Magic and the Modern Girl (Jane Madison, #3)

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Magic and the Modern Girl (Jane Madison #3)

by Mindy Klasky (Goodreads Author)

3.74 of 5 stars 3.74 · rating details · 1,077 ratings · 98 reviews

Men come and go, but magic is foreverright?Wrong. After a few months of letting witchcraft slide, Jane Madison discovers that not using her powers has her rapidly losing them. Meanwhile, her warder is avoiding her, her familiar has moved out, her mother is abandoning her again and her grandmother isgetting married? With her world turned topsy-turvy, Jane is at her wits'...more

Mass Market Paperback, 416 pages

Published October 1st 2008 by Red Dress Ink (first published September 20th 2008)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Color Purple

177th out of 657 books — 225 voters

Witch Way to Murder by Shirley Damsgaard

Witchy Mysteries

48th out of 49 books — 49 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 1,812)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Dec 02, 2012 Sue Q rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, borrowed-from-the-library

Type and Source of Book:
Ebook borrowed from the Ontario Library Service

Thoughts - ***Warning!! Contains spoilers below!***:

I will probably never say this again so I'm going to say it first: The third book is by far the best book in this series! The first book was good, the second okay - but this book - the third book - was the best. However, it wouldn't have been able to stand alone: it needed the other two to set the story and characters. It also wouldn't do if you combined all three into one g...more

2 likes · like · see review

Sep 03, 2012 Susan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Okay! So I read one quirky paranormal romance/mystery and now I can't seem to stop reading them. You're probably thinking "Enough already!", but truthfully, I can't seem to help myself. These days, my waking hours are long and demanding and when I get home at night, I really need to unwind with something that I don't have to think about too much. These books that I've been reading seem to be just the ticket.

Jane hasn't been using her magic. In fact, you could say she's been very neglectful. Her...more Okay! So I read one quirky paranormal romance/mystery and now I can't seem to stop reading them. You're probably thinking "Enough already!", but truthfully, I can't seem to help myself. These days, my waking hours are long and demanding and when I get home at night, I really need to unwind with something that I don't have to think about too much. These books that I've been reading seem to be just the ticket.

Jane hasn't been using her magic. In fact, you could say she's been very neglectful. Her powers have dwindled, her books are fading, her bits and bobbles are disappearing, and her relationships with her warder is practically non existent. Not only does she have to deal with all of that, but her Grandmother is getting married, her best friend finally has a boyfriend, and Jane thinks she's finally found her guy!

So what's this Modern Witch to do? Well she's going to have to pull out all the stops and get help from everyone in order to make things right. She creates an Anima, named Arial, and of course, things go completely wrong because she doesn't focus and just about loses all the magic she has left! What a mess! Now Jane needs to convince Grandma, her mom Clara, her familiar Neko and David, her warder and protector, to help her.

The rest of the story lumbers along, and doesn't move at the same clip as the previous stories. It took me a bit longer to get thru it and sometimes I found my self skipping ahead just to get to the good parts. The interaction between Neko and Jane was limited, due to Neko moving out, and the same with David, but due to the mere fact that Jane hasn't used her magic.

It was interesting to see Jane get a boyfriend who she could finally open up to, but I didn't see that relationship going anywhere. It was so obvious that she had feelings for David, all the way back to the first book in the series. But nothing keeps a reader interested more than unrequited love or in this case, indecisive love.

The climax, naturally, happens at Grandma's wedding! But since I don't want to give away the story, I will just end and say, that if you're following the series, you will need to read this in order to find out if Jane gets her magic back or not. (less)

1 like · like · see review

Aug 28, 2009 Shannon rated it 5 of 5 stars

Washington, D.C., reference librarian (and practicing witch) Jane Madison learns a lesson in love and spell casting in Klasky's lively latest (after Sorcery and the Single Girl). After quitting the snobby Washington Coven, returning heroine Jane takes a vacation from casting spells . Six months later, she discovers her powers have vanished and her witchy paraphernalia has been destroyed. In a tizzy, Jane runs to Neko, her gay feline familiar, and Melissa White, her ever-sympathetic best friend,...more

like · see review

Jul 26, 2011 Renee Beaucage added it

Ok, of the three Jane Madison books, this was my least favourite :(. I found the whole thing with Ariel unnecessary, and slightly confusion as well. I couldn't get a grasp on what her real purpose was. I mean, I understood that she was created in order to harness Jane's powers again, but I just thought her entire existence was pointless. Though, I love the name.

I enjoyed her relationship with Will. I suppose I am a hopeless romantic... but I really enjoyed experiencing their connection.

