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Black London #1
Street Magic
Her name is Pete Caldecott. She was just sixteen when she met Jack Winter, a gorgeous, larger-than-life mage who thrilled her with his witchcraft. Then a spirit Jack summoned killed him before Pete’s eyes—or so she thought. Now a detective , Pete is investigating the case of a young girl kidnapped from the streets of London. A tipster’s chilling prediction has led police directly to the child…but when Pete meets the informant, she’s shocked to learn he is none other than Jack. Strung out on heroin, Jack a shadow of his former self. But he’s able to tell Pete exactly where Bridget’s kidnappers are hiding: in the supernatural shadow-world of the fey. Even though she’s spent years disavowing the supernatural, Pete follows Jack into the invisible fey underworld, where she hopes to discover the truth about what happened to Bridget—and what happened to Jack on that dark day so long ago…
326 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 2, 2009
64 people are currently reading
4583 people want to read
About the author
Caitlin Kittredge
171 books1,122 followersCaitlin started writing novels at age 13. Her first was a Star Wars tie-in. Fortunately, she branched out from there and after a few years trying to be a screenwriter, a comic book writer and the author of copious amounts of fanfiction, she tried to write a novel again. Her epic dark fantasy (thankfully) never saw the light of day but while she was struggling with elves and sorcerers she got the idea of writing a story about a werewolf who fought crime.
Two years and many, many drafts later, she pitched Night Life to a bevy of agents and one of them, Rachel Vater, sold the series to St. Martin’s.
Caitlin collects comic books, print books, vintage clothes, and bad habits. She loves tea, loud music, the color black (especially mixed with the color pink) and ghost stories. She can drive a stick shift, play the violin and knows more English curses than American ones.
Caitlin lives in Olympia, WA with two pushy cats.
http://us.macmillan.com/bonegods/Cait...
Two years and many, many drafts later, she pitched Night Life to a bevy of agents and one of them, Rachel Vater, sold the series to St. Martin’s.
Caitlin collects comic books, print books, vintage clothes, and bad habits. She loves tea, loud music, the color black (especially mixed with the color pink) and ghost stories. She can drive a stick shift, play the violin and knows more English curses than American ones.
Caitlin lives in Olympia, WA with two pushy cats.
http://us.macmillan.com/bonegods/Cait...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 342 reviews
July 15, 2009
I'll keep this review completely positive. I liked the cover. That is all.
February 26, 2012
This is a short book (335 pp) which I picked up for free at the Connotations Book Mooch in Oct. It says something that I started reading it that weekend and only finished it a week or so ago.
I was drawn to the Black London setting (a London where magic takes place both in and out of a sort of parallel-ish dimension) rather than the actual premise (Teen heroine, Pete, meets older bad boy mage, Jack, who is seemingly killed in front of her. Pete grows up to be a policewoman and is investigating the case of a missing girl when she comes face to face with Jack, who is most definitely not dead.)
Alas I should've spent more time reading the inside notes because the book is written by an American chick living in Seattle who has based her novel in London and her hero is a bad boy from Manchester.
Though there is a relatively decent plot buried somewhere in the book it's overshadowed by (a) two protagonists who seem to spend all their time shouting and snarking at each other as if they were still teens (b) stupid, stupid mistakes on the Britpicking front (c) cringe inducing dialogue.
Examples of the Britpicking which set my teeth on edge? Having the anti-hero go ito a pub and ask for "a pint of bitters" because seriously, if the bar staff are having an off day you will NOT get a pint of ale but something far less palatable. After Jack shoves through the gate onto the Tube Pete "swipes her Oyster card twice". Yeah right - that'll work. And making Pete's address: 221 Croydon Place, #32, London - this is not how our addresses work!
The dialogue reads like badly written fanfic.
One of the reviewers on Amazon had this to say about it: "the general effect is of something translated from another tongue by someone to whom UK English is a second language - grammatically accurate but the vocabulary use is just a bit off."
Here's a hint - there's a style to cursing in the UK and that doesn't mean you scatter "bloody's", "bugger's" and a number of "sod's" and "git's" every few words, cross your fingers and hope for the best. If the bad boy mage is a bit of a lad from Manchester then he'll be dropping the f-bomb all over the place not sounding like a weird 50s fop or some pre-teen who hasn't yet learned how to cuss properly. Also adding "all" to "bugger" does not emphasise, but rather completely changes, the meaning.
I also think she must have had a product placement deal with whatever company makes Parliament cigarettes. We're introduced to Jack and told he smokes Parliaments (not a brand I would associate with a UK smoker) and then every time it's all "Pete takes Jack's Parliament", "Jack cups his hand and lights a Parliament" until it becomes teeth grindingly intrusive.
To any Brit reader, or American who has spent time in the UK, the dialogue is just going to sound wrong. The colloquialisms are off, there's precious little difference in style between Jack and Pete's speech patterns and Jack particularly, ends up sounding like a cross between Spike and Sid Vicious with the cod Britpseak.
As a plot point too - Pete is supposed to be a detective yet spends the entire novel bunking off work running rounds London with a junkie ex-mage barely ever calling in. I doubt if the Met bosses give their staff quite as much freedom as Pete seems to have.
Also if you want me to invest in Pete as a serious female heroine it would help if on meeting wasted junkie Jack that she didn't revert to talking and acting like a starry eyed teen experiencing her first crush.
So um...that'd be a Thumbs Down for Kittredge and Street Magic (which was the first in the Black London series). I won't be reading the rest.
I was drawn to the Black London setting (a London where magic takes place both in and out of a sort of parallel-ish dimension) rather than the actual premise (Teen heroine, Pete, meets older bad boy mage, Jack, who is seemingly killed in front of her. Pete grows up to be a policewoman and is investigating the case of a missing girl when she comes face to face with Jack, who is most definitely not dead.)
Alas I should've spent more time reading the inside notes because the book is written by an American chick living in Seattle who has based her novel in London and her hero is a bad boy from Manchester.
Though there is a relatively decent plot buried somewhere in the book it's overshadowed by (a) two protagonists who seem to spend all their time shouting and snarking at each other as if they were still teens (b) stupid, stupid mistakes on the Britpicking front (c) cringe inducing dialogue.
Examples of the Britpicking which set my teeth on edge? Having the anti-hero go ito a pub and ask for "a pint of bitters" because seriously, if the bar staff are having an off day you will NOT get a pint of ale but something far less palatable. After Jack shoves through the gate onto the Tube Pete "swipes her Oyster card twice". Yeah right - that'll work. And making Pete's address: 221 Croydon Place, #32, London - this is not how our addresses work!
The dialogue reads like badly written fanfic.
One of the reviewers on Amazon had this to say about it: "the general effect is of something translated from another tongue by someone to whom UK English is a second language - grammatically accurate but the vocabulary use is just a bit off."
Here's a hint - there's a style to cursing in the UK and that doesn't mean you scatter "bloody's", "bugger's" and a number of "sod's" and "git's" every few words, cross your fingers and hope for the best. If the bad boy mage is a bit of a lad from Manchester then he'll be dropping the f-bomb all over the place not sounding like a weird 50s fop or some pre-teen who hasn't yet learned how to cuss properly. Also adding "all" to "bugger" does not emphasise, but rather completely changes, the meaning.
I also think she must have had a product placement deal with whatever company makes Parliament cigarettes. We're introduced to Jack and told he smokes Parliaments (not a brand I would associate with a UK smoker) and then every time it's all "Pete takes Jack's Parliament", "Jack cups his hand and lights a Parliament" until it becomes teeth grindingly intrusive.
To any Brit reader, or American who has spent time in the UK, the dialogue is just going to sound wrong. The colloquialisms are off, there's precious little difference in style between Jack and Pete's speech patterns and Jack particularly, ends up sounding like a cross between Spike and Sid Vicious with the cod Britpseak.
As a plot point too - Pete is supposed to be a detective yet spends the entire novel bunking off work running rounds London with a junkie ex-mage barely ever calling in. I doubt if the Met bosses give their staff quite as much freedom as Pete seems to have.
Also if you want me to invest in Pete as a serious female heroine it would help if on meeting wasted junkie Jack that she didn't revert to talking and acting like a starry eyed teen experiencing her first crush.
So um...that'd be a Thumbs Down for Kittredge and Street Magic (which was the first in the Black London series). I won't be reading the rest.
July 18, 2023
- Amazing main characters;
- No cheese;
- No romance to distract the reader from the story;
- Great setting and humor;
- Good plot.
Bonus:
- Perfect timing;
- Jack Winter.
- No cheese;
- No romance to distract the reader from the story;
- Great setting and humor;
- Good plot.
Bonus:
- Perfect timing;
- Jack Winter.
