"Magic Strikes (Kate Daniels #3)" by Ilona Andrews

This review features a book that is the third in the Kate Daniels series, and may have minor spoilers for those who have not read Magic Bites and Magic Burns. My review of the first book can be found here.

The trouble with the Kate Daniels series is: once you devour the first two, the addictive drug laced in the pages forces you to read all the rest of them. I swear, even though I read these on my Kindle, that there is some sort of drugging going on (subliminal messaging? Alien mind melding? Incredibly snarky dialogue?). Each book gets incrementally better, until you are forced to stop because... the eighth book isn't quite published yet. Fiddlesticks.

Carrying on, this is the defining book of the Kate/Curran dynamic. If you were lukewarm about their dealings before, Magic Strikes will strike you like Eros's arrow. No joke. I've warned you. If you don't have enough money to pick up the next book (or the rest of the series) than don't read this one... just step away while you still can.

The Plot (As Seen on Goodreads):
'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…'

Other than being illicitly addicting, this book also takes a closer look at Kate's past, answering the burning question: how did she become so badass? The Midnight Games (think Gladiator with Russell Crowe) bring out some unusual flashbacks, as well as some interesting characters she hoped to avoid. And also, some fresh mythology I haven't seen used before (ever) in a book.

The Midnight Games also bring out plenty of subterfuge on the account of some of Kate's friends. I use the italics because it seems to suit me in this review, and also because who Kate thinks of as friend and foe gets a bit muddled in this book. In other words, I can't tell you more without spoiling, but I will leave you with my favorite bit of banter from the book:

'I sighed and put Slayer between the front seats. "Stay here. Guard the car."
'Saiman shut the door. "Is the sword sentient?"
'"No. But I like to pretend it is."'

    ~Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews, page 56 Kindle edition

Magic Strikes made me grin and immediately reach for the next in the series, or in my case, desperately swipe with my finger until I found it on my bloated Kindle Fire carousel. While certainly exceptional, it didn't quite breach the ultra exclusive five star rating, probably because I was left wanting more. I recommend Magic Strikes to anyone who has read the first two books in the series and is willing to read several more (or all the rest) of Kate Daniels's adventures.

Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars for an honestly addictive third book in the series!

Content: Ages 18+ for hot tubs, vicious violence, and more choice cursing. Also, sexual content.

Page Count: 310 pages