Magic Burns (Kate Daniels #2) by Ilona Andrews (2008)

This world can be really gross. Some of the descriptions in this book had me stopping my imagination to avoid triggering my gag reflex. Props to Ilona Andrews for the imagination and grittiness of this world.

This time around, a Flare is coming (when Magic swells and strengthens the magical). During a Flare, gods and goddesses can manifest and battle for power. Now Kate's going to have to deal with problems on a much bigger scale: a divine one. When the Pack hires Kate to retrieve a set of stolen maps (they can't do it because of saving face), it quickly leads to discovering that much more is at stake. The stolen maps are only the opening gambit in an epic tug of war between 2 Celtic gods. Since their rebirth is mutually exclusive of one another, Atlanta is caught in the crossfire and if Kate can't stop the cataclysmic showdown, Atlanta may not survive... Add to that a missing coven of the Divine Crow, a sensate (see: street rat named Julie), wraithlike creatures hunting them, and the Beast Lord declaring she's his future lover and feeding her soup, Kate’s life has gotten a lot more complicated.

3 out of 5 stars.