Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Publication
New York : St. Martin's Paperbacks, 2009.
Description
"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 kidnapping of a young girl from the streets of London-- a case that brings her face to face with Jack. Strung out on heroin, Jack is 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. Pete follows Jack into the 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."--P. [4] of cover.
Media reviews
I really wanted to like this book. I really did like it, but I kept getting kicked out when one more thing would remind me of how this could just as easily be a novelization of a Hellblazer story, though of course it isn't.
What's disappointing about this is that Kittredge has the writing chops
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and imagination to spare. She shows flare and originality throughout Street Magic, except with this one character. Unfortunately, this character is a major one, and unlike borrowing from folklore or mythology, he's not up for grabs. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member kraaivrouw
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 -
Dreadful.
Well, it misses in various ways -
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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.
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LibraryThing member cvercolen
I wanted to like this after enjoying Kittredge's Nocturne City series and having spent four years outside of London while growing up but just couldn't. The story was okay but it was the constant brow beating language and slang thrown at the reader that never allowed me to enjoy it. Whether it was
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my personal experience, British TV, British novels or friends from England, I have never, ever heard, seen or read dialogue like this. It reminds me of a person who has never lived in New York City trying to write what they imagine an accent should sound like. It never really works and just detracts from the story. Reading other reviews I know I am not the only one who has this complaint so it is something you may want to keep in mind if you are contemplating this novel. If you are interesting in an urban fantasy tale based in England I would recommend you read a British book instead of this. Simon R. Green, Kate Griffin and Mike Carey won't butcher their own language just to sell you on where their books take place. Show Less
LibraryThing member ruric
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
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
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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.
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LibraryThing member MargK
High Hopes, allow me to introduce you to Crushing Disappointment.
I really wanted to like this book. Scratch that. I wanted to love it. I've been absolutely starved for another Urban Fantasy series that I could get obsessively attached to. Thus, when I heard that two of my favorite bloggers were
My venture into Black London started off fairly well. I immediately liked the writing style, namely the rich descriptions and gritty edginess of the environments & characterizations. And I appreciated the fast pace and action...at least at first because as the story progressed the action became rather repetitive & redundant. Sadly, as I flipped the pages, I felt a hollow sensation creeping up inside me and quickly realized that I was not becoming emotionally engaged in the story. Quite the contrary, I felt utterly detached and couldn't bring myself to care for either one of the two protagonists.
I like my characters flawed. I like them to be rough around the edges with a bit of attitude & a smidgen of broodiness. And I like to see them voyage through the murky gray area in between right and wrong. Therefore, I initially welcomed Pete and Jack with wide open arms. Unfortunately, like with most blind dates, the reasonably good first impression turned sour rather fast.
Pete had potential to be likable. She was loyal, compassionate, and brave. However, she was also a card-carrying member of the TSTL club. This was made worse by the fact that Pete was supposed to be a superstar London detective. Yeah, I've seen mall cops act more professional than the nonsense Pete tried to pass off as police work. She did nothing by the book. Hell, she chucked the book out the window of her mini cooper, drove over it, and then backed up to drive over it again for good measure. She ran blindly head first into every situation without anything close to resembling a plan. She never told anyone where she was going or what she was doing. She ran her mouth off and physically assaulted people left & right without much rhyme or reason. It was just one stupid decision after another. On top of that, she had an extremely unhealthy infatuation with Jack, who did absolutely nothing to deserve her affection & devotion.
Jack, bluntly put, was an asshole. I found nothing likable about him and he never managed to redeem himself in my eyes. He was self-absorbed, arrogant, apathetic, and immature. And no, this wasn't due to a 12-year heroin addiction. I wish it was. No, Jack by nature was a selfish, cocky bastard. Sure, he had a tough childhood and a rather unpleasant ability of seeing/hearing the dead, but I couldn't find anything positive enough about him to accept this as a legitimate excuse for his assholish personality & behavior. Perhaps in the proceeding books he manages to grow as a person and earn some respect, but in Street Magic he pretty much sucked.
Finally, another thing that totally turned me off was the foul-mouthedness that ran rampant in this book like an ADHD kid on a sugar high. Listen, I'm not prudish. I don't mind a bit of cussing. I cuss too...in 3 languages (3.5 if you count what I picked up from Battlestar Galactica). Admittedly, I cuss more in my head then out loud, but that's besides the point. The thing is, the profanity in this book was way over-the-top and mixed in with British slang that felt really contrived. The "C" word was used so much that if I had decided to make a drinking game out of it, I would have had alcohol poisoning before the end of the book. It made me very uncomfortable, and that's saying something because the last time cussing made me uncomfortable was when I babysat the Spawn of Satan back in high school (how a 5-year-old little boy learned to cuss like a drunken sailor with anger-management issues, I do not know, but his parents definitely didn't pay me nearly enough for all the times I had to foil his plans of setting things on fire and poking animals with pointy sticks...*shutter*).
