Supernatural Sidekick Smackdown...

Or why Andrea kicks major ass and is an AWESOME sidekick

It is no secret that I have undying fangirl love for the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. (see Is It May 31 Yet?) One of my favorite aspects of this series is the friendship between Kate and Andrea. Like all relationships in this series, it develops slowly (Kate does have issues getting close to people), it has ups and downs, but the series would not be the same without it.

Vote for Andrea in the Supernatural Sidekick Smackdown (brought to you by the awesome Badass Book Reviews and Hesperia Loves Books). Her bracket is up tonight and goes for 24 hours.

Now, I'm going to talk about things that happen in the series. If you haven't read it, then be warned of spoilery things. Also, get off your ass and read these books! Back to Andrea....

We first meet Andrea Nash in Magic Burns - book 2. She is a knight of the Order and is in charge of the Armory. Andrea LOVES her guns. If she has you in her sights, kiss your life goodbye - you could hope that a magic wave would save you, but then she'd just pull out a crossbow and you'd still be toast. She loves romance novels - preferably with half-naked pirates on the cover. She also has a BIG secret - she is a werehyena, though not of the traditional variety. The Order is a Humans Only club, so Andrea needs to keep it a secret. She isn't a Pack member either. And then there's Raphael... I'll let you read about it, but trust me when I say that Andrea has her own issues. So, we have a smoking hot chick who kicks major ass, but still has enough vulnerability that you find yourself rooting for her just as much as you do for Kate.

I love that Andrea decides that she and Kate are going to be best friends and doesn't let Kate get out of it. Andrea is one of the few people who isn't afraid of Kate, and she will tell her off if need be. She also is smart enough to figure out Kate's secret, and so loyal that she keeps it, and accepts her friend for who she is. And Kate needs that. Andrea is Kate's sounding board for her relationship with Curran and for how things work in the Pack. Andrea comes through for her bff time and again - even when they are on the outs, she still helps. Kate is scary good in a fight, and she respects Andrea's skills. Put them together and you have an almost unbeatable team. (Note: No, they are not invulnerable. I think that it shows a lot more strength to accept that you might die, but you stand up and fight anyways. Just my 2 cents.)

Kate would not be the same person without having Andrea in her life - and that makes her one fantastic sidekick.

Now for some fun quotes:

"It seems that the young woman made some indelicate suggestion of a threesome...When I got there, Miss Nash was standing by the hot tub in a small bikini, pointing the business end of a SIG-Sauer P-226 at her fella and concerned members of the hotel staff, while dunking the scantily clad female's head under the water and asking, "Who's diving for clams now, bitch?"
— Ilona Andrews (Magic Bleeds)

[Andrea] "You slept with Curran and you didn’t tell me? I’m your best friend.”
[Kate] “It didn’t come up.”
[A] “How disappointing for you.”
[K] Ha-ha. “That’s not what I meant."
— Ilona Andrews (Magic Bleeds)

"Andrea raised her hand. “This is the hand that slapped Aunt B.”
“Maybe you should have it gold-plated.”
“Here, you can touch it, since you’re my best friend."
— Ilona Andrews (Magic Slays)

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Andrea frowned.
"Would you like me to pull over and ask that bamboo for directions?"
"I don't know, do you think it will answer?"
We peered at the bamboo.
"I think it looks suspicious," Andrea said.
"Maybe there is a heffalump hiding in it."
Andrea stared at me.
"You know, heffalump? From Pooh Bear?"
"Where do you even get this shit?"
— Ilona Andrews (Magic Slays)