2.5 Stars 
 The first book/novella in the series. 
 I started with this novella and as someone who has not read any of the other books, I feel there was a lot missing. It felt like it was expected that I knew something about this world to fully understand what was taking place; such as her work environment, the Russians who I assume are one of the groups in power in that world, the magic wave, etc 
 As an introduction to the series, I found the book lacking. I did like Kate's character though. She was strong and witty. I am not sure if Saiman, the questionable client, would make other appearances but he was an interesting character; a bit twisted, arrogant, someone who thinks he is above others and can get a way with whatever. 
 Edit: I had to lower my rating by one point since I found a a big dependency between how Kate and Saiman met in this book vs. how it was described in the first book in the series. (view spoiler)[ This is how it was written in the first book. "We met during a merc gig a year ago, bodyguard detail. All mercs did one sooner or later, and it was just my luck I drew Saiman. He was injured at the time, confined to his bed by a postoperative complication from a stomach surgery. His body kept changing while it fought the infection and he proved very difficult to guard. I managed to kill two of the assassins sent to dispatch him. He killed the third with a pencil through the eye." He was not injured, he swallowed a magic acorn that was ready to form into a giant magical oak tree and she killed many more magical creatures and assassins than 2. (hide spoiler)]