I really wanted to like this book. Scratch that. I wanted to love it. I've been absolutely starved for another Urban Fantasy series that I could get obsessively attached to. Thus, when I heard that two of my favorite bloggers were
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recommending the Black London series by Caitlin Kittredge, I googled the books faster then I've ever googled anything before (well except maybe for semi-naked pictures of Jake Gyllenhaal). Anyways, being the discerning reader & consumer that I am, I of course decided to check out some more reviews prior to scrambling for my wallet. And as it turned out, some reviews were pretty bad. But despite having to tell my borderline manic excitement to slow its roll, I was still hopeful and determined to give Street Magic a try. So, I bum rushed the double doors of my local library and borrowed a copy STAT.My venture into Black London started off fairly well. I immediately liked the writing style, namely the rich descriptions and gritty edginess of the environments & characterizations. And I appreciated the fast pace and action...at least at first because as the story progressed the action became rather repetitive & redundant. Sadly, as I flipped the pages, I felt a hollow sensation creeping up inside me and quickly realized that I was not becoming emotionally engaged in the story. Quite the contrary, I felt utterly detached and couldn't bring myself to care for either one of the two protagonists.
I like my characters flawed. I like them to be rough around the edges with a bit of attitude & a smidgen of broodiness. And I like to see them voyage through the murky gray area in between right and wrong. Therefore, I initially welcomed Pete and Jack with wide open arms. Unfortunately, like with most blind dates, the reasonably good first impression turned sour rather fast.
Pete had potential to be likable. She was loyal, compassionate, and brave. However, she was also a card-carrying member of the TSTL club. This was made worse by the fact that Pete was supposed to be a superstar London detective. Yeah, I've seen mall cops act more professional than the nonsense Pete tried to pass off as police work. She did nothing by the book. Hell, she chucked the book out the window of her mini cooper, drove over it, and then backed up to drive over it again for good measure. She ran blindly head first into every situation without anything close to resembling a plan. She never told anyone where she was going or what she was doing. She ran her mouth off and physically assaulted people left & right without much rhyme or reason. It was just one stupid decision after another. On top of that, she had an extremely unhealthy infatuation with Jack, who did absolutely nothing to deserve her affection & devotion.
Jack, bluntly put, was an asshole. I found nothing likable about him and he never managed to redeem himself in my eyes. He was self-absorbed, arrogant, apathetic, and immature. And no, this wasn't due to a 12-year heroin addiction. I wish it was. No, Jack by nature was a selfish, cocky bastard. Sure, he had a tough childhood and a rather unpleasant ability of seeing/hearing the dead, but I couldn't find anything positive enough about him to accept this as a legitimate excuse for his assholish personality & behavior. Perhaps in the proceeding books he manages to grow as a person and earn some respect, but in Street Magic he pretty much sucked.
Finally, another thing that totally turned me off was the foul-mouthedness that ran rampant in this book like an ADHD kid on a sugar high. Listen, I'm not prudish. I don't mind a bit of cussing. I cuss too...in 3 languages (3.5 if you count what I picked up from Battlestar Galactica). Admittedly, I cuss more in my head then out loud, but that's besides the point. The thing is, the profanity in this book was way over-the-top and mixed in with British slang that felt really contrived. The "C" word was used so much that if I had decided to make a drinking game out of it, I would have had alcohol poisoning before the end of the book. It made me very uncomfortable, and that's saying something because the last time cussing made me uncomfortable was when I babysat the Spawn of Satan back in high school (how a 5-year-old little boy learned to cuss like a drunken sailor with anger-management issues, I do not know, but his parents definitely didn't pay me nearly enough for all the times I had to foil his plans of setting things on fire and poking animals with pointy sticks...*shutter*).
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LibraryThing member Jenson_AKA_DL
Detective Inspector Pete Caldecott is determined to find the person responsible for the abduction of Bridget Killigen even though her sixth sense is telling her she will be too late. When she receives a tip from a potential informant the last person she ever expected to see is Jack Winter, her
This story was a very different read for me and lots of fun simply because it was very British in setting, attitude and language. It is a good thing I had a "Harry Potter" primer on British slang or I might have been a little lost LOL! Also, the story was engrossing, with a very interesting way of having the characters perceive where they were at any given moment, flipping between the real world and The Dark places. The characters played well off of each other. I did have a little difficulty getting used to "Pete" as a girl's name and for the longest time was confused as to who "Connor" was. I'm used to calling my parents mom and dad, and never think to use their first names myself. I liked the idea of Jack being an addict and for what could be good reason. There is some 'shippy tension to the relationship between Jack and Pete, and the story really centers around these two characters together, but there is certainly no actual "romance" involved in the story. I'm hoping that maybe the sequel will have a little more in that department.
