Originally posted at Vampire Book Club 
 It's almost difficult to review this book without revealing anything spoilery, but I'll try my hardest! The main endpoint of Magic Binds, that we're aware of from the beginning of the book, is to get Kate to the altar. We start Magic Binds off with Kate and Curran asking Roman, aka the black volhv, to officiate said nuptials. That's probably the easiest thing Kate has to deal with the entire story. 
 On the other side of things, Kate and her father are still on a very precarious edge. He's set up a "home" right outside the boundaries of Atlanta, and he's frequently testing Kate with what he can get away with in her territory. Roland goes a bit too far when he kidnaps Saiman. Added to this is news from the witch oracles of a prophecy they've seen where war is imminent, and will ultimately end with Kate losing Curran. We all know that the future is quite malleable, so Kate does what she can to change the outlook. On top of all of that, Kate's magic is growing and she struggles with losing herself in a need for power. Kate will look for guidance from a somewhat unexpected, yet ultimately delightful place. 
 The Kate Daniels series has such a beloved place in my heart. It's hands down my favorite. So it should come as no surprise that I absolutely loved this one. While I may be a bit biased because of this, that doesn't negate the fact that Magic Binds is a great book, and it begins winding down the series really well. 
 As the penultimate installment, I got an overall sense of almost with this book. We're almost at the end; we're on the home stretch. There are just a few things to tie up before we can fully focus on the final battle. That's not to say Team Ilona Andrews didn't crank out an entertaining, sometimes poignant, often funny, action-filled entry in the series because they totally did. Magic Binds is a great example of how to lead readers/plotlines into the final book. It still stands well on its own storyline. The various tasks that Kate completes in order to try to subvert the prophecy feel like moving from one little vignette to another with fluid action sequences. 
 Where the book really shines though are in the slower more heartfelt moments, and trust me there are no shortage of these scenes. Not gonna lie, I got teary-eyed in more than one place while reading. 
 It all leads back to family, which also fits with the theme of weddings in general. She started out as a loner, keeping herself apart from relationships because of her blood. And now, she's built this wonderful caring unit despite her father's best efforts to alienate her. I think everyone who has come to matter to Kate, everyone who feels love for her, makes an appearance in Magic Binds. We see a lot of growth not just from Kate, but from the secondary characters as well, and even some we didn't quite expect. Wink wink. 
 Overall, Magic Binds is preparing us for what's to come in the best way possible, with those characters we love. Can't ask for much more than that.