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Nocturne City #2
Pure Blood
Newer cover edition here
In the shadows of Nocturne City, witches lurk and demons prowl, and homicide detective Luna Wilder must keep the peace--while living life as a werewolf. Now bodies are turning up all over town, the brutal murders linked by a cryptic message: We see with empty eyes…
To make matters worse for Luna, she can't get wolfishly handsome Dmitri Sandovsky out of her mind. The last time he helped her with a case, Dmitri suffered a demon bite that infected him with a mysterious illness…and now his pack elders have forbidden him from associating with Luna. But she'll need his help when high-level witches start turning up slaughtered. Because a war is brewing between rival clans of blood witches and caster witches--a magical gang war with the power to burn Nocturne City to the ground.
In the shadows of Nocturne City, witches lurk and demons prowl, and homicide detective Luna Wilder must keep the peace--while living life as a werewolf. Now bodies are turning up all over town, the brutal murders linked by a cryptic message: We see with empty eyes…
To make matters worse for Luna, she can't get wolfishly handsome Dmitri Sandovsky out of her mind. The last time he helped her with a case, Dmitri suffered a demon bite that infected him with a mysterious illness…and now his pack elders have forbidden him from associating with Luna. But she'll need his help when high-level witches start turning up slaughtered. Because a war is brewing between rival clans of blood witches and caster witches--a magical gang war with the power to burn Nocturne City to the ground.
352 pages, Paperback
First published August 26, 2008
About the author
Caitlin Kittredge
166 books1,120 followersCaitlin started writing novels at age 13. Her first was a Star Wars tie-in. Fortunately, she branched out from there and after a few years trying to be a screenwriter, a comic book writer and the author of copious amounts of fanfiction, she tried to write a novel again. Her epic dark fantasy (thankfully) never saw the light of day but while she was struggling with elves and sorcerers she got the idea of writing a story about a werewolf who fought crime.
Two years and many, many drafts later, she pitched Night Life to a bevy of agents and one of them, Rachel Vater, sold the series to St. Martin’s.
Caitlin collects comic books, print books, vintage clothes, and bad habits. She loves tea, loud music, the color black (especially mixed with the color pink) and ghost stories. She can drive a stick shift, play the violin and knows more English curses than American ones.
Caitlin lives in Olympia, WA with two pushy cats.
http://us.macmillan.com/bonegods/Cait...
Two years and many, many drafts later, she pitched Night Life to a bevy of agents and one of them, Rachel Vater, sold the series to St. Martin’s.
Caitlin collects comic books, print books, vintage clothes, and bad habits. She loves tea, loud music, the color black (especially mixed with the color pink) and ghost stories. She can drive a stick shift, play the violin and knows more English curses than American ones.
Caitlin lives in Olympia, WA with two pushy cats.
http://us.macmillan.com/bonegods/Cait...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
August 23, 2010
Okay, I'm sorry, but Luna's constant tirades just crack me up. I'm not sure if they were meant to be funny at all but it's like this character is a parody of a hard-ass detective spiting out "tough-cop" lines for a SNL skit. The stuff that comes out of her mouth is so utterly stupid I can't believe the author means for us to take this character seriously. I've never rolled my eyes so much in my life. It's like the author's inspiration for her character was a mash up of every cheesy cop drama that's ever played on prime-time TV mixed with all the things she "really" wanted to say to the mean kids who picked on her in high-school. Almost every interaction in this story is a painfully transparent set-up to give Luna opportunity to show what a bad-ass she is. Not to mention almost all the characters are cliches, obviously put into place to give Luna more opportunities to tell people off (beware, misogynistic cops abound). That on top of the plot holes and annoying inconsistencies in both books I've read in this series has discouraged me from continuing to read this author's work. These books are definitely in need of a better editor.
March 6, 2019
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47 points/100 (2 ½ stars)
Luna Wilder is a homicide detective in Nocturne City, living as a lone wolf. Now brutal murders are once again turning up around town. Weird magics and mysterious illness are afoot, and a killer needs to be found.
Seriously, how is there every cliche in this book? Also, why is there so much anger?? The main character doesn't get better from the first book, nor does the relationship. The worldbuilding is just as flawed and unexplored. And the detectiving...oh man does that really stay the same.
Luna is still extra angry about everything, proving her statement that she is out of sorts because of her inner were false. The anger thing was already old in Night Life, and Pure Blood is only the second book in the series. I'm so sick of it already. She has two modes: anger, and pissing someone off. Absolutely no depth whatsoever, nothing remarkable to make her stand out, nothing interesting. Just anger and it annoys me to pieces.
And the anger bleeds off into other things. Angry main characters are part and parcel of urban fantasy, they are a cliche in and of themselves. But, her job is just as bad, in both respects. Get a new partner? Blow up about it. Get a new Commander? Blow up at her for existing. The first 25% of the book was just Luna getting angry at things. And she is just the worst detective ever, too. There is no real logistics to being a detective, it is just inaccurately cobbled together bits from already inaccurate sources.