May 1, 2013
Pete Caldecott was 16 when she thought Jack Winter died. She unwittingly helped him summon something best left dead and he died from it; she has been denying what she saw that day every moment since. 10 years later she is a Police Inspector working on a case where children are getting snatched, this leads her back to Jack who says he can tell her where the missing children are. But the supposedly long dead Jack is not how she remembers, he is 10 years older, a heroin addict and living on the streets. But he does help her, bringing her into the world of the Black where the line between the normal and the magical is thin and the dark things in the corner of your eyes are waiting for a chance to ensnare you.
I can't state how much I loved this book. It was dark and gritty and nothing was ever quite as it seemed. The world of the Black, was a nightmareish place, things were always on the look out to rip your throat out and take your power. In Jack Winter's world it was kill or be killed. The whole book had a sense of foreboding and darkness about it that made it a fast paced and exciting read.
I have seen Jack Winter described like Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And I think maybe appearance wise that may be the case, but I think Spike would be a pale shadow next to Jack. Jack was an interesting and absorbing character, he was selfish, remorseless, and utterley charming, but also a complete bastard at the same time. He was neither truly good, nor truly bad; he isn't the kind of character that would always do the right thing but rather the right thing for Jack Winter. Having said that you could see especially towards the end that he cared for Pete, she gave him a reason to live. Pete was also a good character, although she didn't have Jacks twists, turns and contradictions, she was still interesting. We saw the book through her eyes, and so was introduced to the different elements of the Black through her. What I liked about their relationship was that in most cases it was Pete, the female protagonist, coming to Jacks rescue. She was a fierce protector, even when trying to save Jack from himself. Although there isn't really a romance per se between the two, you can see that Pete loves Jack, and probably has since she was 16, but it isn't said out right, it is more a feeling you get from the actions and thoughts that she has, as for Jack I think he also felt the same. I imagine that the romance element will grow through out the series.
The writing style might not be to everyone's taste, I thought it quite lyrical, it uses a lot of metaphors and can be quite abstract, but for me how she wrote this was wonderful and absorbing. I think that it adds to the air of being somewhere out side the normal world and helps to create this shroud of darkness and ambivalence that surround not only the Black, but also Jack's life.
So I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, and for those who like their books dark. Also people who like dangerous heroes will also find someone truly dangerous in Jack Winters.
I actually got this book from the library but it is one that I am going to buy as for me it is definitely a keeper.
I can't state how much I loved this book. It was dark and gritty and nothing was ever quite as it seemed. The world of the Black, was a nightmareish place, things were always on the look out to rip your throat out and take your power. In Jack Winter's world it was kill or be killed. The whole book had a sense of foreboding and darkness about it that made it a fast paced and exciting read.
I have seen Jack Winter described like Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And I think maybe appearance wise that may be the case, but I think Spike would be a pale shadow next to Jack. Jack was an interesting and absorbing character, he was selfish, remorseless, and utterley charming, but also a complete bastard at the same time. He was neither truly good, nor truly bad; he isn't the kind of character that would always do the right thing but rather the right thing for Jack Winter. Having said that you could see especially towards the end that he cared for Pete, she gave him a reason to live. Pete was also a good character, although she didn't have Jacks twists, turns and contradictions, she was still interesting. We saw the book through her eyes, and so was introduced to the different elements of the Black through her. What I liked about their relationship was that in most cases it was Pete, the female protagonist, coming to Jacks rescue. She was a fierce protector, even when trying to save Jack from himself. Although there isn't really a romance per se between the two, you can see that Pete loves Jack, and probably has since she was 16, but it isn't said out right, it is more a feeling you get from the actions and thoughts that she has, as for Jack I think he also felt the same. I imagine that the romance element will grow through out the series.
The writing style might not be to everyone's taste, I thought it quite lyrical, it uses a lot of metaphors and can be quite abstract, but for me how she wrote this was wonderful and absorbing. I think that it adds to the air of being somewhere out side the normal world and helps to create this shroud of darkness and ambivalence that surround not only the Black, but also Jack's life.
So I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, and for those who like their books dark. Also people who like dangerous heroes will also find someone truly dangerous in Jack Winters.
I actually got this book from the library but it is one that I am going to buy as for me it is definitely a keeper.
August 9, 2009
Not impressed. This is clearly written by an American, and possibly one who's watched Buffy and a certain amount of UK police procedurals. The language is self-consciously Briticised, Jack in particular sounding like he fell out of the Spike school of English slang. The main character, a woman DCI dealing with child abductions appears to also get handed other cases, and be based at Scotland Yard. She refers to the cells there. I can't even begin to enumerate the things wrong with that scenario. If she's at NSY doing child abductions she's on a specialist squad. If she's not a specialist, she's not based at NSY. Either way, holding cells are in police stations, not at NSY. And it's New Scotland Yard. Just FYI.
References to the docks of Southwark left me boggling (the only boat there these days is the Golden Hind, and that hasn't sailed in a while...). The police procedure is just *wrong*, the structures, the practices, the culture, the vanished bureaucracy and the missing strict adherence to protocol and hierarchy.... There's not even an indication of which borough she's working out of or who she's a DCI *of* -- and it can't be up by Blackfriars, because that's City of London and not under the Met's jurisdiction.
Her ease at whipping through London traffic is incomprehensible, especially considering she's not in a police vehicle. Her ease in parking is likewise incomprehensible.
It's like the author heard of the Met, and Scotland Yard, and thought it would be super-nifty to 'do an English series'. But didn't bother coming to London or even reading up about it. Anyone who doesn't know any better may enjoy it. Actual Brits should steer well clear.
References to the docks of Southwark left me boggling (the only boat there these days is the Golden Hind, and that hasn't sailed in a while...). The police procedure is just *wrong*, the structures, the practices, the culture, the vanished bureaucracy and the missing strict adherence to protocol and hierarchy.... There's not even an indication of which borough she's working out of or who she's a DCI *of* -- and it can't be up by Blackfriars, because that's City of London and not under the Met's jurisdiction.
Her ease at whipping through London traffic is incomprehensible, especially considering she's not in a police vehicle. Her ease in parking is likewise incomprehensible.
It's like the author heard of the Met, and Scotland Yard, and thought it would be super-nifty to 'do an English series'. But didn't bother coming to London or even reading up about it. Anyone who doesn't know any better may enjoy it. Actual Brits should steer well clear.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 3, 2015
it tried very hard to be a great book, but it failed to be as good as the dresden and the peter grant books.
will read the next books to see if they improve.
will read the next books to see if they improve.
January 1, 2015
I've been casting about for a new paranormal series to start chomping my way through, but if Street Magic accomplished anything, it was to prove that Black London is not going to be that series. Set in a London in which the walls between this world and the shadow-world that runs parallel are very thin, children are going missing. And tough female cop Pete Caldecott is going to need the help of street-mage Jack Winter, who supposedly died in front of her 12 years ago, to get them back...
Some books, like Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, dream up a shadowy parallel London that is wonderful and strange while still feeling plausible and recognisably London. Street Magic is not one of those books. Aside from a few mentions of place names and some mangled Brit-speak we could have been anywhere, parallel London - the Black - was a good idea that we then barely bothered with, and our main characters, Pete and Jack, were probably supposed to be charming assholes but unfortunately forgot to show any charm.
We know that Pete is a tough cop because she's always threatening to put her boot up someone's arse, being bitchy when it's not called for, and thinking nothing of indulging in a little breaking and entering or a spot of police brutality. Her detective work is based mostly around arching an eyebrow - it's certainly not based on anything like, I don't know, piecing together evidence or asking any pertinent questions (despite having apparently seen Jack die, it takes her 3/4 of the book to ask why the hell he's not dead, wonder why everyone keeps calling him a crow-mage, or what the hell that means anyway) and she seemed to forget all about the missing children for long stretches of time in favour of thinking about or looking at Jack instead.
The wildly off-putting Jack is a really crap version of Constantine who seems to have learnt to speak English solely through listening to Buffy The Vampire Slayer's Spike and, as well as having no redeeming features whatsoever, is responsible for some of the more unsuccessful attempts at being British (you won't find many of us who use 'fuck all' or 'bugger all' as exclamations - they're instead swearier ways of saying 'nothing', i.e. "What do I like about Jack Winter? Fuck all.")
And as for all the magic, I've still no idea what gives Jack such super bloody special status amongst mages, how much of the magic worked, or why sorcerers are so supposedly badass when they can be easily vanquished, again and again, by someone with no clue as to how to fight them, as instead of building a plausible world or magic system we'd settled instead for pulling random plot points and magic rules from out of someone's ass.
To top it all off, with long stretches of nothing happening other than two unlikeable people bitching at one another and any action that did occur quickly becoming repetitive, what should have been a little piece of brain candy took forever to slog through. I won't be wasting any more precious reading time in this world.
