Magic Strikes

I wonder when I will tire of Kate and the weirdos that she seems to attract... Not sure I will ever be able to, but I'm not even willing to try!

Curran looked back at me. "Why is it you always attract creeps?"

"You tell me." Ha! Walked right into that one, yes, he did.

Kate Daniels has her hands full trying to keep Curran away, her kid close, and be generally safe. In this book, she enters an illegal fighting contest with Jim and many shapeshifters that we know and love - as well as some we meet for the first time - in order to avenge Derek, her werewolf sidekick, and prevent some creatures called Rakshasas from obtaining a gem that will make them invincible against shapeshifters. But forces even more dangerous than the ones she thought show more have a strange interest in those games of death. Forces that she knows better than most - and that she believed had escaped from...

I'm gonna give it a shot and try to write a review short and sweet here. Why? Because I don't think there's much to say at this point without fangirling!

Kate is magnificent as always. Strong, independent, and loyal to a fault, she never fails to make the best heroine there is! Add in her brilliant sense of humor, and her creativity when it comes to threatening or torturing, and you can understand why I love this woman so much. She's my female IT!

Curran was also wonderful. I think the man keeps improving. He still has some Alpha issues, but at least he's trying. Plus, now that he openly shows how much he wants Kate, it's freaking hilarious to see the banter between them! I just wonder when they will screw each other against a wall, because, with that attitude from both of them, it's bound to happen!

"To answer your question, yes, you may kiss my ass. Normally I prefer maintain my personal space, but you're a Friend of the Pack and your services have proven useful once or twice. I strive to accommodate the wishes of persons friendly to my people. My only question is, would kissing my ass be obeisance, grooming, or foreplay?"

"You thought about dragging me into your bed this morning."
"I thought about stabbing you and running away screaming. You broke into my house without permission and slobbered all over me. You’re a damn lunatic! And don’t give me that line about smelling my desire; I know it’s bullshit."
"I didn’t need to smell you. I could tell by the dreamy look in your eyes and the way your tongue licked the inside of my mouth."

Speaking of banter, it wasn't only funny - at some parts, it was really hot! And don't even remind me of the tub scene...

Before wrapping this up, I want to talk about Derek. Yes, it's well known I'd ride that wolf with no moral restraint despite the age difference. He's really my type! Still, now that he's scarred and has a deeper voice.... *sighs* Ilona Andrews, no mercy at all, huh? Derek became eeven more perfect, and I'm dying at the fact he's fictional!

Go read the book ASAP - or the first one, if you were dense enough to miss it! There's now way to get bored with Kate as your main gal!!! show less

Magic Strikes
5 Stars

The episodic nature of this series is particularly entertaining as it provides the unique opportunity of creating a detailed world combining elements from diverse mythologies. The focus in Magic Strikes is on Hindu mythology with a little Greek and Norse thrown in for good measure. Somehow it all manages to come together so seamlessly, thereby ensuring originality and avoiding the tiresome repetition that sometimes plagues the Urban Fantasy genre.

Kate's humanity becomes more evident with each installment as more information is revealed about her past and the origins of her power. In this book, she opens herself up to the highs and lows of friendship when her former sidekick, Derek, is attacked and Kate must join show more forces with the Pack to fight against powerful enemies in the Midnight Games, a Gladiator-style tournament whose ultimate prize is a legendary Topaz with the ability to subjugate the shapeshifters. The action scenes are well-written and exciting but readers should note that the tone is dark and gritty, and their are numerous gory descriptions as well as references to incest and cannibalism.

The supporting cast is fantastic from Andrea the reluctant were-hyena to Raphael the amorous Bouda Scion, not to mention Dali the vegetarian were-tiger and Jim the Pack security chief who must finally decide if Kate can truly be trusted. However, the best aspect of the book is the developing relationship between Curran and Kate. Their chemistry simply sizzles on the pages and their banter is hilarious.

