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Happy Birthday to Magic Claims and Spoiler Thread

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MAGIC CLAIMS, Kate Daniels: Wilmington Years Book 2 will be released at midnight. We hope you enjoy it!

It’s a new slice of life from Kate and Curran’s bespoke Happy Ever After. Which for them, of course, involves a mysterious evil that stirs in the woods and demands a tribute. Lives are in danger, ancient magic awakens, and the Beast Lord wants a moat for his son.

For those of you who haven’t ordered yet, here are the links again for your convenience. We’re aiming for an audiobook released on July 4th, and it will be a bundle of both MAGIC TIDES and MAGIC CLAIMS.

Wordery

This is your official spoiler and question thread for Magic Claims.

Attention!

There are spoilers in the comments below.

Read at your own risk.

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Comments

      • Well i needed to read first and now I don’t know where to start. i am still shell shocked somehow. Definitely a great addition to the Kate saga.

        • Gods I missed this series. I loved Luther and all of his weirdness. I can’t wait to see what Kate and Curran do with what they claimed

          • I’ve been an avid reader for fifty years. I still remember my first book, John Carter of mars by E.R. Burroughs.
            I think the K.D. series is the best series I’ve ever read, and I can’t wait for the next book to come out. So many possibilities. I think this series could be just about endless.
            I like the quote I read recently. ” A person that reads lives a thousand lives, the person that doesn’t read only lives one”

  3. ha! I saw the one tweet about a new blog post and it was the old one, but here is this beauty!!

    yay

      • I came on here just to say there were magic clams! Glad I wasn’t the only one who noticed.

      • Who’s diving for clams now %$€@&
        Love love love this book. It’s Saturday and I just finished my fifth reading, yep I’m that nuts. I don’t know how many times I’ve read the entire series, but it’s quite a few.
        HESAAD. MINE. I love the old language, that controls pure magic. I’m not sure though if the language of Shinar is a separate language or not.
        I really appreciate that the ending leaves a clear opening for the series to continue. It’s a basic start on a kingdom. Curran’s moat here will be about 1.5 miles in diameter, which is about 4.75 miles in length. That’s a lot of moat!!!
        Can’t wait for the the next step.
        Thank you H.A.

      • I can’t believe I missed that reference! And I’ve already read it through twice! Darin found magic clams in the water, okay. Wait… “magic clams”??!!?!?!?
        I need more sleep 🙁

      • I could say no. I could walk away right now, and nobody would ever call me on it.

        I squeezed back.

        “We’ll take it,” my husband said.

        • My favourite quote of the whole book:

          “He raised the heart up, showing it to everyone, walked over to me, and dropped it at my feet.
          Umm. What was I supposed to do with it? His eyes were pure gold, still mad with bloodlust. I stabbed the heart with Sarrat. It seemed like the thing to do.” *ROFL*

          The last line is *chef’s 💋 * Well done! I cannot wait for more! XD

          • It immediately made me think of Julie and Kate comparing notes in the future about their men ripping out the heart of creatures 😀 . I guess at least Curran didn’t eat it like Derek did with the Sphinx heart in BH hehe.

            • The parallels! Didn’t even think of that. Maybe more clear on the re-read. Really enjoyed Kate’s response. Also better than her eating it or something. 😀

            • I can almost hear Derek’s grumbling growl. He only ate a bite because he wanted glimpse of the true future.Because once he saw it, it wouldn’t change.

  7. Happy early birthday Magic Claims (aka Clams)! I don’t know about the rest of the BDH, but I’m ok with all the spoilage possible from the book.

    Tomorrow is reading day at work since, as of now, it’s all quiet on the CMS front. 🙂

    Also, clams are on the menu for tomorrow night’s supper. Yum!

      • I am opening a box of clam strips and baking them in the oven. I’m going to forego the lemon since I didn’t get any when I went grocery shopping yesterday.

        I think I’m going to make fries with the clam strips.

        I have to have easy cooking tomorrow since I’m going to have my nose stuck in the book (even though it’s on my Nook).

        • Just had to google clam strips as i’d never heard of them .

          I also preordered Magic Claims from Booktopia Australia and got notification on the Friday 2nd June that it is on its way, Expected Tuesday 06 Jun 2023 – Thursday 08 Jun 2023

          I then arrived arrived on Monday 5th, 2hours before I finished work for the day.

          Best day every, and I’ve only had Mod R to share the news with in unrelated blog post 🙂

          It was so hard waiting for the spoiler thread to come up but still love Luther’s appearance and the ‘So many other things. Come with me. I’ll show you.’

          ohhh WOW

          Kate knows that something is going on, knows what Julie looks like, spies, so many spies, knows that Julie will tell her when she can (trust, its beautiful), knows that Erra knows and again trusts them and has a happy killing spree.

          And the Curran/Pack/Secret agenda to ‘fix’ what is wrong with the pack structure/isolation issue.

          So many things were answered but that usually just led to more questions. SO MUCH FUN.

          Thank, can’t wait for the Ebook to come so i can reread (i didn’t want to soil my paper copy so only read it once ;))

    • May you have a *plain cheese pizza day* tomorrow. It’s what I wish my friends who are in the medical field, because the “q-word” always brings trouble.

      • 50 years of nursing and midwifery taught me never to say the Q word and my daughter, who works in a different environment won’t use it either. I am definitely a member of the BDH

  9. Happy Birthday to me! Thanks a million for writing more Kate and Curran stories. Happy Book Day to you…..🙏❤️🎂🥂

  10. No work on the agenda for tomorrow – gleefully rubbing hands together – my priorities are on point! Of course I’ll probably read it when it drops in 12 hrs so I’ll need tomorrow for sleeping. Heeheehee

  11. Happy Early Book Birthday! I did a complete reread of the KD universe. First time I have done that. So many details I had forgotten so I enjoyed it immensely. Thank you for all of your hard work in the writing and whole process to get the book to us.

    • KD goes on, yay. Absolutely love the series.
      Also, I’ve only ever seen the name Sorcha in the book Windburn by Juliette Cross, a good read.
      A beautiful unusual name, Sorcha, it really stuck with me from the book.
      If my wife and I had any kids I would have loved to use that name.

    • Sometimes POD (print on demand) copies are shipped early by the printer and distributer- you were one of the lucky ones! 🙂

    • really who did you order from….so maybe next book I can get it early too. I still get to wait until midnight (not saying it’s my midnight always change my location so I get 2 hours earlier but that’s as early as I get with the ebook)

    • I got my copy on the 10th. I ordered paper in hopes it would come early, LOL. It did! And it is very good! I’m enamored of the Mammoths and the other pre history animals… too bad there was ONLY one First Lion… I mean how great if there were more! I loved the whole : so I fought a Dire Wolf? So I fought a sabertooth were tiger? And yeah, I loved the whole Luther scene… can’t say anything, but oooh boy, he’s hoooked on everything! And then the Cat Clan Alpha’s report… will the ‘excess’ shifters of the Pack in Atlanta be slipping slowly over to ‘just visit’ the Castle? Beast Lord has a real keep now, AND Land and a town nearby for trade, AND Kate, Kate is happy again! And she knows about Julie… not about the prophecy yet… but I think she will figure it out soon…Erra might tell her.

      • Let’s hope not! If Kate finds out about the prophecy, she dies, and everything Julie did will be in vain.

        • This is such a fun situation now, because we know she will not find out for quite some time because she hasn’t in Blood Heir yet. But maybe she will anyway, now that she as a lead and somehow the authors will work their magic …. she might know/not know at the same time. Schrodinger Kate 😀

        • I think it’s a loophole. Julie doesn’t talk to Kate, doesn’t see her. I don’t think the prophecy said anything about retainers.

        • Haha honestly, I’m suspicious that the “prophesy” maybe slightly inaccurate or incomplete or misguiding at the least. The prophetess seems to have ulterior motives the whole “if one day I wrong you, Julie, will you forgive me?” Conversation in BH. I’m kinda wondering if the way it was told to Julie was to trigger certain events like her getting the eye and training to be strong but in reality she will need to merge forces with her parents to win in the end.

      • Erra und Julie hiding the physical changes from Kate 😬 they should have known they will be found out, can’t wait to hear their excuses. The spy master will spill the beans…

      • I though Luther was uncharacteristically well-behaved. No ‘infidel’ or other insults. Is he coming down with something?

        • Maybe it’s the gift of the panels from Kate that made him well behaved. She did make Luther speechless. 😂

  14. It’s a payroll week, so I can’t take off. We are in the middle of moving to a new home, but I already warned my hubby that he may not get much toting, lifting and/or carrying out of me tomorrow :-). I can’t want.

  15. Ordered a print copy as soon as it was available. Will start my reread of the whole series as soon as the new book is in my hot hands. I don’t want to start until the new book is in hands just in case it doesn’t arrive the day I expect. Once I dive into the KD world, I will not want to surface for petty details, like meetings, classes, husband…LOL 😂. I will, of course, but there are no guarantees as to the quality of those activities.

  16. I still suspect the evil in the woods involves Arachne’s children. I have since about the second snippet posted.

  17. Lol I thought I was the only one who takes a day off for a new Ilona Andrews book 🙂

  18. Hurray for clams night ( or claims, if that is your thing) I’ve spent the last week or so re-reading all of the series. First did KD, then The Edge, then Innkeeper ( and I would like to see more Innkeeper, with more characters from the Edge, I love those two series. Also hope for more BURN books. I hope you have several people keeping the timelines straight and the characters as well. It has to be a major, major job. I know you are planning a stand-alone book, which I will be delighted to read. I must say though, I love all your series books, and all the characters too. Love you both…and looking forward to much more. (And at the young age of 76, I’ve learned to read really fast. I spend time between books reading other fantasy/sci-fi novels, and if nothing good at the time, I go back and read beloved series. I read LOTR in 1970, and have re-read it more times that I can count. And I love fantasy and sci-fi movies as well. Thanks for making my reading so exciting and special,

  19. Was one of the lucky ones to receive an early print copy. Absolutely loved this book and couldn’t put it down! I can’t wait to read more of the Wilmington years. Started rereading Iron and Magic with Blood Heir up next 🙂

  20. I love the ending, now they have a new Keep to play with! And of course, happy to see clams made their way into the book.

  22. I very happily devoured it this weekend! So happy Barnes and Noble sent me my copy so it arrived Friday, because I have a stressful home renovation project going on and desperately needed something to distract me. Alas, it’s over now…

    • Yes, but now you have more insight in the background goings-on of Blood Heir, so technically a reread is in order 😀 – good luck with your reno!

  23. I read it and I loved it! I especially enjoyed the ways that Magic Clams was tied to Blood Heir and other titles.

    I wish I had better spoilers but I’ll have to go reread it!

    Thanks for the wonderful story!

  25. I actually got my book on the 8th.. dunno why but B&N physical pre-order delivered very early for me, haha. Unfortunately didn’t have time to read it thought with IRL stuff going on x.x

    Can’t wait to finish it now that I have time!!

  26. SPOILERS!

    I legit screamed at so many parts.
    – the alpha of clan cat
    – how Kate finds out about Julie’s new face
    – her discussion with Roland
    – Kate and Curran’s entire balcony discussion!!!!!! Followed by *wink*
    – building a new Keep
    – LUTHER

    • Luther is in it ?? Yeahhhh !!
      I won’t be able to read it til this weekend. I convince myself that patience is a virtue.

    • Loved all the above annnnd add the cousin reference.
      I have sooooo many questions
      Also loved the interaction between conlan, Kate, and Roland. On a side note, I can see conlan and deira getting into mischief as they get older.

  28. Whee – only 10 hours and 30 some minutes to go, according to the count-down clock. Am planning on clam chowder for dinner tonight to celebrate.

  29. Yay Magic Clams!!! (And yes, it is stuck in my head that way lol). So excited for this new book.

  31. Heehee!Ok, so I know it’s not the case. But I sure feel like this release is a birthday present. Because today is my birthday and I am so excited to know I’ll be able to download Magic Claims in just a few short hours.
    I love your writing.

  33. The only spoiler I want right now:

    When is the store reopening???! I have some serious shopping to do!

      • I loved It, we can see the other part of Conlan, the magic and how well he is. Is learning from grandpa. He is not just a first.

        • I think this is Conlan’s turning point where he starts to get serious about learning. That’s why Julie is surprised at his abilities in blood heir.

