The third installment

This review contains pictures, spoilers and quotes. To view all of them, please visit my facebook blog: [...]

This review spoils things Mentioned in the books before, for sure. And so it contains (minor?) Spoilers of this installment. (Plus a huge one in spoiler tags, so you will not see it unless you click the 'Show' link / button / whatever)

'' I do not know if I really Should Review Magic Strikes. The Kate Daniels series is awesome and this novel's been my favorite so far. There are several things I'd like to talk about later, but first of all, let's talk about the story.

The book takes place 6 months after Greg's murder and starts with Kate trying to help a family and an old-lady banshee. She's been up for about 20 hours and feels like shit, but then has to visit a scene of crime. A shapeshifter had been murdered, but when she arrives, she's been told did the Pack does not want her help. She then returns to her home.

But no, of course it's not like She Could relax then. No, Saiman calls. Derek'd tried to steal something from him and if Kate did not want Derek to be severely punished (it's a big deal for about 300 reasons) by Curran, she'd better move her tiny ass to his place. So, of course, she does go to him and Agrees 'as long as he keeps his mouth shut about Derek' to be Saimans armcandy plus bodyguard When He's going to the Midnight Game, something that's highly illegal and a paranormal Fight Club with bets going on.

Yadda, yadda, yadda. There's lots of blah and some fights and complications, Derek wants her to give Lizie, one of the fighters, a note (highly suspicious!) And is later found dead almost. But even worse 'Curran, the Lord of Beasts, has no clue about anything of fact at all, When Everything's connected somehow.

I'm going to stop right there. In short: It's thrilling, funny, sad, awesome, fast-paced and I highly recommend the whole series, Because even if the first two books were bullshit 'and They are not' this one's worth the ink (or kbites)

Now here's what I like:

In the Earlier books Kate's sometimes portrayed or Treated as if she's a noob. Of course we know what she did one of the best graduates, but we never really saw her doing her job exeptionally good. We do this in Magic Strikes.

And I'm not talking about:

>> 'I gave him a smile. I was aiming for sweet, but he turned a shade paler and scooted a bit farther from me. Note to self: work more on sweet and less on psycho-killer '.
She's intelligent, strong, well-trained in her many abilities. She's just good at what she does. Capable. And, finally, we are told why she's so special, paranoid and always burning down Everything That came in contact with her blood. I do not know if there is much more, but it seems like the biggest of the big mysteries out. She's now out of the closet, everybody! SHE IS!

* Picture *

But I have to admit, me with my daddy-issues .. Well, I sometimes really felt like crying. * Sniff *: C

Second: Nick's there, again. We 'or more over Kate' do not get to talk to him, but he's there and I'm really curious about what's he up to .. Oh! And Julie's in the book, as well. I start to like her .. And let's not forget Andrea (plus Raphael). I neeed to read more about her 'or maybe even them as an item? Next to them we meet some other characters, are indeed leaving (at least me) with the thought: 'Oh, f'ck the what! What's gonna happen now did he / she's made his / her entrance, too? '

Third: The romance part. There's much more romance going on than before. Or maybe it just felt like that? I do not know, but the Kate Curran-scenes were hilarious, hot, sometimes tender and .. Ah, I do not know, you just got to love them!

The relationships and emotional insights (does that make sense?) In general. Really goood! Plus, we get some teenage / young adult / whatever relationship issues again. In the last book there were Red and Julie, in this one Derek and Livie.

>> 'If your roles were reversed she would not do the same for you. She's using you. '
'It does not matter what she does. It only matters what I DO. ' He quoted me. (..)
Fourth: background stories. Not only Kate's. We now know what Exactly Saiman is, we know more about Jim 'the alpha of the cats and the Pack's chief of security' and then of course there is Curran .. And connected to the Histories of Those characters are a few other facts. For Example we now knowthat the Midnight Games are strictly forbidden for shapeshifters. Apparently there once was a shapeshifter who's gone nuts and killed many people until fifteen years old Curran killed him and Became the new Lord of the Beasts. That happened 16 years ago, in 2024 and Kate's been 9 at the time. Raphael, the hyena so Explains some mating-rules to Kate. (Or more like how the different male shapeshifters court Their women)

If you want to know (a big) part of Kate's story and what all the Roland-shit is about, read the spoiler:

* Spoiler *

Final statement

This book's been so good, really. I'm amazed by how Andrews managed to captivate me yet again. After what's happened in Magic Strikes I'm really, really, really curious about what happens in the fourth book. I did not read the blurb yet (they Often spoil the hell out of me, seriously!) But if it's at least half as good as I expect it's a four out of five star book. Reaaad the book! If I had more followers I might give a copy away, buuut .. hm, maybe one day ..; b

Sexual Content: Mentions of rape, a semi-graphic scene of almost-sex, kissing.