In sum, the Kate Daniels series has taken the top spot on my list of MUST reads and I cannot wait to see what happens next. show less

Okay I love this series now, after a slow start in [b:Magic Bites|38619|Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, #1)|Ilona Andrews|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1257727888s/38619.jpg|38381] I wasn't sure but now I am almost desperate to read Magic Bleeds.Kate is a fabulous heroine with exactly the right blend of attitude for me to find her likeable and admirable. She owns her actions, and shows grit and determination in trying to do the right thing. There are some secrets revealed about who Kate is, which is an interesting subplot and adds to her background.I enjoy the push and pull relationship she has with Curran and their relationship develops more in this installment building romantic and sexual tension skillfully. The other Pack members are show more also great characters, their own stories add to the premise, and they provide amusing banter and warmth to a fairly bleak storyline.There are also some incredibly imaginative characters in Magic Strikes, adding to the clever world that the authors have created. Kate's home is fantastic yet believable and I love the waves of tech and magic that besiege it.Magic strikes in a great story with terrific characters show less

“Magic Strikes”, the third Kate Daniels book, continues to deliver Urban Fantasy fiction.

After the epic battles of “Magic Burns”, “Magic Strikes” changes focus and gets up close and personal with revenge driven gladiatorial bouts in an illegal death games. As always, the action scenes are intense, well choreographed and bloody. This book seemed more violent than its predecessors and the violence felt worse because of the wicked intent behind it. Still the furious blood-lust that the evil attacks produce is one of the main drivers of the story

We learn a lot more about Kate’s background: how she was raised, why she wants to kill her father and the kind of powers that she has.

The sexual tension between Kate and Curran was show more beginning to annoy me – for G0d’s sake, do it already – but it was rescued by the use of humour and by some explanations of the weird and wonderfully create mating rituals of the Weres.

The storyline is relatively straight forward, but none the worse for that: the new bad boys on the block were an innovative and really rather hateful creation; all the old characters were there but all of them are at risk; we were joined by a cute, technically blind but with a wickedly deft with spells, werecat; and we got fight after gory fight in the sands of the Pit.

The book is made stronger by its lighter moments: an old Banshee up a pole, a truly wonderful scene at the boarding school of Kate’s adopted daughter and the banter and self-deprecation that occurs in many of the scenes.

The Epilogue seemed too long to be an epilogue and too rushed to be a real chapter but it did it’s job and made me curious about the next book. show less

Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels stories are among my favourites. Her characters are so compelling, the worldbuilding is tight, and I laugh out loud at the most unexpected places because the writing (i.e., Kate) is so deadpan at points. Magic Strikes is no exception.

In Magic Strikes, Kate is now working for the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid. She's still having problems with Curran, the Beast Lord. But then Saiman's life is threatened and her friend Derek, a werewolf, is found nearly dead. Kate finds herself investigating the Midnight Games, an underground, fight-to-the-death tournament for preternatural beings.

There's a lot of development in Kate and Curran's relationship, which I love, since Andrews doesn't sacrifice the banter and the show more tension for the sake of furthering their relationship. In fact, the banter and tension are amped up, which makes everything all the more interesting. We also learn a bit more about Kate's past, and her relationship with her father, which is cool.

All in all, a great read!

Originally published at http://ireadgood.wordpress.com show less

Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews is the third in the Kate Daniels series. Yet again we're in for one action packed adventure through Atlanta. The Pack is being hunted. Derek is discovered nearly dead and trapped in his human form, unable to heal. Kate's investigation leads her to something called the Midnight Games -- an invitation only, last man standing, highly illegal, ultimate fighting tournament. The prize for the winning team is called the Wolf Diamond, a fist sized mystic Topaz with unknown powers. And there's something off about the rival gladiator team, the Reapers. They look human, scan as human, but... Kate must discover the stone's secret and unravel this latest plot if she is to save Atlanta's shapeshifter community.

