Black London #1: Street Magic Review

Title: Black London #1: Street Magic

Author: Caitlin Kitteredge

Date of Publication: June 2, 2009

Formats Available: Paperback, E-Book

Synopsis: Pete Caldecott is an inspector for the Metropolitan Police in London, when investigating the disappearance of a young girl she receives an anonymous tip telling her to go to a hotel room and meet with someone who can tell her where the young girl is. When she opens the door she is shocked to find Jack Winter, a horrible reminder of her past, waiting for her. Twelve years ago she watched Jack die before her very eyes, now a junkie and drug addict he's the only one who can tell her where the missing children are. As he pulls her deeper and deeper into the world of faerie as they search for the missing children Pete begins to piece together what happened that day 12 years ago and begins to understand what role she played in the day that changed her life forever.

My Review:

With the slew of horrible reviews in its favor I definitely wasn't expecting to like Street Magic as much as I did. It wasn't the best book I've ever read but it is far from the worst. Dark and ominous, Street Magic was full of  interesting characters, an original take on faeries, and enough action to keep me turning pages this novel made for an interesting and exciting read.

This novel was definitely a darker book than the ones I usually read, full of blood, death, and drug addiction. However because of the darker take on faeries this novel definitely offered a different perspective on the fae and their motives. One thing I was very disappointed in was the lack of description, when it came to Pete's powers, what happened to the children, and why certain fae where attacking them I was extremely confused.

Pete and Jack both made for interesting main characters. Pete was a tough-as-nails detective who stopped at nothing to rescue the children, even if it meant putting up with Jack and his whole world of problems. Even though Jack was a bit of a jerk and made tons of bad decisions I ended up really liking him, even though I knew I shouldn't. His magic was a really interesting idea that I wish the author had spent more time on, between his Irish chants and ability to hear voices I really wanted to know more about his talent.

Even though there were some aspects of this novel that confused me and some parts of the story that seemed necessary I still enjoyed this novel. Kitteredge created a fascinating world full of terrifying creatures shrouded in mystery. Pete and Jack were perfect  for this world, managing to fit in but fighting everyone along the way.

While I'm not jumping out of my seat to get the sequel I'm curious to see where this series goes and whats going to happen to Pete and Jack. An interesting start to a new series I'm excited to see where it goes and whats going to happen along the way.

3/5