why they think this. There aren’t really any clues pointing toward A. B, on the other hand, might as well have “Guilty” tattooed on his or her forehead. B has been telegraphing guilt throughout the book. Yet somehow no one thinks of him/her until A is exonerated. Then, to confuse me more, the character who was the ringleader in accusing A gets mad at Kate over the whole fiasco, even though it was his idea. I was lost, to say the least. If A was going to be a red herring, there should have been more clues leading in that direction, and B’s guilt should have been more subtle.

It picks back up after that, though, and there’s a suspenseful showdown with the baddie, and an ending that ties up the story nicely but leaves room for sequels, the first of which is already out.

I should mention that Magic Bites contains a lot of gory violence.

I would recommend Magic Bites to anyone who enjoyed early Laurell K. Hamilton; its blend of mystery, horror, and a tough heroine gives it some of the same “feel.”

In an alternative version of our world, technology and magic are at odds: when a “magic fluctuation” hits, most technological items (cell phones, cars, anything electrical) stop working, but sooner or later the magic wave ends and technology kicks in again. Smart people finds ways to get along whether magic or technology happens to be ascendant, like Kate Daniels, who carries a sword — fondly named Slayer — and is capable of kicking pretty much anyone’s ass at any given time. Someone has killed Kate’s friend and one-time mentor, Greg Feldman, and Kate is determined to find out who it is. But her investigation becomes increasingly dangerous to herself and those who are helping her.

Magic Bites is basically a detective story set in an urban fantasy world, complete with vampires and werewolves, but they’re vampires and werewolves (or, more accurately, shapechangers, since many of them are not wolves but rats, leopards, lions, etc.) like I’ve never seen or read about before. The world-building with the fantasy part of the story is done so well here. It struck me as detailed, highly original, and very well integrated into the overall story. Vampires, for example, are near-mindless automatons controlled by humans who are trained to do so:

. . . the mind of a vampire died the moment vampirism took hold. The vampires knew no pity and no fear; they couldn’t be trained; they had no ego. On a developmental level they stood close to insects . . . An insatiable hunger for blood ruled them and they slaughtered everything in their path in their urge to quench it.

The thing followed me on all fours. It was a vampire, but one so ancient that no trace of it having walked upright remained. . . Its face no longer bore any resemblance to a human. . . Rows of fangs gleamed against the blackness.

Eeeek! Also eeeew!

There’s a lot of snarky humor in this book, again kind of like a gumshoe detective story. When Kate is summoned to a meeting with the shapechangers she considers her options for self-protection:

I paused, considered the arsenal available to me, put on thin wristbands loaded with silver needles, and took nothing else except Slayer. To get clear of two hundred enraged shapechangers I’d need a case of grenades and air support. There was no reason to weigh myself down with extra weapons. Then again, maybe I should take a knife. One knife, as a backup. Okay, two. And that’s it. Armed and dressed to kill — or rather to die quickly but in style — I went . . .

Overall, it’s not terribly deep or insightful, but it’s a fun read and I think it achieves very well what it’s trying to be. And the series seriously improves by the third book.

It took me a while to warm up to Kate Daniels. In fact, I didn’t quite make it to “warmed up” in this novel, but I have persisted and the books are getting better.

I’m listening to the audiobooks. I’m not sure if it’s me or the reader, Renée Raudman, but it took a couple of books for me to warm up to her, too. I think she gradually grows into the role of Kate Daniels. By book 4, she’s really got it down.

Published in 2007. Ilona Andrews invites you to experience the first novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series featuring the intriguing fantasy world of mercenary Kate Daniels… Kate Daniels is a down-on-her-luck mercenary who makes her living cleaning up magical problems. But when Kate’s guardian is murdered, her quest for justice draws her into a power struggle between two strong factions within Atlanta’s magic circles. Pressured by both sides to find the killer, Kate realizes she’s way our of her league — but she wouldn’t want it any other way… This edition includes in-depth information about the world of Kate Daniels with descriptions of its characters and factions. Explore Kate’s Atlanta like never before with a quiz to find your place there and with answers to frequently asked questions. And don’t miss the prequel story “A Questionable Client” as well as scenes of events in Magic Bites from Curran’s point of view.

These obstacles include characters from classic horror movies, such as a werewolf and a mummy. Onyx's attempts to overcome these obstacles range from poorly executed fight scenes to comedic interactions. By incorporating these horror movie references and presenting them in a humorous way, the video appeals to both horror movie buffs and those who enjoy comedic content. Onyx's exaggerated reactions and comedic timing add to the overall entertainment value of the video. Although the video is primarily comedic, it also incorporates some commentary on the conventions and clichés of the horror genre. Onyx's character serves as a satirical critique of the stereotypical horror host, pointing out the absurdity of their actions and behavior. Overall, "Onyx the Fortuitous and the Amulet of Souls" is a comedic take on the horror genre, providing entertainment through satire and parody. Onyx's character and exaggerated reactions add a unique humor to the video, making it an enjoyable watch for fans of both horror and comedy..

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tui magic life jacaranda 5