|
 Vivid.
This is the one word
that comes to mind when reviewing
Magic Strikes
by
Ilona Andrews.
I’ve watched the series
grow from its first offering of Magic Bites and
then the sophomore effort, Magic Burns. With
the release of the third book in the series, Magic
Strikes, Andrews hits her stride as she delves deeper
into the world that she’s created.
It’s obvious that at
this point, she’s become more comfortable in the
neighbourhood that she’s created / moved into. There are
familiar hangouts and people that are seen every day, even
the metaphorical next door neighbour that steals the paper,
is well-worn and comfortable, Andrews is now ensconced in her
tech/magic
Atlanta and it shows.
Given the familiarity of
the landscape, attention is turned towards the plot and the
characters. Kate Daniels, her protagonist, has developed a
range of relationships over the past few books, moving from
“hard mercenary” to an integral and vital member of several
societies.
This book is a pivotal
point for Kate as it becomes the jumping off point for
determining who in her life is tagged as important and
choices that she makes sets will set the path for
forthcoming books. In prior novels, Kate’s path was a bit
undetermined, life happening to her more than her
determining what to do with her life. That falls away in
Magic Strikes as decisions are made and sides
are chosen. The question remains; has Kate made the right
decisions?
The setup for this novel
are the Midnight Games, an underground gladiator arena that
operates outside of pack or city law. Circumstances lead to
Kate’s involvement with this game and while it plays an
important part in the entire book, the Games really provide
a staging area for Kate’s relationships with those around
her. Her entanglements with Derek, Saiman, Jim, Andrea and
of course, Curran twist Kate into compromising her position
at the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid and jeopardize her
relationship with the pack. She finds herself in the strange
position of being surrounded by people she cares about, a
vast difference from the Kate we’d met in the first book.
A more aware Kate
Daniels is present in Magic Strikes. Not mature per se, but
aware. Considerations are made towards others and a care is
taken in how she chooses to react to events because acting
foolishly would endanger those she’s grown to care for.
What’s shown in this book is a natural progression of a
human being rather than the template archtype that seems
dominant in most
urban fantasy
novels.
I recommend the book not
only for the characters but for the
world building
and plot. Andrews keeps her eye on where she’s going and
each piece or section adds something to one of the three
prongs of the book. Nothing is wasted or over embellished
but not Spartan, the storytelling is dynamic and fluid. I
never finish an Andrews book feeling that something was
missing in the story or that there was a plot hole that
needed filling.
Not many books can
achieve an average of five-star ratings from 60 different
reviewers1 on Amazon and only a few under four
stars. This book and its writing drives people to leave
their thoughts and engage in discussion about writing and
urban fantasy. We read for entertainment, yes, but we
also read to discovery the mastery of the word.
And in this, Ilona
Andrews’ Kate Daniels series delivers.
Get the series and
immerse yourself in a well-crafted tale. You won’t be sorry.
Ilona Andrews
is an urban
fantasy novelist. She was born in Russia (English is
her second language) and came to the United States as a
teenager. She attended Western Carolina University , where
she majored in biochemistry and met her husband Gordon, who
helped her write and submit her first novel, Magic Bites.
Its sequel, Magic Burns, reached #32 on the
New York Times
extended
bestseller list in April 2008. Ilona and Gordon
currently live in Georgia .
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