I have to say that I am glad that I stuck with this series. When I read these first two books I was not impressed. My re-read has not changed my impression at all. The world building in book #2 needs improved. We had a lot of new characters and we get information dumps galore. Curran, still acted like an ass and we still have Kate version #1 that seems to just blunder around.

"Magic Burns" has Kate working for the Pack again to retrieve some stolen maps. Along the way she also gets involved in an investigation about how a coven of witches goes missing. She ends up meeting on of the leaders daughter's (Julie) and ends up doing what she can to keep the girl safe from harm. Include in a mysterious man that is able to disappear at will and two gods that seem to be at the center of this, and we have Kate doing what she can to keep Atlanta from being destroyed by demons. 

We still know that Kate is keeping some big bad secret about herself, and it's still not been revealed (2 books in btw). She mentions that she has stopped drinking, which it never made any sense to me why book #1 Kate had a drinking problem. Why would she even be that sloppy to put herself in harm's way if a fight breaks out? If this isn't enough, Kate sticks her nose in when her ex-whatever and Curran's ex-girlfriend want to marry. Kate does some sad story about her life and man oh man the self-pity made me roll my eyes. It doesn't even match up to what we know about Kate's early life. Also how was this Kate ever going to beat the big mysterious bad that she only alludes to in this book based on how she is acting? 

The only things I really liked was Kate's back and forth with Bran, Derek, and the Oracle. There is that smartass Kate we all know and love. I do have to say her sudden friendship with Andrea doesn't really work since this is the first book we even meet Andrea. It was still nice to meet the Bouda Clan though and we get our first looks at Aunt B and Raphael. 

I really don't like the whole way that Curran's Pack leadership was set up. He sounds like a tyrant and an asshole in the first couple of books. He isn't that way in the later books and actually listens to the other alphas and those around him. I think there is even a scene when Doolittle of all people bows to him. Slight spoiler: The same Doolittle who went HAM on Raphael's ass when he thanked him and it could have cost Andrea her life and doesn't put up with Curran or Kate's BS when they are hurt. 

Also I think in this case we have two or maybe three instances of Curran threatening to kill Curran and then telling her that she will beg to sleep with him (it was gross and awful and I wanted it to stop). He even tells her that she will thank him afterwards. Gag. 

Derek is vaguely okay in this one. Still fighting besides Kate and seems to have a mind of his own. Julie was a fool. One wonders why Kate pinged on her so hard. Julie in later books comes into her own. This one though, I went eh about. 

The worldbuilding is a bit of a mess in this one. We hear about beastskins for the first time and then we also get into the goddess Morrigan and her myths along with the Maiden, Mother, and Crone archtypes in this book too. We also still have vampires and shapeshifters running around. And this is the first time the name Roland is used and we know that the Order is worried about him. 

The ending leaves things with Curran trying to trap Kate into dating him. I don't know. I just rolled my eyes and finished this thing. 

So far the only good thing about this is that this book introduces Julie. Geez books #1 and #2 make my head hurt.

I tried to get into it, but Robert Neville in "I Am Legend" kind of sucks. You feel sorry for him for losing his wife and daughter, but then Matheson will have him talk about how the vampires that are women are trying to seduce him and a few times he has to talk himself out of going outside to them. I am guessing rape? Cause they seem to fall down as if they are dead during the daylight hours. Eh. I don't know. Spoilers: There's also a dog and it dies and I was mad so there was that.

"I am Legend" has Robert Neville as it seems the sole survivor of a vampire virus. Neville spends his days hunting vampires and also trying to find out a cure. You (and me I guess) start to feel sorry for Robert as you realize he has nothing to break up his days and his nights are spent drinking himself to oblivion to block out the noises and yelling the vampires do. 

The vampires in this book curiously enough are not like vampires in Salem's Lot. They seem similar to Count Dracula that they have some control over their bodies and reasoning. They don't like garlic though or religious symbols depending on the vampires background before they were turned (which made zero sense). 

Things change for Robert though when he sees an actual live dog and then comes across a woman named Ruth. Robert is desperate to just make a connection with someone or anything in order to hold onto what is left of his humanity. 

This book takes place during the late 1970s in the U.S. so there is no discussion of cell phones, blogs, the internet, etc. so you definitely can see how in that time and place things and people could be cut off from each other.

The world building works for me since you hear how the virus spread through misquotes (which makes sense when you think about the Zika virus) and how slowly everyone was taking over.

The ending didn't make a lot of sense to me. I don't want to discuss cause of spoilers, but my brain/logic thinks that the whole ending just ruined what came before it. 

There was a dog and I’m not happy about it!!!

So I am still wondering what Robert is fighting. Vampires? Why did I think this was a zombie book? And no, never did watch the Will Smith movie cause someone told me a dog dies and I don't do movies where the pet dies. Still mad at John Wick and A Dog's Purpose.