**Also posted at Randomly Reading and Ranting**
Some books, like Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, dream up a shadowy parallel London that is wonderful and strange while still feeling plausible and recognisably London. Street Magic is not one of those books. Aside from a few mentions of place names and some mangled Brit-speak we could have been anywhere, parallel London - the Black - was a good idea that we then barely bothered with, and our main characters, Pete and Jack, were probably supposed to be charming assholes but unfortunately forgot to show any charm.
We know that Pete is a tough cop because she's always threatening to put her boot up someone's arse, being bitchy when it's not called for, and thinking nothing of indulging in a little breaking and entering or a spot of police brutality. Her detective work is based mostly around arching an eyebrow - it's certainly not based on anything like, I don't know, piecing together evidence or asking any pertinent questions (despite having apparently seen Jack die, it takes her 3/4 of the book to ask why the hell he's not dead, wonder why everyone keeps calling him a crow-mage, or what the hell that means anyway) and she seemed to forget all about the missing children for long stretches of time in favour of thinking about or looking at Jack instead.
The wildly off-putting Jack is a really crap version of Constantine who seems to have learnt to speak English solely through listening to Buffy The Vampire Slayer's Spike and, as well as having no redeeming features whatsoever, is responsible for some of the more unsuccessful attempts at being British (you won't find many of us who use 'fuck all' or 'bugger all' as exclamations - they're instead swearier ways of saying 'nothing', i.e. "What do I like about Jack Winter? Fuck all.")
And as for all the magic, I've still no idea what gives Jack such super bloody special status amongst mages, how much of the magic worked, or why sorcerers are so supposedly badass when they can be easily vanquished, again and again, by someone with no clue as to how to fight them, as instead of building a plausible world or magic system we'd settled instead for pulling random plot points and magic rules from out of someone's ass.
To top it all off, with long stretches of nothing happening other than two unlikeable people bitching at one another and any action that did occur quickly becoming repetitive, what should have been a little piece of brain candy took forever to slog through. I won't be wasting any more precious reading time in this world.
**Also posted at Randomly Reading and Ranting**
Read
May 12, 2016I'm giving this another go. The dialogue is really clunky - one minute peppered with slang and the next all straight and proper - but there are some fascinating ideas floating to the surface now that I'm half way through.
Pre-read comments:
Ooh, gritty UF, mixed reviews, and messed up characters?
Pre-read comments:
Ooh, gritty UF, mixed reviews, and messed up characters?
May 19, 2011
Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy
STREET MAGIC is one of the best series launches I’ve read in a long time. It really just scrapes the surface of this world and these characters, and yet Wow does it pack a punch. The writing is tight and specific. We don’t ever get bogged down with physical descriptions of people and places, but I still know exactly what everyone looks like and I felt very much like I’d visited all the London locations in STREET MAGIC. The plot is suitably sinister with a supernatural evil that every fiber of your being will long to destroy, but it’s the relationship between Pete and Jack that really sets this book apart.
Jack Winter is a new favorite character for me, and I say character rather than romantic lead because there is very little romantic about him. He’s a complete train wreck of a person. The first time Pete sees him after a dozen years, he’s an emaciated heroin junkie who lets fly a string of hyper crude profanity the moment he sees her. It’s not exactly a meet-cute. With a handful of vitally important exceptions, Jack stays pretty much at that level of hostile wretchedness throughout the book. What does change is how we as readers perceive him as we learn more about him. No matter how many times he falls, Pete refuses to give up on him. She sees something worth saving and so do I.
And I can’t forget Pete. She’s an amazingly tenacious woman. The realities she has to come face to face with in STREET MAGIC would have destroyed a weaker person, but she keeps getting back up, keeps fighting. She’s not some Amazon warrior chick either. She works with her strengths and is aware of her weaknesses, but isn’t afraid to get hurt.
If the debut is any indication, the Black London series is a must read. A dark and twisted urban fantasy set in a London filled with truly evil demons, fae and malevolent magic users. The characters are broken in every possible way and yet they completely resonated with me. I’m thoroughly invested in them so that it’s not a question of if I’ll be reading the rest of the series, it’s a question of how soon can I get caught up. The 4th installment, DEVIL’S BUSINESS, will be published on August 30, 2011.
Sexual Content:
Kissing. Pervasive crude sexual dialogue.
STREET MAGIC is one of the best series launches I’ve read in a long time. It really just scrapes the surface of this world and these characters, and yet Wow does it pack a punch. The writing is tight and specific. We don’t ever get bogged down with physical descriptions of people and places, but I still know exactly what everyone looks like and I felt very much like I’d visited all the London locations in STREET MAGIC. The plot is suitably sinister with a supernatural evil that every fiber of your being will long to destroy, but it’s the relationship between Pete and Jack that really sets this book apart.
Jack Winter is a new favorite character for me, and I say character rather than romantic lead because there is very little romantic about him. He’s a complete train wreck of a person. The first time Pete sees him after a dozen years, he’s an emaciated heroin junkie who lets fly a string of hyper crude profanity the moment he sees her. It’s not exactly a meet-cute. With a handful of vitally important exceptions, Jack stays pretty much at that level of hostile wretchedness throughout the book. What does change is how we as readers perceive him as we learn more about him. No matter how many times he falls, Pete refuses to give up on him. She sees something worth saving and so do I.
And I can’t forget Pete. She’s an amazingly tenacious woman. The realities she has to come face to face with in STREET MAGIC would have destroyed a weaker person, but she keeps getting back up, keeps fighting. She’s not some Amazon warrior chick either. She works with her strengths and is aware of her weaknesses, but isn’t afraid to get hurt.
If the debut is any indication, the Black London series is a must read. A dark and twisted urban fantasy set in a London filled with truly evil demons, fae and malevolent magic users. The characters are broken in every possible way and yet they completely resonated with me. I’m thoroughly invested in them so that it’s not a question of if I’ll be reading the rest of the series, it’s a question of how soon can I get caught up. The 4th installment, DEVIL’S BUSINESS, will be published on August 30, 2011.
Sexual Content:
Kissing. Pervasive crude sexual dialogue.
December 9, 2013
Combine the mannerisms of John Constantine from Hellblazer, the looks of Spike from Buffy, and complete incompetence, and what do you get? Jack Winter, the most disappointing street mage I've read yet. Supposedly this is set in England: the only way I can tell is that Jack says "bloody hell" every page, calls women "luv," and smokes Parliaments. Otherwise, nothing really marks this as London; it could have been set in any modern city and been the exact same story.
The uninspired, generic feel of the story could still have been saved by a good plot, solid police work, or a consistent magic system. Alas, we are let down there as well. The plot stalls for long periods, during which Pete and Jack banter and say "bloody hell" as often as possible, and then every few chapters Kittredge seems to remember that stuff has to happen for this to count as a novel. Random magic users attack, mock Jack for being over the hill, threaten Pete with rape, and then get killed or stunned. (I literally lost count of how many times sorcerers try to assault Pete, including interrupting their own climactic magical ritual in order to try to rape her at knife point. So tedious and nonsensical.) Pete has supposedly been a cop for years, but she never does any police work or uses any associated skills or connections. And the magic doesn't follow any sort of system at all, not even the dreamy fairy-tale logic of McKillip or Gaiman--it just works (or doesn't work) in whatever way the plot requires it to do at that moment.
Every single character is incompetent, the plot meanders, and the two main characters are annoying. They repeatedly risk their lives (even stab themselves in the stomach!) to save each other, all based on three days and less than three months' acquaintance twelve years ago. They never manage to make incredibly obvious logical connections, or follow up on leads, being too busy yelling at each other about how important they are to each other.
Overall, mediocre, stupid, and forgettable.
The uninspired, generic feel of the story could still have been saved by a good plot, solid police work, or a consistent magic system. Alas, we are let down there as well. The plot stalls for long periods, during which Pete and Jack banter and say "bloody hell" as often as possible, and then every few chapters Kittredge seems to remember that stuff has to happen for this to count as a novel. Random magic users attack, mock Jack for being over the hill, threaten Pete with rape, and then get killed or stunned. (I literally lost count of how many times sorcerers try to assault Pete, including interrupting their own climactic magical ritual in order to try to rape her at knife point. So tedious and nonsensical.) Pete has supposedly been a cop for years, but she never does any police work or uses any associated skills or connections. And the magic doesn't follow any sort of system at all, not even the dreamy fairy-tale logic of McKillip or Gaiman--it just works (or doesn't work) in whatever way the plot requires it to do at that moment.
Every single character is incompetent, the plot meanders, and the two main characters are annoying. They repeatedly risk their lives (even stab themselves in the stomach!) to save each other, all based on three days and less than three months' acquaintance twelve years ago. They never manage to make incredibly obvious logical connections, or follow up on leads, being too busy yelling at each other about how important they are to each other.
Overall, mediocre, stupid, and forgettable.
