TEST
Though I’ve never read Caitlin Kittredge before, as soon as I saw descriptions of this book, I knew I had to read it. I’m a fan of Simon R. Green’s Nightside series, to which this tale bears a few similarities, and the darkness-tinged characters in this book definitely caught my interest.
Pete Caldecott is a detective inspector in London, working on a truly disturbing kidnapping case in which an informant tipped her off to the whereabouts of a missing girl. Unfortunately, the girl is blind and deeply damaged psychologically when Pete finds her. And, as it turns out, Pete’s informant is none other than Jack Winter, a man whom she saw die at her feet when she was 16. Not only is Pete shocked to see him, but he is deeply angry at her and she has no idea why.
The intriguing young musician Pete knew as a teenager is gone. Jack Winter now seems haunted and is a drug-addicted shell of what he once was. Though Pete is horrified by what has happened to Jack and he is openly hostile to her, the two find themselves thrown together by the need to stop the kidnapping and destruction of children in London. In order to solve her case and stop the crimes, Pete will need Jack’s information and, as it turns out, his magical connections.
The world building and the quest on which Pete and Jack find themselves are the strong points of the book. In order to fix what is happening, the two venture into a magical world called the Black, described as “a hard realm with little mercy for the unprepared” and where it is “nearly always midnight.” Those who remember Green’s series will detect a hint of similarity in these initial descriptions, though Kittredge quickly veers off in her own very original directions, creating an unsettling, spooky underworld.
The relationship between Jack and Pete is more uneven. At times they work together quite well and at times they also spar very successfully. However, there is obvious tension and on Jack’s side, hostility, between them which the author allows to go on for far too long. I could understand the animosity at first, but after a while, things reached a point where I just wanted to lock these two in a room and tell them to have it out for once and for all.
Still, even with the sometimes frustrating dynamic between the two, I appreciated both characters. For those who like tortured heroes, Jack makes a truly believable one. The reasons for his self-destruction make sense and, even though he can be dreadful on occasion, his transformation throughout the book definitely satisfies. Pete impressed me, too. In addition to being a detective, she finds herself far outside her familiar world as she wanders a London where the mundane and the magical overlap in often unsettling ways – and she adapts quickly.
Even with the minor quibbles mentioned above, Street Magic definitely satisfies. Though the book reaches a good end point, I can’t wait to see where Kittredge takes these characters next. The sequel, Conjure Man is out this winter and will definitely be on my TBR list.
Grade: B
Book Type: Urban Fantasy
Sensuality: N/A
Review Date: 20/07/09
Publication Date: 2009
I enjoy spending as much time as I can between the covers of a book, traveling through time and around the world. When I'm not having adventures with fictional characters, I'm an attorney in Virginia and I love just hanging out with my husband, little man, and the cat who rules our house.
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Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.