I suspect that I'll like this book better once the series is finished. The main character was alone in the first half of the book, and Ilona Andrews books just don't seem to work that well with solo characters. The second half of the book was more enjoyable for me once the relationships were there. ( )

I hoped this would be a new beginning that felt more like the early kate daniels books but it's very much a direct continuation of the kate daniels series despite the time jump and POV shift. And because this book has the aspiration to be a new series anyone can follow without having read the kate daniels series there is a huge amount of bland info-dumping.

The character work and the somewhat dry humor were as good as they have ever been but I am just sick and tired of the kind of clichée standard plot this book has.
To be fair, the previous series effectively had pretty unoriginal plots as well looking at it after the fact, but it wasn't all blatantly foreshadowed like in this one. Maybe this is just a subversion of tropes but if it is, this first book did not hint at anything like it.
This book just doesn't carry the same magic that drew me into the kate daniels series.
This sounds like I want this book to be more like the original but that is not what I mean. The problem is that it is neither something new and original nor a proper continuation. It tries to be both and manages neither.

If you only want to spend more time in the world of kate daniels then this might be what you are looking for. But if you are hoping for a story that can stand on its own without having to heavily lean on the popularity of its predecessor you are probably not going to be very happy after reading this. ( )

I never have anything bad to say about Ilona Andrews. And, of course, this book meets the same exalted standards we have come to expect. However, I will say - this one reads a little bit like fan fiction of the author's own series. Pretty much every chapter brings in a character from the Kate Daniels series kinda just to say, "Hey look! Here's this person you loved before!" That being said... I'm not complaining. If you loved the Kate Daniels books, you'll love this one too. ( )

Set in the world of Kate Daniels, a new reader doesn’t need to know about what happened before since the main character is now Julie coming back to Atlanta physically changed and trying to stay away from her family in town. Backstory is given as the story progresses but as a new starting place this does work. Fans of the series will be thrilled to see so many people they are familiar with along with some new characters. She immediately clashes with Ascanio, who doesn’t recognize her at all. Only one person does see through her changes but agrees to keep her secret. Julie has kept in touch with the witches and is in Atlanta to avert a prophecy that will destroy her family if they find out about it. The plot was great and of course the reader is left wanting more by the end of the book. ( )

Blood Heir is the first in the spin-off series for Aurelia Ryder, aka Julie, by Ilona Andrews. In true Kate Daniels style, there is a mystery to solve (Moloch is threatening to kill Kate and end civilization), some minor complications arise and a hint of romance. The romantic angle should be no surprise to fans of the series and, going in, you probably have a good idea of who it could be. For newcomers, this installment contains major spoilers for the end of Kate Daniels and is probably best read after completing that.

Overall, I found this a satisfying and fun read. It is set eight years after Magic Triumphs and Julie has done a lot of growing since then. Her magic abilities are now off the charts. I think it's hilarious that for someone hoping to keep her identity hidden, Julie Aurelia does an incredibly poor job at it as it seems like almost everyone from her "old life" recognizes her. It looks like this may be the first in a trilogy. I'm looking forward to the next book. ( )