June 23, 2012
I had this book for awhile and was planned to read it right after I finished with Kittredge's Daemon's Mark last year. However, I was surprised with the British tone and decided to postpone (British tone is good for me on movies/tv shows but a bit difficult to grasp in writing :p). Only now I thought I should give it another try.
... And I'm glad that I did.
I think I have always been a bit luckier when the story deals with magic. This one is very engaging -- right from the very start. I'm a sucker for couple with history between them; and boy do Pete and Jack have HISTORY. Twelve years ago, Pete thought Jack died, and it had always been in her mind. But when Pete took a tip to find missing kids, it shocked her that the informant was Jack.
I love how the story unfolds ... how Pete sticks to Jack this time, even through his addiction, and she practically strong-wills Jack to help her. She learns about the Black London, where it's "nearly always midnightand the things from your nightmares are crawling in the shadows". She learns why Jack is being called crow-mage, and why he needs the drugs (), and why all those years ago, Jack befriend her, a girl ten years old younger ().
I definitely like Pete better than Luna (Kittredge's heroine in the Nocturne City series), maybe because she's not full of anger. I don't need snarky heroines all the time. Pete definitely kicks ass once she learns what she can actually do. While Jack has this tortured-hero sense on him, and he has sarcastic attitude but never annoying. I like their chemistry, their relationship, and I'm definitely in for the rest of their story! Especially because I KNOW that Jack must still has secrets he hasn't told Pete...
PS: Caitlin Kittredge is an American, and I have a friend pointed out that British readers were appalled at the language and dialogue. I'm NOT British, so I wouldn't know what's wrong with it anyway. However, if you are British or have good grasp on the language and dialogue, I guess you will probably have something to dislike regarding the language.
... And I'm glad that I did.
I think I have always been a bit luckier when the story deals with magic. This one is very engaging -- right from the very start. I'm a sucker for couple with history between them; and boy do Pete and Jack have HISTORY. Twelve years ago, Pete thought Jack died, and it had always been in her mind. But when Pete took a tip to find missing kids, it shocked her that the informant was Jack.
I love how the story unfolds ... how Pete sticks to Jack this time, even through his addiction, and she practically strong-wills Jack to help her. She learns about the Black London, where it's "nearly always midnightand the things from your nightmares are crawling in the shadows". She learns why Jack is being called crow-mage, and why he needs the drugs (), and why all those years ago, Jack befriend her, a girl ten years old younger ().
I definitely like Pete better than Luna (Kittredge's heroine in the Nocturne City series), maybe because she's not full of anger. I don't need snarky heroines all the time. Pete definitely kicks ass once she learns what she can actually do. While Jack has this tortured-hero sense on him, and he has sarcastic attitude but never annoying. I like their chemistry, their relationship, and I'm definitely in for the rest of their story! Especially because I KNOW that Jack must still has secrets he hasn't told Pete...
PS: Caitlin Kittredge is an American, and I have a friend pointed out that British readers were appalled at the language and dialogue. I'm NOT British, so I wouldn't know what's wrong with it anyway. However, if you are British or have good grasp on the language and dialogue, I guess you will probably have something to dislike regarding the language.
July 15, 2009
I didn't love it, but I did like it. Maybe because it was set in England, it made it a little harder for me to relate to the characters. Wanker, git, bollocks, bugger off...at first it was cute, and then the novelty wore off. That's probably just me, though. Oh well, I usually don't love the first book in any series, so I'll have to give the next book a try before I make up my mind.
July 23, 2012
2.5 out of 5 stars
I don't what to think about this book. It's a gritty urban fantasy, nothing soft or pretty about it, with some very dark undertones. I enjoy that, to a point. I didn't even mind how f*cked up Jack was - and trust me, he's about as flawed as they come. But there were problems in this book that I had a hard time overcoming. I won't list all of them, only the two I struggled most with.
First, the author's botched attempt at "Britspeak". UGH, what an epic failure that was! I've been to the UK & have British friends, and none of them talk anything like Jack and Pete do (Pete = short for Petunia...blech, what a name!). Jack & Pete's speech is rough, and they completely overuse so-called British slang. It didn't make the story "authentic". Quite the opposite. It was annoying, distracting, and ultimately, detracted from the story.
My biggest beef, though, was with Jack & Pete's backstory. I felt like I was missing huge chunks of it. Yes, I know they went through something traumatic together 12 years ago, but does that really explain Pete's stubborn attachment to Jack, and why she is willing to risk everything - and I do mean everything - for him? Maybe I'm being too nitpicky but I simply wasn't convinced.
Should I continue with this series? Does it get any better? Hell if I know, and honestly, I'm not sure I care enough to find out.
I don't what to think about this book. It's a gritty urban fantasy, nothing soft or pretty about it, with some very dark undertones. I enjoy that, to a point. I didn't even mind how f*cked up Jack was - and trust me, he's about as flawed as they come. But there were problems in this book that I had a hard time overcoming. I won't list all of them, only the two I struggled most with.
First, the author's botched attempt at "Britspeak". UGH, what an epic failure that was! I've been to the UK & have British friends, and none of them talk anything like Jack and Pete do (Pete = short for Petunia...blech, what a name!). Jack & Pete's speech is rough, and they completely overuse so-called British slang. It didn't make the story "authentic". Quite the opposite. It was annoying, distracting, and ultimately, detracted from the story.
My biggest beef, though, was with Jack & Pete's backstory. I felt like I was missing huge chunks of it. Yes, I know they went through something traumatic together 12 years ago, but does that really explain Pete's stubborn attachment to Jack, and why she is willing to risk everything - and I do mean everything - for him? Maybe I'm being too nitpicky but I simply wasn't convinced.
Should I continue with this series? Does it get any better? Hell if I know, and honestly, I'm not sure I care enough to find out.
February 17, 2017
The writing was a bit clunky and awkward. I found it was often difficult to follow what was going on, and why they are doing things.
There wasn't much of an atmosphere to it, I didn't get a feel for London itself, and Black London was brushed over. Pete and Jack dipped in and out of it but what it is and what it's like wasn't explained so it never came to life for me, I couldn't picture it
The magic was hard to understand too, but it is a series so maybe it's explained more in later books.
Main character Peter grated on me. I'm not convinced she is really an Inspector because she acts more like an impulsive child, shouting and whining and making daft threats to criminals. She never did any actual police work so it was hard to understand the professional side of her.
And some of the things she did were odd, like why didn't she report the first tip off from Jack? Why keep it a secret?
I can't remember that she what she looks like was described either. She was just a bit bland. Towards the end of the book she was getting a bit more badass, so again maybe she gets better later in the series!
I did like Jack, but I don't understand why he holds such a grudge against Pete? He dragged her into something she didn't understand then got upset when she ran scared. And he'd held on to it for 12 years then suddenly changed his mind?
I also liked attraction between Pete and Jack. It was building up towards the end of the book with some moments between them that sparked. I think it holds potential for future books.
Overall there just wasn't enough magic and not enough of the police work I'd been hoping for. It didn't hold my interest and I ended up speed reading the last third.
There wasn't much of an atmosphere to it, I didn't get a feel for London itself, and Black London was brushed over. Pete and Jack dipped in and out of it but what it is and what it's like wasn't explained so it never came to life for me, I couldn't picture it
The magic was hard to understand too, but it is a series so maybe it's explained more in later books.
Main character Peter grated on me. I'm not convinced she is really an Inspector because she acts more like an impulsive child, shouting and whining and making daft threats to criminals. She never did any actual police work so it was hard to understand the professional side of her.
And some of the things she did were odd, like why didn't she report the first tip off from Jack? Why keep it a secret?
I can't remember that she what she looks like was described either. She was just a bit bland. Towards the end of the book she was getting a bit more badass, so again maybe she gets better later in the series!
I did like Jack, but I don't understand why he holds such a grudge against Pete? He dragged her into something she didn't understand then got upset when she ran scared. And he'd held on to it for 12 years then suddenly changed his mind?
I also liked attraction between Pete and Jack. It was building up towards the end of the book with some moments between them that sparked. I think it holds potential for future books.
Overall there just wasn't enough magic and not enough of the police work I'd been hoping for. It didn't hold my interest and I ended up speed reading the last third.
June 20, 2010
I really wanted to like this book. I keep hoping for a paranormal detective series that will grab me like the early Anita Blake books did and this definitely sounded promising - the fae, different kinds of magic, missing children, London setting - how could it miss?
Well, it misses in various ways - dreadfully written Britishized dialogue with slang obviously written by an American, shallow to non-existent characterizations, plot holes large enough to drive several semi's through - the list goes on and on. I did finish this, but that's because I was on an airplane and my other books were packed in the bag I checked in. I did stop reading this and read all of the airline-provided reading material in the little seat pocket in front of me - the in-flight magazine, the catalog of stuff no one ever buys, and the seat card with safety instructions. Sadly, those materials didn't take up all of the time and I was forced to go back to this book and finish it. I will never ever travel without at least two books in my carry-on bag again.