I think that this was a very well put together, edgy, dark urban fantasy with a very strong female lead who isn't as abrasive as some I've read in the past. Certainly this is a series I have an interest in following, at least into the next book.
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sister's former boyfriend, magician and singer...and the man she saw die at the hands of a nightmare over a decade earlier. Jack is a shade of his former self and an addict. He is also the only one who seems to have a connection to whatever is kidnapping young children and for that reason alone Pete will keep Jack close at hand, whether he wants to be there or not.This story was a very different read for me and lots of fun simply because it was very British in setting, attitude and language. It is a good thing I had a "Harry Potter" primer on British slang or I might have been a little lost LOL! Also, the story was engrossing, with a very interesting way of having the characters perceive where they were at any given moment, flipping between the real world and The Dark places. The characters played well off of each other. I did have a little difficulty getting used to "Pete" as a girl's name and for the longest time was confused as to who "Connor" was. I'm used to calling my parents mom and dad, and never think to use their first names myself. I liked the idea of Jack being an addict and for what could be good reason. There is some 'shippy tension to the relationship between Jack and Pete, and the story really centers around these two characters together, but there is certainly no actual "romance" involved in the story. I'm hoping that maybe the sequel will have a little more in that department.
I think that this was a very well put together, edgy, dark urban fantasy with a very strong female lead who isn't as abrasive as some I've read in the past. Certainly this is a series I have an interest in following, at least into the next book.
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LibraryThing member Mardel
Street Magic is a dark, dark fantasy. The main character is so flawed. The secondary character is extremely flawed, in fact, he's a straight up asshole. Pete (a female cop) has issues - issues that I think a lot of women have (falling for the wrong man). She's also pretty tough and in some serious
There is a lot of action in the novel, and Pete begins to come to an acceptance of herself, as well as slowly learning that there's more to life than meets the eye. The dialogue between the main characters is wonderful. They say some nice things to each other, they say some horrible things to each other. There is absolutely NO sex in this book. Refreshingly, the characters aren't suddenly falling into bed with each other at an odd time, or suddenly making out with each other, although you can tell that at one time they were attracted to each other.
I was reading about very flawed people, who do some not very nice things, and I wanted to keep reading. I was really enjoying the not-so-perfect characters. I think that this book is way better than Caitlin Kittredge's Nocturne books (which I do enjoy). Even though the characters were so....broken and flawed, they still persevered. They egged each other on, and all the way through the book there was just the teeniest bit of possibility that things would work out.
The sequel to this, Demon Bound is available now, and I'm so glad that I won it in a contest, because it's sitting on my shelf right now. Until I finished Street Magic, I wouldn't have felt like buying the sequel, and I would have missed out on a very good series.
A good book to have your fantasy shelf
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denial about her abilities. This is not one of those books where the "bad" character isn't really bad, this guy has some issues and uses to self-medicate (that's all our excuses!). There is no sudden soberness for him either, this guy screws up a few times. Jack, her sister's former boyfriend is an addict. A strong magic wielding lost little-boy heroin addict. They end up working together, feeling strong dislike for each other to help find some missing children. Somehow, all this works. The story is full of surprises, dark fantasy figures, and bad things happen to people. There is also a nice mix of modern life, mixed in with legendary fae mythology.There is a lot of action in the novel, and Pete begins to come to an acceptance of herself, as well as slowly learning that there's more to life than meets the eye. The dialogue between the main characters is wonderful. They say some nice things to each other, they say some horrible things to each other. There is absolutely NO sex in this book. Refreshingly, the characters aren't suddenly falling into bed with each other at an odd time, or suddenly making out with each other, although you can tell that at one time they were attracted to each other.
I was reading about very flawed people, who do some not very nice things, and I wanted to keep reading. I was really enjoying the not-so-perfect characters. I think that this book is way better than Caitlin Kittredge's Nocturne books (which I do enjoy). Even though the characters were so....broken and flawed, they still persevered. They egged each other on, and all the way through the book there was just the teeniest bit of possibility that things would work out.
The sequel to this, Demon Bound is available now, and I'm so glad that I won it in a contest, because it's sitting on my shelf right now. Until I finished Street Magic, I wouldn't have felt like buying the sequel, and I would have missed out on a very good series.
