As MAGIC RISES begins, Kate Daniels is still settling into her role as the consort of the Beast King, Curran Lennart. Kate is more than Curran's consort, she is his equal in pack business, and personally deals with many of the pack's problems. One of the more serious issues the pack faces is the fact that they lose far too many of their young pack members to the loup virus; a degenerative viral disease that results in death for the unfortunate victim. When two close friends of Kate's foster daughter Julie contract the virus, the issue comes to a head for the shapeshifter pack. The only cure for loup is created by magic, and the only place to get the medicine made is in Europe, where the creation is a closely guarded secret. To get his hands on enough of the loup cure to help his pack, Curran strikes a bargain with some of the powerful European shapeshifter packs.

In return for a year's worth of the medicine, he and Kate agree to arbitrate a messy dispute between several of the packs. Curran is fully aware it's a trap, but he and his pack are desperate for the cure. When Kate, Curran, and the packmates they brought with them arrive at the fortress of Lord Megobari; Kate makes a chilling discovery. Their host, Lord Megobari, is more of a villain than they thought. He is in actuality the emissary of Kate's oldest enemy, her own father, the evil wizard Roland. The group comes to realize that they were duped in order to get Kate in the clutches of the villain. Not only that; the pair run into an issue of a much more personal nature in the form of a beautiful young shifter who has decided she wants to be Curran's consort. The only thing standing in her way is Kate; and she is willing to do whatever is necessary to get Kate out of the picture for good.

MAGIC RISES is a bit different from Kate Daniels previous adventures, as the story is almost exclusively about the needs and politics of Curran's pack. The reader comes to realize just how important the pack is to not only Curran, but Kate herself. The group that travels to Europe is small, lending an intimacy to the story; one that is well played by Ilona Andrews. The story and the character development are superb. The authors do a fantastic job of weaving an intriguing, action filled storyline; as well as portray the personal and relationship difficulties faced by Kate and Curran. This book takes the reader another step closer to Kate's inevitable showdown with Roland. This is a fantastic story, one of the best in an already excellent series.