Dreadful.
Well, it misses in various ways - dreadfully written Britishized dialogue with slang obviously written by an American, shallow to non-existent characterizations, plot holes large enough to drive several semi's through - the list goes on and on. I did finish this, but that's because I was on an airplane and my other books were packed in the bag I checked in. I did stop reading this and read all of the airline-provided reading material in the little seat pocket in front of me - the in-flight magazine, the catalog of stuff no one ever buys, and the seat card with safety instructions. Sadly, those materials didn't take up all of the time and I was forced to go back to this book and finish it. I will never ever travel without at least two books in my carry-on bag again.
Dreadful.
December 10, 2011
This book convinced me to finally add a category I've been thinking about adding for a while now: "billy idol fetish". hehe
First it started with the man himself, the legendary sex god Billy Idol. Then there was Spike on Buffy, almost an exact replica. Then we have Bones from the Night Huntress series, though Frost has tried to move his image away from Billy Idol as the series has gone on. Then here we have Jack Winter. He comes complete with platinum spiky hair, lead singer of a punk band, says "Oi", "Luv" and adorable English words we enjoy. He even has a cheesy "Nevermind The Bullocks" tattoo (that put me right over the edge laughing). He is a bit of a walking cliche, but enjoyable and sexy all the same. Take that and add in a dark Downside Ghosts vibe and you have an enjoyable read.
My only criticisms of this book are that the ending was a bit weak and hard to follow, and there are a few loopholes in the story I would like explained better. All and all, I'm excited to see what trouble Jack and Pete get into next.
First it started with the man himself, the legendary sex god Billy Idol. Then there was Spike on Buffy, almost an exact replica. Then we have Bones from the Night Huntress series, though Frost has tried to move his image away from Billy Idol as the series has gone on. Then here we have Jack Winter. He comes complete with platinum spiky hair, lead singer of a punk band, says "Oi", "Luv" and adorable English words we enjoy. He even has a cheesy "Nevermind The Bullocks" tattoo (that put me right over the edge laughing). He is a bit of a walking cliche, but enjoyable and sexy all the same. Take that and add in a dark Downside Ghosts vibe and you have an enjoyable read.
My only criticisms of this book are that the ending was a bit weak and hard to follow, and there are a few loopholes in the story I would like explained better. All and all, I'm excited to see what trouble Jack and Pete get into next.
December 28, 2010
Like OMG, these characters are totally BRITISH. 'Cause, like they live in LONDON. Yeah. And Jack, like, he TOTALLY knows punk rock so that makes him even more BRITISH. His hair is all blond like Spike from Buffy and no one is more punk rock than, like Spike. But, like in case you didn't know they were British 'cause like they live in London and like punk rock, they totally speak BRITISH, too! So, um even if the syntax, spelling and punctuation are like AMERICAN, they make up for it by saying "bloody, bugger, git, gob, wanker, tosser and fag" every other word. That's how you know they're like, totally AUTHENTIC.
Seriously. WTF? I half expected Eliza Doolittle to be ferrying about cursing that damn 'Enry 'Iggens, urging the horses to move their blooming arses or som'fink like that. Wotcher?
People who want to read about "British" cliches, I mean "characters", your book is waiting....
Seriously. WTF? I half expected Eliza Doolittle to be ferrying about cursing that damn 'Enry 'Iggens, urging the horses to move their blooming arses or som'fink like that. Wotcher?
People who want to read about "British" cliches, I mean "characters", your book is waiting....
February 9, 2011
Short & Sweet review: My 4 Star rating is based on my love for the characters. I can't think of two more compelling UF characters as a duo right out of the gate at page 1. Immediately I knew I would love Jack and Pete and sure enough, I did and then some. No matter how dark and grumpy and surly Jack got, I loved him. And Pete kept surprising me through the whole story. She is an awesome heroine. I sometimes got lost at all the Metro English slang and speak, but it completely gave the book that extra "other" feel for me. This is a dark and gritty book and I love every second of it. Couldn't put the book down, and now I'm immediately moving on to the second book in the series. I need more Jack!!
January 9, 2013
Wow, did I not like these two. I like my characters flawed. The more jagged the edges the better. But there was just nothing to hold on to with Pete and Jack. All they were were jagged edges, no substance inside. By the end, I couldn't care less what happened to them.
October 28, 2013
awesome...review coming soon!
March 18, 2018
3.5
This is where I give my speech on first books in a series, maybe especially in an urban fantasy series. I'm a little lost, but intrigued. Could go either way from here!
This is where I give my speech on first books in a series, maybe especially in an urban fantasy series. I'm a little lost, but intrigued. Could go either way from here!
February 20, 2015
I should have been looking for a Comfort Read for Christmas. But this Christmas bore no resemblance whatsoever to any other Christmas in living memory (in a word, it sucked), so I drifted with my whim and landed almost randomly on this book on the Kindle. I figured I'd start it and see how it went.
How it went was almost in one sitting. I was hooked quickly and dragged along for the ride. And it was quite a ride.
Taken separately, the component parts of this book aren't promising. The main characters are a tough-as-nails-here-I'll-prove-it 28-year-old female London copper, Pete Connelly (if I told you what Pete is short for she'd kill me) and Jack Winter, former punk rock singer, current junkie, and all-around (*pause to review possible epithets for one clean enough for a review*) Grade-A jerk. The story is different from other urban fantasies I've read, though there are elements that ring all kinds of Dresden-esque and Peter-Grant-esque bells (like the ability of the heroes to withstand a horrific amount of physical pan and abuse and come out of it making smart-ass remarks). One thing this book (this series, I'm finding) has that the others don't is language. By which I do not mean skilful use of adjective or metaphor or turn of phrase; all three series do have that to one degree or another. No, what Street Magic has that the others don't, quite, is sheer unadulterated potty mouth. I'm not unduly sensitive to filthy language – heaven knows my mouth in these past few months especially, as the universe has consistently showed me its heel, has been worthy of an Orbit gum commercial. But even at my worst I don't think I've used the f-bomb quite as often and as creatively as it is used by the characters here. And I definitely haven't used the (not to be coy, but I don't choose to ever use the word) "c-word" … and if I did it wouldn't be in every other sentence, and probably not referring to male characters…. I still find that odd. And there's plenty more besides … It's a little like sandpaper on the eyeballs.
Still. Despite all of this, I found myself completely involved. I like Pete. I even like Jack – and I feel for him, and want him to be ok. More, I want to know how it is that he reappears in Pete's life after twelve years. I wanted to know how it was going to come back to, literally, haunt her.
It all begins with a missing child. Kidnapped children are rarely going to return home the same as they used to be, but this situation is something else again. Much as Pete wants to deny it, there is more than just a human psycho involved in this – there's a supernatural agency at work, and that is going to take even more explaining away than her confidential informant is.
And that there is one of the problems with the book. When the sh – er, when everything hits the fan, it demands Pete's time, at the expense of her official duties. Her partner has to do some heavy-duty covering up for her, and for the most part without knowing what he's covering up, and it's all handled a bit more casually than it ought to be – by Pete, by her partner, and by her superiors. Or maybe not, considering the second book.
Still, the setting was great; the Big Bad is both very big and very bad, with a few elements that were thoroughly chilling. And while I admit I have a soft spot for the classic Knight in Shining Armor hero, reading about protagonists as thoroughly messed up as these two are is a gritty dose of realism, and – since I can close the book and not worry about the pain or odors et cetera – a strangely refreshing change of pace. Not for everyday, this – more like the grungy, tattered outfit you dig out of your closet when you're headed to a punk rock concert.
Not that I've ever been to a punk rock concert.
Or ever will.
But now I know what one is like.
How it went was almost in one sitting. I was hooked quickly and dragged along for the ride. And it was quite a ride.
Taken separately, the component parts of this book aren't promising. The main characters are a tough-as-nails-here-I'll-prove-it 28-year-old female London copper, Pete Connelly (if I told you what Pete is short for she'd kill me) and Jack Winter, former punk rock singer, current junkie, and all-around (*pause to review possible epithets for one clean enough for a review*) Grade-A jerk. The story is different from other urban fantasies I've read, though there are elements that ring all kinds of Dresden-esque and Peter-Grant-esque bells (like the ability of the heroes to withstand a horrific amount of physical pan and abuse and come out of it making smart-ass remarks). One thing this book (this series, I'm finding) has that the others don't is language. By which I do not mean skilful use of adjective or metaphor or turn of phrase; all three series do have that to one degree or another. No, what Street Magic has that the others don't, quite, is sheer unadulterated potty mouth. I'm not unduly sensitive to filthy language – heaven knows my mouth in these past few months especially, as the universe has consistently showed me its heel, has been worthy of an Orbit gum commercial. But even at my worst I don't think I've used the f-bomb quite as often and as creatively as it is used by the characters here. And I definitely haven't used the (not to be coy, but I don't choose to ever use the word) "c-word" … and if I did it wouldn't be in every other sentence, and probably not referring to male characters…. I still find that odd. And there's plenty more besides … It's a little like sandpaper on the eyeballs.
