Author: Kim Harrison
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: The Shadow Age # 1
Hardcover, 452 Pages
Publication: March 5, 2024
Source: Personal Library
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I've only read one of Harrison's Hollows books and enjoyed it. So, when she announced a new Urban Fantasy series, I immediately added it to my TBR list. Three Kinds of Lucky is what I’d call a “closed world” story, where the human/mundane population is unaware of magic.
Our protagonist, Petra Grady, works at a university dedicated to magic users, specifically mages. The magical hierarchy consists of four levels: Sweeper, Spinner, Mage, and Weaver. Grady is a Sweeper, meaning she can’t perform magic like the other three levels, but she has a unique ability to see and clean up dross, a waste byproduct of spellcasting. If not properly cleaned, dross can cause “bad luck” for anyone who comes across it. For example, walking over dross (imagine invisible black goo that only Sweepers can see) might cause someone to trip, spill their coffee, or twist an ankle. You get the gist.
The magic system, however, is a bit confusing. I understand the basics, but when the story delves into shadows and rezes, I get lost. When Benedict and the other mages discuss the science behind why inert dross isn’t harmful or its side effects, it feels overly complicated and hard to follow. These technicalities often pulled me out of the story, making it less enjoyable.
Petra was an okay heroine. I didn’t love or hate her. My main issue with her was that she came across as a bit of a Debbie Downer. Since childhood, she’s felt excluded because she doesn’t have the ability to wield magic. Her position as a Sweeper also causes others to look down on her, which I found ironic since she’s literally the best Sweeper of her generation. The whole concept of her “not having magic” also feels odd, as the ability to detect and eliminate dross seems like magic in itself. Mundane people certainly can’t do that.
The secondary characters were underwhelming. While the author described them well physically, they lacked depth and were ultimately plain and forgettable. Like Petra, I didn’t strongly like or dislike them, which was disappointing since characters are everything to me as a reader.
Three Kinds of Lucky was a decent series starter, but I’m unsure if I’ll continue. The author set up the next book with the main four characters embarking on a new adventure, but it didn’t sound particularly compelling. If you enjoyed Harrison's Hollows series, I’d suggest checking this one out to see how you feel about it personally.
Buy|AMAZON|
Petra Grady has known since adolescence that she has no talent for magic—and that’s never going to change. But as a sweeper first-class, she’s parlayed her rare ability to handle dross—the damaging, magical waste generated by her more talented kin’s spellwork—into a decent life working at the mages’ university.
Except Grady’s relatively predictable life is about to be upended. When the oblivious, sexy, and oh-so-out-of-reach Benedict Strom needs someone with her abilities for a research project studying dross and how to render it harmless, she’s stuck working on his team—whether she wants to or not.
Only Benedict doesn’t understand the characteristics of dross like Grady does. After an unthinkable accident, she and Benedict are forced to go on the run to seek out the one person who might be able to help: an outcast exiled ten years ago for the crime of using dross to cast spells. Now Grady must decide whether to stick with the magical status quo or embrace her own hidden talents . . . and risk shattering their entire world.
MY THOUGHTS
I've only read one of Harrison's Hollows books and enjoyed it. So, when she announced a new Urban Fantasy series, I immediately added it to my TBR list. Three Kinds of Lucky is what I’d call a “closed world” story, where the human/mundane population is unaware of magic.
Our protagonist, Petra Grady, works at a university dedicated to magic users, specifically mages. The magical hierarchy consists of four levels: Sweeper, Spinner, Mage, and Weaver. Grady is a Sweeper, meaning she can’t perform magic like the other three levels, but she has a unique ability to see and clean up dross, a waste byproduct of spellcasting. If not properly cleaned, dross can cause “bad luck” for anyone who comes across it. For example, walking over dross (imagine invisible black goo that only Sweepers can see) might cause someone to trip, spill their coffee, or twist an ankle. You get the gist.
The magic system, however, is a bit confusing. I understand the basics, but when the story delves into shadows and rezes, I get lost. When Benedict and the other mages discuss the science behind why inert dross isn’t harmful or its side effects, it feels overly complicated and hard to follow. These technicalities often pulled me out of the story, making it less enjoyable.
Petra was an okay heroine. I didn’t love or hate her. My main issue with her was that she came across as a bit of a Debbie Downer. Since childhood, she’s felt excluded because she doesn’t have the ability to wield magic. Her position as a Sweeper also causes others to look down on her, which I found ironic since she’s literally the best Sweeper of her generation. The whole concept of her “not having magic” also feels odd, as the ability to detect and eliminate dross seems like magic in itself. Mundane people certainly can’t do that.
The secondary characters were underwhelming. While the author described them well physically, they lacked depth and were ultimately plain and forgettable. Like Petra, I didn’t strongly like or dislike them, which was disappointing since characters are everything to me as a reader.
Three Kinds of Lucky was a decent series starter, but I’m unsure if I’ll continue. The author set up the next book with the main four characters embarking on a new adventure, but it didn’t sound particularly compelling. If you enjoyed Harrison's Hollows series, I’d suggest checking this one out to see how you feel about it personally.
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