A good book to have your fantasy shelf
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LibraryThing member MlleEhreen
The best thing I can say about STREET MAGIC is that I finished it because, uh, it was touch and go there for a while. This book seems to consist entirely of the sort of drama drama drama nonsense that gives reality TV such a bad name. If I had to do an elevator pitch for this novel, I think it
In the prologue we find out that when Pete was a starry-eyed teenager she accompanied Jack Winter to perform a magic ritual. From what I could tell, he was dating her older sister at the time and they didn't know one another very well. The ritual goes awry and Pete is left with the impression that Jack died. Twelve years later, they meet up again. Pete is a cop, Jack is a junkie. Kittredge goes all out with the descriptions, so we find out how skinny, wrinkly and ruined Jack is...and yet the second Pete sees him, she reverts to reverts to dreamy-eyed teenage behavior. It's actually embarrassing to read. For his part, Jack is supposed to be sexy, I guess? Except that all he does is smoke and pose and mouth off.
The whole book felt like an endless succession of ridiculous declarations, "Why did you leave me there to die, Pete!" and "I never stopped thinking of you, Jack!" The plot (about a ghost that kills children) only exists in order to give Pete and Jack the opportunity to storm out on one another (this time for good!), or else dramatically insist that they'll die for one another, or maybe for one of them to declare that he/she doesn't care about the other, only to dramatically put his/her life on the line anyhow.
Also, another reviewer here commented about the annoying Britishisms. But the reviewer was British and I figured that would make him/her particularly sensitive to a false vernacular. Now that I've read the book I can say: the annoying Britishisms are just as annoying and weird to an American. Every page is so cluttered slang that the writing - which is otherwise of a pretty good quality - becomes outright ridiculous. If you took a drink for every time Kittredge uses the word "bloody" in this book you would die of alcohol poisoning before reaching the halfway point. And not just "bloody": Kittredge also tosses in "bloke" and "telly" and "lift" (instead of elevator - and MAN are there are lot of elevators that need mentioning in this novel), "git" and "bint" and "luv" and "dodgy" and "sodding" and on and on and on, scattering them liberally throughout the text at a rate of three or four per page. It's silly. It doesn't sound British, it sounds like a Saturday Night Live sketch.
So, yeah, I did finish STREET MAGIC but by the time I got to the end I hated Jack, I hated Pete, and I hated the book.
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would go, "It's like the Real Housewives of London, starring Sid Vicious the junkie mage, an annoying groupie, and set in a Hot Topic...." In the prologue we find out that when Pete was a starry-eyed teenager she accompanied Jack Winter to perform a magic ritual. From what I could tell, he was dating her older sister at the time and they didn't know one another very well. The ritual goes awry and Pete is left with the impression that Jack died. Twelve years later, they meet up again. Pete is a cop, Jack is a junkie. Kittredge goes all out with the descriptions, so we find out how skinny, wrinkly and ruined Jack is...and yet the second Pete sees him, she reverts to reverts to dreamy-eyed teenage behavior. It's actually embarrassing to read. For his part, Jack is supposed to be sexy, I guess? Except that all he does is smoke and pose and mouth off.
The whole book felt like an endless succession of ridiculous declarations, "Why did you leave me there to die, Pete!" and "I never stopped thinking of you, Jack!" The plot (about a ghost that kills children) only exists in order to give Pete and Jack the opportunity to storm out on one another (this time for good!), or else dramatically insist that they'll die for one another, or maybe for one of them to declare that he/she doesn't care about the other, only to dramatically put his/her life on the line anyhow.
Also, another reviewer here commented about the annoying Britishisms. But the reviewer was British and I figured that would make him/her particularly sensitive to a false vernacular. Now that I've read the book I can say: the annoying Britishisms are just as annoying and weird to an American. Every page is so cluttered slang that the writing - which is otherwise of a pretty good quality - becomes outright ridiculous. If you took a drink for every time Kittredge uses the word "bloody" in this book you would die of alcohol poisoning before reaching the halfway point. And not just "bloody": Kittredge also tosses in "bloke" and "telly" and "lift" (instead of elevator - and MAN are there are lot of elevators that need mentioning in this novel), "git" and "bint" and "luv" and "dodgy" and "sodding" and on and on and on, scattering them liberally throughout the text at a rate of three or four per page. It's silly. It doesn't sound British, it sounds like a Saturday Night Live sketch.
So, yeah, I did finish STREET MAGIC but by the time I got to the end I hated Jack, I hated Pete, and I hated the book.
