Magic Strikes (Kate Daniels, #3) in Crazy Challenge Connection

Aug 15, 2019 Rosaline (Rosaline's Rolls & Scrolls) rated it really liked it

Shelves: i-have-predictions, first-person-narrative, in-series, summer-of-2019, best-of-2019-reads, favorite-side-characters, read-in-2019, reviewed, favorite-series, adult

This series just keep getting better and better! What is happening?

It has happened! I am officially a Kate Daniels crazy fangirl!

I mean, this book has everything you'd want in an Urban Fantasy series:

• Smart and awesome bad-ass heroine
• Great world building
• An exciting and fast paced story
• Amazingly lovable side characters
• Delicious sexual tension
• Hot male alpha
• And the right amount of magic and cool mythical badassery

I was very shocked at how enjoyable this series was for me before, but ...more

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Mar 22, 2017 Rachel C. rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites, 2017-goodreads-reading-challenge

I have to say I was actually not entirely hooked on this series until this book, even if some things about this installment sort of irked me. I can't lie: it was Curran. I have to read the rest of this series, if not for the awesome world and interesting plots, then at least to figure out whether or not Kate and Curran finally just get together, damn it. Regardless the story was pretty awesome otherwise. Although, the (view spoiler) ...more

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Jun 23, 2020 Susan rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2020, cultural-usa, mystery, paranormal-fantasy-magic-etc, gritty-mystery, dystopian, set-in-north-america

This one is difficult to rate and review. From a basic, storytelling perspective, I enjoyed the read. These books, to me, are reminiscent of a few other series that I read because they follow a certain trajectory, and I know what to expect, and they are generally entertaining. To me, they are like Kraft dinner, not haute cuisine and maybe not too healthy to consume on a regular basis but sometimes just what I need to satisfy that something in me. Also, I think I can add this series to my new 'bo This one is difficult to rate and review. From a basic, storytelling perspective, I enjoyed the read. These books, to me, are reminiscent of a few other series that I read because they follow a certain trajectory, and I know what to expect, and they are generally entertaining. To me, they are like Kraft dinner, not haute cuisine and maybe not too healthy to consume on a regular basis but sometimes just what I need to satisfy that something in me. Also, I think I can add this series to my new 'books to read during Covid-19 physical distancing because it is another that I can just flow into and not think about too much and for a while escape the reality of losing my work and figuring out rent, and trying to keep up with the latest physical-distancing protocols.

So, just on storytelling, I can say that I enjoy this series and enjoyed this book, and despite what I write below, I am adding book #4 to my TBR list.

However, where on storytelling alone I might have given four stars, I am instead giving two because there were a couple of major issues that I had with the book.

One, there seems to yet again be an "exotic" woman in distress to be rescued in this book. Andrews seems to include POC, and WOC especially to add 'exotic' flavour to their books but in a way that is almost worse (or even just plain worse) than leaving these characters out. Why not have a WOC participate in the saving rather than passively needing to be rescued (and in this case rescued from her own bad decisions as much as anything else)?

Two, the treatment of women in general leaves something to be desired. In this case, Andrews buys into and perpetuates the myth that being beautiful is the ultimate prize or best way of being for a woman. Here, in protagonist narrator Kate Daniels they have created a female character, a female hero, who is strong, intelligent, compassionate, principled, dedicated, loyal, skilled in magic and in fighting, caring, and pretty kick-ass but who also has enough 'flaws' (for want of a better word) to make her read complex and real. BUT then Andrews has this same female warrior hero compare herself to most of the other women she meets, decide that the other woman is better looking and/or better shaped than her (Kate) is, and then make an 'at least I am better at swordplay than that one is' type of comment. In all of these cases, Kate decides that while her looks are wanting compared to other women she at least has the consolation prize of one of those many other wonderful attributes that would otherwise make her such a wonderful, strong, complex female protagonist. What a terrible message to perpetuate: 'women, you can be totally kick-ass with many wonderful attributes BUT all of that is ultimately not worth as much as being truly beautiful'. UGH!!! As a side note, this trope also reinforces the horrible idea that women are/ought to be in competition with one another, especially in the area of physical attraction and sex appeal. UGH!

Three, the treatment of women gets worse because Andrews also buys into and perpetuates the disgusting, horrifying trope of 'boy likes girl, girl says no, boy stalks girl in order to 'catch' her despite her protestations' (and really breaking into her apartment to watch her sleep?!? to go through her underwear drawer?!?) UGH and double UGH!! I am amazed (though not really because it is such an entrenched narrative in our culture) how many people find this type of storyline to be 'romantic' UGH! Seriously?!? If we step back and consider how many women in real life are menaced, assaulted, and even murdered by this type of entitled man who will stalk her and pursue her despite her protestations, and then 'punish' her when he realizes that her no is a no, must we still then call it 'romantic'. UGH!

I think Andrews passed up on an opportunity here; an opportunity to change the narrative to a story more in keeping with the kick-ass female hero that they created and they instead sank to the lowest common denominator of the treatment of women in too many of our stories. They created this wonderful complex, rich-in-depth female protagonist, then completely pulled the rug out from under her (and the reader) by turning their hero into an object to be desired and won/obtained by a male 'hero' and who falls short as a woman for not also being the most beautiful one in the room. I was going to say, it was almost as if two completely different people with different ideas wrote this book... but two people did write this book. I am hoping that the one who sees Kate Daniels as a person and a hero has a bigger say in the next book than the one who sees her as an object and a possession. Otherwise, I am unsure if I will continue with this series. ...more

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Apr 18, 2022 Maggie Shanley rated it really liked it

Shelves: suggested-for-me

I do like the world building in this story where you have some magic and some technology and you never know what will be flaring. Kate has a hot for you relationship with Curran the Beast Lord but she is sure he is too arrogant, of course the readers all know how this is eventually going to fly but the sparks getting to that point are great. He won a bet with her and so she is supposed to be serving him a meal while she is naked on November 15th, can't wait to see how that goes in the next book. ...more

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