  34. I will forever read Magic Clams. going to set my clock for midnight. so glad HA has returned to Kate!

    • Digital copies download at midnight of whatever time zone you are in- for the US, it may be East Coast time, as far as I’ve been told in the comments.

      • oh thank you. I’m not in the US but i ordered it from kobo us. So i will check evry hour! I canceled evry appointment, tomorrow is me and Magic Clam time only!

      • Amazon uses Eastern time, here in California kindle books turn up around 9 pm Pacific time, which of course is 12 midnite Eastern time.(yeah for that!!)

      • Um, it may be that the copies download at midnight of the time zone where you ordered it. I remember hoping to get a release on Norway time when I was there for a release but had to w**t for East coast time. This was a few years back so things may have changed.

  37. I’m not sure having the words “spoil” and “clams” in the same post is ideal hahaha. Besides, MAGIC CLAMS DON’T SPOIL.

    But I am here for spoilers and cannot wait to download this bad boy to my kindle. 🙂

  38. I love that you actually post a spoiler thread before the book comes out so we don’t even have to wait a single minute before we can throw spoilers at each other and get any concerns of our breast 😀
    (Does this saying even exist in English? I’m not sure. I hate that expressiones can’t just be imported in other languages, often they just sound weird.)

    • It was posted when the book came out in Australia 🙂 – they’re the first ones to ring in Tuesday!

      • Oh, that makes absolutly sense actually. And it’s just as thoughtful. Thanks!
        Just three more hours for me as well! 😀

      • Book has arrived here in Australia, but I’m not even going to open it until I can devote time and enjoy. Probably late tonight when I get to bed

    • To answer your question about sayings: FWIW, in American English we usually say “get it off your chest” not breast, but that’s surprisingly close for two different languages!

      • First thing I looked for when I woke up this morning 5am Australian est time. Devoured it and am already doing a re-read!!!

        • Hey Sydney girl, I ordered the POD and Booktopia sent it to me, it arrived Monday 5th.

          From Newcastle girl 🙂

  41. In case anybody is wondering that midnight publishing time is based on Pacific Standard Time.

    • Only for the US- although several people in the comments have said they received it at midnight eastern time, too?

      In the rest of the world, it’s at midnight of whatever time zone you are, not linked to American release. Several countries already have it 🙂

      • On West Coast and I always get my newly released Kindle books in synch with Eastern time which I really enjoy 😉

    • I live on the west coast (Pacific time), and do a lot of reviews, and the books are never available to post reviews until midnight Pacific time. OTOH, I almost never pre-order (even IA books), just not my thing. So maybe downloads come at 9 pm Pacific, which is midnight Eastern ??? But publication “time” for reviews, at least, is Pacific time…

  42. Doesn’t every loving parent want to surround their child with a difficult to breach protective barrier? I vote with Curran on this…

  43. Mine is due to deliver tomorrow. So I will also have to make time to read, but alas projects in yard, so mostly in evening. Sure, it’s going to be great.

  44. Aarugh, for those of us who have to save our good vision time (no painful eyestrain) for work the wait until July 4th seems like forever. But we know it’s worth it.

  45. Good news: Amazon sent me a text that Magic Claims (preordered) was available for download. Bad news: it’s not available for download on the site or by syncing. Waaaah 😩😩

    • Ok, some MacGyver things that worked for me in the past- can’t 100% vouch for them, but desperate times…: actually turn your Kindle off and on, not just force sync.
      The other way- order the book again. You will get the “you’ve already ordered it” message but it will come with “do you want to read now?” if it’s available.

      • I had the same problem on my Nook. So after figuring some things. I signed out of my profile and signed back in on my Nook. Voila! Magic Claims shows up and a lot of downloads followed. 😎

        • Another Nook thing to try for pre-orders that don’t download them — archive (the pre-order), then restore from the archive & usually the whole text downloads.

          • That’s if the book cover shows in the library. Mine never showed in the library on my Nook. So…the profile trick did the job.

  47. Thanks for my early birthday gift since I was borne the june 21st🙏😉😍🥳

    Might be reading Kate New aventure instead of working🤣

    Merci 🙏

  48. Can’t wait!! I was in Wilmington and Burgaw, NC last weekend for a family event (my Dad grew up in Burgaw) and ate at the new Burgaw Brewery. I don’t think local residents know what is in store for them, post-Shift!

  49. My favorite funny spoilers:

    Darin and the “freshwater magic clams” – top ten across all IA books…

    In the same scene, the image of Conlan riding Mona, the 10-ft tall furry mastodon…

    The scene where Kate and Rimush and Jushur, together with Curran and Keelan, are all talking, and Keelan says “The Consort is merciful and kind to a fault”, clearly referring to Kate as the Consort. And then Jushur says, “I’m sure HE is” (my emphasis added). ROTFL…

    For some reason I have a huge crush on Damian Angevin, so was pleased to see him “appear”, even if only by letter, and even if Kate snarks about “the golden light of the Grand Master’s magnificence”.

    The “poke-it-with-a-stick” scene!

    I hope Kate manages to persuade Luther to move from Atlanta to Wilmington…

    • “I’m sure HE is” cracked me up so hard too 😀 – it’s not my favourite though, nothing beats the vampire scene at the Order office!

      As for Kate’s power of persuasion – we know Luther is still in Atlanta in Blood Heir, so not for at least the next 2 years hehehe.

      • I agree. the vampire scene made me laugh so hard I woke my baby up.

        will be there a Wilmington 3 to see more of Barrett?

        Claudia can already tell Kate will be messing with him more. 🤣

      • When I read that part, I laughed so hard. The little tea pot routine made me stop reading I was laughing so hard and had tears in my eyes. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

      • There was so many wonderful funny scenes but I have to say, the vampire scene just absolutely did me in! I had to stop reading, compose myself, re-read it, and then compose myself again before moving on!!!! 😂😂😂😂😂

      • I agree the best scenes were the song at the order and the poke it with a stick ones. They were perfect. True comedy art.

    • Agreed Sue! ModR was right about how funny the book was.

      Also the banter between Troy and Owen

    • It took me way too long to understand the “He” comment and now I can’t stop laughing. Love it

    • I did not understand the “he” comment when I read it. Now I do, and feel like an idiot. Thank you.

  50. Ya’ll, I’m not seeing a lot of actual spoilery bits in this thread. I don’t want to have come in here and spoil the shit out this but I will. I need to see some real stinky cheese or it’s fixing to get bad.

    • Well, no one’s going to say anything now a Spoiler Lord appearance is on the table 🤣

      • Nobody wants that. There’s no guarantee that it will be a legitimate spoiler and not some nonsense I pulled out of my butt. For example, “Who else was surprised that the big bad in the woods was the shade of poor Aunt Bea?”

        • I have to say that I really enjoyed Roland’s complete redo of his magic portal place.

          I’m sure his restoration of Las Vegas has a better fountain show than the original.

          Oh, and Roland giving Conlan the Eiffel Tower as a playground was especially cool.

          • Sorry Momo, this looks like I was responding to your comment, but I meant it to be a silly response to Gordon’s silly Aunt Bea comment! 😁

    • That’s because the majority of the Horde hasn’t read the book yet. Once we’ve read it, I have a feeling the spoilers will commence. 🤠😎

  51. finished it and omg 😆 who knew that years of ballet training could be transferred to a vampire? 🤣🤣

    • 🤣 THANK YOU! For me, that beats even the ferret scene! Specifically when the vampire covers itself. Giving me real Bugs Bunny suprised in the shower vibes, but grotesque hehe.

      • I laughed out so hard when I read the vampire farm scene. Can we have the whole song at some point, because its pure comedy gold. I’m still trying to process the book, I think this might be one of my favorite Kate books. This January, when the GPS took me on a scenic route through Wilmington to beaufort, NC, I realized that I might have driven through some of these woods, need to go back and look at the map, it was a very creepy drive.

      • I disagree. Nothing beats the ferrets. Conner telling his security team to install motion detectors on the dryer vents is just awesome.

      • I loved Kate being comfortable enough to actually use a vampire properly, especially to tick off someone oh-so-comfortably at the top of their local pyramid. He looked right at her in the prior book and didn’t realize who she is …

        Kate being comfortable about a lot of things was what really drew me into this book. The only downside is that Roland will now say “he’s proud of her” and it will almost be a stab.

        Should’ve known Kate and Curran’s HEA was going to involve lots of magic, lots of fighting, lots of just retribution visited upon the wicked. 🙂

      • Can you imagine this scene as a tee shirt in mercy store or a mug!!! Ooh better yet ine if those towels that Velcro shut ahhhh hahahahah!! Loved the book but so sad now that I devoured it!

  52. I wish I could skip school tomorrow and stay home to read the book but they frown on the teachers skipping school.

    • “I don’t wanna go to school today! The kids don’t like me, the teachers don’t like me…”
      “You have to go Howard, you’re the principal!”

  53. on 2nd reread the one comment that cracked me up was when Curran was thought as Consort 🤣 it took me a second, but it gets funnier the longer I stared at it. He is Consort to her Sharratum.
    I’m still giggling because you can see that home boy Keelan was singing Kate praises only for the older guy to be confused why Curran was getting complimented 🤣

  54. so no sleeping tonight. This time is better, I’m not closing the month (finance) at work, so I don’t need to sleep. I can sleep in my cubicle tomorrow

  56. I pre-ordered a paper copy in mid May, and I just got an email that it’s scheduled to arrive June 20! That’s 8 more days! 😩

  57. Happy book birthday🥳📚🥳 Stalked Amazon uk waiting for my book to hit my kindle and now started reading at 00;20 in the uk no sleep ahead and work in the morning….oh well can’t be helped must read it🤣📚😂

  58. ohhhh man I should have pre-ordered print book from Barnes and Noble!!! Mine isn’t due to arrive until tomorrow evening 😭

  59. W*****g for this book has me considering getting a VPN account just so I can change my time zone. 😂😡😂

  60. I’m so exciteeeed. My planned reread got a lil delayed, but this weekend I might be able to sink into this!

  61. Happy birthday Magic Claims! I have the day off tomorrow and I plan on diving into the book in the am. Then go to my massage appointment- cause I need that after moving furniture last week. Then finish the book.

  62. Darnit. It’s past midnight where I am. Guess I’ll have to w*^# till midnight HA time?

    Also any chance merch store ships to Asia?

    • No, if you ordered a digital copy, it should be delievered at midnight of your timezone (I already have it in the U.K. so everywhere in Asia should be delivered). Maybe try syncing your device? 🙂

      • Yes I ordered a digital copy. My iTunes account is with the US store could that be why?

        • Yes, definitely why. It’s the account that matters, you’re considered US. So a bit more waiting 🙂

  63. Being on the west coast, I will most likely get my download around 9:00 PM local time. I will begin reading immediately, since the only thing I absolutely HAVE to do tomorrow is get my grandson to school.

  64. Read it and very-much enjoyed it. Thank you.

    A sly spoilery question (I am fishing!): did Curran eat the heart after Kate stabbed it? Curran’s opponent was a First not a God, but I wondered if a First has a quasi-divine element/larger magic reserve that could be transmitted that way?

  65. Do I stay up late? or get up early to read before work??? Decisions, decisions lol. The wait is horrible lol.

  66. Greetings from the future aka Melbourne (15 hours ahead), I already have my copy of Magic Claims. 🙂
    See you in a few hours, once I’m finished.

  67. soooooooo…. how is Hugh a cousin now? in magic triumph it was more brother ish.
    and so happy with the book, but it does really reawaken the appetite for Julie and hugh’s sequels….
    but so very very very happy and grateful for your wonderful work!

    • The “cousin” remark threw me off. It’s always been brother/sister(ish) up to now, and Julie refers to Hugh as her Uncle. I wonder if “cousin” was just a mistake.

        • Ooh I have been wondering for a while if Hugh finds out who his biological parents are and it turns out he’s somehow related to Kate. It wouldn’t surprise me if Roland had always known and that was why he honed in on Hugh’s magic and knew so much about it.

  68. LISTEN UP BDH I JUST GOT MAGIC CLAIMS NO WAITING AT HOOPLA.

    I gave a little scream. 😂

    so excited because my library is still “processing” and I’m 11th in line!

    • okay, so far… yes, the vampire ballerina, very good.

      but the retaliation fight. “Turn Owen Turn” there’s no turning Werebison Rage 😂

      waiting for Luther!!

