Street Magic by Caitlin Kittredge

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 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.

Disclosure: This is getting kinda old...I checked it out from the library as usual.

*I read this for the following challenges:

1st in a Series Challenge

New Author Challenge

100+ Reading Challenge

Speculative Fiction Challenge

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