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Magic Strikes (Kate Daniels, Book 3) by Ilona Andrews
Book Summary InformationAuthor: Ilona Andrews Edition: Mass Market Paperback Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published) Published: 2009-03-31 ISBN: 0441017029 Number of pages: 310 Publisher: Ace Product features: - ISBN13: 9780441017027
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of Magic Strikes (Kate Daniels, Book 3)Book Review: Solid story & great characters -- this series gets better and better! Summary: 5 Stars
_Magic Strikes_ by Ilona Andrews is the 3rd book in the Kate Daniels series (the previous two books are Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, Book 1) and Magic Burns). The main character in the series is Kate Daniels, a young woman who lives in an alternate version of Atlanta where magic and technology alternately have the upper hand.
The world created by Andrews is one that paralleled the real world until sometime in the 2000s, when magic returned to the world. Technology still fights back, and there are alternating waves of tech and magic. When the magic is up, firearms and internal combustion engines don't work, neither does electricity, and all the creatures of mythology like banshees and vampires and werewolves walk the earth. When the tech comes back up, all the normal conveniences work again and all the magical creatures are either reduced in power or turn back into normal humans.
In the middle of all this are the remnants of humanity who survived the first great surge of magic, and some of the various supernatural creatures who have organized enough to protect themselves. Vampires are inhuman senseless & mindless creatures controlled by necromancers who have formed a group called The People; they are led by a legendary figure named Roland. Werewolves, werejaguars, werehyenas, and were-everything-else either learn to live the Code which enforces the mental discipline they need to stay sane or they go violently nuts ('loup' in the books) and are hunted down like rabid animals; there is particularly large and well-organized group of were's in Atlanta who call themselves the Pack and they are led by Curran, a wereliger. And finally there is the Order, based on the old knightly orders, which tries to protect humanity from all the supernatural threats and who are themselves just as coldblooded as any of the threats they face.
In the middle of all this is Kate Daniels, all of 25 years old, a superb swordswoman with a mysterious past and a smart mouth that gets her into more trouble than even she deserves. She is not a Knight of the Order, but does work for them and currently serves as the official liaison between the Order and the Pack.
_Magic Strikes_ opens with Kate coming upon the remains of a murder scene involving a member of the Pack. The Pack having already claimed jurisdiction, she rides on but gets more and more embroiled as the book moves on. By halfway through the book, she is involved in highly illegal gladiatorial cage matches, fighting with powerful creatures from Hindu mythology, and frantically trying to figure out what power could prevent a werewolf from both changing and regenerating. She has to do all this while trying to avoid Curran, top alpha of the pack, who is wooing her (in his own straightforward yet confusing way) as a future mate and who is also more than a bit unhappy about members of the Pack being involved the cage matches.
Each Kate Daniels book has gotten better than the last (which I am thankful for, since _Magic Bites_ was way gorier and savage than I liked) and in this one the writing was superb. Hints about Kate's origins and parentage are finally fully revealed, and book 4 in the series promises to be stunning as Kate has finally come to the attention of some powerful players who can't let her live. The banter between Kate and her friends was VERY well done, as was the black humor found among those who are facing death on a daily basis. The romantic tension between Andrea and Raphael was hilarious as was the romance (or lack thereof) between Kate and Curran. Both Kate and Curran are have definite alpha personalities with a lot of prickly pride and stubborn independence and I have to commend Andrews for doing such an excellent job with a budding romance between two such personalities.
I almost quit reading the series after the first book, but I am very glad I stuck with it. And _Magic Strikes_ is interesting enough and fills in enough detail that it could probably be read on its own and still be a fascinating read.
Definitely five stars.
Summary of Magic Strikes (Kate Daniels, Book 3)View our feature on Ilona Andrews?s Magic Strikes. When magic strikes and Atlanta goes to pieces, it?s a job for Kate Daniels? Drafted into working for the Order of Merciful Aid, mercenary Kate Daniels has more paranormal problems than she knows what to do with these days. And in Atlanta, where magic comes and goes like the tide, that?s saying a lot. But when Kate's werewolf friend Derek is discovered nearly dead, she must confront her greatest challenge yet. As her investigation leads her to the Midnight Games?an invitation only, no holds barred, ultimate preternatural fighting tournament?she and Curran, the Lord of the Beasts, uncover a dark plot that may forever alter the face of Atlanta's shapeshifting community?
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