    • Thank you for this! I preordered a print copy and it still shows delivery date pending on Amazon with no signs of it shipping – if I cancel and re-order the book it is $10 more, but I am impatient!! Hoopla has delivered in the meantime!!

  69. Happy Book Birthday!! I am going to re-read Magic Tides and then when I am done, Magic Claims will drop! Can’t wait!

  70. I don’t understand. Amazon is telling me June 13. I pre-ordered. Why? (today is the 12th)

    • The release day is the 13th- at midnight, as soon as it turns Tuesday 🙂 . Since there are other timezones in the world, it’s already the 13th for a lot of people and their digital copy has downloaded. Preordering doesn’t impact it in any way.

  71. To:Mod R – what exactly is your avatar? I thought it was a curvy girl with long brunette hair, wearing a pink sweetheart line strapless bathingsuit floating on her back in a pool… with someone wearing brown mittens trying to cop a feel from under her.

  72. lol! Ok. My bad. LOL! It’s like she’s floating on her back with her arms tucked behind her head. Can you see it? And yeah, I call it Magic Clams too.

      • Yes, Keelan found magic clams. I giggled so hard. Curran and Kate gifted huge area of forest that ‘coincidentally’ has the magical ice hill in the middle of it that has a fortress built on top of it that Curran wants. The two of them taking their son into combat. Kate telling Conlan to use the defensive spell grandpa taught him. Isaac hiding to attack the big bad fae when Kate and Curran have her distracted. Luther coming to visit and Kate showing him the fae’s “craft room”. SO much fun! Oh and ‘fae can claim land’ and Kate’s thought that Roland’s head will explode when he hears that.

  74. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. It. Was. Awesome. Now to read it again for all the small details I may have missed in my rush to find out the ending. 😎

  75. YAY!! I was thinking it was too late to put in a magic clam reference, but you guys threw it in!

  77. Did you have to kill her?
    We really, really did. 😂

    Magic “ freshwater” clams; oh you sneaky Authorlords!

    …Come with me. I’ll show you.
    …So I turned the page,🤦🏽‍♀️

    I absolutely loved all of it, every bit of it.

    • Finished. I am now happy to go to sleep and dream of my very own baby rhinos.

      Glad to see Contractor Paul is getting more work. And moats, fersure

  82. I just got to “I’m going to poke it with a sharp stick”, and started giggling uncontrollably.

  83. Have just finished. So good. I read at least a couple of hundred books a year, and you are one of the few authors who continue to come up with wonderful new storylines that are not variations of common themes. Thank you for giving me so much reading pleasure. The ending however is now going to drive me nuts until next time. Wishing you a very Happy Book Birthday .

  84. It should released by now, but I can’t download it yet from my seller. Ah well, it will come eventually….

  85. Very fun. A super unique enemy/new magic system that I hope was fun to research! Loved the Erra and Roland cameos. Worried by the Julie mention. Sad the other lion died. Need more details on clam magic. Also I’d need to read back through, but while fae and fae-adjacent enemies have popped up, I think there’s fertile ground there for a(nother) more modern Big Bad although I suppose it can get done to death in paranormal romance.

    Also on a purely technical note, and perhaps it was exactly the same team but with more time to work their magic, fewer minor typos and syntax errors in this one than the first Wilmington, which was nice for a hopeless constant editor who gets knocked out of the flow.

    Yay! Clams!

    • Yes, the other First and the Pale Queen being something like a twisted dark mirror of Curran and Kate was a little sad … but you know, you can’t have a shining example without a shadowy warning.

      • Wow I hadn’t seen that particular symmetry. Love it! But yes kinda sad too though I was more sad that only a few were saved.

  86. THERES A REFERENCE TO MAGIC CLAMS IN THE BOOK. sorry about the shouting, I just devoured it and got so excited when I spotted that!

  88. Holy snickers snacks that was fun reading! It’s now 12:39 am 06/13/23 and I’m off to bed. Thank you Authors for your writing, fantastical imaginations, and shear awesomeness.

    Good night!

  89. I just finished it and WOW, it was fantastic. The story was enthralling all the way through. I loved hearing about the Atlanta Pack and what they have going on there – poor Jim, although he will probably be happier if Curran is at the top. And this helps explain why Ascanio is doing what he was doing in Blood Heir. Just a fabulous book and felt like I was spending time hearing about the goings on of old friends. WELL DONE.

  90. So much goodness! 5th person to review on Amazon…5 stars of course! Gordon wants spoilers so here goes….there’s fae, there’s magic clams, Roland’s spymaster now belongs to Kate, Kate is back in the claiming business, Ice Age monsters are very very big, Luther makes a guest appearance and and and….so much more! Thank you Ilona & Gordon. Happy reading BDH!

  91. couldn’t go to bed without commenting: Bugs. PREHISTORIC BUGS

    Nice touch with the clams

  92. Also, Kate knows about Julie’s transformation. The follow up to that will be interesting.

    • That’s what I thought too. The reason behind the change is still a mystery to Kate.

  95. Loved, loved, loved the little teapot scene. Am going to reread now but truly worth the wait. Happy birthday Magic Claims and happy reading BDH.

  96. Delivered by Amazon first thing this morning three minutes past midnight British Summer time!!

    • Ok, favorite moments

      1. “I would fight the whole world for that smile”. Turned me into a puddle of goo.

      2. Vampire ballet. Had me cackling. It’s so Kate.

      3. Roland yelling. I dunno what it is exactly but every time he yells I giggle. Every. Time.

      4. The entire balcony conversation. Was Curran always this sweet?? Find you someone who gets and accepts you like these two do each other.

      5. I’ll be singing “Old Barrett had a farm” a lot this week.

      • E I E I O! 😂 😂

        Me too to number 5! And I’m probably going to freak out my pupils tomorrow huming this the whole day.

  98. Magic clams! IA truly love us. Now back to the beginning. Love the deadpan humour in this one

  99. OMG, OMG, OMG. I loved it, I already finished it, now I am crying cause it’s all gone already. No pressure. but when is the next one coming??? ;o)

  100. Mind blown…. OMG… I devoured it….
    Tthe writers have doneit again!!!!!!

    The addiction is real…..

    Thank you for another great read!!

  101. The elephants and the rhino gave it away for me…I know just enough about paleontology to be dangerous.

    So dinner tonight will be stuffies, aka stuffed quahogs, which are of course…CLAMS!

  102. I love it! Had such conflicting emotions in the beginning, should I read it fast, should I read it slow so it lasts longer?! In the end, I couldn’t help but stay up and devour the whole book.

    It made me so happy. Reading it felt like visiting old friends, all warm and fuzzy inside.

    Thank you so much

    • same! a very much beloved old friends. all the wonders, the magic.. *sigh in content*

      I really, really love the Ice Age addition! Then the ending that left me with the imagination of Kate and Curran starting building a little town with all those treasures *-*

  104. I love how hard they’re leaning in to Kate embracing being Sharratum, and really thinking long term.

    There’s so much epic and interesting potential material here.

    What a fabulous addition to the world!

    • You might have more luck if you tell us which device/retailer and where in the world 🙂. Syncing or rebooting your device/app usually works, if not contact your retailer customer support, please.

  107. Question? Wouldn’t the properties of Isaac’s weapon have made his blow fatal considering the weaknesses of that species?

    Also, I loved the inclusion of the magic clams. Thanks.

  109. So glad I spent all day at work listening to Blood Heir and restlessly rereading Tides waiting for midnight to hit. There are so many wonderful connecting lines where *seemingly* throw away lines foreshadow/give background to Blood Heir and the future BH2.

    1. Most obvious example is Ascanio’s ruthless pursuit for glory
    2. Erra nudging Kate into getting her ass into gear for Moloch. We know some clash is inevitable even as Julie strives to head it off and weaken him before he can lay waste to all the characters we love
    3. My absolute fav example: when owl sr and jr say they didn’t need to be awakened by Roland… I flashed to Julie talking about Erra helping her to awaken herself (with her legacy as a child of the steppes). Erra didnt do it to her… she helped Julie -at least that’s how I am interpreting it.
    Rimush had the benefit of his father and serving old Shinar. They were used to a status quo… so, just another example of how Erra plans on doing things differently this time!
    4. Obviously deets into Pack drama. And I’m sure so much I will pick up on during my reread!

    The birds haven’t started the song of their people and I’m still over here giggling about the vampire hiding their no-no area before debuting I’m a Little Tea Pot. I may be sleep deprived at work today, but at least I have that great mental image to giggle at throughout the long day to come! Totes worth the sleep deprivation.

    • Can’t help but wonder if Gordan/Curran will finally get that moat… “baby we don’t know what primordial forces could wake up in two years during the next flare and we have to prepare…” 😂😂

  110. I’ve just finished my reread and now the horrible truth has really hit me. This is a cliffhanger, a quiet cliffhanger but a giant cliffhanger none the the less. Book two of two!!!! I am so reinvested in Wilmington that I’m not going to be able to let it go anytime soon.

    • Omg that’s so true! No wonder why I feel slightly unsettled despite the big bad was killed!!

  111. OMG… It is fabulous, but now i need the next chapter!! :-D…

    but it is really good! thank you !

  112. I can’t wait for the next book and Curran’s and Kate’s plan for what their country should look like. It’s so interesting to brain storm about what type of government will fit their needs.

    Constitutional Monarchy with elected parliaments may work? Split executive where Curran in charge of army/police services (having rolled in the People, Mercenary Guild, Shapeshifters etc.) Elected head of state in charge of legislative matters/ tax collection with assigned percentage of budget towards Curran – Kate and Curran having veto power over laws??? Any other thoughts from the BDH?

    They would have to avoid too many shapeshifters ending up in the army and balance minority rights against minority empowerment but Kate and Curran as uniquely put to see both sides of that – (from their time with the Pack and their time in rest of Atlanta)

    And, further there is how they manage this against the Federal/State issue – honestly if I was the Governor of North Carolina – I would be approaching Kate and Curran with a deal where I changed the constitution to set up the above and then got Kate/Curran to sign in limits to their powers i.e. Kate and Curran’s legislative veto can be overridden by 2/3rds vote, Kate and Curran . I would approach them now, when the State has the most bargaining power – pretty soon you’ll have to bow to Kate and Curran anyway…

    The NC Governor should jump at it – Kate claiming the whole of North Carolina but not wanting to directly rule it should solve sooooo many problems for him, Curran is such an effective administrator (from our experience in the Books) so it would be incredibly effective at improving the police force. Honestly, Kate is the single biggest deal for NC – it’s like having a magic superweapon that doesn’t want to rule your every life and can clean out all the monsters from your land. In terms of power magic users who can claims land, she’s as good as it’s going to get:
    – Aligned with Modern American Values (somewhat – more than Roland/Moloch for example)
    – Doesn’t want to rule directly (i.e. not a Populist)
    – Cares about fellow people, isn’t telling them to worship them or asks anything of the people she’s protecting
    – Strong as it gets (can get gods to sit down in their little corner)

    Honestly, I think that when the NC governor hears about Pemberton, he/she should jump at making Kate/Curran their boss

    Oh, it’s going to be so interesting

    • Further – this would hopefully mean that they have an administration methodology where they can outsource most of the admin whilst keeping the fun parts of the job

      In this case, the policies wouldn’t be exactly what they want – but as long as Kate/Curran held a veto – they could make sure that nothing too egregious happens. Further, as long as Curran/Kate are sufficiently loved – then the entire North Carolina State should rise to defend them if threatened. It also makes it much easier to have the resources they need. The State could set up a law where Curran/Kate can commandeer any State Resources in an emergency?

      Curran/Kate being loved should be something they can achieve by doing what they love doing – killing monsters and healing people – the longer that they are in charge and the more peace there is, the more people should like them

      They may face long term challenges when other States ask Kate/Curran to do the same for them and when the economy booms (almost a certainty under Kate/Curran) and the government runs a surplus and doesn’t know what to do with it. Usually, surpluses like that are used for war but Curran and Kate should be able to head that off

      I’m so excited for this – Kate is going to be Queen and I couldn’t be happier – Empire building here we come!!!