I reall...more

like · see review

Aug 30, 2011 Crystal Starr Light rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit, hello-my-name-is-mary-sue, idiot-protagonist

Started out great, then people forget there was a plot

Jane Madison is a witch, but she hasn't been using her "witchy" powers in so long, she's losing them. After whining about this to her friend, Melissa, her ward, David, suggests she performs a big spell to bring back her magic. She chooses to create an anima, but this turns out badly when she realizes that the anima hasn't given her any of her powers back!

During these last days of Borders' Going Out of Business Sale, I've been continuously per...more Started out great, then people forget there was a plot

Jane Madison is a witch, but she hasn't been using her "witchy" powers in so long, she's losing them. After whining about this to her friend, Melissa, her ward, David, suggests she performs a big spell to bring back her magic. She chooses to create an anima, but this turns out badly when she realizes that the anima hasn't given her any of her powers back!

During these last days of Borders' Going Out of Business Sale, I've been continuously perusing the racks, hunting for books that A) I've been meaning to buy and B) books that might be interesting. This book I spotted, with its cute cover, on one such trip. And since I knew that it would be fluffy and light-hearted, I figured I'd snatch it up and read it on a flight. So when I found myself flying, I made sure to squeeze this book into my luggage.

The first 100 pages or so are more or less solid. Sure, the book is completely fluffy, more chick lit than paranormal, but I liked the refreshing change of pace. No major baddies to fight. No worlds to save. No Messiahs to protect. Just a simple woman living a simple life.

The next 150+ pages are when the problems start to arise. The whole story comes to a complete halt as Jane tries to figure out her feelings for this great guy, Will. Gone is her desire to retain her powers. Gone is the urgency to find the damn anima. Instead, let's be a b!tch to this great guy and totally drag him all around the place.

In the beginning, I liked Jane. She was fun, she was pretty realistic, and she wasn't omnipotent. However, as the story progressed, I disliked her more and more, until I wanted to start clubbing her. She whines continuously to her friend, Melissa about her stupid, solvable problems and almost completely ignores Melissa's problems. After seeing her anima, she breaks up a date with Will, doesn't say why (only that it deals with "David"), and then proceeds to MOPE the REST OF THE NIGHT. Oh, sure, she calls David, doesn't get an answer, but if she is going to cancel a date, why not chase after anima? If she wanted to call David, use the cellphone! Go to a corner, make a quick call, if he doesn't answer, then proceed with the date! Why make life more miserable for yourself?

I don't see how Melissa put up with Jane. She has her own problems, but she seems to always have time to listen to Jane whine about her messed-up life. I guess after Melissa gets the amazing Rob, she can put up with anything Jane gives her.

Neko is such a hideously stereotyped gay character, I cringed. Fashion savvy? Check. "Girlfriend" at the end of each line of dialogue? Check. Can steal away boyfriends? Check. Hypersexual? Check. Smarmy and smart alecky? Definitely.

Will was a great guy, and I definitely wanted to see Jane happy with him. David, on the other hand, felt like a control freak. After he dumped her the night after they bumped uglies, I was totally ready to let him fly. But, of course, I am just a reader, not the author, so this wasn't my story to dictate. Let me just say that I have NO IDEA why Jane went back with this guy (even though he did say he was wrong and sorry, both of which did give me a wee bit more respect for him).

The story started out good (even though there was a TON of infodumping and recapping from the previous books that felt like overkill), but then flew off the tracks. Jane loses her powers, tries to regain them and fails. But then, instead of pursuing her anima, she proceeds to whine and gripe and make her love life miserable (AND drag Will around by the nose, poor guy). We have Gran's wedding, which appears out of nowhere, disappears, then reappears to be hastily and suddenly tied up at the end (it makes NO SENSE why Gran suddenly decided to go from huge wedding to small wedding). The last 50 pages or so finally returns to the plot, but by that point, I was mad at the book and very close to not finishing it (I did because I hate quitting the book).

In the end, what started as a nice, relaxing, frothy read turned into a 1000 piece unfinished jigsaw puzzle. What could have been a good story got swamped by other, unimportant plotlines, stupid actions, and stupid characters. By no means the worst book I've read, do not open this book without expecting a LOT of chick lit and you will probably enjoy it. Otherwise, just skip it.(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Jul 08, 2011 Jenn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, vampiresupernatural

This is a fun third - possibly final? - installment in the Jane Madison series. This is a true, frothy romance novel with the paranormal - in this series' case, that of witches (not, thank heavens, vampires or werewolves or - heaven help us! - fallen angels) - added in such a way that the world seems so believable. The way that Klasky describes the setting makes me want to go back to D.C. - it makes me want to visit her little historical library and see the cottage behind and take a walk to her...more

like · see review

Sep 18, 2009 Gail rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance

Librarian and erstwhile witch Jane Madison hasn't practiced her witchcraft in almost a year. She's been devoting herself to her career as librarian and, to be honest, avoiding everything that is witchy. She discovers, to her horror, that not only are her powers dwindling, but all her witchcraft books and tools are losing their potency and are in danger of either being destroyed or confiscated.

