When I started this book, I was given a warning by a couple of friends, saying that book #1 was a bit hard to get into. One likes it enough and the other one dislikes it. So, I read this book by having low albeit neutral expectation. And BOY, do this book deliver more that I expected :p. I don't find any issue with the world Ilona Andrews created in this story. In fact, I find the writing to be directly to the point with sufficient information for me to understand what is going on BUT doesn't give too much to ruin the mystery or the sense that it sets in a slightly different world that ours. I also have no problems with the creatures - since they're pretty common in UF world (though Ilona uses "shapechangers" instead of the usual "shapeshifters") and the idea of The Order and the Pack clan that covers more than just one shapechanger is interesting.MAYBE it helps because I am in UF streak when I read this, reading several UF books from different authors, that I'm just in the right mood to appreciate the story. Also, I am a huge Harry Dresden fan, so having a heroine with magic is a delight.The best thing of this book is of course Kate Daniels herself. While she might come first as distant to me, since she is solitary by nature, but I grow fond of her as I read, and by the end of the book, she is already one of my favorite UF heroines. I love her dry sense of humor and how she stands her ground in front of Curran, the Beast Lord (The "Here kitty, kitty, kitty" scene put a huge grin on my face). I think she opens herself a little when she is in charge of a teenage wolf, Derek (I want to read more of Kate and the boy wonder). And of course, Curran, gosh, I have lust on His Majesty :). All in all, it's a great start of a series, and I'm looking forward to reading the next books.
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