      • I am thinking that Julie with her background and knowledge of being a princess of shinar might have some good ideas/legal processes that the people of shinar use that the pack can use to stop it from splintering further. I remember there was a line in blood heir where Julie said that molach thought that Erra’s kingdom and Kate were separate kingdoms. so I can definitely picture derrick (sp?) and Julie being stationed there long term if Derrick joins the pack (to stay to romantically pursue Julie) and once he proves himself, Jim dumping the pack on him because he’s desperate to leave the responsibilities behind. The New Shinar is large, has a wide expanse of territory. As the heir of the new Shinar, Julie would certainly have legal knowledge to apply to ruling so many people.

        • Ahh, Derrick and Julie in Atlanta would be interesting. I am a BDH member and even after the excellence of Magic Claims, all I can think of is more, more, more.

          • I think that was one of my biggest questions after the read: what will the new Pack look like? Will it still be called a Pack? With the integration of humans that they were talking about, I will be very curious to see how that might affect any kind of leadership structure.

            • yes – i had a few moments where i was – how does this fit with the pack as we see it in BH and where will Derek fit in, how much time from end of Magic Claims till BH? If it is roughly two more years, it seems to little has changed? Also if the new pack includes human and other, it be perfect for Desandra and Nick and the kids, so why hide it from them?

  113. I have ordered it. It is going to be my reward for getting my DL in the state to which I have moved, so I can get health insurance here and all the other things that go along with legal residency. That is going to require a 200 mile round trip to pick up docs with a seal to prove I am who I’ve been for 63 years. Actually I’m not that person anymore inside, but for all legal and official purposes, I am. Not that you could prove it by the DMV.

    Yesterday after what proved to be a very short appointment, I visited four places of business and spoke with five separate employees. Retail therapy, yes indeed (groceries and some supplies for the new house anyway, and BBQ brisket for lunch because comfort food was a dire need). Every single staffer asked how I was. When I reported simply that I had been to the DMV that day, every single one looked me in the eye and said, “I am so, so sorry.”

    Now I am going to sit here with my snail speed hotspot, currently through my brother’s plan because I can’t prove to the company that shall not be named that I am who I say I am, because I can’t get an effing DL, and try to figure out what docs I have to take 100 miles to get the docs I need to get the effing DL.

    I am really, really looking forward to this book. Meanwhile Beverly Jenkins’ Blessings series is getting me through. Comfort reading FTW.

    • Condolences on having to deal with ANY state’s DMV!

      Maybe this is one reason I like Kate’s world so much for all its problems,..

  114. Woke up to my Apple notification Magic Claims ready and waiting! So my day is already made!! Thank you, House Andrews!!! Now back to reading . . .mawhahahahahahahahah

  115. Thank you. Well worth the wait. Luthor is one of my favorites do it was especially good.
    At first, I did not care if Julie’s book 2 would appear, now I can hardly wait.

  116. Loved the book! So many moments. The one that stands out for me was “the Derek thing” and Curran’s reaction. (I think Jim felt that all the way in Atlanta.)

    I had wondered with regards to Blood Heir if Derek and Julie would end up being a 2.0 version of Beast Lord and Consort but couldn’t see how that would reconcile with their West Coast lives. Now I know they won’t need to be.

    Now to enjoy the audio when it’s released.

    Thank you for a fantastic book.

    • Do you remember how large the Antarctica pack was? If I remember correctly there were a lot of betas to help govern the pack while the alpha just wandered off to do is own anti-social thing. 😂 I have been thinking that Derrick and Julie ( from her background of being the heir of the new Shinar) would have some really good ideas/legal processes that could be applied to keep the pack from splintering further. and if Julie has to step down from being the heir, Kate could/would potentially step forward into the role. (There was a line in Blood Heir that one reason she hadn’t told Derrick that she was leaving with her grandmother was because if he asked her to stay, she probably would have. and if Jim drops the reins of being alpha onto Derrick’s lap he wouldn’t be able to leave to follow Julie. And Julie tried really hard in blood heir to avoid Derrick because getting over Derrick a second time would be extremely difficult/emotionally hard for her. I do like the idea of Julie potentially having it all, helping Derrick rule the pack and being the heir of the new Shinar but when it was mentioned in magic claims how erra went as far as possible across the US to give Kate room and space to grow her own kingdom I was like ‘oohh. probably not possible for Julie to do both.’)

      • I just can’t picture Julie being willing to leave Derrick behind a second time. 😂 She would be super apologetic because she adores/loves her grandmother and appreciates everything that Erra has risked/done for her, but she would be like, ‘I am sorry, I got to abdicate because Derrick got saddled with running the pack and I can’t leave him behind a second time. just can’t do it.’ 😂😂😂 If that happens, I can picture Derrick being stressed out that Julie is going to leave him, and when she gets all her ducks in a row so she can stay with him and she lets him know that she’s staying, him throwing himself (metaphorically) at her, and there being tons and tons of kisses, and more 😍

  117. No spoilers, just wow, that was a rollicking story! I loved it and now I’m settling in with fresh coffee for a reread. There’s always something missed in the first mad rush. Happy happy book birthday to HA!

  118. 3rd reread: There was one thing missing from this installment, the classic, “Why me? why?” and head banging on a hard surface or a search for a hard surface for said head banging by Kate moment.
    Maybe with age and time, ir became pointless but there were mutliple times where I was like, “This is a ‘why me’ moment 🤣”
    Love the clams hint and the random cat that joined the fight.
    That cracked me up when Da Eun had to elbow him.

    • I feel like that “They were still kneeling. “I’ll think about it,” I growled.” moment drips with “why me?!” energy 😂

      • I feel like from the moment Ned showed the 10 people who were raffled to be sacrifice and the land being given to Curran who was staring at it with large cat eyes, the “why me?!” has started 🤣🤣🤣
        I was just waiting for Kate to find something to bang her head against 🤣🤣

  120. “I trust you with my life, not with yours,” my husband said.

    THE WAY I CACKLED AT THIS!

  122. Dear Mod R or some other helpful person, I just read quickly trough all the comments because I will get my book later this day and didn´t want to spoiler my experience. Hopefully I didn´t miss anything regarding House Andrews shop. I remember from a previous post that the shop will be openend again for the book release and hopefully available for european shoppers as well. Did I miss some announcement? Thanks

    • Hey Martina, you didn’t miss the announcement and no worries, the store link will be put as a banner website-wide, so you will be able to see it. It will open this week 🙂 and will indeed ship to Europe!

  123. My electronic copy of Magic Claims was delivered at about 9PM last night. I, of course, started reading it with the intention of reading for an hour or so and then going to bed. Ha. Even as I said it, I knew I was lying to myself.

    Read the entire book. Fell asleep at 1:30 in the morning. Got up at 5am for work. It’s going to be an interesting day.

    I regret nothing.

    I am VERY interested in how the Pack is going to progress over time. I appreciated how Curran’s growth as a character is reflected in his ability to look at the current version of the Pack as a reflection of his fears. And that as he has changed, he has been able to look at those choices critically and recognize his mistakes.

    Kate has gone through the same kind of growth. She recognized her choices have been shaped by her fear of being controlled.

    Emotional maturity and clear, honest communication between life partners is hot.

    • That was definitely a favorite part of the book for me! Having Curran admit to some of the thoughts that were going on through his mind during the Andorf incident definitely added further depth to the story. and how he kept adding further defenses to the keep because he kept thinking this isn’t enough protection to keep his future family safe, need to add more, more, more.’ Couldn’t help but feel even more compassion for him. it adds more detail to the trauma he went through, and the healing he had to go through

    • They have both gone through a growth and going into a new stage of their lives. And it’s all paralleled into the text, with Curran killing a Werelion First and Kate killing a Claiming Queen. Like the old versions of themselves, symbols within symbols!

    • THIS. Kate and Curran’s character development has been so rewarding. \ Seeing them as parents and having a healthy relationship with open communication really made the book. I can’t wait to see how this all ends. Thank you House Andrews for another great book. Loved it.

  124. Squeeeeee! I have read Claims, located the clams, and will now dive back into Tides. Because magic. Or something.

    Full of awesomeness, as expected. I really appreciate the how-to-be-a-good-person lessons that Conlan is receiving.

    • I have reread both Tides and Claims… and I’m now in progress of digging out my Musselburgh hat WIP to knit on while I watch the release party video. Ba-dam-pshih!

      Thank you, thank you, I’ll be here for the next couple of hours… 😛

  125. Loved it. Fast moving pace with Kate and Curran front and center. Mild cliff hang/teaser to the next episode.

  126. Just loved, loved, loved it! Thank you so much for bringing Kate and Curran back to their natural places, and hinting at the arc that might follow. I loved the idea of the new keep and new location and getting the gang back together (or some semblance of it). As I put in my review on Amazon, it’s really not the same to have Kate and Curran wade into battle without Derek. Keelan and the Shinarites are just not the same level of sidekick. I loved, loved, loved Julie’s book, and Conlan’s appearances so far. If you could spin off another 10-book side stream on Conlan that would be awesome! 🙂 I cannot wait to read Julie’s arc. This was amazing! I loved the new location in Magic Tides and it has breathed new life into this series. You guys rock!

  127. Could someone tell this idiot what the joke about magic clams (I know they are in the pond behind the hill) is? Or the reference?

    • A lot of people have been mistyping and misreading the title of Magic Claims as “Magic Clams”. So much so that at some point on the preorder link release the suggestion on Amazon was “ilona andrews clams”.
      It’s been a continuous fan joke ever since and it got a call-out in the book as a small easter egg 🙂

      • Ah that makes sense haha at first when I was reading these comments I was like clams?! What! Did I misread the title:)

  129. Dear House Andrews, I loved magic claims! Thank you very much ❤️
    I need to reread, but first I have to work…

  130. OMFG!!!
    I randomly checked my library app, Libby, to see if I could go on a wait list to check out the book, but no, it was available to borrow RIGHT THEN!

    SQUEEEEEEE!

    I had a busy day lined up, I’m so conflicted now.

    • My library has 94 ebook copies available?!? I am inclined to think it must be some kind of error, but I certainly borrowed one!

  131. at work with only 2 hours sleep lol
    soooo worth it.
    I always think Derek will not be Atlanta’s beast lord because that would complicate Julie’s role as heir to Erra.
    It nice to also know that Ascanio drive to be beast lord was to protect their pack, as one of the smallest in members.
    sooo many things to mention but needs to concentrate at work lol

  132. Thinking before re-read:

    So Erra has her realm in the west, having come to an agreement with the Federal Government.

    I presume that Kate will come to some similar agreement with the Gvt for her (and Curran’s) place in the east.

    No wonder that Bad Guy (can’t remember his name – the one Julie is working against) is worried with his Realm of Hate and Darkness in the middle.

    And Kate knows how Julie has been changed. Makes me wonder about the prophecy. Can it mean something other than what Julie thinks?

    Finally, I think the idea of having the new Keep/Realm open to more than just shapeshifters is a game changer for Curran, at least. He still has power and responsibility but it won’t be so focused on only shapeshifters.

    Looking forward to seeing KateCurrland grow.

  133. Who needs sleep? I am really interested in Roland’s reaction to fae claiming land and so happy to get excited about magic clams. Thank you for a really great story!

  134. Loved it! Can’t wait for Barrett and Claudia to realize who Kate is. Plus Kate finding out about Julie is a big thing. I just really enjoyed how the story developed plus all the changes they want to make.

  136. What are they going to do with their home in Wilmington now? Are they going to keep it, sell it, create a mini base? Also I want to know exactly what they plan for the pack.

    In terms of timelines, is this a few months after Blood Heir when Kate does not know about the change in appearance but knows she came to Atlanta?

    This is a FANTASTIC book.

      • Ahhh, so when Julie comes to Atlanta, Kate knows about the change in appearance. And that means the plans for the pack change have not been implemented yet? Interesting.

        I am going to have to read that again, then read this again, and then re-read the entire series again.

        Thank You and I will say again that this exceeded my expectations. It is truly in my Top 5.

        • As Erra says, it’s an “eventually”. The leadership crisis of the Atlanta Pack continues into Blood Heir, but as to what happens in Wilmington and in the background…Julie doesn’t know, so neither do we 😉

      • sorry, I didn’t get to re-read blood heir before the release, just magic tides. I feel like somehow I failed to complete my homework assignment!

        I’m trying to sync up in my mind the timeline of the books with the flares every 7 years.

        3 hours of sleep is not enough to figure it out. is the next flare imminent in blood heir 2?