Still. Despite all of this, I found myself completely involved. I like Pete. I even like Jack – and I feel for him, and want him to be ok. More, I want to know how it is that he reappears in Pete's life after twelve years. I wanted to know how it was going to come back to, literally, haunt her.
It all begins with a missing child. Kidnapped children are rarely going to return home the same as they used to be, but this situation is something else again. Much as Pete wants to deny it, there is more than just a human psycho involved in this – there's a supernatural agency at work, and that is going to take even more explaining away than her confidential informant is.
And that there is one of the problems with the book. When the sh – er, when everything hits the fan, it demands Pete's time, at the expense of her official duties. Her partner has to do some heavy-duty covering up for her, and for the most part without knowing what he's covering up, and it's all handled a bit more casually than it ought to be – by Pete, by her partner, and by her superiors. Or maybe not, considering the second book.
Still, the setting was great; the Big Bad is both very big and very bad, with a few elements that were thoroughly chilling. And while I admit I have a soft spot for the classic Knight in Shining Armor hero, reading about protagonists as thoroughly messed up as these two are is a gritty dose of realism, and – since I can close the book and not worry about the pain or odors et cetera – a strangely refreshing change of pace. Not for everyday, this – more like the grungy, tattered outfit you dig out of your closet when you're headed to a punk rock concert.
Not that I've ever been to a punk rock concert.
Or ever will.
But now I know what one is like.
April 15, 2011
"Yes, but you'd take my soul in return," Pete said with her own smile.
Jack stared past her into the middle distance before he returned her gaze. His was clouded and almost mourning. "What makes you think I haven't, luv?"
I've had this book collecting dust on my shelf for at least six months now. The less-than-favorable reviews that I've come across had me pushing it further and further back on my "to-read" list. So why did I even buy it? Because I'm a shameless, impulsive, book addict. What can I say? It was a good deal.
If I weren't that shameless, impulsive addict, then I wouldn't have had the pleasure of reading this dark and gritty story. It's filled with the supernatural underworld, abundant in dark magic, sorcerers, wicked ghosts and sacrifice. This was just my kind of book. The only thing that could have made this better was more romantic development between Pete and Jack, but that leaves me with something to look forward to in "Demon Bound". And just to clarify, the future romance that I'm anticipating isn't M/M. Unfortunately, Pete is the heroine's name and it took me several chapters to adjust to it.
The pages were teeming with dark humor, most often from Jack. It had me laughing out loud during what should have been tense and dangerous moments. Often times I had to scold myself for laughing inappropriately at Jack's twisted sense of humor. The British slang made it even more amusing.
"Who do you believe is giving the orders to snatch the children? And why children?"
"Aside from the fact that they're small and fit snug in the boot of a car?"
When Pete reunites with Jack, what she discovers is a man who is bitter, brash, and spewing caustic and demeaning remarks. He is foul and detestable and you can't help but to wonder why she ever came to care for him. Eventually, as the story progresses, he becomes less bitter . . . but he's still lewd and abrasive. He wouldn't be as entertaining if he were any other way. Pete and Jack remain cautious of each other, but tolerate one another long enough to work together in an attempt to discover who is kidnapping and blinding small children.
Overall, the story was a quick read and highly entertaining. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys visiting the dark side. - insert high-pitched eerie music here -
"Didn't know she was spoken for."
"You do now", Jack snarled. "And the next time you try to pass off your bloody Fae nectar on a human, I'll shove your little horned head up your arse and hold it there until you stop twitching."
"I'm Jack fucking Winter."
Jack stared past her into the middle distance before he returned her gaze. His was clouded and almost mourning. "What makes you think I haven't, luv?"
I've had this book collecting dust on my shelf for at least six months now. The less-than-favorable reviews that I've come across had me pushing it further and further back on my "to-read" list. So why did I even buy it? Because I'm a shameless, impulsive, book addict. What can I say? It was a good deal.
If I weren't that shameless, impulsive addict, then I wouldn't have had the pleasure of reading this dark and gritty story. It's filled with the supernatural underworld, abundant in dark magic, sorcerers, wicked ghosts and sacrifice. This was just my kind of book. The only thing that could have made this better was more romantic development between Pete and Jack, but that leaves me with something to look forward to in "Demon Bound". And just to clarify, the future romance that I'm anticipating isn't M/M. Unfortunately, Pete is the heroine's name and it took me several chapters to adjust to it.
The pages were teeming with dark humor, most often from Jack. It had me laughing out loud during what should have been tense and dangerous moments. Often times I had to scold myself for laughing inappropriately at Jack's twisted sense of humor. The British slang made it even more amusing.
"Who do you believe is giving the orders to snatch the children? And why children?"
"Aside from the fact that they're small and fit snug in the boot of a car?"
When Pete reunites with Jack, what she discovers is a man who is bitter, brash, and spewing caustic and demeaning remarks. He is foul and detestable and you can't help but to wonder why she ever came to care for him. Eventually, as the story progresses, he becomes less bitter . . . but he's still lewd and abrasive. He wouldn't be as entertaining if he were any other way. Pete and Jack remain cautious of each other, but tolerate one another long enough to work together in an attempt to discover who is kidnapping and blinding small children.
Overall, the story was a quick read and highly entertaining. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys visiting the dark side. - insert high-pitched eerie music here -
"Didn't know she was spoken for."
"You do now", Jack snarled. "And the next time you try to pass off your bloody Fae nectar on a human, I'll shove your little horned head up your arse and hold it there until you stop twitching."
"I'm Jack fucking Winter."
April 14, 2012
This is a dark urban fantasy-
What I liked:
Our story begins with a 16yr old girl the future Pete Caldecott, Detective Inspector of the New Scotland Yard now a grown women. A nightmare that happened over twelve years ago, when Pete had trust in magic and Jack. Jack Winter, a mage was killed by a ghost that they had freed that night.
Or so she thought till he appeared to giver her a tip all strung out on heroine. Her world shatters, her heart bleeds from the pain and the joy, of seeing him alive.
Jack is a heroine addict. He is also the only one that can help save the children that are being taken. He struggles with his lies, addictions and his own ghosts/demons that follow him. He is forced to take on more darkness and push his magical lines will drive them both to the edge.
The magical mystical beings are dark, evil and twisted. The Dark London world is gritty and filled with magical beings Pete is only now opening her eyes to see. She has alway felt something, but her sanity keep her from looking further.
They work roughly together, the past dangles between them. She is tough and forces him to go cold turkey with the drugs till this case is solved. Romance ?- There is a hint at something more, between them. Then it is blown away with barely a thought. (i was screaming for something to happen) There was never given a clear feeling on their relationship. No romance here, but there is hope from me. LOL
What I did not like:
-The writing style started out strong but, at the 1/2 way point it was full of rapid cuts, often leaving me confused. It was like the story was thrown into a tornado.
-Pete the rule following detective turned into a fist fighting street girl to defend Jack.
-Her whole credibility as a Detective Investigator is unbelievable. She just disappears from her job/superiors during an active missing child case ??? Really ?
-the overuse of slang, crude slang. it just didn't fit in that much.
** Despite all of this, I liked Street Magic. It had a lot of confusing and irritating moments in the second half of the book. The characters had serious problems. The writing had some serious flaws, yes. I saw enough promise in the beginning of the book to drive me to read the next one. I have already started the next book. There was brilliant writing at work till the second 1/2 tornado hit.
What I liked:
Our story begins with a 16yr old girl the future Pete Caldecott, Detective Inspector of the New Scotland Yard now a grown women. A nightmare that happened over twelve years ago, when Pete had trust in magic and Jack. Jack Winter, a mage was killed by a ghost that they had freed that night.
Or so she thought till he appeared to giver her a tip all strung out on heroine. Her world shatters, her heart bleeds from the pain and the joy, of seeing him alive.
Jack is a heroine addict. He is also the only one that can help save the children that are being taken. He struggles with his lies, addictions and his own ghosts/demons that follow him. He is forced to take on more darkness and push his magical lines will drive them both to the edge.
The magical mystical beings are dark, evil and twisted. The Dark London world is gritty and filled with magical beings Pete is only now opening her eyes to see. She has alway felt something, but her sanity keep her from looking further.
They work roughly together, the past dangles between them. She is tough and forces him to go cold turkey with the drugs till this case is solved. Romance ?- There is a hint at something more, between them. Then it is blown away with barely a thought. (i was screaming for something to happen) There was never given a clear feeling on their relationship. No romance here, but there is hope from me. LOL
What I did not like:
-The writing style started out strong but, at the 1/2 way point it was full of rapid cuts, often leaving me confused. It was like the story was thrown into a tornado.
