Magic Bleeds

Author Q&A

Essay by Ilona Andrews on Magic Bleeds

Magic Bleeds is one of those pivotal books that can either make or break the series. Vital changes take place. The enemy Kate faces in this book is the most powerful we’ve written to date. When she shattered the blood sword during the Midnight Games in Magic Strikes, she knew there would be consequences. Well, the consequences arrive and smash her life to pieces. She loses everything and her world will never be the same.

In so many ways, this is a fight or flight book. Kate’s opponent has been called the City Eater, and the moniker is well deserved. The situation is desperate. Kate knows she is outclassed and underpowered. Her enemy has centuries of experience, commanding the forces of nature and deadly disease. Kate would have preferred facing anything else, a mythical monster, a legend, a god, but no, her opponent is much, much worse. Because Kate has to go up against family. This enemy has no mercy, no compassion, and no weakness.

Kate has to stand against her bloodline and probably die, or run, abandoning everyone she cares about, and live to fight another day. It very clear just how far she has to go in learning her powers and she has no time to do it.

In the middle of this chaos she must decide if she should take that one vital step forward, bridging the distance between her and the Beast Lord. For the first time in her life she is truly, deeply in love. But being with Curran means telling him about her ancestry, because as she says in the narrative, “You can’t smelt happiness from a lie. The world doesn’t work that way.” Being with him means dragging him down into her private war, because Kate knows that once they’re together, her problems will become his and Curran doesn’t do backing down.

Eventually all prospective couples reach the point of no return: that spot in the relationship when they have to decide if they are together or not. This is the book where Kate and Curran decide. They both know that whichever way they go, there is no turning back. This is it.

But no matter how grim the situation seems, no matter how terrible is the enemy, and how afraid Kate is, Magic Bleeds ends with hope. It’s the end of the old but also the beginning of something new. It ties the plot threads raised in the previous three books, clears the field, and weaves new ones, so the characters can move on to new and exciting adventures. It was extremely difficult to write, but when we were done, I realized that I couldn’t wait to write the next one, because of the new possibilities Magic Bleeds brought and that made me happy.

I hope you like it.