          • Which is why Curran really, really, really needs that moat. LOOKING AT YOU KATE. Let the man have his moat!

            • Horde Petition: Let the man/werelion (delete where applicable) have his Moat! 30,000 signatures by tomorrow 😀

              • Signed on the dotted line! I can’t wait for Curran doing laps in his little blue swim shorts!

              • Can we have a scene in the next book where Hugh and his clan are visiting and Curran is showing off his bigger moat? Filled with magic clams….

  137. The first three chapters were great and it took a valiant effort to close the ebook and do other things.

    I just have a question from the end of chapter 3: is Heather Armstrong named in tribute to the Heather Armstrong who wrote Dooce?

    • We are sorry to hear that Heather Armstrong has passed away.

      She was so young, and it’s tragic.The name in Magic Claim is not a tribute, the manuscript was finished before her passing.

      Because IA have a large cast of characters, they now use random generator to avoid repeating names. You can try it out for yourself here 🙂 : https://randomwordgenerator.com/name.php

  139. Thank you for a great story. This sets up so many interesting story lines. Can’t wait for the next Blood Heir or Wilmington years book

  140. Was a fun read!! Told myself I would read a couple chapters before bed and finished it, whoops.

    One thing I don’t understand. That other first that Curran killed, was it also bound to serve the fae lady? Like forced? I understood the rank and file shapeshifters were forced to, but idk if I was just reading too fast but that wasnt clear to me.

    Also interesting to get confirmation on the Hugh theory that he’s a cousin! Or was that like oh he’s a “cousin” xD

  142. This book was awesome. I loved reading the story from both Kate & Curran perspectives. I am impatiently waiting for the audiobook! I am waiting for the weekend to read this again.

  143. At this point, the writing is so good that all we can do is hold on and yell “Whee!” at strategic moments. Keep up the overwhelmingly fantastic work, and we’ll keep buying and reading it!

  144. I told myself and everyone I knew I was going to savour this book; read 20 pages a day and drag it out for as long as I could…….I bought it at 1am this morning and was done at 4!!!! It couldn’t have been more amazing. 5 stars

  145. thank you for another FANTASTIC book.

    I feel like I say that with every one.

    At the end of the book when Kate invites Luther to come see other things I am filled with intense jealousy that I don’t get to see the other things too!

    I was also hoping for a Luther update on the people Kate sent him in Magic Tides.

    do you think Claudia called back to Nick and said did you forget to tell me something else about this mysterious Kate?

    • Hehe, that was my Beta feedback too “Come with me.I’ll show you”– but I want to follow them! I was pawing at my document for the next page, I want to see too 😀

      • It was the whole “This is just her craft room…” where my eyes got all big and I silently screamed “NOOOOOOOO show me” so I wouldn’t wake my husband and dog!

  146. Omg, what an awesome romp this was.

    Here I was thinking that the Wilmington series of books would be short and sweet . . . until Magic Claims threw the doors wide open, saddled a dozen juicy unexplored plotlines on prehistoric beasts, and galloped away with them.

    Thank you for such a phenomenal read. Can’t wait to see where this series takes us next.

    • I lurve that turn of phrase! “Magic Claims saddled a dozen juicy plotlines on prehistoric beasts and galloped away” 😀 #ForReal

  148. Loved the book, can’t wait for what’s coming next. 🙂

    Insignificant point of criticism: When the narrator/POV shifted from Kate to Curran it took me a while to notice it. I think you could have indicated better who was the narrator.

    • There are indicators before each switch of POV, with the name in Italics at the beginning 🙂 – I will pass on the feedback that your preference would be for something stronger.

      • On a similar vein/authoring question (although not a writer, just nosey/curious) – As Authors, how do you decide when a chapter ends; and more specifically, with changing PoVs, why have swapping within a chapter, rather than as some authors do, having a new chapter for each POV – even if that means the length of the chapter is only a page or two at times?

        Loved the book btw! It was tremendous!

  149. I adore that these books have Curran’s point of view. I feel this really shows the story has moved to THEIR story/”happy ending” instead of just Kate’s.

    • YES. Agree that it’s now Kate and Curran’s story, not just Kate’s — and we are all the more blessed because of it.

  150. Thank you, so much! Started reading at a bit after midnight and finished in one sitting. Loved the bit about fresh water magic clams.

  151. Gods I missed this series. I loved Luther and all of his weirdness. I can’t wait to see what Kate and Curran do with what they claimed

  152. When I got halfway through the book, I’ve started moaning at the dwindling number of pages. And the ending, really, I wanted to see too. Why is it only Luther that’s allowed?
    Thank you. That was another awesome adventure. My favorite in this book probably would be Jushur. I liked the way he chastised Kate.

  153. The plus side to living in Hawaii is that midnight releases of books happen in Eastern time. So I got my kindle copy at 6pm and spent the next six hours DEVOURING the book.
    Definitely read it too fast and have holes in my memory, so must go reread slower now!

  154. Thanks for the book. Now I am just sad I finished it already. I will just have to read it again.

  155. Love the book. It really fleshes out Kate and Curran as powerful adults, away from the constraints of their childhoods. They are finding their new direction.

    The ending is excellent. Not just the ending of this part of the story, but how the Andrews set Kate and Curran into the time of Blood Heir. I can’t tell if there will be more Wilmington books to finish the bridge or if the Andrews will go directly to Blood Heir 2 next, but I see the connection and general direction. The details, surprises, and final destination will be so fun to read.

  156. Amazing! So many ties to Blood Heir and so many hints at what could be in the future.

    I was always sad when Curran and Kate gave up ruling the Pack as I did think it was a bit of their destiny and they weren’t able to live to their full potential without it so this book has become my absolute favorite since it brings back their ability to rule without it being so burdensome.

    This also made me wonder if Ascanio’s actions in Blood Heir are all part of the plan that Curran/Kate/Keelan and crew cooked up in this book. Is Ascanio being a distraction on purpose? Do Andrea & Raphael get brought into the know since their reasoning for it is their pack’s protection and they know Kate & Curran will provide that instead? Curious what others think!

    • very interesting points.

      Andrea is still referenced as Kate’s best friend at least twice in Magic Tides so they haven’t drifted apart. . . so I was a little surprised that Ascanio’s ambitions are news to Kate. They haven’t been away from Atlanta for that long.
      Maybe they avoid “talking shop , er Pack.”
      but yeah, you’d think Kate would have Andrea’s interests in mind.

  157. Should mention that I know Ascanio’s actions up to Magic Claims were his own, but am wondering if him continuing to pursue that to such an aggressive point is now part of the plan.

    • I’m just wondering though, if Blood Heir comes two years after Magic Claims then has Ascanio been trying to become Beast Lord all this time? How come Jim hasn’t yet managed to implode the pack in BH if people have become so dissatisfied with him as Karter Byrne was in MC? And there’s no mention of Kate and Curran’s new “pack” in BH…just wondering if I’ve got the timeline correct.

      • You have the timeline right 🙂

        As Erra says- “eventually”. “ “Eventually things will fall apart in Atlanta. Perhaps this year, perhaps in five years, but in the end the Pack will destabilize.”
        The shifters need the Pack. It’s not a very easy thing to throw apart, and Jim is not leading it ideally (as Curran says, no one could), but he is keeping it together.
        There is explanation at the end of MC how Kate and Curran want to keep Atlanta people not knowing- especially the Pack Alphas, especially Nick etc.

  158. thank you for this book! SO curious what the new Pack-not-Pack will be like. Just loved all the little and big! moments—vampire ballet, coffee on the balcony, Kate “negotiating,” “she’s solid and she bleeds,” sharing chocolate, Karter and Keelan and crew, Isaac sneaking up on them, “we’re bucks up,” and so many more….did I miss Curran planning a moat, or is that just understood? 🙂 and very curious how the Atlanta Pack stuff will play out… *happy sigh* now to slowly reread!

    • I’m wondering if being more open might make some of the general public interested in becoming shapeshifters themselves. I think some of the less magical humans might want the shifter benefits in a post-shift world especially if they don’t have to leave behind everyone they love to do it.

  160. Off topic,
    I’m trying to take my time reading, but it’s not helping. I’m halfway through Magic Claims and I feel sort of panicky. I don’t want this book to end🙁. At the same time I want to see it to it’s conclusion. Oh well I’ll just have to sit, read,and enjoy it. It definitely won’t be a hardship, and I get to read it multiple times😁.
    Thank you HA, Mod R. , And the rest working hard to make these little treasures happen.

    • Off topic
      Now I’m 3/4 the way through the book. Absolutely fantastic. Except I’m 3/4 through the book.
      Thank you for an excellent story. I go on hope that there will be many more books to come.
      Fifty years of avid reading and I believe this is the best of them all. ( sorry O.C. Card and R.A.Heinlein) Not bound in seriousness and philosophy, but filled with real life feeling and consequence. Truly exceptional in personal feeling. Not to say that C. and H. Aren’t extraordinary, they are. However this is gravidic story telling that does not try to make you question life choice or purpose. Which makes it all the more compelling.
      I guess you can tell that I’m a big fan.
      Thank you for such an extraordinary world.
      I am curious though, how did you come up with the idea of this series, if you can say?

  161. So much fun! And yay on filling in the gaps re: the Pack and how she knew it was Julie. Like others, I’m wondering why Hugh is now a cousin vs. a brother. Did Erra semi-adopt Hugh?

  162. Loved it! (as always with Ilona Andrews books😊)
    My favourite moments were Curran being like: “Let’s fix the pack”, the consort=he, Kate finally accepting her heritage, and Conlan giving the girl chocolate…
    Only thing, I’m having a hard time reconciling the timelines of Magic Claims and Blood Heir.

  163. Thank you for the great storyline. The size of the new place boggles my mind. The scene with Barrett was hilarious especially the ballet scene. Can’t wait for the next book in the Wilmington years. I love how Keelan and Curran work together and how Conlan is showing his magic muscles but still reminds us he is a small boy. I work with children and his excitement telling Kate about his research and how he found the answer is so spot on. I like how Kate gave him permission to come to the fight since he was so excited to see Ice Age creatures.

    I like how Kate included Conlan in the pledging of the owls. I hope Rimush finds HEA with someone on this time. They deserve happiness along with their loyalty and service. Also Hugo and Elara might be interested in some of that animals and new fauna. Maybe Elara might have secret knowledge related to the what they find around the new keep.

    I think Kate might have most of her ToDo list check off.

  164. Wow. This was outstanding. SO happy it isn’t a short novella, the more the better b because you all write like gods.

  165. Well this was delightful!! And there will have to be more book(s) to fix the Pack!! Really well done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks!

  166. One of my favorite scenes

    ‘The Consort is merciful and kind to a fault,” Keelan said.
    The two of them stared at each other for half a second.
    “I’m sure he is” Jashur said.
    Ha!
    A corner of Curran’s mouth curled slightly.

    Owls are one of my favorite birds. It’s great they are allies with Kate and Curran.

  167. So many things to love about this book. As always, what a joy to read a fresh, completely new kind of story with some of my favourite characters while meeting new ones along the way. I really enjoyed the transition from attempting a normal life into embracing their not-so-inner Uber Protector mode.

    Many, many delicious quotes and scenes (including a memorable opening line), but this one will keep me laughing at unexpected times: “He found some magic freshwater clams”! I salute you.

  168. Love the story. You know a great book when you want more at the end. You make the chatacters come alive

  169. I had a feeling this was going to be Atlanta 2.0, but now it’s with a twist. Keeping this a secret from the Atlanta pack is going to take some doing. Oh boy!

    Don’t tell Nick seems to be one of the mantras in the book.

    I can just hear Erra saying to Kate “I told you so” when they talk through the fire again.

    Kate and her dad had an actual, calm conversation. At least Roland created a volcano to vent his anger talking about Conlan. I’m glad I was sitting down when I read that part. 😲

    I’m going to finish the book tonight. Then there will need to be a re-read of Magic Tides and Magic Claims. 🎉

  170. It was such an absolute joy to read! <3 Loved the mystery of it all and Erra pointing out they have to have a plan. And Roland also (in his own way) trying to force the plan.

    Excited Conlan just made my heart big! He still gets to be an excited 8 year old, except his joy suddenly is real unlike most folks adventures into the joy of dinos and prehistory! And he gets to do big cool stuff and have friends. I'm interested to see how the horned people show themselves in future books. And if they get to be friends too!