-Pete the rule following detective turned into a fist fighting street girl to defend Jack.
-Her whole credibility as a Detective Investigator is unbelievable. She just disappears from her job/superiors during an active missing child case ??? Really ?
-the overuse of slang, crude slang. it just didn't fit in that much.
** Despite all of this, I liked Street Magic. It had a lot of confusing and irritating moments in the second half of the book. The characters had serious problems. The writing had some serious flaws, yes. I saw enough promise in the beginning of the book to drive me to read the next one. I have already started the next book. There was brilliant writing at work till the second 1/2 tornado hit.
March 7, 2016
Jack cupped her hand, palm upward, and conjured a spurt of witchfire in his fingers. He blew a breath over it and the fire flared and drifted upward, settling like milkweed into Pete's palm. It turned the shape of a daisy, then a tiny, perfect oak tree, and finally a duck.
Pete bit the inside of her cheeks and looked up into his face. Jack was grinning at her. "How can you be dour when you've got a tiny duck?" he asked.
--Caitlin Kittredge, Street Magic, page 158
This practically leaped off the shelf at me one day I was just browsing--nifty cover, intriguing back blurb, a good couple of sample pages. Sold. Shortly thereafter, a friend called to coincidentally recommend it.
Wow, talk about a candidate for the ultimate bad boy! Jack is such a scoundrel, with his dodgy magic, his addictions, his attitude, and penchant for getting into trouble…but he's also extremely funny, often charming, and vulnerable underneath. It's easy to see why Pete is drawn to him, beyond the ties of magic and guilt. Detective Inspector Pete Caldecott is a woman who can handle herself. She's stubborn and intelligent but caring, sensitive, and haunted, as well; she's believable and likable. Kittredge spins Pete and Jack's relationship in a rather unexpected way; it's fairly obvious that they love each other, but they're treading carefully so far.
Pete heads deeper and deeper into situations where much is not as it seems, and it turns out she's even been lying to herself for years about what happened to Jack before and who she really is. Crazy, dark, otherworldly stuff everywhere, but rooted in reality enough that it makes the weird stuff all the weirder. My jaw practically dropped when Pete ran into a reanimator. There were several times I expected something to be a dream--such as the bansidhe attack--only to realize it was really supposed to be happening, and I'd have to back up and re-read a bit. Difficult to put down, this book kept me guessing with lots of plot twists.
Kittredge (who's American) has a good writing style and firm grasp on British slang. True to the setting, there is a pervasive use of vulgarity and profanity, so this book might not be suitable for readers who are bothered by that sort of thing.
Pete bit the inside of her cheeks and looked up into his face. Jack was grinning at her. "How can you be dour when you've got a tiny duck?" he asked.
--Caitlin Kittredge, Street Magic, page 158
This practically leaped off the shelf at me one day I was just browsing--nifty cover, intriguing back blurb, a good couple of sample pages. Sold. Shortly thereafter, a friend called to coincidentally recommend it.
Wow, talk about a candidate for the ultimate bad boy! Jack is such a scoundrel, with his dodgy magic, his addictions, his attitude, and penchant for getting into trouble…but he's also extremely funny, often charming, and vulnerable underneath. It's easy to see why Pete is drawn to him, beyond the ties of magic and guilt. Detective Inspector Pete Caldecott is a woman who can handle herself. She's stubborn and intelligent but caring, sensitive, and haunted, as well; she's believable and likable. Kittredge spins Pete and Jack's relationship in a rather unexpected way; it's fairly obvious that they love each other, but they're treading carefully so far.
Pete heads deeper and deeper into situations where much is not as it seems, and it turns out she's even been lying to herself for years about what happened to Jack before and who she really is. Crazy, dark, otherworldly stuff everywhere, but rooted in reality enough that it makes the weird stuff all the weirder. My jaw practically dropped when Pete ran into a reanimator. There were several times I expected something to be a dream--such as the bansidhe attack--only to realize it was really supposed to be happening, and I'd have to back up and re-read a bit. Difficult to put down, this book kept me guessing with lots of plot twists.
Kittredge (who's American) has a good writing style and firm grasp on British slang. True to the setting, there is a pervasive use of vulgarity and profanity, so this book might not be suitable for readers who are bothered by that sort of thing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 16, 2009
I'm going to start off by saying I LOVE this book. I've read Catilin Kittredge's Nocturne City books and loved them so when I picked this is up was hoping I'd like it the same. It's a different world than her Nocturne series but it's great all the same. Street Magic is urban fantasy. And let me tell you I was hooked from the start.
Petunia “Pete” Caldecott is a detective inspector for Scotland Yard. She doesn't liked being call Petunia so she goes by Pete, which really isn't a girly name but suits her well.
Pete's latest case deals with the kidnapping of a young girl. She's hasn't really made much leads until a top leads her right to her missing girl. The informant happens to be someone she has thought of as dead since she was sixteen. He's not the same guy she remembers but he still shocks her all the same. Jack was a guy who was looked to as Pete's hero in a way. He was hot, smart and a powerful magic user. Jack was dating Pete's older sister Mg(morning glory, which is hilarious for a name).
One day Jack asked Pete to come with him to a cemetery so he could do some magic. She went mostly because of her crush but she felt she could trust Jack and wanted to go with him. He did magic that was very dangerous and Pete watched Jack die infront of her eyes.
But now it's years later and Pete is a grown woman and with her informant being Jack she decovers he didn't die back when she was 16.
Jack's a drug user now and only a ghost of what he was but Pete needs his help and in return she helps him with his bad habbit. It's not all that easy though, Jack has a serious hate for Pete at first and makes everything pretty hard on her, but throughout the book he warms up a little to show what the old jack might have been.
I recommend this to everyone who loves paranormal and urban fantasy. It's a great read with likable interesting characters and it was a book I found I read right through. I cannot wait for the next installment in the series and look forward to more book from this series in the future. Caitlin Kittredge is a great writer and I'm a fan of all her work. Street Magic gets a 5/5 from me!
Petunia “Pete” Caldecott is a detective inspector for Scotland Yard. She doesn't liked being call Petunia so she goes by Pete, which really isn't a girly name but suits her well.
Pete's latest case deals with the kidnapping of a young girl. She's hasn't really made much leads until a top leads her right to her missing girl. The informant happens to be someone she has thought of as dead since she was sixteen. He's not the same guy she remembers but he still shocks her all the same. Jack was a guy who was looked to as Pete's hero in a way. He was hot, smart and a powerful magic user. Jack was dating Pete's older sister Mg(morning glory, which is hilarious for a name).
One day Jack asked Pete to come with him to a cemetery so he could do some magic. She went mostly because of her crush but she felt she could trust Jack and wanted to go with him. He did magic that was very dangerous and Pete watched Jack die infront of her eyes.
But now it's years later and Pete is a grown woman and with her informant being Jack she decovers he didn't die back when she was 16.
Jack's a drug user now and only a ghost of what he was but Pete needs his help and in return she helps him with his bad habbit. It's not all that easy though, Jack has a serious hate for Pete at first and makes everything pretty hard on her, but throughout the book he warms up a little to show what the old jack might have been.
I recommend this to everyone who loves paranormal and urban fantasy. It's a great read with likable interesting characters and it was a book I found I read right through. I cannot wait for the next installment in the series and look forward to more book from this series in the future. Caitlin Kittredge is a great writer and I'm a fan of all her work. Street Magic gets a 5/5 from me!
January 31, 2011
You know that feeling you get when you finish a book and all you want is more? It's a wonderful high that every booklover is familiar with and one that once it gets it's hooks in you turns an average reader into a full on series-junkie. That is what happened to me with Kittredge's Black London series...it is like crack to me.
Not only is the series intelligent, but it looks at the typical Urban Fantasy set up in a very different way. The heroine is a well-bred, smart woman who, despite her run in with trouble as a teen, has made a great life for herself. Pete (short for Petunia) is on her way to a great career in Scotland Yard as a detective. She has carved a respectable path for herself and overcome several obstacles including turning a blind eye to the magical elements in her world. However, there is one ghost from her past that has the power to either help her embrace who she really is and achieve her goals or derail her intended path all together...Jack Winter.
I LOVE JACK. Jack Winter is like Buffy's Spike meets Karen Marie Moning's Barrons meets Billy Idol, and maybe a quick rendezvous with Iggy Pop. Sounds crazy right? Well it is crazy...crazy awesome!
In Jack Winter we have an incredibly tortured hero who is flawed beyond compare. A skilled mage, Jack has his own demons both literally and figuratively speaking. These demons rear their ugly mugs in the form of drugs, abuse and dark magic- making Jack a miserable almost pathetic character. Yet, despite the numerous things against Jack he has one unlikely champion and the relationship between Pete and Jack is one that keeps people guessing. Is he only interested in Pete for her raw talent and what she can offer him, or is there more to his desire to have her with him?