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LibraryThing member vampiregirl76
Street Magic is an exciting fast paced read. Prior to reading this new book I read Ms. Kittredge's first two books in her Nocturne City series and just loved her writing voice. Her characters take you on a journey of non-stop action. The writing isn't bogged down with unnecessary dialogue that you
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find in some dark fantasy books. I always find that refreshing. Pete and Jack are quiet interesting and have great chemistry. Their back and forth nagging at each other was amusing. The only problem I had with it were the names "Pete" and "Jack". I had to keep reminding myself that Pete is a chick. Otherwise I really enjoyed this first installment. Show Less
LibraryThing member picardyrose
Somebody said, 'Ooh, urban fantasy is hot -- think I'll write a book!'
LibraryThing member pollywannabook
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
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
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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.
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LibraryThing member samantha.1020
From the back of the book:
"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
My Thoughts:
Street Magic was an interesting beginning to a new (to me anyways) urban fantasy series. When Pete comes across Jack during her investigation, he is a heroin junkie that seems to hate her for no apparent reason. But he has information that leads to the discovery of the missing child and when another girl comes up missing Pete goes straight to Jack for help. The main characters in this book were interesting and different. Jack should be an unlikeable character. I mean, come on, he is a heroin addict and the way he acts toward Pete makes him far from endearing. But by the end of the story I was beginning to like him even though I was never quite sure of his motives throughout the story. Pete was a really strong female character whose actions left me flabbergasted at times. And yet even with all of their faults I couldn't get enough of these two. There was a ton of action throughout the book which helped to make the book a fast read. Plus, Kittredge has created an interesting world where the story is set in London but there is also the Black which is a place that only some can see. The book was darker than some urban fantasy but I still really enjoyed the book. I couldn't stop turning the pages to see what would happen to Pete and Jack next. And although the mystery wasn't the greatest, it was enough that I wanted to see what would happen in the end. Definitely an interesting read!
I did have a few problems with the book with the main problem being some of the language. Specifically, the use of a certain 4 lettered c-word throughout the story. I don't mind swearing in books but I find this word particularly offensive so it bugged me that the characters kept using it so casually. It was a personal problem that took away from the reading experience for me but I'm guessing it won't bother others as much.
All in all, I liked this book and plan to continue on with the series. Although I had a few qualms with it I would still recommend this book to urban fantasy lovers with the warning about the language.
"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
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kidnapping of a young girl from the streets of London...a case that brings her face to face with Jack."My Thoughts:
Street Magic was an interesting beginning to a new (to me anyways) urban fantasy series. When Pete comes across Jack during her investigation, he is a heroin junkie that seems to hate her for no apparent reason. But he has information that leads to the discovery of the missing child and when another girl comes up missing Pete goes straight to Jack for help. The main characters in this book were interesting and different. Jack should be an unlikeable character. I mean, come on, he is a heroin addict and the way he acts toward Pete makes him far from endearing. But by the end of the story I was beginning to like him even though I was never quite sure of his motives throughout the story. Pete was a really strong female character whose actions left me flabbergasted at times. And yet even with all of their faults I couldn't get enough of these two. There was a ton of action throughout the book which helped to make the book a fast read. Plus, Kittredge has created an interesting world where the story is set in London but there is also the Black which is a place that only some can see. The book was darker than some urban fantasy but I still really enjoyed the book. I couldn't stop turning the pages to see what would happen to Pete and Jack next. And although the mystery wasn't the greatest, it was enough that I wanted to see what would happen in the end. Definitely an interesting read!
I did have a few problems with the book with the main problem being some of the language. Specifically, the use of a certain 4 lettered c-word throughout the story. I don't mind swearing in books but I find this word particularly offensive so it bugged me that the characters kept using it so casually. It was a personal problem that took away from the reading experience for me but I'm guessing it won't bother others as much.
All in all, I liked this book and plan to continue on with the series. Although I had a few qualms with it I would still recommend this book to urban fantasy lovers with the warning about the language.
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LibraryThing member MelHay
I really enjoyed this book, so much so I was not able to put it down until I was through the whole thing. I really enjoyed the banter between the two main characters, Pete & Jack. They really have one heck of a love/hate relationship. The British slang was a great touch as well. It took me a little
There where a few moments I got slightly confused with the flashes to the dreams that Pete was having then to reality. It took me a moment to catch on to what was going on, then to switch my thinking. But, it didn't take me long as I went through the book to catch on and know what to look for, and in learning the authors writting style it became easier for me to pick the dreams out.
I really liked Jack's character more from the beginning. To me there seemed to be more layers to him than appeared to the others in the story. To me I thought he out shined Pete through most of the book, but by the end of the book Pete had taken her place right up there by/with Jack. In the end of the book I realized how much Pete had grown as a character through the book, and loved her for it. Jack's character grew as well but not by the leaps and bounds that Pete did.
