Thursday, August 19, 2010

New Review....Street Magic by Caitlin Kittredge (and Giveaway!)

From Publishers Weekly (via Amazon.com)



The first in the Black London series, this dark tale takes Kittredge's supernatural shadows to the next level. At 16, Pete Caldecott witnessed the apparent death of punk rocker Jack Winter after he raised an ancient spirit. Twelve years later, Det. Insp. Caldecott has followed in her dead father's footsteps at Scotland Yard. She follows a tip about a missing child and finds Jack, now a heroin junkie claiming intimate knowledge of a parallel realm called the Black. As Jack detoxes and more children disappear, he joins Pete's quest to find them, teaching her to use hexes and spells as well as her physical abilities in the fight against a rising dark power. Kittredge (the Nocturne City series) knows how to create a believable world, and her fans will enjoy the mix of magic and city grit. (June) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.



A girl named Pete? I have to throw this out there first. Mostly because my husband kept asking me this utterly inane question periodically. To which I responded, "Yep. Didn't name her babe." Then the look. You know the one. The one which telegraphs the "I'm reading. I will stare at you until you comprehend this fact and cease the interruptions though I find you amazing charming so are you finished" sentence directly into their brain. At least until they get up to finish off the ice cream you'll no doubtfully search for....but enough of my issues...

Caitlin Kittredge first came into my estimation when perusing one of my fave blogs, Whedon alumni Felicia Day. Oddly enough, I'd hit a rut in my reading, mostly because I had been let down recently by my purchases. I needed help. As it turns out, fan girl extraordinaire is a fan girl herself of a few things, and authors, that I...cough, cough...drool over, too.

A match made in heaven.



To be honest, can't remember how much she said, it just stuck in head. Nocturne City (it may have been one of her strong female character lines, I think) quickly devoured. Enter the steampunkish-ness reference.

As you may or may not know, I have a little love for Steampunk (and its influences in my creative side)...so, I thought, HECK YA! Bring it!



Enter Pete...and Jack. (Did you see that cover...drool drool drool. I know most authors have no say over covers, but, thanks anyway.)



We start our journey with a younger, more innocent Pete...with her sister's boyfriend Jack (Gonna throw this out...I always channeled Spike from Buffy. But, with a lil more hair.) Doing suspiciously suspicious doings in a cemetery. Then, chaos ensues.



Flash forward, Pete thinks jack is dead. She's a cop (in London) and her investigations involve missing children and their mysterious circumstances.



For me, this was a Love/Hate relationship.



The author obviously researched and put a ton and a half of effort into her new series. I mean this as a good thing. However, the language (even in narration) was so involved in vernacular that I really had to concentrate through the first half of the book. HARD. I pushed myself, mostly because there was something about Pete and her relationship with Jack (no matter how much of a bugger he was being at the time) that I needed to discover.

Then, a little over halfway through, I actually called an inanimate object a bloody wanker. No flippin kidding, folks. It all clicked. I still heard Spike, but now, he was Jack channeling Spike.



World building, I believe, is something an author either excels at, does pretty well, or...eh. This, in my opinion, is the former...I love layers being pealed back and not being treated like I may not be smart enough to get it.



And while it may have been slow going in the get go, I am chompin at the bit for Demon's Mark...because I need some more Jack and the world he lives in. Plus, now I know why there's a girl named Pete.



So, to hook you up with my lurve of Caitlin Kittredge and her world, I'm going to give away a copy of Witch Craft, A Nocturne City Novel...







To enter, just leave a comment below! And if you feel like adding a new series that you are excited about, or maybe you almost didn't get through but then loved, please do. I can always add to my TBR Mountain!

And, any British vernacular is appreciated (because then I won't feel so sodding ridiculous, luv!)

Contest ends September 3rd....

20 comments:

  1. Sounds awesome!
    Have you read the Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr?
    I really liked it.
    Also Laura Griffin's Untraceables series
    Aubrey
    weheartreading AT gmail DOT com

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  2. Great review. I love the cover. I like the dark look and feel to it.

    I am just like you, I love to find other series that people enjoy. Like we already don't have enough to read right! LOL! I can recommend a series that I was just thinking about because book 4 comes out in a couple of months. It's the Sentinel Series by Shannon Butcher. Have you read it yet? If not, check it out. Book 1 is awesome! :D

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  3. I LURVE WICKED LOVELY! Oh, Niall. Donia. And Irial (insert swoon). One of my faves (also an author who respects her readers and doesn't dumb down!) Hmmm...Untraceables (heading off to find...)

