3.5 A rough-ish complicated start to a new series. First I hate Ashley. There was a lot of world building, a lot of character development, and a lot of explaining on the magical system. I had a bit of trouble getting the magical theory in felt complex to me and i'm not sure I got it all by the end. To be fair the magic was developing along with the story so that might all resolved it's self in the next book. First books are usually difficult to digest in a fantasy series for me, it's all so new. The MC's character was not consistent she'd act strong independent then say something so childish, or act so reckless, like a teenager. Another point that really felt off was the relationship with her ______ it didn't feel legit/believable even in the story, almost cartoonish. OH my Gawd the military- COMIC BOOK ! She didn't question these people showing up when she should have, she didn't really question anyone like any normal person would she just lalalalala ok you're here, lalalalala
Wait there was a part that was pure wrong. A character died, a character that didn't have any reason to be in the scene that made any sense. The whole time I'm thinking come on really do something with____ how are you going to get away safely ? Come on characters THINK !
I really am shocked Kim Harrison's female characters are usually much brighter than this girl. I didn't love this first book, didn't care for the comic book feel when the book was aiming for it.
What did I like ? I liked the set up, I liked the world, the possibilities, the future of the series. Yes I'll be reading more, at least one more. ( )

Reasons I didn't like this book:

1. Petra acted like a teenager the whole book, even though she was in her late twenties (so far as I could tell.) Also, she really was oblivious.
2. I didn't like any of the characters- except Pluck. Even the love interest (Benedict- I refuse tk call him "Benny") lacked chemistry with Petra AND me as a reader.
3. Speaking of Pluck, that was the final straw for me. I never want to read about the death of a dog, but this one was especially awful.
4. I read to the end, hoping that the story would redeem itself... I don't feel that it did, so I certainly will not be continuing this story.

Justice for Pluck. ( )

I'm a fan of her Hollows series, and I was looking forward to a new chain of stories. This story line, however, seems less polished than the previous series, and it drew me in far less. A large part of that is the characters. Petra is less engaging than Rachel; the love interests have less glamour and spark; the partners-in-crime are far more just backdrop than Ivy, Jenks, et al. are. Everyone's just a little flat, and I hope that they flesh out into more 3D in the coming volumes (because I will continue to see where this goes, at least for a bit).

On the plus side, the concept of magic in this series is imaginative. It's not gone into in any great detail or depth, but this is the first volume in the series, so there's time for that. There's certainly a fair amount of potentially interesting story there when coupled with the let's-go-hunt-bad-guys theme that seems to be the overarching direction.

So, in summary, fair and good enough that I'll continue, but not as good as The Hollows. ( )

Three Kinds of Lucky
By Kim Harrison
This book was just the book I needed at the time! It's totally original and fresh! A new view on magic. We have a world where magic users are quite uppity and use magic that leaves a residue called dross. Not everyone can see it. Petra can and she is someone that goes around and cleans up the mess these uppity magic users make! They rarely clean up after themselves. The dross causes bad luck for anyone that comes in contact with it so Petra, and others like her, do their job and the dross is stored away so everyone is safe.
But something happens, something no one could have foreseen, now every thing is changed. Petra and her childhood friend, Ben, have to find the only one that might be able to help them before it's too late.
Great characters, twists, suspense, fantasy, situations, and unique and original story! I can't wait to find out more about these characters and what happens. This story has me hooked!
I want to thank the publisher for the opportunity to read this book! ( )