I know there is a short story of Jack in the book Huntress, which hold a few short stories by four different authors. I have this book on my shelf in my to be read pile. But, the second book in the Black London Novel series is Demon Bound. Based on the preview at the back of the book, Street Magic, it looks as it is to be released December 2009. I will be watching the shelves for this on in December.
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bit to get what they ment, but when I caught on to the meanings I absolutely loved it. I got such a kick out of the slang even when it was in anger.There where a few moments I got slightly confused with the flashes to the dreams that Pete was having then to reality. It took me a moment to catch on to what was going on, then to switch my thinking. But, it didn't take me long as I went through the book to catch on and know what to look for, and in learning the authors writting style it became easier for me to pick the dreams out.
I really liked Jack's character more from the beginning. To me there seemed to be more layers to him than appeared to the others in the story. To me I thought he out shined Pete through most of the book, but by the end of the book Pete had taken her place right up there by/with Jack. In the end of the book I realized how much Pete had grown as a character through the book, and loved her for it. Jack's character grew as well but not by the leaps and bounds that Pete did.
I know there is a short story of Jack in the book Huntress, which hold a few short stories by four different authors. I have this book on my shelf in my to be read pile. But, the second book in the Black London Novel series is Demon Bound. Based on the preview at the back of the book, Street Magic, it looks as it is to be released December 2009. I will be watching the shelves for this on in December.
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LibraryThing member mmillet
When Pete Caldecott met the irresistible Jack Winter when she was 16 years old, she knew her life would never be the same again. Older and wiser with magic at his fingertips, Jack seemed to charge the very space his lived in. That is until Pete watched him get killed by a shadowy form he tried to
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summon from a graveyard. Flash forward 10 years and Pete is now a London detective with a string of cases involving missing children. After receiving a mysterious tip about their location, Pete discovers Jack strung-out on heroin with precise information about the kidnappings. Unwilling to let Jack fade back into obscurity, Pete forces him to not only sober up but to help her find the other children - although she doesn't believe in the possibility that magic is involved for a second. As the mystery begins to unfold, Pete is forced to confront her own past and the existence of sorcerers, demons and faeries.I found this to be a fun, fast-paced ride, albeit sometimes a little dark. Pete and Jack's relationship is full of angst arising from some huge misunderstandings those ten years ago and both are sure the other is lying about something. What I liked about Pete was how loyal she can be: to the missing kids, to Jack. It really made me like her even more. My only problem was how quickly Pete went from a no-nonsense detective to fist-throwing brawler ready to defend Jack. It really didn't seem in keeping with her 'toe the line of the law' persona. Other than that, the descriptions of a magical London underworld centered in Whitechapel were more than a little fun. Show Less
LibraryThing member les121
Better than I expected! This fun, interesting, unique urban fantasy novel had me hooked from the very beginning. It has its issues - the written British accent is a little much at times, the supporting characters are either thin or nonexistent, and the plot seems to get a bit sidetracked. But, on
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the other hand, the main characters are well-drawn, the plot unpredictable and fast-paced, and Kittredge turns urban fantasy staples into strange, one of a kind elements in an intriguing world. Overall, this book exceeded my expectations. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will probably pick up the second one in the series. Show Less
LibraryThing member aoibhealfae
Some years ago, I went to BBW sale in the lot that was now BookXcess and I fell in love with Nocturne City series. Unfortunately, after several books I lost interest in it since basically the plot were moving but Miss Kittredge didn't actually elaborated about her main characters so its like
And I found out that she's the same age as my sister, wow....
The main appeal of this series (on contrary with her other protagonists: Luna and Aoife) was the language and the characters in this book.
Honestly, there's got to be a word count for "bloody", "fucks" and "cunts" in this book by both main characters. It does make me think about Being Human's sarcastic humor and The Fades's noir overtones. Well, its set in London so if you're unfamiliar with some of the lingos you might have a hard time following the novel. (well, basically, I'm Asian and I had to learn a bunch of local and overseas lingos in multiple languages so its not that hard you know. And I watch BBC series like it was some sort of crack so... embrace the culture)
The characterization styles was like genius. I rarely see this in urban fantasy for female readers since somehow all of them expected the same characters of Buffy and Angel. Its not that bad but its quite tiring after a long while.
