“Petra Grady continues to develop her bond with the shadow, Pluck, as the first weaver/shadow pair in nearly a millennium. Even with the support of researcher and boyfriend, Benedict Strom, at St. Enoc, there are some who do not welcome the weaver who can use shadow magic. When Petra and Benedict discover another weaver, they find she is chased by Thoth, a shadow who set mages against weavers thousands of years ago and left betrayal in his wake. As Thoth continues his quest to destroy any stability between the two sides, Petra and Pluck find themselves running from both the university and the mage courts. If they cannot find a way to defeat Thoth and reveal the truth and their innocence, then Petra and Pluck could lose everything. While the pacing is a little bumpy, the novel’s worldbuilding is immersive. VERDICT Harrison’s follow-up to Three Kinds of Lucky continues to develop the world of this contemporary fantasy. Fans will find it completely different than the “Hollows” series, but the spirited protagonists and character relationships showcase Harrison’s prose.” — Library Journal

“Petra Grady has the kind of dirty magical job that no one ever talks about when crafting big novels about monsters and mayhem and magic. As a sweeper, she cleans up the ‘‘dross’’ or magic detritus that is created when powerful folks (mages) cast spells. In Kim Harrison’s urban fantasy THREE KINDS OF LUCKY, Petra is eighteen, working hard for a living at a magic university outside of Tucson, Arizona, and trying not to get overly annoyed at the obnoxious mages who treat her like a janitor. She knows, and they know, that if sweepers don’t do their job the dross will become malevolent, shadows will be created and all sorts of chaos will ensue. (I am hugely simplifying the situation but you get the drift.)

What keeps Petra going while surrounded by some first class academic snobs is her colleagues, her nice-enough roommate, and her dog, Pluck. (As someone who survived watching Old Yeller on Wonderful World of Disney, I am honor bound to advise that you do not bond strongly with Pluck. This is a spoiler that I will not apologize for.) But Petra’s old friend, now professor, Benedict Storm has been trying to figure out a way for spells to be cast that mitigates the dross problem, thus negating the need for sweepers. As much as Petra isn’t happy about the ramifications of such research, (primarily because she doesn’t think they know enough about what they are doing to be tampering with powerful magic, but when has that ever stopped a determined bunch of scientists?), she grudgingly agrees to work with Benedict. It all seems academic until an explosion that might involve Petra and then a lot (A LOT) of magical waste erupts from the campus. (There’s a storage facility. Picture Ghostbusters and you get the idea of how badly this can go.) Folks are killed, the existence of magic might be revealed to the non-magic world, a lot of people in authority-type positions want Petra dead or imprisoned. Ditto Benedict. Ditto other folks they care about. Who do you trust? Where do you run? And what in the world does Petra have to do with the explosion? Well, buckle up as Harrison answers all these questions and more while taking her characters through an onslaught of tough situations (both physical and emotional) until they get to the truth and save the world. (Or at least save Tucson.)

THREE KINDS OF LUCKY is the first in Harrison’s new Shadow Age series and she sets things up very nicely for sequels. The core group, good and bad, is established, the worldbuilding is fantastic, and Petra is more than capable of anchoring a long run of books. I saw the villain coming a bit but enjoyed the ride to get to that first confrontation (and all those that followed) way too much to complain. This is solid urban fantasy and a fun read (mostly – remember Pluck!). Harrison fans will be delighted.” — Locus

“In Harrison’s (Demons of Good and Evil, 2023) new urban-fantasy series, Petra Grady is just a sweeper, specializing in collecting the magical waste, or dross, left behind when mages cast light spells. Like many sweepers, she has no talent for magic and is looked down upon by most of the mages as a result. As one of the best sweepers on the mages’ university campus, she’s assigned to help former classmate Benedict Strom’s research project. When the research goes terribly wrong, Benedict and Petra have to find Herm Ivaros, an exile accused of using dross to cast spells during a campus incident that resulted in the death of Petra’s father. Herm reveals that the mages’ legends are filled with lies, deliberately crafted to discourage sweepers from becoming weavers and casting spells with shadows, and that Petra, like her father, is a weaver, and a group of magical-conspiracy theorists intends to stop her. Like Harrison’s Hollows series, this first book in the Shadow Age series is action packed and will leave readers eagerly awaiting the next.” — Booklist

“Magic users may be able to manipulate light energy, but dross—the waste left behind—is something few consider or deal with. This is where sweepers, people who can handle dross without its bad luck effects or development into the more dangerous shadow, come in, and Petra Grady is one of the best sweepers in St. Unoc. Working at the university has its perks, but when Doctor Benedict Sexy—er, Strom—wants Petra to help with a research project to render dross harmless, she knows it is the wrong decision. A horrible accident forces Petra and Benedict to go on the run, and Petra may find that her talent goes much farther than as a cleaner. Plus everything she knows about dross and shadow may be wrong. The story pace speeds along, and the twists of discovering who are friends or foes will keep readers guessing. Note that the novel includes the death of a pet.

VERDICT Harrison’s (Demons of Good and Evil) new series has the same delightfully wry heroine her fans expect to see, along with an intriguing new magic system.” — Library Journal

“Harrison delivers her signature blend of high stakes urban fantasy and soap operatic interpersonal drama in the 18th installment to her Hollows series (after 2022’s Trouble with the Cursed). Witch-born demon Rachel Morgan has successfully claimed the role of subrosa, or leader of Cincinnati, Ohio’s supernatural communities, but now must defend that title against challengers. Her latest enemy, a mysterious mage, sets out to undermine her power base by targeting her allies, including her friend David, who is harassed by renegade werewolves. Meanwhile, the coven of moral and ethical standards is breathing down Rachel’s neck regarding her use of an unsavory charm, and her boyfriend, elven businessman Trent Kalamack, faces punishment for his own illegal dealings. Rachel must protect her loved ones, prove her innocence to the coven, and defeat the enemies gunning for her before she loses everything. There are a lot of balls in the air, but Harrison juggles them gracefully. Longtime readers will be gratified to see both increased momentum in the overarching series plot and callbacks to much earlier installments. This series still has some surprises up its sleeve.” — Publishers Weekly

“After fighting for her position in Trouble with the Cursed (2022), Cincinnati subrosa (demon leader) Rachel Morgan must deal with an old enemy. Walter returns with a horde of alpha weres from outside the city, hoping to steal power over the city’s werewolves from Rachel’s ally David. On top of that, Rachel is being investigated by the coven of moral and ethical standards, initially for using an illegal dark curse and then for murder she didn’t commit. Coincidentally, Rachel’s lover, Trent, is suddenly being investigated for illicit genetic endeavors and Brimstone trade, plunging both their lives into more chaos than usual. After a rescue that involves trading with sullen demon Dali while hiding in the ever after, Rachel and Trent learn that the coven is planning to block demons from returning to reality, led by none other than Walter’s ally the Mage, and launch themselves into action to prevent it. Harrison delivers another page turner in the Hollows series, leaving readers wondering how Rachel will emerge from this crisis and which of her allies will survive it with her.” — Booklist