    Luther is always so good.

    Curran and Kate plotting with the Cat Clan Alpha to help fix everything. Why do I feel like they have some influence over Derek. I think Kate and Curran totally knew where Derek went. (I'm great at wild speculation).

    Another Keep just makes me smile. Eventually there will be no rebuilding of castles… maybe.

    The honest conversation / planning fest was so good. <3 Now to go reread it all because it ended so quick (from speed reading)!

  171. So glad to be a member of the BDH ! Love this book ! Love where the story is going !!

  174. i turned the page during the conversation with Luther to find out about “Other things”….. and the book ended 😭

  176. Reading the scene where Kate charges the enemy through a barrage of spears with just a blood-armor shield made me instantly picture Wonder Woman assaulting the German position.

  177. Got it, scoffed it down, need book 3. Where that at? 🤣🤣
    Seriously tho, I’m going to have to practice slow reading to. make. things. last.
    Aaand I can’t wait to see what happens with Barrett in the future. That was one pee’d off dude!

    • Yes! Yes to all! I tried so hard to go slow, but I had to finish it. I can’t wait to see what happens with Barrett as well!

  180. Okay for the longest moment, I was soo SURE it was going to be Aliens. SO SURE. I was surprised by the prehistoric fae part of it, so loved that. But come on! Boom, 2 more years, a flare and Dina’s inn branches into new Kate & Curran Keep. Then when Moloch comes, he is simply portal-ed away to Kolinda & Bob’s your uncle. The multiverse is real and it is here to stay……….
    But seriously, Karter the Cat Alpha – he just walked on by to Wilmington’s neck of the woods for a cup of sugar? And honestly, Jim saying you have to have fur & claws to have his respect to Kate during the Derek episode aligns with his I’m the savior trope for shapeshifters now. I just can’t imagine what Dali is saying about it all, and then he brings his “SON” in – so that means they did take Hugh’s help to get pregnant. Oh God, what dealing happened there?
    And hold on, was the *wink wink* also calculated? Like, are we going to see Conlan hold a baby while simultaneously holding his breath? WE NEED THAT SCENE. You know what, I’m saying it – what we saw was a conception dalliance.
    Also, I got all the Jurassic Park vibes from the mention of pre-historic animals stables mention. Lovely, so when HA FINALLY open their theme park, I demand BDH’s answer to Jurassic World in there.
    Shoutout to Julie mention – I love reading the mother-daughter dynamic they have. I miss my mom everytime, the feels are real. My mom who I got hooked on to IA by sheer force of pesteration. One for me! Now, will the owls’ promise to keep Kate updated on Julie’s activities interfere with the prophecy?????? Coz Kate not fighting Moloch directly might not happen ya know? Coz I don’t see the Owls failing to find out. They MUST have friends/counterparts in Erra’s camp and talk about things over drinks during secret spy conferences in Hawaii that happen every year. Right?
    Love. It.

    • Jim and Dali have 2 kids in Blood Heir, JJ and Diana, so yes- they took Hugh up on his offer 🙂
      As for conception dalliance- Blood Heir happens 2 years after Magic Claims and Conlan is still an only child, so I’m afraid it wasn’t to be 🙂

    • I wondered about Dali too! Does she not see an issue with what Jim’s doing? Is she not concerned with what the shifter clans are going through?

  181. I am only on page 820 but this line cracked me up, “Ears up, noses open. Look alive”

  182. BDH gets all the inside jokes! I can’t believe you worked in the magic clams – this is why you’re the best!

    so very good… happy happy BDH

  183. I got the day off to read because I had a medical procedure today. Waiting on biopsy results. This was a welcome distraction.

    First question, what’s the time-line? Months, or a couple of years before Blood Heir?

    Second question, were we magic clams always in the story? Or a late addition?

    • Good luck with results!

      It’s a couple of years before Blood Heir 🙂 (slightly less, as MC takes place in October and Blood Heir is summer). Here’s a breakdown of the timeline of the KD world https://ilona-andrews.com/blog/merciful-order-of-clams/

      The clams were added in one of the last edits, and yes, they are absolutely an easter egg for the Horde to chuckle over 😉

  184. This was awesome, as usual! And MAGIC CLAMS!! Made my day!!!

    Thank you so much for yet another great book, just showing once again why you are my favorite authors, by far! 😁💕💕💕💕💕

  185. it was yummy and delicious to the taste! I devoured it. I am reading it again. The convo with Roland. The convo and oath with the spies.

  187. You just know that Luther is going to take an indefinite sabbatical from his assistant director job. He is constitutionally incapable of walking away from this egregious profusion of extinct magical knowledge, not to mention toys and experimental subjects. Ditto with not being able to consider the thought of what would happen if he didn’t take charge.
    Kate already said she was going to throw the stuff out. And she has a room full of magic treasure! He is going to declare himself her Grand High Wizard and probably appoint Conlan as his apprentice, errand boy and parental run-around as he sets up his fantasy lab with an unlimited budget and then proceeds to pillage Atlanta of the rest of it’s underappreciated magical talent with the lure of better wages, hours and general magical awesomeness.
    He could have his own entire book just based on those magical antics.

    • Only problem: he’s back in Atlanta during Blood Heir, slightly less than two years later…and still in Biohazard (? Director? Haven’t gotten there on reread.)

      So in the scene in Blood Heir, he KNOWS what Kate and Curran are up to in Wilmington and he finds out what Julie/ Aurelia is doing in Atlanta

  188. Already on my 2nd reread of the book!!
    Lots of great insight into their life since they left Atlanta!!
    Loved the book, as I knew I would. Anything involving Kate, Curran, and Conlan I love reading.
    Would love a story about Jim and Dali, and their life would be great too!!

  189. Absolutely awesome – oh so cruel the ending – Many things. Come I will show you … I turned the page with anticipation then went WHAT!!!

    So So good – read in one sitting – will go back and read again and again …

  190. The cousin comment threw me a bit, too. Hugh & Nick are like Kate’s brothers & Julie & Conlan call them uncles. Roman is a cousin (I think), but has never tried to kill her (I think).

    Then I remembered this small tidbit at the end of Magic Triumphs when Julie asks if they can tell a male someone about Erra’s mother & take him to visit, as that’s his grandmother, too. Not Conlan. Maybe Hugh, but Hugh’s been to Mishmar … IDK a character we’ve yet to meet? Or one we’ve met, but didn’t get the hidden history? First reference to Kate’s cousin??

  191. Wonderful. Thank-you for using gender neutral pronouns 🙂

    But sooooo many loose ends! I won’t ask even though I really, really want to!

    You’ll enjoy a rest.

    Thanks for the story.

  192. I love it! I’m so happy that we get to read more stories about Kate e Curran. And see Conlan grow up… can’t wait for more!

    About the plan to rescue the Pack, we’ll get to see how it will unfold in the Wilmington series or in Julie’s books?

  194. LOL!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I love it!
    Freshwater magic clams!
    OMG! I almost fell out of my chair laughing 😂.
    You guys rock! All I can say is well done and the accolades are well deserved.

  195. Ned heaved a sigh. “Brighton, what are you even doing here? Did your folks let you out of the basement? Bless their hearts, they must think it’s Thanksgiving.”

    I had to stop for a moment to bask in the glory of this one!

    • Southern “Bless their hearts.” 😂 Translation: “WTF were they thinking?”

  196. I’m glad to hear so many people also were confused by the cousin comment (like I’m wondering if I somehow missed a book level of confused), but hear me out: Kate has a witch side of the family – could the White Warlock be her cousin? Otherwise, I feel like it’s someone we haven’t met yet and HA is dropping breadcrumbs.
    I really don’t feel that it’s referring to Hugh. He’s too old to be her biological cousin, comes from a different part of the world, and they often refer to a more sibling relationship when talking about one another after they reconcile.
    Perhaps something for Mod R to add to her list of things to ask HA during the live event?🙏🏻 🥺🥺🥺🙏🏻
    Fantastic book as always and I look forward to my first reread!

  199. Oh wow! What an outstanding book (again)!! Thanks for humoring the BDH and getting the magic clams in there. 😁

    I’m definitely going to have to re-read because I couldn’t stop myself from reading as fast as I could, wanting to know what was coming up next!

    Also I was excited to get notice from my library that the book is available. I bought the book but recommended it for them to acquire – so happy that they did!

  200. I think this is the best KD book. Nice work!!

    I loved the Irish elk! Hope to see them again.

    This doesn’t have to be a trilogy, you could write lots of Wilmington books…

  201. I read it. I LOVED IT!

    Still basking in the joy of post-first-read of a thoroughly enjoyable story. I will get my grubby little hands on the print version, and audiobook, and will enjoy it more.

    Thank you! I’m happy 🙂

    P.S. That one part near the end??

    Have you seen Jurassic World? There’s this scene where the OG dino baddie of the franchise shows up to battle with the new dino baddie, and leading up to it, you know exactly what’s about to happen, but it is still totally epic and so much fun to watch it play out (especially if you’re watching it in theatres with the big screen and surround sound and equally engaged crowd)…

    Reading that one part of Clams was just as much fun. Was I mentally yelling ‘let’s GOOO’ as soon as I realized what was about to happen? Yes. Yes I was.

  202. What was that ending!? Torture! Please tell me we get a small bonus because what a tease haha.

    Favorite things –

    *Kate claiming everything that moved. Get it girl! She deserves to stretch her magical legs. Sharratum for the win.

    *Curran POVs – I love them. Soft dad moments and angry lion action
    -The FIRST fight!?! Pacing my room reading (and rereading…)

    *Conlan, just when I think he’s heading for trouble mom and dad reel him back in. Loved the Darin addition, he needs a BFF.

    *Any moments where Kate is underestimated and then casually overpowers everyone (looking at you Barrett). Dancing vampire indeed

    *The new Keep! The new Pack! So many thoughts on this one (although not sure how our prehistoric animals will fit in – what will they do with them? Keep Mastadons just cause?)

    *Derek & Julie – I am foaming at the mouth with how badly I want this next book for them. I loved the name drops “Derek’s thing” and Julie’s transformation being mentioned. I know you want to do Iron Covenant but I beg you, let’s wait a few more years so Julie can finish first. Pretty please?
    *Loved all of the set up for Blood Heir. Great way to establish alliances for the huge big bad coming her way. I’m predicting BH2 ending with the reveal of this and then BH3 being the epic BANG. Maybe a Wilmington 3 in between? Seems like it be too spoilery to add another before Blood Heir if the wanted to do a surprise reveal of the new pack through Julie’s eyes.

    Obsessed. Great read – loved it!

  203. Omg! Such a good read and am ready for the next installment.

    My favorite Curran quote of all Tim’s when Kate asks if he trusts her? His response: I trust you with my life but not yours…

    That totally sums up their partnership 😍

  204. was the magic with the boulders the d&d spell Enlarge/reduce because I might borrow it for a d&d campaign

  205. 1) Loved the Magic Clams reference
    2) Recognizing I probably wouldn’t survive in this world, I STILL want to pet the cool prehistoric beasties.

  206. My fav line- simple but perfect: “It felt almost cheerful: a cozy little picnic, just us and some friends, eating by the scary woods, across from a mass grave and a burning pit filled with corrupted, toxic ashes.”

    I am gratified to see that others read too fast the first time and reread!!!
    Thank you, HA
    Sincerely, BDH member

  207. Thanks for another wonderful read! I giggled at the dancing vampire. So much all through the book. Sad to lose so many of the prehistoric shapeshifters though. They were probably the last of their kind. Looking forward to the next book already.

    • Yes, I felt bad that only a small number of the hunters could be saved after what they’ve probably been through.

  208. Did I miss the part where Kate and Curran get hassled about being young parents? I thought there was a blog post explaining that Kate and Curran hadn’t aged visibly since Atlanta, and sometimes people took potshots about supposed age gaps. Am I dreaming this?

    • It was in a previous Q&A with House Andrews, but only as a possibility in the future, as Conlan ages and gets into his teens 🙂.
      He’s only 8 at the moment, they are still believable as his parents.

      • Hey Mod R,
        I know the BDH, so I know someone (probably a whole crowd of someones) has asked about how Curran is going to age moving forward and if Kate is going to outline him. Do you happen to have the official House Andrews laying around somewhere? Also I don’t know if anyone has asked this yet, or if it’s still considered spoiler territory because it will be discussed in later books, but how did Leo (Erras honey bunny) die?

