Street Magic: A Black London Novel by Caitlin Kittredge
Published June 2, 2009 by St. Martin's Press
My Rating: @.5

Disappointing. And such a shame.

As you may have noticed from reading elsewhere on this blog, I've become a fan of Caitlin Kittredge. Her Luna Wilder series really sucked me in.

Unfortunately, Street Magic: A Black London Novel -- the first in a new series by the same author -- did not.

First off, it's implausible -- which is a strange thing to notice in an urban fantasy novel. Magic = implausible. Duh! But in this case, the weak points connecting everything together in this novel really was ... improbable and incongruent.

The main character's accent is the first thing to hit you. Kittredge is American, and she credits someone in the opening with helping her with a proper accent and slang in this book. Unfortunately, the author's lack of native familiarity with the dialect she is trying to use in the story shows -- the conversation seems stilted, without the kind of undercurrent of passion that came through in her other books (written, notably, in "American" English).

The next thing that bothered me was the lead character's working arrangement. She is on the police force and is tracking down who (or what) is taking children. Ok, so far so good. But when she hooks up with a person from her past, Jack, she essentially vanishes from the office while investigating the case. Injures herself. Ends up on desk duty. But ... um ... I don't know of any job out there where you can vanish for days on end, not really check in with your manager, and still have a job to come back to. And yet? She has a job to come back to, and it seems as though no hard questions were asked. It's just too easy.

There seems to be an underlying hint that there is or will be some romantic tension between Pete Caldecott, the lead character, and the mage from her past, Jack. But again, the interactions between these two somehow manage to be both superficial and attemptedly complex at the same time.

Even the cover art. Jack, the mage, is an emaciated junkie when Pete first tracks him down (no pun intended!). The picture on the cover? A very buff guy who is far from the barely skeletal form Kittredge describes in her pages.

Will I buy the next book in the series? Maybe. Depends on how desperate I am for something new to read at the time. Realistically? I'll probably hold out for the next book in the Luna Wilder series instead.

Still want to buy this book? Then please consider dropping by Amazon.ca for it.

Magic Bites, by Ilona Andrews

Published March 27, 2007 by Ace

My Rating: @@

Finished Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews a few days back.

As I was reading it, I was ready to slam this book. It was disjointed, the lead character – a female mercenary with understated/underplayed magical abilities – felt like a two-dimensional stereotype, and there was little passion between her and any of the male leads (or sidelines) in the story. In fact, I was cranky that I was spending time reading it at all given that I’d had the book in my “read me” pile for over a year and only cracked into it because I misplaced my newer, more highly desired reads somehow.

Then, somewhere around the 200 page mark, I finally got into the book.

The lead character, Kate Daniels, is a woman whose guardian was killed by who knows what. Something magical, something somewhat shiftery-slash-undead. Corpulent entrails and other corpseriffic carnage ensues. Supported (in theory, anyway) by a secret society of Guardians, she investigates the death and what the real story is – the one which her now-deceased guardian was investigating at the time of his violent ending.

In her quest for answers, she encounters a morgue doctor named Crest as well as important vampire political players and of course Curran, the Lord of the Beasts (a shifter).

I had a hard time getting invested in any of these characters. The story wasn’t dull to the point where I gave up on the book altogether, and it definitely wasn’t vapid, but it also wasn’t as well written as I would have expected from a book that actually not only made it to publication but also garnered enough support to spawn two more installments in the series.

Digging further into this book, I came across a note on one of the online bookseller sites which explained a lot of the stiltedness – at least up to page 200 or so. Turns out that “Ilona Andrews” is actually a pseudonym for a husband and wife writing team. My guess: they were working out the kinks of their writing partnership with this book.

If you feel compelled to own it for yourself, you can pick up Magic Bites on Amazon.ca.

Personally – I’d borrow it from the library or a friend instead.

Book Review: Second Skin by Caitlin Kittredge

My rating: @@@

Finished Second Skin over the weekend. Finally.

I'm now invested in this series, so I was into it and relished the path. That being said, though, I'm noticing that in these kinds of genre series it's difficult to maintain the romantic/sexual tension of a relationship past the first or second book. Spoiler (highlight to read): Luna and Dmitri break up.