She works a spell to bring her powers back to rather distastrous results. Meanwhile a lover who truly lo...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 08, 2012 Dear Velvet rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jane.. WAKE UP!

I have to come clean: I was a little bewitched (sorry) by Jane Madison and her odd-assorted band of female relatives, familiars, wardens, scheming fellow witches and dazzlingly unsuitable men. The whole shebang has the ring of truth to it, even given the fantasy nature of her world.
(It is fantasy isn't it? Am I missing out here? Oh some of us have such exciting lives..)

How many of us have never blundered into the wrong guy's arms, completely failing to communicate with Mr. Perfect...more

like · see review

Nov 24, 2008 Jaron rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I really enjoyed this book, however, I was kind of confused at the change in Jane's behavior. Jane seems a little more whiny than in the other books. Part of it I understand. This is the book where Jane truly needs to decide if witchcraft is for her and where she has to learn from past mistakes, namely, her love life. And she needs to do it. How will she truly appreciate what she has if she doesn't dabble in a life without it? She lives sort of a double life, trying to recover her powers, while...more I really enjoyed this book, however, I was kind of confused at the change in Jane's behavior. Jane seems a little more whiny than in the other books. Part of it I understand. This is the book where Jane truly needs to decide if witchcraft is for her and where she has to learn from past mistakes, namely, her love life. And she needs to do it. How will she truly appreciate what she has if she doesn't dabble in a life without it? She lives sort of a double life, trying to recover her powers, while also dating non-magical Will. She sees the pros and cons of both lives, but seems mostly swayed towards a normal life without magic until the end of the book. And having Jane realizing what she is giving up by being a witch is totally fine by me, but I get slightly irritated at her behavior. In the previous book, Jane worked so hard to prove her magic to the Coven. Even though she didn't join, I would still think she would use her magic here and there. She didn't want to lose Neko and the books then, but in this book, she is well on her way to doing just that. The Coven was hardly mentioned in this book, and I thought that her not joining the Coven was a pretty big deal. So to begin this book to see she hasn't used her powers at all in 6 months makes me wonder what she is thinking, and you can't help but feel sorry for Neko and David, especially since Jane sees them more as nuisances. She kicks Neko out and David is forced to go back to being a file clerk. I wish there was more of her thinking about others than whining about how witchcraft can be too much of a burden. I also wish Jane would just communicate with David. Even in the end, they both never really sat down and said "This is how I feel..." or "This is why I act like this..." However, it was still a fun and easy read, as Jane has to hunt down her anima Ariel and figure out what went wrong with her spell. Jane begins to teach magic to Gran and Clara, and figures out new ways for magic to be performed. You do learn more about David, which is great since he's always been so mysterious. The ending was great, very romantic, and paves the way for another book in the series. I feel there is still more to learn about David and Jane's relationship, as well as what Jane plans to do after leaving the Peabridge and coaching other witches. Maybe there will be some sort of "war" with Teresa Allison's Coven and Jane's Coven she has already started to form? I hope so, because I feel like there is a lot more to be uncovered in Jane's world and so many questions still unanswered. (less)

1 like · like · see review

Dec 07, 2008 Cathy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: chicklit, fantasy, paranormal, series-reminder, romance, magic-users

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

1 like · like · see review

Sep 19, 2010 Nancy O'Toole rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal

In the beginning of Magic and the Modern Girl, Jane Madison hasn’t used her powers in quite a while. She doesn’t really think of the consequences until she looks in the basement of her cottage to discover that her runes have dissolved and her books are almost wiped clean. After contacting her Warder, David, Jane discovers something very disturbing. Since she has neglected her magical abilities, she is losing them. In a desperate attempt to jump start her powers, she attempts a large spell, but t...more In the beginning of Magic and the Modern Girl, Jane Madison hasn’t used her powers in quite a while. She doesn’t really think of the consequences until she looks in the basement of her cottage to discover that her runes have dissolved and her books are almost wiped clean. After contacting her Warder, David, Jane discovers something very disturbing. Since she has neglected her magical abilities, she is losing them. In a desperate attempt to jump start her powers, she attempts a large spell, but things do not go as planned. Meanwhile, Jane has even more things to worry about. Her grandmother is getting married and seems to be planning the most extravagant wedding of the century. Her mother, Clara, has announced that she is once again, leaving. And of course there’s Will Dexter, a charming and very normal guy who may convince Jane to give up magic for good.

