Joint Review with @soulswallo: Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews

Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews
(Kate Daniels, #3)
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Format: ebook
Read: 4/7/2012
In Six Words: Tragic case of death by swooning.

Links

Ilona Andrews — Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook
Amazon — Paperback | Kindle
Add it to Goodreads

Book Order

1. Magic Bites
2. Magic Burns
3. Magic Strikes
4. Magic Bleeds
5. Magic Slays
6. Untitled (Feb. 2013)
7. Untitled (2013)

Why We Started Reading This Series

Both Kelly and I had heard about this series, but we were a little late to the party. Since neither of us had read it before, we decided to jointly review the first book, Magic Bites. We loved the first book so much that we decided to continue reviewing the series together. Seriously, there is mad love for this series happening on this blog. It is fast becoming one of my favorite series. And Magic Strikes is my favorite book of the series (thus far), and I think Kelly might agree. We will definitely continue with Kate Daniels’ world as soon as we possibly can!

Synopsis

Drafted to work for the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid, mercenary Kate Daniels has more paranormal problems these days than she knows what to do with. 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 Beast Lord, uncover a dark plot that may forever alter the face of Atlanta’s shapeshifting community.
-from Goodreads

Our Thoughts on Book 3

Kelly: For the love of small furry kittens, why did we wait so long to start this book??

Amanda: Because my life has been insanely busy and this was the first time I had time to read this book?

Kelly: Good point.

Amanda: You know we both have wanted to pick up the next book in the series ASAP upon finishing.

Kelly: Yes. YES! *looks covetously at the rest of the series*

Amanda: I probably shouldn’t have even read this one, but you know what? I’m glad I did.

Kelly: *raises hand* I want to have Curran’s magical babies now. And Derek’s. And Raphael’s.

Amanda: I believe you already said that. About Curran anyway. The Derek and Raphael thing is kind of new. Anyway. Magic Strikes was… delicious.

Kelly: Like Nutella.

Amanda: Mmm…Nutella. And we got answers about Kate’s father.

Kelly: OMG! Did we! I was a little surprised that I actually guessed the whole father thing, btw. You know that I’m the worst clue-decipher-er in the whole world. I figured that I was wrong just because I thought I was right.

Amanda: As the series progressed, I felt like it was less of a mystery, and more of a secret Kate was keeping. You know, like she just didn’t want to talk about who her father was, rather than it being some grand mystery we were supposed to figure out. And I’m guessing that we will see a lot more of the father story arc in the coming books. Especially since Kate did something that kind of blows her secret out of the water. Or blood. Whatever.

Kelly: I don’t see how this couldn’t be a big part of the storyline. I mean… BIG STUFF!

Amanda: And she did THE THING for Curran. And her friends. But mostly for Curran. You know, I was surprised at how little Curran actually appeared in this book, but every time he did… *swoons* *fans self*

Kelly: I believe I tweeted my thoughts on Curran to you at one point. *swoon swoon motherfucking swoon*

Amanda: Motherfucking swoon is right. That little romance is starting to heat up big time, and, even though it’s frustrating, I love how slowly it’s progressing and how effectively Curran is stalking Kate. Yes, stalking. Like a lion. Rawr.

Kelly: I love Kate’s thought process on Curran. It seems like she honestly doesn’t know how she feels. She likes him. She thinks he’s a sociopath. She thinks he hates her. She can’t stop her body from responding to him. She wants to make mad monkey love…err… lion love. Scratch that. Mad lion love sounds painful.

Amanda: Oh, and her dream? I laughed so hard. You know I have the weirdest dreams. Sparkly tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, people waving my own red heels at me. But Kate’s?

“I dreamed that Curran and I killed a dinosaur and then had sex in the dirt.”

Amanda: I laughed and instantly highlighted it in my Kindle. I found a lot of quotes that I really really liked in this book, and any time a book makes me stop and highlight something, that’s the mark of a good book, I think.

Kelly: I LOVED that line! It had me giggling madly! I’m curious about what you thought about the mythology that was introduced in this book.

Amanda: I have a confession to make. I have a tendency to ignore mythology that is very complex and/or that I don’t know much about. That was the case here. On both accounts. Plus, I was waaaaaaay more focused on the romance. So, rather than be confused or wonder how the hell the mythology plays into it all, I pretty much skim through it. And I do this with all books, not just this series.

Kelly: I have a pretty good handle on Celtic and Greek mythology but I’m only mildly conversant in Hindu mythology. I honestly had some serious overload with the amount of info we were given here. To the point where I almost couldn’t follow which god was which and who they were fighting against. It was like being hit in the brainpan with a concentrated blast of Advanced Hindu Gods 101. Since I was also focused on the romance (and the carnage… oh, the carnage!), this was only slightly distracting but I think it helped for me that Kate was sorting through all this info at the same time we were.

Amanda: Yes. And that’s why I skim. It prevents overload and distractions. I think you probably have to have a good handle on Hindu mythology for it not to be a total information overload and to make sense of it all.

Kelly: I don’t think you’re wrong. All in all, I ended up LOVING this book. I am so happy that we’re getting answers and that Kate and Curran are starting to heat up even more! Rawr!

Amanda: I’m hoping for even more swooning in Magic Bleeds. And the need to take a very cold shower after we finish.

Kelly: Niiiiiiiiice. I don’t know if you noticed but the next book has a bit of girth to it. *looks innocent*

Amanda: Is it nice and big? You know how I love big things.

Kelly: #GutterPass!

Favorite Quotes

“Sometimes, she thought, things happen that are so bad you go deep inside, down past the point of screaming, into silence.”

“Altruism is a fog created by sly minds seeking to benefit from the energy and skill of others. Nothing more.”

“Fear is pain. It hurts. I sink into it and use it like a sharpening stone gliding against a sword. It makes me better, more aware. But I can’t be scared for too long, or it will wear me out.”

“Just reflecting on the fact that when the Universe punches you in the teeth, it never just lets you fall down. It kicks you in the ribs a couple of times and dumps mud on your head.”

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