This time show more around Andrews leans heavily on Hindu mythology, specifically around Rakshasas. Everything I know about Rakshasas came straight from D&D so my prior knowledge was mostly wrong. They are a lot more than vicious human/tiger hybrids! I like that Andrews seems to be theming the Kate Daniels books around various world myths as I get to learn small snippets about each one as I go. One of these days I really should expand my horizons beyond Greco-Roman and Celtic mythology.

Ilona Andrews has amazing talent to pack these short books full of just about everything. In a little over 300 pages there is tons of action, weird monsters, magic, expanding the world, character growth and an interesting plot. Kate is even more bad ass which I didn't think was possible. And she has just the right amount of smart ass mixed in. A couple of the side characters are fleshed out more. I think Andrea and Raphael are my favorites so I was happy to see they have a spin off short story. The romance between Kate and Curran is starting to heat up. I'm not sure how much longer the tension between the two of them can be dragged out. show less

Remember when I said I loved [b:Magic Burns|1811543|Magic Burns (Kate Daniels, #2)|Ilona Andrews|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1311280284s/1811543.jpg|1810889]? I might just love this book a little more. Just how good is it? Enough that it was my go-to when I was recently recovering from a headache--I wanted a dependable, awesome read and didn't want to start anything new that I'd end up hating.

Magic Strikes is the third book in one of the best urban fantasy series out there. It maintains a very fast-moving plot with nicely developed characterization, has an unusual magic-technology premise, and stars a woman who is by far my favorite heroine.

Kate's rescuing a banshee grandma for the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid when she's called to show more a shapeshifter murder. Security chief Jim tells her to butt out, but she accidentally spills the news to Curran the next day when she and Andrea, her best friend, are out at lunch. Once Curran the shapeshifter king is involved, events spiral fast and draw in a large cast of characters, including Saiman in his real form, Derek and an attractive female, and Raphael and Andrea in their elaborate mating dance. Jim has gotten himself and his security team in hot water. Kate joins with them to save the girl, the Pack, and their reputations in a secret underground fight club. A couple sections of this book were an emotional challenge, but in the end, I loved that Andrews aren't afraid to play rough with their characters. It's a risky move that adds tension to the story.

The plot is non-stop action, but leavened with Andrews' trademark humor. I love the balance they achieve. Kate's humor is sometimes only for herself, sometimes for friends, but when faced with a serious situation, she is all business and no laughs.

As usual, characterization is a standout. I love Kate's intensity as she fights in the parking lot, and as she stands up to Jim's stonewalling. In one, she uses her amazing fight skills, in the other, hard-won legal knowledge, shocking Jim. The character Dali is introduced in a way that would be comical if it wasn't so plausible and her other form so beautiful. Julie returns in a moving scene. This book contains some of my favorite scenes, including the scene with Rene the guard, the scene with Jim where Kate quotes the law, the bit with Raphael and the fan that makes me laugh every time, and several fight scenes. The antagonists are unusual characters in UF, believable in their level of ferociousness and able to provide formidable foes for the crew.

Kate continues to be my favorite heroine.

There's Kate and her feelings on vampires:

"Part cult, part research institute, part corporation, all vomit inducing."

There's her opinion on inappropriate displays of emotion:

"Saiman picked up a coffee mug, stared at it, and hurled it against the wall. It shattered into a dozen pieces. We looked at him.
'Your date appears to be hysterical,' Rene told me.
'You think I should slap some man into him?'
Saiman stared at me, speechless. I had to give it to Rene--she didn't laugh. But she really wanted to."

Then there's her friendships:

"'Kate?'
I have a superior reaction time. That was why although I shot out of my chair, jumped onto my desk, and attempted to stab the intruder into my office in the throat, I stopped the blade two inches before it touched Andrea's neck. Because she was my best friend, and sticking knives into your best friend's windpipe was generally considered to be a social faux pas.
Andrea stared at the black blade of the throwing dagger. 'That was great,' she said. 'What will you do for a dollar?'
I scowled.
'Scary but not work a buck.'"

Love it.

Cross posted at http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/04/17/magic-strikes-by-ilona-andrews/ show less