Magic and the Modern Girl is the third and final Jane Madison book. To be honest, I’m glad that they’re ending the series here because the books are beginning to fall into a bit of a formula. Each book has Jane facing a magical dilemma. A new romantic interest in introduced and the relationship doesn’t quite turn out how Jane expects. Add in some snarky comments from Neko, flakiness from Clara, tension with David, and friendship moments from Melissa, and you pretty much have a Jane Madison novel. Now that’s not to say that these books aren’t enjoyable to read. I absolutely loved Girls Guide to Witchcraft, and found Sorcery and the Single Girl to be a blast, but when picking up Magic and the Modern Girl, the similarities to past books did end up hampering my enjoyment.

Now that’s not to say that I did not enjoy this volume as it was plenty fun to read. I liked the fact that we got resolutions on a lot of the conflicts between characters. I like the fact that we had a love triangle that wasn’t “girl must chose between truly decent guy and jerk-off guy.” So, even though it was a step down from the previous books in the series, it was far from a complete disappointment, and ended up ending things quite well. I plan on continuing to read Mindy Klasky’s books (although I kind of wish she would write another straight fantasy book, as chick lit is less my thing). I know she’s planning on starting a similarly themed series involving genies coming out this year, and I’m curious to see what she’s come up with.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Aug 12, 2010 Steph rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, series-ended, author-웃

Magic and the Modern Girl is the final book in the Jane Madison trilogy. I was kinda disappointed with this one, esp since "that's all she wrote" on the matter. But, Mindy Klasky did eventually wrap everything up, just not the way I would've thought things would've played out. They are allowed to do that from time to time. LOL!

Jane, having chosen to not join the coven in the last book, finds life is just getting in the way of using her magic. She's been busy with work, family, friends, life and...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 06, 2009 adventurat rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, fantasy, fiction, romance, e-book, paranormal

I think this is my favourite book of the Jane Madison series, and I think that's probably because there's more at stake for Jane - in every aspect of her life - in this book than in either the first or second book. The business of witching is no longer the strange new world it was in the first book, and Jane has no need to prove (as she did in the second book) that she is worthy of her powers, her books and arcane materials, her familiar. In the third book, what's at stake is everything she work...more

like · see review

Dec 23, 2008 Krystal rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: supernatural-stuff

This trilogy was hard to finish for me. It really was a good idea, I just don't think (in my lowly opinion) that it was executed well. The books had this sense about them that the author followed a checklist to writing. Klasky wrote in minute detail what the story was, she didn't let it unfold naturally. And all the books were filled with this forced sense of cramming "class" into it. From the name dropping, to information, to what should be served on menus, the opera this and that, the "arts" a...more

like · see review

Apr 07, 2013 Ronda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Aughhhh! After wanting to shake some sense into Jane, Melissa, and David during the first two books, I was really pleased to see just how far these guys have come. Now, don't get me wrong, the beginning of the book finds Jane every bit as self absorbed and immature as she was in the first two. The difference in this book is that I could see a lot of growth-for all of the characters. For me, this was the best book of the series so far.

like · see review

Jun 16, 2010 Heather Tisdale rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Jan 24, 2013 Lina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: witches

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Mar 26, 2012 Kimberly rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, cosy-mystery

This book was my favorite of the 3 . The first two seemed to be so focused on Jane's day to day life that the actual storyline was put on hold until the last chapter. Mindy seemed to have a better flow this time. I have enjoyed the series, and I do recommend it. Mindy has created a fun cast of characters and she weaves a lot of humor into her stories.

like · see review

Jul 04, 2009 Ellen rated it 2 of 5 stars

I think this was a sequel (I haven't read the first ones) so I didn't get a few things. There was a fair amount of review, which was nice, but even so sometimes I felt like it was too much. Some things I didn't really get but didn't want to. Generally I liked the characters but main girl bugged at times. I have no interest in the rest of the series.

