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A review by readundancies
Three Kinds of Lucky by Kim Harrison
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I think 2024 is the year we need to shine a spotlight on well written plot-driven stories.
Because this one? Totally fits the bill.
This was a fast-paced, plot driven urban fantasy winner on almost all fronts, and I cannot wait for the sequel.
It kicks off at a run and never really eases up with a lead character in Petra Grady, a sweeper, which is effectively presented as a magical trash artist or janitor if you will. This sets up a world with a bit of a social hierarchy that is predisposed to prejudice and stigma and Petra, quite tellingly, sits right at the bottom.
The world-building is easily my favourite aspect of this novel - the luck-based magic, the magic system involving light, shadow and dross at its triangular core, the sweepers and Spinners and weavers and mages, the political climate with the militia and mage separatists - all of it was completely engrossing and so easy slip into. The lack of mundane interaction with those who are not magical allows much more to be explored as the series progresses and I really liked the foundational work that Kim Harrison has set up so far in this world.
The focus on plot and the speed with which it flies by makes this a really quick read; I swear 400+ pages has never felt so easy to get through. That said, it also does a lot of the heavy lifting. The characterization was not as strong as it could’ve been when it comes to everyone who is not our lead character Petra. Which is not to say I hated all the other characters, I actually enjoyed them for the most part outside of Ashley. But they definitely could’ve been expanded upon to a deeper extent. This made a lot of the relationships suffer a bit as well - Petra’s friendship with Ashley as her roommate came off as disingenuous based on Ashley’s often bizarre behaviour and Petra and Benedict’s supposed romance gives off major insta-love vibes despite not a lot actually amounting between them.
And yet, in spite of its flaws, I really just had so much fun with this story. I’ll definitely be continuing with the series, and have already preemptive put this on my favourites list for the year.
So if anything about the synopsis is drawing you in, I wholeheartedly recommend you pick this story up. It’s got a lot of potential to turn into something truly special as the series continues and I can’t wait to see where it all goes.
Because this one? Totally fits the bill.
This was a fast-paced, plot driven urban fantasy winner on almost all fronts, and I cannot wait for the sequel.
It kicks off at a run and never really eases up with a lead character in Petra Grady, a sweeper, which is effectively presented as a magical trash artist or janitor if you will. This sets up a world with a bit of a social hierarchy that is predisposed to prejudice and stigma and Petra, quite tellingly, sits right at the bottom.
The world-building is easily my favourite aspect of this novel - the luck-based magic, the magic system involving light, shadow and dross at its triangular core, the sweepers and Spinners and weavers and mages, the political climate with the militia and mage separatists - all of it was completely engrossing and so easy slip into. The lack of mundane interaction with those who are not magical allows much more to be explored as the series progresses and I really liked the foundational work that Kim Harrison has set up so far in this world.
The focus on plot and the speed with which it flies by makes this a really quick read; I swear 400+ pages has never felt so easy to get through. That said, it also does a lot of the heavy lifting. The characterization was not as strong as it could’ve been when it comes to everyone who is not our lead character Petra. Which is not to say I hated all the other characters, I actually enjoyed them for the most part outside of Ashley. But they definitely could’ve been expanded upon to a deeper extent. This made a lot of the relationships suffer a bit as well - Petra’s friendship with Ashley as her roommate came off as disingenuous based on Ashley’s often bizarre behaviour and Petra and Benedict’s supposed romance gives off major insta-love vibes despite not a lot actually amounting between them.
And yet, in spite of its flaws, I really just had so much fun with this story. I’ll definitely be continuing with the series, and have already preemptive put this on my favourites list for the year.
So if anything about the synopsis is drawing you in, I wholeheartedly recommend you pick this story up. It’s got a lot of potential to turn into something truly special as the series continues and I can’t wait to see where it all goes.