          • Sorry if this has been covered, but what happened to Grendel? I think I recall at some point it was said that he similarly would benefit from Kate’s attention, but haven’t seen him in Wilmington.

            • “ Grendel shot out of his hiding spot in the corner of the courtyard and chased after him. I waited until he was too far to hear us. We needed to have an adult conversation.” Andrews, Ilona, Magic Claims, NYLA 2023, Kindle edition, page 20

              “Grendel, our mutant black poodle trotted out from behind the wall”- Andrews, Ilona. Magic Tides, NYLA 2024. Kindle edition, page 9.

              “a naked Conlan informed me that Grendel had been kidnapped by pirates” page 9, Magic Tides

              “Grendel turned at my approach, saw my face and lay down in the boat…” – page 16 Magic Tides

              I could go on, but you get the point 😉

  209. I tried, I tried so hard to savor it and make it last.. I failed utterly and completely, thank you for a night with barely a few hours of sleep, this was epic!!!
    I love where the story is going and both Curran and Kate embracing who they are for the sake of their family, yes yes yes. So, when is the next one coming out? 😀

  210. I’m really struggling here. Which book did Karter Byrnes, Clan Cat alpha, first appear in?

      • Presumably because the ‘Beast Lord’ can’t be the Alpha of one the clans? So when Jim became the BL, someone else had to step up with the cats?

        After all the BL isn’t first among equals, they’re up above them all aren’t they?

  211. What a treat!! I look forward to diving into the story again! My favorite part of real-life bleeding into fiction : the neverending remodeling hell 🤣.

  212. fani read, so much happened and so much heart and character insight. I love the changing perspectives.

    my favorite lol was when Curran was mad she almost fell off the roof, not that she had done something she said she wouldn’t. their relationship has such firm trust in it.

    thank you!

  215. I just finished reading Iron covenant for like the 11th time. I noticed that Elara and Hugh rescue a little girl named Deidre. It clicked. Is the Deidre from iron covenant the same Deidre from Blood Heir?

  216. I have just finished my first read through. I should be sleeping. I laughed. I sighed. I cried over Leo’s dog. again. love it!

    • I cried over the dog again too! (The thought of him being buried with his bed and blanket so that he wouldn’t be scared in the afterlife…)

  217. Anyone else want to be a fly on the wall at the old pack house to see what Jim has been up too?

  218. Sqeeeeee! Best Book Ever!

    So now that my excitement has been expressed, are we getting another book soon?

    Yours sincerely,
    a member of the Book Devouring Horde. 😀

  219. “I believe that is a little teapot…” bahahaha!!!!

    So, so much goodness! On my second read! Because, read-sons. *giggle snort*

    Yay Clams!!

  220. Finally finished the first read and… I’m so happy I could do a clam dance!!!

    I’m totally loving Conlan and his antics, and Luther!!!! More Luther please!!!

    Amazing book, love it to pieces and since we are the BDH… more please? Seriously can’t wait to see what unfolds in BH2 and the next instalment of Kate & Curran.

    As with everyone I loved the vampire bending parts. Giggled like mad with the song. Now I need to go back and slowly savour the book.

    E I E I Oooooooo

  221. Random side thought: Something about the way Curran talks about Kate to other people in the Wilmington books reminds me of the time when Curran would bait Kate by calling her sword a toothpick. They’ve come such a long way since those days. <3

  222. I very much appreciated the magic clams. Thank you.

    I wonder what people who read the book but are not members of the BDH will think of them?

  223. Wow! just Wow!

    One of my favorite KD yet! So many chortles, and even magic clams!

    You guys are the best, thank you!

  224. Happy book birthday! Wow! Was not expecting ice age critters. Love the way Kate & Curran are so comfortable in their skins and with each other. I’ve been listening to Magic Bites on Graphic Audio which really emphasized for me how much the characters have grown over time. And the magic clams at the end…..

  225. I also like that it has a curran perspective in this because these books feel…. different from the Kate series as a whole, like they have their own… flavor if we’re doing an icecream analogy.

  227. So sad. Release (6/13) is/was also my birthday! I planned to spend day reading. I preordered as soon as it was available. But received a message from Amazon last night that now I won’t get it until 6/25. I’m so sad. I go in for cancer surgery on 6/22. Sounds like others got their copies, why not me? I’m overly emotional I know, but I’ve been on chemo for 8 months. Now my cat also has cancer and is going for kitty chemo weekly. Why can’t I get at least this tidbit? Not Ilona and Gordon’s fault I know! Not screaming at them, just the sky I guess. I’m still going to the chat this afternoon! I don’t care about spoilers. If my kitty’s chemo is done, that is. Probably start in car. Love these people!

    • Hi Susan,

      I’m so sorry to hear about your health issues- lots of good wishes your way!

      Please check your inbox for an email from me 🙂

    • Hi Susan,

      My print copy has been delayed too. No date given, just a note that they’ll email when it’s available. Maybe some sort of glitch in the printing/print delivery to Amazon warehouses. I’ve had this happen before and often the book arrives sooner than the date given, so there is hope.

      Have you tried your local library? Or do you have a cell phone or computer you could put the app on? I’ve gotten so I prefer ebooks when I’m in the hospital. It’s easy to change the font size and accessibility settings. Courtesy of my occupational therapist, I have a nice stand for it, so all I have to do is tap to change pages. I got a Fire. They’re a lot cheaper than Kindle and can handle being dropped on the floor frequently. I have a $12 (US) cover. I also like to be able to search the internet to check up on things as I’m reading. Most hospitals have free internet for patients. The Fire goes on sale pretty often,

      All the best to you and your kitty.

  228. Hey is there a resin I can’t purchase Magic Claims as a kindle book on Amazon? I’m so excited and yet I can’t get it. 🥲😩

  229. Loved it. Came off a Liaden Universe book and straight into KD. Really good writing. A whole host of new characters. A new ‘hood. I can see the story arcs across BH, IC and Wilmington slowly meeting.

  230. Nothing new to say that everyone else hasn’t already said – I lovely the changing PoVs – I also loved how the attitudes of the different characters changed who was the number 1 out of Kate & Curran, but also how it’s clear the two of them are now equals between themselves.

    It was a great read; like coming home (even if it was somewhere else!).

    It did make me wonder what’s happened to Kate’s oldest home in Savannah & Greg’s Apartment…they’ve got quite the property portfolio if they kept them!

  231. I finished the book last night, despite trying to take my time. It was so good! I loved Kate, Curran, Keelan, Conlan, and the crew, but the part with Barrett and the dancing teapot was frikkin’ hilarious! Especially Claudia’s deadpan delivery of “…See, there is its handle and there is its spout.” Thank you, I can’t wait to re-read!

  232. Mod R, you TOTALLY rock! You know why. Well, my specific why. Everyone already knows you rock. But this was an especially ROCK rock. Thank you from all my heart. ❤️❤️❤️

  233. I don’t have the words. An amazing, amazing book.

    IMHO what makes House Andrews so outstanding as authors is the little asides in the story – the eddys along the stream. The scene at the Order where Kate takes over the vampire. Absolutely hilarious, and perfectly smartass Kate – and we learn about both Claudia and Barrett through the episode. When I think of this book that small scene will always be the first thing that comes to mind.

  234. What joyous happiness dancing in this thread! I was going to read everyone’s posts first before chiming in….but I really need to go do some work for the first time in 2 days!! 🙂

    Am I a horrible person for my growing like of Roland? Just like, but it’s there. I looked back over the parts I had highlighted in my ebook and realized that many of them came from the conversation between Kate and Roland. I really appreciate how Kate’s understanding of her father is growing over time. I see exactly what Ilona was talking about in her discussion of characters and change over time. I’m not a parent, but if I had been I would hope that I would spend as much time as Kate and Curran do with Conlan and helping him understand his grandfather. Unpacking. Yea, really like that. And Roland gets Kate too: “You must keep your chosen people safe. It is your duty, and your sword has limits.”

    “I stabbed the heart with Sarrat. It seemed like the thing to do.” God, I love this girl. And now I have her on a mug. Life is so good for me.

    “The associates, who a moment ago…..and f*ck sh&t up, made valiant efforts to appear non-threatening.” The new Pack is gonna be sooooooo good. I really hope that Barabas and Christopher join them.

    Finally, I’m glad Paul is on the job of water. ‘Cause if we don’t have running water, how do we get a moat? 🙂

    Thank you HA and all involved. You add much happy to my life!

    • I like Roland as long as he is safely tucked away and not, you know, trying to murder his child and grandchild.

  235. work got in the way of reading but I’ve finished now and…Magic Clams!!
    I can’t wait to see what they do next!

  236. I read the book in one sitting… eating it up like I would have eaten a plate of whole belly clams! It was sooo good. I love how Kate and Curran got an even better “happily ever after!” The way they decide to do what’s in their nature to do, all of it. Just awesome! I had no idea who the big evil would turn out to be… and also… Kate the same ass kicker but different — not just sounding like a shapeshifter but really she’s everything except an actual shifter. Loved it, loved the vampire scene, the “I’m sure he is” a merciful consort …new keep, new directions to go, Conlan… 💗 and my favorite Erra…if you ever want to do like Queen Charlotte (Bridgerton) and give her a book in her ancient world…

    My only question.. did she call her dad and let him know she and Conlan are ok? 😎

  238. I just finished after a series of bumps and barriers thatvstopped me from reading right away. Trying my best to be awake for the Zoom tonight!
    I looooved it so much. I swooned a lot since we got to see the goofy in love side of Curran. “Your hand looks heavy Let me hold it for you”
    “I would fight the whole world for that smile” And then he dropped the heart of his enemy at her feet like, here, I killed this for our family, accept my tribute! 💖💖💖
    I didnt realised I missed Erra and her telling Kate she was a good mom. And Roland…was that a tiny bit of growth admitting that Kate can be different kind of ruler and not like him 👀
    Also can we now stop blaming Jim, my favorite @$*h0!3 for the fracture of the pack. Mahon has always been xenophobic and manipulative, Curran knew it was falling apart when he left. Jim got left with a 💩 stick. Not much you can do with it. Karter said even the Rats were bankrupt. Without a First seems like its back to every clan for themselves.
    Hope the new Keep works out for the best. Oddly enough I think they might need some help from Hugh because his people are a mix of regualr humans, shifters, witches and others in between.
    Looking forward to more in the Kate world whether its from Kate/Curran or Julie/Derek perspective!

    • +1 I agree with you on Jim. He is my favorite alphahole 😆😺 Nobody else in the Pack was a first and nobody else would be revered like Curran. Curran started bringing all the other shifters into the area with the pancea as a lure which created part of the too fast expansion mess. And what would happen to Dali if Jim got hurt like Curran did? She couldn’t survive all those challenges. The Pack was already failing then in my mind. Loyalty is supposed to be a two way street.

  239. I just want to say that I’m happy Ascanio is not just being a jerk in Blood Heir. He’s desperately trying to save his clan due to their size. I’m so disappointed in Jim though. I mean, I’ve been mad at him for years but what the heck man. I loved this book. On my third reread. You guys rock. Keep them coming please, any ot them.

  240. loved it!! Was holding off downloading til the weekend…..but cracked and read it in 3 hours!! Up for work in 5 hours….. worth it!!

  241. I can describe Magic Claims with one word — perfection. It had everything and MORE, and I can not wait to see Curran and Kate build their new keep. I love that they want to make it inclusive to all. I can definitely see Ilona making a completely new series with all these new characters and world building.

    Thank you for your hard work and keeping the story going.

  242. Loved it. Comments already have many of my favorite moments… I like how in Magic Tides Conlan killed the wereboar – his shapeshiter side with Curran. Magic Claims he did the shield with Magic with Kate. Using and learning both sides of his heritage.

    I stole and used “Your hand looks heavy let me hold it” on my husband tonight. He laughed and smiled. Thanks! 😉

  243. Omg I loved it! Darin finding magic clams cracked me up! I loved Luther making an appearance, I’ve missed him, he was one of my favorite characters in Kate’s Atlanta series. I have a question though, in Magic Triumphs when Conlan was held by Razer, he made blood claws, but he says in this book he can’t make blood armor. Why?

    • Because claws in a moment of panic are different than a full armour on command 😅? Is this a trick question 😂- because those are usually mine to ask lol.

