Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Three Kinds of Lucky by Kim Harrison Narrator: Marguerite Gavin
Series: The Shadow Age #1
Published by Ace on March 5, 2024
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 464
Length: 15 hours, 38 minutes
Format: Audiobook, eARC
Source: NetGalley, Publisher
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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.
The Shadow Age is a new series with a complex magic system. The setting is a smaller university town just east of Tucson, Arizona. It seems a bit odd the main character is Petra Grady which has a Scandinavian feel, while it is actually Greek and Irish origins. Anyway, Petra is a likely urban fantasy heroine with her parents gone, and her skills a bit odd.
Petra is at the bottom of mage society as a sweeper. Mages doing magic produce dross (light). Sweepers don’t do actual magic but clean up the dross after mages. Spinners can do a bit of magic relating to containment of dross. So Petra is a superior sweeper but can’t do magic.  Her mentors are spinners and more experienced sweepers who run the vault where all the collected dross is stored and shadows are destroyed.
Benedict Strom is a mage from her childhood. He has a project to make dross inert so it doesn’t have to be stored. He hurt Petra’s feelings in childhood. Benedict wants Petra on his project team, but she thinks it is dangerous.
When things go spectacularly wrong, Petra and Benedict work together to find an old spinner who was a friend of her dad. But there are many political factions battling, not to mention the innocent mundanes. There is the mage militia who try to keep things safe and, to a certain degree the mages in charge. The separatists are more of a terrorist group, also for mage superiority, but some would even kill the spinners and sweepers, to be the only magic in control.
But it turns out there is a long forgotten class of magic users, the weavers. Weavers work with shadow and light, keeping the balance. Weavers don’t need to kill shadows in dross vaults because they can control them. Petra starts on her journey of learning to weave in a crisis. She has to avoid mage knowledge of her because some of them just can’t have any one with power they don’t control.
I enjoyed Three Kinds of Lucky. The first book is always a bit to understand the world and learn about the characters. There is much yet to know and learn, both about the past and the present.  Petra and Benedict have the touch of romance, not yet developed. With their skills, they will be involved in the future technology. I’ll be interested to see where things go from here, if Petra can remain safe and build even more skills.
Narration:
I’ve always enjoyed Marguerite Gavin as a narrator. The start of this felt a bit too high pitched and squeaky so I cut back to 1.3x instead of my usual 1.5x and that was more comfortable. I settled into all the voices for the characters and enjoyed the performance.
Listen to a clip: HERE
About Marguerite Gavin
Marguerite Gavin is a seasoned theater veteran, a five-time nominee for the prestigious Audie Award, and the winner of numerous AudioFile Earphones and Publishers Weekly awards. Marguerite has been an actor, director, and audiobook narrator for her entire professional career, and has over four hundred titles to her credit.
About Kim Harrison
Kim Harrison, author of the New York Times #1 best selling Hollows series, was born in Detroit and lived most her her life within an easy drive. After gaining her bachelors in the sciences, she moved to South Carolina, where she remained until recently returning to Michigan because she missed the snow. She’s currently working on the Peri Reed Chronicles, and when not at her desk, Kim is most likely to be found landscaping her new/old Victorian home, in the garden, or out on the links.
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 24-COYER
I’m looking forward to starting this, it sounds like a great start to the series!
yes I think it will be interesting. I look forward to the next book when I already know a little of the world and characters.
Nice review. I’ve got this on my TBR.
I look forward to your thoughts. I found it a little slower because it’s the start of the series which is typical. I’ll be interested to see how it continues.
I do love the cover, and know at some point I should try this author. I’ll keep this in mind since it is the first in a newer series! Great review!
Well I enjoyed it and am curious to see how it develops. First books are always a little weird. I didn’t think UF was your regular thing but I hope you enjoy it.
I was curious to know what you would think of this one, Anne. I love her Hollows series and have read a few of her non Hollows series short stories, so do want to read this new series as well. I am glad you enjoyed it! I look forward to giving it a try myself now.
Wendy, it is hard sometimes to know how a series is going to go with the first book. I did enjoy it and will read the next one. I’m not sure where things are going though.
Glad that you liked it. I’m excited to read it.