It's kind of like The Jewel of the Nile [Blu-ray], sequel to the hit movie Romancing the Stone [Blu-ray]. Episode one (Romancing the Stone): female and male meet under adventurous circumstances. She can save herself, but he is good to have around for backup ... and other things. Episode two (Jewel of the Nile): what happens after happily ever after? Those qualities which were so great in a danger situation can become problematic when these same people are dealing with the day to day mundanalities of life.

Luna and Dmitri are like that in this book. I suspect that the author couldn't take the angsty will-they-won't-they storyline any further and opted to cut her creative losses and move in another direction.

Luna's stubborn refusal to let other people in also felt like it went to a new level in this book but not in a good way. Think Anita Blake after about book 5 or 6 in the series. Still a likeable character with flaws, but her behaviour was extreme in a way sometimes that made her harder to relate to than in the previous books.

But I still enjoyed the book. And will buy the next one as soon as it comes out if I can. If you enjoyed the first two books in this series, I would recommend this one for your collection as well.

Buy Second Skin on Amazon.ca

Book Review: White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison

My rating: @@@

White Witch, Black Curse is the latest release out in the Rachel Morgan series by Kim Harrison.  I just finished it over the weekend. 

If you’re already into the series, you’ll want to read it – like me – to see what happens next to some of your favourite characters.  Let me save you some of the suspense.  Rachel’s actions get her into further trouble. 

Best: Kisten’s murderer is revealed and that part of Rachel’s history is wrapped up.  It’s an emotional moment.  Worst: Rachel continues to do things which isolate her from the community around her and get her involved in things she probably shouldn’t get involved with.

Kim Harrison always spins a good tale.  I wasn’t bored.  But neither was I compelled to pick up the book and read it through in one sitting.  Maybe it was the book and maybe it was my headspace last week, but I suspect it was the book more than anything else.  IMO, Ms. Harrison is starting to lose the energy of the story line – something that often happens after the third or fourth book in a series.  Ivy is less compelling.  Jenks is dealing with the worsening health of his partner Matalina.  Rachel faces some mild sibling disapproval issues and the reality of her mother finally moving on – both emotionally and physically – after many years of mourning.  Al pops up and is entertaining.  There’s a banshee sub-plot that creates some tension.  And once again, Rachel makes some weird and vague emotional decisions when it comes to her love life – such as it is.

I’m really not sure where Harrison can or will go from here with these characters.  As far as I can tell, the next book will involve Rachel getting involved with a former ghost/witch/runner (sigh) and Jenks will probably have to lay the mother of his offspring to rest.  Ivy will do what Ivy does.  Maybe there will be more fun with Trent who was relatively absent from this book.  

I’m glad I read it because I’m already invested in these characters.  And it was well written.  It just didn’t grab me the way the earlier books in this series did.  Jenks’ insights rang a little hollow, and the consistent evidence of Rachel’s bad choices when it comes to her non-business relationships just kept being reinforced in a far too obvious way.

Sure, I’ll pick up the next book.  But maybe I’ll wait a bit longer after it comes out to get it … and maybe, just maybe, I’ll wait for the paperback edition.

I love vacations, especially extended ones involving leaving town and/or enjoying good weather. Among other things, it allows me to read. A lot.

This year I discovered two new authors and series which I highly recommend and plan to continue following as new books come out: Jenna Black's "Devil" series (The Devil Inside, The Devil You Know, The Devil's Due), and Caitlin Kittredge's werewolf series (Night Life, Pure Blood).

More detailed reviews to follow ...

I should have known better.  With a title like “Succubus in the City”, and a fluffy description on the back, the female demographic was clearly the target market assigned to this book.

I had just finished the latest Charlaine Harris mystery in the “cold grave” series and was looking for something a little lighter.  It was clear from the start that this was chick-lit.  But still … come on, not all females are morons!