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  4. BELLS!!! HELLOOOOO!!!!!
    Oh, yeah, I have read me a lil Sentinels. I am a book behind. Must be a tat thing...so good. Beyond. Hugs!

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  5. I feel like I'm the only one who didn't love this book! I thought the world building was painfully slow.

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  6. Great review. I have been wanting to read this books for a while. Thanks for the chance!

    bacchus76 at myself dot com

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  7. *busily adding more books to my wishlist* Oh, what? Yes, a comment!

    I just found Nancy Gideon's Moonlight trilogy for myself, and loved the first book. Also, loved the first in Eve Silver's Sins Trilogy, Sins of the Heart. Really good if you like gritty, darker urban fantasy.

    And for funny and sexy, anything by Katie MacAlister. She has drool-worthy dragons, promise.

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  8. Sounds like a great book.Right now I'm reading a Series by L.A. Banks Call A Crimson Moon Novels There a realy great series
    sasluvbooks(at)yahoo.com

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  9. I'm always looking for new series to read, sounds good! I've just started reading Carrie Vaughn's Kitty series and I've been enjoying it! tWarner419@aol.com

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  10. I'm not British, but the vernacular was my favorite thing about the book. Have you read Seanan McGuire's October Daye books? At the beginning of Rosemary and Rue I didn't think I was going to like it, but it quickly became the best book I'd read in a long time. Until I read Jaye Wells Red-Headed Stepchild.
    What countries is this open to?
    b(dot)cardone(at)hotmail

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  11. Collette, don't feel bad. Like I said, love/hate. Plus, you're all entrenched in BDB world...sigh...
    Thanks, Donna...good luck!
    Lillie, I hear you! My pile is so...pile-licious. (Yes, its now a word.) Just picked up Eve Silver, can't wait. Katie Mc., fun indeed. I think I have the middle, though. I have to find the first. Grrr.
    Stacey, ooh...I'll try them...
    Tetewa, I think the best way to find a new series is to get other people's recs, most def!
    Beth C. I can do U.S. and Canada...beyond that, I may get way too confused!!! (Busily writing down new series titles...oh, my!!!)
    Thanks for the recommendations, ladies! I wish you all luck!!

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  12. I'm working on Keri Arthur's Riley Jenson series right now. It ranks just about "good". I'm also working on Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark-Hunters books which I like better, but there are so many!

    meredithfl at gmail dot com

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  13. You want weird vernacular? Read A Clockwork Orange. It's hard to get the hang of at first, but it is by and large, one of my favorite books. :)

    A new-to-me series I hated, then loved: have to say I had a hard time, at first, getting into Carolyn Crane's Mind Games, but now, I can't wait for the next book. If you haven't read them, do try. :) I also adore (my absolute number one fav, right now) the detective Inspector Chen series by Liz Williams: SF/Fantasy dectective/Urban Fantasy goodness. :) The first four books are out, book five is...tentative right now, but they are awesome!

    Enjoy,
    Pearl
    sistertyme-at-yahoo(DOT)com

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  14. I recommend (not sure this went through the first time) The Detective Inspector Chen series by Liz Williams. Amazing mix of SF/Fantasy/Urban Fantasy and oriental mythology. It's unique in a way I've not found lately, and is my number one favorite series, right now. :) The first four books are out now, the fifth should be out (hopefully) by next year. Try them out. They're very, very cool.

    my email is: sistertyme-at-yahoo(DOT)com

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  15. Oh, I love books with magic in them. I am not familiar with this author or series, but I will definitely be checking it out. I enjoyed The Mindhunters series by Kylie Brant.

    seriousreader at live dot com

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  16. Great review! This sounds like a great book :)
    throuthehaze at gmail dot com

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  17. Ooo, this sounds good. I've seen the cover before, but never looked for a review or synopsis. This sounds v.good! Great review!

    I shall be looking for this on my next trip to the bookstore! :D

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  18. Oh, boy! I am so ready to go to the bookstore...I wonder if I should hit the used one first so I'm not maxed out for the YEAR! Thanks for all the series recommendations...(I adore Mind Games!) I'll tell my husband its all your fault *wink* my nose is buried so often! (Mumbles to self as wirtes down names...Mindhunters and Insepctor Chen...)

    Thank you for stopping by...*warm fuzzies*

    Aria

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  19. Sounds great!!! I always need more for my TBR pile.

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  20. It was fan-freaking-tastic to read a book filled with British vernacular and not edited for American audiences. Like they did with Harry Potter. Bah!

    Dear Book Editors: Google Exists. As does context. If the context doesn't help me with the meaning of a world, google will.

    cass at feministdracona dot net

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