The female protagonist was Pete which is a weird name for a girl who is a detective inspector who investigates a missing person's case and received an informant who she had saw dead 12 years ago. She's goddamn stubborn, like a counter-intuitive version of Olivia Dunham... oh slash that, Pete is like Fauxlivia Dunham except she's British and have foul mouth and smoke cigarettes. She have nightmares involving freakish wrinkled bones things giving her something in her sleep that she scream every night till her fiancée dumped her (what a asshole!) and now he bugged her in weird moments in her days asking her to sign a lease to sell their apartment, again, asshole. She didn't seek out romantic aspiration like every urban fantasy book characterss that I read (but hey, I'm still reading them so I'm not complaining) and when she set her mind to something she just do it impulsively. I mean, like really, you don't ever say no to her. Like ever. She's like a terminator or something, she got a scratch, a stab wound, mind-tortured or something, and she's up on her feet even when she's covered in blood. She's really mean too but darn fascinating. Honestly, the book cover doesn't justify her character. She's like Eliza Dushku slash Sherlock Holmes slash Fauxlivia Dunham.
Frankly, I love Faith more than Buffy
which leads to Jack Winters, a very hot male character in the first page of the book where we saw him summoning a wraith that killed him. A couple of pages later we found him again, alive but heavily addicted to cocaine and live in dilapted building and begging for a hit. He was a shade of the powerful mage he once was and when Pete found him, she saw only the key to solving the missing children's case and that she neat her off his drugs and get cleaned. It was a struggle with both of the characters since the main reason Jack became that way was that he can see ghosts and fought hard to keep the ghosts away. He is haunted and fingering on periphery of madness. Even with his infamous 'talents' in the paranormal side of London, he carried the curse along with him and with Pete bringing him to the world, the black London became aware of the mage and more sorcerers trying to murder him to gain his magic.
I am enjoying this mesh of characters together. Oh, both of them are addicts in every way, the story is mature and classically a noir done right.
In the ways of novel series 101, the book doesn't really show the details of the main characters despite the mystery plot adhering to the main storyline. I go through chapters and chapters of the book trying to catch the back stories of the characters, like catching Daim chocolate amidst a sea of cheap chocolate. It build up well, explained some of the matters in the book but withheld more on others, throwing questions to a lot of things, avoiding some of the matters from the past but solving it. Lying about something and then telling the truth. Frankly, the book contradicting each other but in a sort of way thats intriguing, like a mystery novel should!
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finding a piece of treat in the middle of a lengthy series. But then I read her Iron Codex series and I fell in love with her noir stories again. Score!And I found out that she's the same age as my sister, wow....
The main appeal of this series (on contrary with her other protagonists: Luna and Aoife) was the language and the characters in this book.
Honestly, there's got to be a word count for "bloody", "fucks" and "cunts" in this book by both main characters. It does make me think about Being Human's sarcastic humor and The Fades's noir overtones. Well, its set in London so if you're unfamiliar with some of the lingos you might have a hard time following the novel. (well, basically, I'm Asian and I had to learn a bunch of local and overseas lingos in multiple languages so its not that hard you know. And I watch BBC series like it was some sort of crack so... embrace the culture)
The characterization styles was like genius. I rarely see this in urban fantasy for female readers since somehow all of them expected the same characters of Buffy and Angel. Its not that bad but its quite tiring after a long while.
The female protagonist was Pete which is a weird name for a girl who is a detective inspector who investigates a missing person's case and received an informant who she had saw dead 12 years ago. She's goddamn stubborn, like a counter-intuitive version of Olivia Dunham... oh slash that, Pete is like Fauxlivia Dunham except she's British and have foul mouth and smoke cigarettes. She have nightmares involving freakish wrinkled bones things giving her something in her sleep that she scream every night till her fiancée dumped her (what a asshole!) and now he bugged her in weird moments in her days asking her to sign a lease to sell their apartment, again, asshole. She didn't seek out romantic aspiration like every urban fantasy book characterss that I read (but hey, I'm still reading them so I'm not complaining) and when she set her mind to something she just do it impulsively. I mean, like really, you don't ever say no to her. Like ever. She's like a terminator or something, she got a scratch, a stab wound, mind-tortured or something, and she's up on her feet even when she's covered in blood. She's really mean too but darn fascinating. Honestly, the book cover doesn't justify her character. She's like Eliza Dushku slash Sherlock Holmes slash Fauxlivia Dunham.
Frankly, I love Faith more than Buffy
which leads to Jack Winters, a very hot male character in the first page of the book where we saw him summoning a wraith that killed him. A couple of pages later we found him again, alive but heavily addicted to cocaine and live in dilapted building and begging for a hit. He was a shade of the powerful mage he once was and when Pete found him, she saw only the key to solving the missing children's case and that she neat her off his drugs and get cleaned. It was a struggle with both of the characters since the main reason Jack became that way was that he can see ghosts and fought hard to keep the ghosts away. He is haunted and fingering on periphery of madness. Even with his infamous 'talents' in the paranormal side of London, he carried the curse along with him and with Pete bringing him to the world, the black London became aware of the mage and more sorcerers trying to murder him to gain his magic.