1 like · like · see review

Jun 08, 2009 Andrea rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-chick-lit

Another light, light read. It ends how it is supposed to end...although I would have liked a much more definite conclusion. I can't tell if there is supposed to be a 4th or not. If there is a 4th...well I would like some more closure in the series but like it when writers don't keep things going on and on and on.

like · see review

Sep 03, 2011 Becky rated it 2 of 5 stars

I got this from Borders as it was going out of business. It made me want to read the previous books, but this one meandered quite a bit from the main plot and was tricky to follow since I started with a later book. I'd be willing to read earlier books from the series, though.

like · see review

May 11, 2011 Elizabeth Hernandez rated it 3 of 5 stars

Not my fav of the three, but still couldn't put it down. I read it in less than a week, which is pretty fast for me and my schedule. I think some of the story just caught me off guard or felt pointless and I read it faster just to get to the end, which was good.

like · see review

Mar 23, 2013 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-fiction

Her magic is slipping away. No matter what she does she is losing her connection to not only that but her warder and her familar. So she has a chance to leave this magic thing behind, should she choose to have a normal life instead of her crazy filled magic life instead?

like · see review

Apr 17, 2010 Heather rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal

Okay I read this because it was a redhead in black on the cover who was a witch and a librarian. However, I did not really like it. I remember being annoyed with the whole "familiar" thing they did and the romantic interest twist was very annoying.

like · see review

May 02, 2011 Jessica N. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Geez. It takes three entire books to figure out who her Mr. Perfect is. I'm happy she got there!
Although I liked the book, I wish the big ending scene was a little more descriptive about why her anima did what she did. I was confused.

like · see review

Aug 26, 2012 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Not as good as the first two books. It is a strong 3.5 in my opinion. I kind of wish there was one more book after this so you could see what happens after this book ends but aside from that Mindy Klasky does a good job of tying up the story.

like · see review

May 20, 2011 Anne rated it 2 of 5 stars

First gripe: Had no idea that it was part of a series. Trust me, you'll have wanted to read the other 2 books to fully understand the back story that Klasky keeps referencing.

Second gripe: Some of the thoughts seems a little unfocused and unfinished.

All in all, not my favorite, luckily I got it in a used book story thinking it'd be a fun quick read. Quick? Yes. Fun? Not really. The back story alone kept confusing me and wondering what I had missed. Also I wondered if it was really THAT importan...more

like · see review

Sep 11, 2012 Kerry Murphy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Klasky keeps me coming back for more. I love the Jane Madison series. The ending left me hoping there was another in the series I could immediately download. Here's hoping for another Jane Madison adventure!

like · see review

Feb 09, 2010 Karalee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit, winter-09-challenge

This book was at least as good as the first Jane Madison book in this series, if not better. Fun, entertaining and with some depth of character development. A great book to read while snowed in during a storm.

like · see review

Mar 12, 2012 Cristi Wilcox DiGenova rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit, urban-fantasy

This one felt even more like daytime drama than the last two and I've become sad with the main character's Clueless situation. The series wrap-up was great ... but too pat and slightly confusing.

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 60 61 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (3)

Genres

Womens Fiction > Chick Lit

63 users

Fantasy > Paranormal

44 users

Fantasy

28 users

Romance

26 users

Paranormal > Witches

22 users

Romance > Paranormal Romance

17 users

Fantasy > Magic

11 users

Fantasy > Urban Fantasy

9 users

Fantasy > Supernatural

9 users

Witchcraft

5 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Hex in High Heels
by Linda Wisdom
Like a Charm
by Candace Havens
Chick with a Charm
by Vicki Lewis Thompson
Damsel Under Stress
by Shanna Swendson
A Stroke of Magic
by Tracy Madison

About Mindy Klasky

Mindy Klasky learned to read when her parents shoved a book in her hands and told her that she could travel anywhere in the world through stories. She never forgot that advice.

Mindy's travels took her through multiple careers, including copyright lawyer and law librarian. Mindy now writes full time. Her books fall in a number of genres -- including traditional fantasy, urban fantasy, and category...more

More about Mindy Klasky...

Books by Mindy Klasky

Girl's Guide to Witchcraft (Jane Madison, #1)

Sorcery and the Single Girl (Jane Madison, #2)

The Glasswrights' Apprentice (Glasswright, #1)

The Glasswrights' Progress (Glasswright, #2)

The Glasswrights' Journeyman (Glasswright, #3)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Magic and the Mod...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Magic and the Modern Girl
avg rating	preview: Magic and the Modern Girl Goodreads rating: 3.74 (1077 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2837560-magic-and-the-modern-girl?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348400456l/2837560.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2837560-magic-and-the-modern-girl?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Magic and the Modern Girl by Mindy Klasky[/url]

Magic and the Modern Girl (Jane Madison #3)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website