    • Would making blood claws be like Kate putting a blood edge on Sarrat, which wears off with use but only requires her blood…but blood ARMOR requires the additive of vampire blood to make the more flexible, moldable, and shock resistant armor “alloy”?

  244. I’m a teacher, so I’m off work for summer break. Which means I’ve already read Magic Claims twice! EXCELLENT (as always)!

  245. …semi-joking motion to add a ‘consort’ mug with the lion art to the merch store for the next Wilmington release =P

  246. Just realized the picture of The Farm in the map blog post was The Brickyard at NC State. Yay for all the NC references! I am curious though why not use an image from UNC Wilmington? Or will it’s campus be used in the future?

  247. I really like how you referred to the priest mage as them when their gender was indiscernible. Nice lesson for those who roll their eyes at pronouns.

    Will the Wilmington years ever include full length novels?

    *sad Puss in Boots eyes beseech you*

    • Magic Claims *is* a novel- it’s almost 70k words. It’s longer than Clean Sweep I believe 🙂

  248. I’m not sure if it’s been asked, but at some point Curran calls Penderton’s woods “ninja woods.” Why is that?

  249. I had something to celebrate and treated myself by reading this fabulous book in one sitting. One of the best celebrations ever.

  250. Starting to reread Blood Heir—after reading Magic Claims twice…

    Noticed something already: Conlan is 10 years old…but he knows BOTH Kate-and-Curran’s secret plans to reintegrate shapeshifters into general human society/fix the Pack/whatever it turns out to be…AND he knows Julie’s plan which has to be kept secret from Kate (good luck with that, with Roland’s spy master now sworn to Kate, but…) Quite a lot on the shoulders of one ten-year-old, even if it is Conlan!

    And with his meet-up with Julie in Blood Heir, Luther knows both plans too. Interesting.

  251. It is fantastic. You are fantastic. Everything is fantastic. I already read the book twice. It is terrific. As always. I love you both. I´m still laughing. The tidbit about “..and then it rained kraken for about ten seconds” . Start there and until the end.
    It is amazing. Thankyou.

  253. I’ve been longing for a Roman book for years (or a novella, not picky) but now I might have to add Luther to my short list. He has had many dimensions added to his character in the last few books. I’m particularly intrigued by someone’s observation that he would do anything for Kate (can’t remember where I saw that).

    One minor thing that really struck a note with me was the injured female hunter following Kate around and trying to make herself appear useful and valuable. With the language barrier, she had no way of knowing she was already safe, and my heart ached for her. I got echoes of Adora from that (not sure why as they are not really comparable).

  254. Mahalo, grazie, thank you! I didn’t realize how much I needed to read this new novella about Kate. I missed her. I don’t read as much as I used to (any genres) but clinical books as I but will only purchase 3 authors only. And anything Ilona Andrews write I will purchase and read. I read the new book overnight. I was so captivated. I can’t wait until January 2024 for the next book in the series!

  255. I loved this book, devoured it twice already! My husband has never read the series, but I had to give him a synopsis, and when I got to describing the fae in the woods, with the enslaved shapeshifters, and the white-blue hair, he goes, “Mab?! Did they kill Mab?!” Which is what I think Luther was referencing when he said “underhill”! Also, Luther’s shirts are my favorite!! And when Curran said he trusts her with his own life but not her own, and I think everyone in the BDH said “Same!” Lol

  256. re-read finally complete (it was just as amazing the second time around!) & I have questions for Saturday. Do I need to submit them somewhere else?

    1. Can a medmage heal with the tech up? I was a little confused about that between chapters 5 & 6. The magic wave ended but Nereda patched her up. . . with non-magical means, hence the painkillers?

    2. Was Jeremiah the knight-defender, dead on the alter, just preserved? I assume he was taken care of post battle which gave Aaron an excuse to stay but retrieving the two other dead wouldn’t take that long.

    3. The Ice Age First was not wearing a golden collar so was it a co-ruler with the fae pale queen?
    Was it also fae or part fae? The bluish hair & horns made me wonder. Did it not have a warrior form? I am surprised that the shape shifters needed golden collars if there was a First to follow.

  258. My favourite part…

    “The Consort is merciful and kind to a fault”, Keelan said…
    “I’m sure he is”, Jushur said.
    Ha!
    Ha! indeed

  259. I was so used to thinking of the book as Magic “Clams” that I missed the significance of the title until I finished!

  260. I have a question for Saturday, if no one asked it already. There was Conlan POV in Magic Tides wasn’t there? If so, why no Conlan POV in Clams? Am I remembering wrong?

  261. I love this series/world!! I can’t wait for more from Hugh, Julie, and Kate!!!! I need more as soon as possible!!!!

  262. I’ve been thinking about Ascanio and I’ve often wondered if he knew that Raphael had approached Kate about not calling Ascanio in on cases anymore. If he didn’t know, would he have thought Kate was unhappy with him or feel abandoned? I’m remembering also the friction between him and Conlan in Blood Heir. Could he be jealous? Kate wasn’t his mom but for awhile they were that close.

    Love the teapot scene of course and the other humor. Annoyed at the Penderton people for acting like Kate was out to enslave them and take over their town. I’m sure it’s a nice town but seriously, they heard she has a beach castle, right? Nor does it have a prestigious school for her son and Ned gave them that other property waiting for development any way they please. They have more homes than they even need. There was no logic in the complaining townsfolk, just paranoia and bigotry.

  263. GREAT book, kate books truly feel like home to me, love them so much, hoping this wilmington&ryder interweaving series goes on for long (and fingers crossed we get a conlan series down the line, and if julie and derek have a kid, then tht kid afterward, LMAO, im insatiable)

    anyways ok here are my questions:

    1) i thought the “cousin” bit was referring to Nick but i saw some ppl saying it’s Hugh, and some ppl saying it’s neither? so i’m kinda confused..

    2) Jim’s behaviour makes sense when explained but i quite like him so i dont like seeing him as an asshole but more than that, what is dali doing/thinking all this while??? really curious about her POV

    • oh, for n1, i’m watching the release party livestream now and they cleared that it’s Hugh

    • Yes, MORE DALI POV! I loved getting to know her in the stories about her budding romance with Jim and I wonder if she shares some of the concerns about his choices to bring in so many shifters without full background checks that others have. Spouses don’t always agree with each other and a stubborn one won’t listen when you try to warn them.

      I’m betting she’s thoroughly sick of life in the fishbowl. Where does she find time for her spiritual work of helping her community find and maintain balance? (I loved learning about that whole side of her.)

  264. My favorite quote so far: Curran “ At some point in our lives together, keeping her lovely family from trying to murder her became a full-time job for me. They were powerful, homicidal psychopaths, and they didn’t half-ass it. When they came to kill her, they gave it their all.”

  265. House Andrews delivers once again! I’m loving the Wilmington series even more than the Atlanta series, which i never thought possible.
    I’m so glad you decided to let the story go were it wanted and didn’t try to keep it to a novella. I’m really starting to see where everyone’s stories are going to intercept and it’s going to be amazing!
    This book has really laid the foundation for some huge developments coming and I can not wait!
    No, seriously, i can’t wait, when is the next one? 😂 BDH for life

  266. The best happily-ever-after has to be the ending where the couple who just survived a renovation/remodeling nightmare now have limitless funds for their next project =)

  267. As I was driving to Wilmington and Carolina Beach yesterday. I tried to envision their walk to Penderton woods. They would have had to deal with lots of water. Glad to read another book in a locale I know so well!

  268. Is anyone else busy wondering who Kate’s cousin’s parental unit with Shinar blood could possibly be? For a long time I thought it was Roland, but Gordon said it wasn’t, and it can’t be Erra…

    And also the plan for the pack-big mystery number two! I love when some things don’t get solved right away.🤗 Good for our BDH imaginations. And can I just say right here that the imagination the authorlords have just blows me away.

    One thing that surprised me was how slow-moving the Atlanta pack politics seems to be. The information we got here was quite similar to that in Blood Heir. I guess it leaves more time for the mystery plan😊.

  269. Just mind boggling good, in a supposed novella it has the impact of a long novel, though by the end of a long novel you are usually stayed;with this you get to the end and somehow the 4th stomach is empty and you want more.
    One thing I hope we get in book 3 is a scene with Roland when Kate gets to describe how they beat the Fae queen and him being insufferably proud she uses all her magic. Roland is funny bc he has grown, when he tells her she is her own person and will use the magic the way she wants to, that because he and Erra screwed up doesn’t mean she will.

    and of course the snarky humor, the vampire doing the tea pot dance, holy crap. and of course the magic clams! I like how in this Curran and Kate come to reconcile within themselves and recognize who they should be. Both are held back by fears out of their past but learn they are very different ppl. Their humanity comes through when they recognize the cruelty of the Fae queen.

    And I am just gobsmacked how the IA team came up with the prehistoric line, absolutely brilliant. the scene with the juvenile rhinos was just too much!

    The one thing I have been thinking about is Jim, after watching the zoom call and reading Magic Clams. I don’t blame the downfall of the pack on him, though he is accelerating the process because of his need to be the hero. However I don’t think he is a good person and the contrast with Curran is huge ( Curran if I understand what a foil is, is the perfect foil to Jim). Both have been bound by things that happened to them growing up, that for Curran made him want to avoid being isolated,for Jim his paranoia.

    The problem is Jim is quite frankly a bigot. When Curran was sick, Jim basically leaves Kate to be attacked because she isn’t a shifter.In this book we learn he once allowed shifters to maul Kate even though they worked together in the Guild. It doesn’t matter how Jim came to be that way, his letting Kate go through the gauntlet when Curran wasn’t there was deliberate&cruel IMO. I realize we are talking shifters, with their own dynamic, but he took advantage of Curran being sick &let her go through the gauntlet bc he hated she wasn’t shifter. Curran owes Jim one hell of a beat down.

  270. So, finally. We can find out if Kate is as loud on her feet as a baby rhino!
    Hahaha. Something that Curran keeps comparing Kate to.

  271. I’m so happy that Kate and Curran are back. From the first page you are pulled into Kate’s world, and run non-stop until the end. I hope we have many more years with Kate and Curran. There’s so much more to their story.

  272. I need more. Immediately! When is next book being released please? What are the plans? I am with this series since the very first book and I am awaiting next one every year. When you finished it I cried and thought my dearest friend died. I seriously went through grieving stages! Then you kept me excited with a bit of Julie, a bit of Hough and now this! I want more!!!!!

  273. If Kate had not done the final claiming, would her people
    Have died also from the pale queen withdrawing all the magic in the area?

    • I don’t think so. She was pulling the magic to her so she would be stronger, but the magic pull would not have effected them. Kate saved the Ice Queen’s people with the claiming and also prevented the Queen from becoming stronger.
      That’s just how I read it.

  274. I don’t know if it is too early, but I am shipping Heather and Rimush. What do you think?

    Also, thank you for the short story with the kids and mushroom hunting. I must say, 2 miles is a long way to walk for mushrooms, especially in the scary woods.

    Did Kate keep the 20 miles of claimed territory between Penderton and her new Ninja woods and Keep?

    Is it too much to ask for snippets of the work/renovation and the how the Ice Age animals, the horned shapeshifters are doing being free from the fae control? I hope you write more about Isaac, I think he is pretty cool – Knight Pathfinder.

  275. I’m in “high cotton” as my southern Granny would say. A new KD book, which I read and am looking forward to reading again. And a new Martha Wells book! “The Witch King”. Nothing much getting done here in the next couple days.

  276. With all the zoom session questions about Hugh suddenly being called Kate’s cousin and of course the fascinating answers, I had to go back and reread Magic Triumphs hoping to find the clues I’d missed. But it wasn’t until I just finished rereading Blood Heir that I felt like I found them. It’s amazing how some things can just zip right over your head while you’re enjoying all the action, heh. They must be in Magic Triumphs, too, I’ll have to look some more.

    Magic Claims is such a fun book! Thank you again! It will definitely be going onto my reread occasionally list! So looking forward to the audiobook next!

  277. So I’m wondering if Kate already made the mistake that will let Barrett figure out who she is — I mean, how many navigators would say “paw print”?

  279. Brilliant book! I had to reread it on my library app to make sure Kobo didn’t short me a chapter! HA, you are wicked,just wicked! I will join that support group, ModR!