I am enjoying this mesh of characters together. Oh, both of them are addicts in every way, the story is mature and classically a noir done right.
In the ways of novel series 101, the book doesn't really show the details of the main characters despite the mystery plot adhering to the main storyline. I go through chapters and chapters of the book trying to catch the back stories of the characters, like catching Daim chocolate amidst a sea of cheap chocolate. It build up well, explained some of the matters in the book but withheld more on others, throwing questions to a lot of things, avoiding some of the matters from the past but solving it. Lying about something and then telling the truth. Frankly, the book contradicting each other but in a sort of way thats intriguing, like a mystery novel should!
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LibraryThing member Stewartry
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.
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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.
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LibraryThing member aahickman
I read this book because it was compared to Stacia Kane's Downside series. While it does have some of the same aspects of that series the writing does not begin to compare.
It is an okay book and I am glad I read it but I can't say for sure that I will read the next in the series. There was a
The story was fast-moving and engaging, the characters were...lacking in a certain depth but definitely have potential. It was interesting to see Pete finally admitting the existence of other realms and opening up to her powers but it was handled slightly awkwardly. It was also nice to watch Jack making it back from the edge to reclaim his place and powers.
Worth a read but nothing to put at the top of your list.
It is an okay book and I am glad I read it but I can't say for sure that I will read the next in the series. There was a
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tendency to resort to using the same phrases, etc. (a constant need to "kick" other characters for example that became extremely annoying to me) and while people do tend to do that in real life, I didn't have a great desire to read it over and over again. The story was fast-moving and engaging, the characters were...lacking in a certain depth but definitely have potential. It was interesting to see Pete finally admitting the existence of other realms and opening up to her powers but it was handled slightly awkwardly. It was also nice to watch Jack making it back from the edge to reclaim his place and powers.
Worth a read but nothing to put at the top of your list.
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LibraryThing member borbet
I'm writting this review quite a while after reading the book -- and I confess I've been influenced by other reviews to downgrade my initial assessment. "Yeah, that's right -- that really irked me, too." For better critical assessment about why not to bother, read a few of reviews from those that
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rated this low. They've parsed it out well. I can say I found the psychology of the characters unconvincing and that's always a death blow. I won't be going on to the next book in the series. Show Less
LibraryThing member wealhtheowwylfing
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
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.
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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.
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LibraryThing member Catz314
I really enjoyed this book, although it was a bit slow starting up. I enjoyed the fact that Jack wasn't the perfect male that appears in many of these books. Overall, a promising start to a new series.
LibraryThing member bm2ng
I liked it even though the main characters seem so miserable. There is a lot of angst between Jack and Pete. They are not very nice to each other and it’s a wonder they stick together. It’s an unlikely partnership. I like the world they are in but don’t really believe that Pete USA very good
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cop and she probably won’t keep her job if she continues the path she is on. Jack is a mess, not very likeable but I was still rooting for them both to succeed. Show Less
LibraryThing member SunnySD
Twelve years back Pete Caldecott stood in a circle and let Jack Winter shed her blood to wake a spirit. It killed him.
Except he's not dead, he's the informant that just let her know where she'll find a kidnapped girl...WTF?
And they're off and running. Pete's now an inspector with Scotland Yard.
Given that Jack's on smack and Pete has very few issues with getting her answers by any means necessary, it should come as no surprise that Black London is a good deal rawer and grittier than Nocturne City. Pete's really likable, and when he's not whinging, so's Jack. Looking forward to reading more of their adventures.
Except he's not dead, he's the informant that just let her know where she'll find a kidnapped girl...WTF?
And they're off and running. Pete's now an inspector with Scotland Yard.
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Jack's now a heroin addict (it's the only thing that keeps the voices away). But Pete's determined that she's going to find whatever is responsible for taking the missing children whatever the collateral damage.Given that Jack's on smack and Pete has very few issues with getting her answers by any means necessary, it should come as no surprise that Black London is a good deal rawer and grittier than Nocturne City. Pete's really likable, and when he's not whinging, so's Jack. Looking forward to reading more of their adventures.
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LibraryThing member TheBooknerd
The debut of a new series from Kittredge, this book is much better than the Nocturne City books. The writing is tighter and more clever, the characters have more complexity, and the plot moves along at a better pace. If you're looking for a good dark and/or urban fantasy, I recommend giving this
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one a try. This series even improves with book two, 'Demon Bound', and I have high hopes for book three. Show Less
LibraryThing member TheYodamom
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
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
Show More
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.
Show Less
Language
Original publication date
2009-06-02
Physical description
322 p.; 18 inches
ISBN
031294361X / 9780312943615