The concept is this.  A succubus named Lily, living in New York City and surrounded by three of her closest gal pals with input from her beloved boss Satan (who of course goes by the more casual name “Martha” to her friends), is really just looking for love and a deeper meaning to her male-female relationships than the one night stands she engages in.  Sure, she loves her work – ridding the world of idiot, loser males who would only cause other women emotional pain and be selfish lovers is a cause she can get behind.  But then she meets Nathan and she starts to question it all.  Could there be more to relationships?  Could this be the guy who triggers her escape clause with Satan and allows her to give it all up, accepting her for who she is?

Throw in a shadowy group of fervent believers who are trying to destroy her and her friends, a sub-plot between one of her close demon friends and a cute demon doorman, and you’ve pretty much got the plot right there.

It’s not badly written.  It’s not entirely inane.  But if you’re looking for a meaty story that makes you think in any way beyond looking for fashion in a city on designer steroids and hot spots, or maybe the pleasures of expensive haute cuisine which can be ingested without added pounds and therefore guilt, this is not the book for you.

The ending was clichéd.  In case you’re actually still interested in reading it, I won’t spoil it for you but whatever you suspect it would be in the most unimaginative of plot lines … well, it’s probably that.  No resolution to the plot, and a transparent attempt to get you to buy the next book in what will likely be a series to find out what happens.  If you really care.

It’s clear that this book was sparked by the success of Candace Bushnell’s Sex in the City.  But instead of covering new ground, instead it rehashes the same old tired concepts – don’t threaten a guy’s ego, always play games, and if you ever think of NOT playing games you’ll probably be sorry.

If you’re really bored, by all means pick up this book from the library or borrow it from a friend.  You’re welcome to my copy of you like.  Just let me know.

Still interested?  It’s available through Amazon.ca and if you really really want it, feel free to order it online here.  Shameless plug: I’m experimenting with the concept of being an Amazon.ca reseller, so I’ll make a few cents to put towards buying new books if you click through from here.

But don’t feel like you have to. ;-)

My Rating: @@

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted. More than a year. How does that happen? What have I been doing from May of 2007 until July 2008? How does a person lose a year in the blogosphere? It's not like I haven't been reading. Really.

I can tell you that I read each and every one of those books from my May 2007 post.

All Together Dead, by Charlaine Harris
This is, unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), a somewhat consistent type of book for Ms. Harris. I love her books. I have worked my way through all of her series. However, I have noticed that by the 4th or 5th book she seems to lose steam a bit. The writing is still good but somehow the storyline lacks ... something.

All Together Dead is no exception. In fact, I'd say it's the weakest book in the entire series.

But hey, on a positive note, in the time it has taken me to do this review the book has come out in paperback and is probably widely available through the library. ;-)

My rating: @@


No Humans Involved, by Kelley Armstrong
Now this book was MUCH better than the previous one I reviewed, above. Armstrong is a consistently strong writer and this book was no exception. There wasn't quite as much of the interpersonal, bittersweet angst that we find in some of her other books; it was also a bit darker than some of the other installments in the Women of the Otherworld series.

Have I read it more than once? No. Will I get around to re-reading it sooner or later? Possibly.

My rating: @@@


Demons Are Forever, by Julie Kenner
It's fluff. It's chick lit. It's marketed towards those Buffy (BtVS) fans who have (or are) grown up and living in the suburbs but are still thinking of adventures gone by.

With that disclaimer and attempt at literary superiority in place, here is the truth of it: I really like this series. It's part guilty pleasure and part ... nope, it's pretty much a guilty pleasure. But at least it's well-written if a little under-challenging. Works for the beach, on vacation, on a plane and even bathroom reading. Anywhere you can pick it up and put it down again without making a huge emotional or mental investment.

My rating for this book is allowing full appreciation for what it is.

My rating: @@@


The Harlequin, by Laurell K. Hamilton
Unfortunately, I just don't remember what I thought of this book. I remember it being better than the previous book, but past that ... it just didn't make much of an impression. Based on that ...

My rating: @@


Thin Air, by Rachel Caine
Such a good series. You have the romance, you have the angst, you have internal and external conflict -- and you have a female lead who kicks butt.

Don't start with this book, but do pick up this series. It's just so satisfying.

My rating: @@@@


There. It may not totally make up for vanishing for a year there, but at least it's a start.