Kittredge does an amazing job with molding modern day London into a new, dark, magic-filled world. Her use of slang and vernacular might have been heavy in some places but I bought every word, and I think that is her real talent. Kittredge made me believe everything she wrote and transported me into her world and even though it is dark and creepy as hell...I didn't want to leave.
Not only is the series intelligent, but it looks at the typical Urban Fantasy set up in a very different way. The heroine is a well-bred, smart woman who, despite her run in with trouble as a teen, has made a great life for herself. Pete (short for Petunia) is on her way to a great career in Scotland Yard as a detective. She has carved a respectable path for herself and overcome several obstacles including turning a blind eye to the magical elements in her world. However, there is one ghost from her past that has the power to either help her embrace who she really is and achieve her goals or derail her intended path all together...Jack Winter.
I LOVE JACK. Jack Winter is like Buffy's Spike meets Karen Marie Moning's Barrons meets Billy Idol, and maybe a quick rendezvous with Iggy Pop. Sounds crazy right? Well it is crazy...crazy awesome!
In Jack Winter we have an incredibly tortured hero who is flawed beyond compare. A skilled mage, Jack has his own demons both literally and figuratively speaking. These demons rear their ugly mugs in the form of drugs, abuse and dark magic- making Jack a miserable almost pathetic character. Yet, despite the numerous things against Jack he has one unlikely champion and the relationship between Pete and Jack is one that keeps people guessing. Is he only interested in Pete for her raw talent and what she can offer him, or is there more to his desire to have her with him?
Kittredge does an amazing job with molding modern day London into a new, dark, magic-filled world. Her use of slang and vernacular might have been heavy in some places but I bought every word, and I think that is her real talent. Kittredge made me believe everything she wrote and transported me into her world and even though it is dark and creepy as hell...I didn't want to leave.
June 7, 2009
I was already aware of Caitlin Kittredge via her excellent Night Life, and so when I got the chance to check out an ARC of Street Magic, I leapt on it with enthusiasm. And I was not disappointed in the slightest.
Street Magic is set in a London that's every bit as dark and gritty as Night Life's Nocturne City, with the advantage of a certain lyricism of style that wasn't present for me in the other book. A great deal of this comes out of Kittredge getting back to the basics of what makes fantasy fantastic--giving us sorcerers and mages, ghosts and fae, and ancient gods that all reveal themselves to the reader in bursts of shadow and vision and music. In this setting we have DI Pete Caldecott discovering to her shock that Jack Winter, the man she'd thought dead for twelve years is not only alive, but keeping himself deliberately drugged out of his mind on heroine to block the visions dealt him by his own power. She can't let him remain in his drugged haze, either. He's the only source she has for finding out what's attacking children in the city, and leaving them blind and broken.
Jack for me was by far the most delightful part of the book, in no small part because I kept envisioning him over and over as played by James Marsters. Especially when I got to the part where he's compared to Billy Idol. ;) He's got the exact attitude that any longstanding fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer will recognize, and which when played with suitable deftness is absolutely entertaining. Kittredge plays it with that deftness here. Pete is very much the straight foil to his wildness, almost bland at times by comparison, and yet with a resolve that makes her the rock-solid center of the story. She has her world reset around her, and she doesn't shirk or flinch from what must be done. It's beautiful all around.
I'll very much look forward to buying a formal copy of this when it comes out, and on June 2nd I highly recommend you all do the same. Five stars.
Street Magic is set in a London that's every bit as dark and gritty as Night Life's Nocturne City, with the advantage of a certain lyricism of style that wasn't present for me in the other book. A great deal of this comes out of Kittredge getting back to the basics of what makes fantasy fantastic--giving us sorcerers and mages, ghosts and fae, and ancient gods that all reveal themselves to the reader in bursts of shadow and vision and music. In this setting we have DI Pete Caldecott discovering to her shock that Jack Winter, the man she'd thought dead for twelve years is not only alive, but keeping himself deliberately drugged out of his mind on heroine to block the visions dealt him by his own power. She can't let him remain in his drugged haze, either. He's the only source she has for finding out what's attacking children in the city, and leaving them blind and broken.
Jack for me was by far the most delightful part of the book, in no small part because I kept envisioning him over and over as played by James Marsters. Especially when I got to the part where he's compared to Billy Idol. ;) He's got the exact attitude that any longstanding fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer will recognize, and which when played with suitable deftness is absolutely entertaining. Kittredge plays it with that deftness here. Pete is very much the straight foil to his wildness, almost bland at times by comparison, and yet with a resolve that makes her the rock-solid center of the story. She has her world reset around her, and she doesn't shirk or flinch from what must be done. It's beautiful all around.
I'll very much look forward to buying a formal copy of this when it comes out, and on June 2nd I highly recommend you all do the same. Five stars.
August 6, 2011
Firstly, isn't the cover of this book awesome? I think it captures the shadowy world Pete and Jack live in, perfectly!
It's been twelve years since Pete Caldecott saw Jack Winter. That's because he died, and she ran. Left to mourn his death but always haunted by his memory.
Well, she thought Jack was dead, until he turns out to be a valuable informant on the case she's working on at the moment. Pete's all grown up now, and is a detective who's recently escaped a bad relationship, suffered through the loss of her father several years before, and is estranged from her older sister. Her latest case thrusts her into a strange and dark world that borders ours, and only Jack can help her with his strange and wondrous power. But Jack is just a shadow of himself, constantly strung out on drugs because he can't handle what he can sense and see...
Wow. This was quite an amazing book! It was dark, gritty, and very edgy. It didn't shy away from the horrible things in life, and blended them well into a supernatural part of London filled with wicked creatures.
I loved both Pete and Jack. Pete, because she's strong and so determined to solve the case of the missing children, while trying to save Jack from himself. And Jack, because he's such a tormented man with the weight of the world on his skinny shoulders.
Yeah, I've enjoyed my first visit into Black London... and think I'll continue on my way into the second. :)
It's been twelve years since Pete Caldecott saw Jack Winter. That's because he died, and she ran. Left to mourn his death but always haunted by his memory.
Well, she thought Jack was dead, until he turns out to be a valuable informant on the case she's working on at the moment. Pete's all grown up now, and is a detective who's recently escaped a bad relationship, suffered through the loss of her father several years before, and is estranged from her older sister. Her latest case thrusts her into a strange and dark world that borders ours, and only Jack can help her with his strange and wondrous power. But Jack is just a shadow of himself, constantly strung out on drugs because he can't handle what he can sense and see...
Wow. This was quite an amazing book! It was dark, gritty, and very edgy. It didn't shy away from the horrible things in life, and blended them well into a supernatural part of London filled with wicked creatures.
I loved both Pete and Jack. Pete, because she's strong and so determined to solve the case of the missing children, while trying to save Jack from himself. And Jack, because he's such a tormented man with the weight of the world on his skinny shoulders.
Yeah, I've enjoyed my first visit into Black London... and think I'll continue on my way into the second. :)
February 21, 2016
This book was decent for the most part but I was disappointed to learn that while the whole thing takes place in London and the characters were born and raised there, the author is American and that caused me to question the authenticity of the setting, terms of speech, mannerisms, etc. Especially after reading some of the reviews of others who indicate that the slang in this book is sometimes so over the top as to come off as insulting.
My overall feeling was that of being fairly entertained, but I found it to be a bit draggy at times. The magic was somewhat vague and not well-explained especially in regards to Pete. Just what exactly is it that she can do other than being a magical amplifier? I am sure her abilities will be further explained in the ensuing books in the series, I'm just not sure I care enough to find out. I also didn't believe for a minute that she was a skilled police inspector, simply because of the way she carelessly bumbles her way around every crime scene she stumbles blindly into.
Jack was a complete big-headed ass wipe. I did enjoy it when Pete smacked him around and told him off, and honestly their back and forth verbal sparring was what I liked most about the book, but I don't want to be the lone idiot out there just unknowingly laughing and having a fabulous time reading something that's insulting and stereotyping towards British people.
My overall feeling was that of being fairly entertained, but I found it to be a bit draggy at times. The magic was somewhat vague and not well-explained especially in regards to Pete. Just what exactly is it that she can do other than being a magical amplifier? I am sure her abilities will be further explained in the ensuing books in the series, I'm just not sure I care enough to find out. I also didn't believe for a minute that she was a skilled police inspector, simply because of the way she carelessly bumbles her way around every crime scene she stumbles blindly into.
Jack was a complete big-headed ass wipe. I did enjoy it when Pete smacked him around and told him off, and honestly their back and forth verbal sparring was what I liked most about the book, but I don't want to be the lone idiot out there just unknowingly laughing and having a fabulous time reading something that's insulting and stereotyping towards British people.
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