Another problem is the way everyone treats Luna. I don't understand the animosity. It doesn't really make sense. I'm really tired of it. They call her a whore and bitch to her face, among other pejoratives. They tell her she is useless and worthless. Say that because she is a werewolf, she must have a temper. And then she proves them right, and everyone goes "whoa, hold up!" when she gets pissed at them. Of course she is going to get pissed. I'm pissed, and I'm one of the calmest people I know.
The relationship is actually somehow worse than the first time around. Dmitri left her at the end of the Night Life, and Luna is acting out because of this, for some reason I cannot fathom. She basically went into the first bar she saw after it happened, came home with a guy, and decided to date him. There is absolutely nothing there. Everyone around her comments that she can do better. I don't think she wants to.
Somehow, Pure Blood was even more of a disappointment than the first book. I'm not certain how I'm going to manage to continue if the next book has no redeeming qualities, either.
47 points/100 (2 ½ stars)
Luna Wilder is a homicide detective in Nocturne City, living as a lone wolf. Now brutal murders are once again turning up around town. Weird magics and mysterious illness are afoot, and a killer needs to be found.
Seriously, how is there every cliche in this book? Also, why is there so much anger?? The main character doesn't get better from the first book, nor does the relationship. The worldbuilding is just as flawed and unexplored. And the detectiving...oh man does that really stay the same.
Luna is still extra angry about everything, proving her statement that she is out of sorts because of her inner were false. The anger thing was already old in Night Life, and Pure Blood is only the second book in the series. I'm so sick of it already. She has two modes: anger, and pissing someone off. Absolutely no depth whatsoever, nothing remarkable to make her stand out, nothing interesting. Just anger and it annoys me to pieces.
And the anger bleeds off into other things. Angry main characters are part and parcel of urban fantasy, they are a cliche in and of themselves. But, her job is just as bad, in both respects. Get a new partner? Blow up about it. Get a new Commander? Blow up at her for existing. The first 25% of the book was just Luna getting angry at things. And she is just the worst detective ever, too. There is no real logistics to being a detective, it is just inaccurately cobbled together bits from already inaccurate sources.
Another problem is the way everyone treats Luna. I don't understand the animosity. It doesn't really make sense. I'm really tired of it. They call her a whore and bitch to her face, among other pejoratives. They tell her she is useless and worthless. Say that because she is a werewolf, she must have a temper. And then she proves them right, and everyone goes "whoa, hold up!" when she gets pissed at them. Of course she is going to get pissed. I'm pissed, and I'm one of the calmest people I know.
The relationship is actually somehow worse than the first time around. Dmitri left her at the end of the Night Life, and Luna is acting out because of this, for some reason I cannot fathom. She basically went into the first bar she saw after it happened, came home with a guy, and decided to date him. There is absolutely nothing there. Everyone around her comments that she can do better. I don't think she wants to.
Somehow, Pure Blood was even more of a disappointment than the first book. I'm not certain how I'm going to manage to continue if the next book has no redeeming qualities, either.
July 30, 2010
Book 2 in the Nocturne City series, which is a dark urban fantasy set in an alternate modern-day Seattle. It had a few "duh" moments for me - like showing the bad guy evidence against him without first booking the evidence and making a copy - but the urban fantasy aspects are interesting, even if the story sometimes has minor holes.
The heroine, Luna, is a non-pack werewolf police detective with anger issues and an MIA love - Dmitri. She's been on leave because she killed the demon-possessed DA at the end of book one, now she's back and plagued by nightmares and uses anger to deal with everything. She's got a new boss who has assigned her a partner that Luna doesn't like, and they are pulling bottom-of-the-barrel cases because the new boss seems to have a thing against weres. Only a junkie overdose case turns out to be a lot more than that, putting Luna in the middle of a battle between caster and blood witches. Can she stop it from escalating? Of course, but it's a roller coaster ride until the end. Dimitri shows up half way through the book. too, and it's not all make up lovey dovey when he does.
The heroine, Luna, is a non-pack werewolf police detective with anger issues and an MIA love - Dmitri. She's been on leave because she killed the demon-possessed DA at the end of book one, now she's back and plagued by nightmares and uses anger to deal with everything. She's got a new boss who has assigned her a partner that Luna doesn't like, and they are pulling bottom-of-the-barrel cases because the new boss seems to have a thing against weres. Only a junkie overdose case turns out to be a lot more than that, putting Luna in the middle of a battle between caster and blood witches. Can she stop it from escalating? Of course, but it's a roller coaster ride until the end. Dimitri shows up half way through the book. too, and it's not all make up lovey dovey when he does.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2011
I was iffie on reading this book, especially since I wasn't to impressed with the first one. But many series are never at their best with the first book.
I found Pure Blood to be incredibly jumpy. One part mentioned that Dmitri was gone for a month, and then another he was gone for three.
I dont understand the feelings Luna has for Dmitri, they were together for a couple of days! Quit your bitching.
That was another thing, I couldnt get over her whining, and her moodyness. Does she really need to be a bitch to everyone?
One scene she was walking up to her car and driving up somewhere, and after she was done with the errand she was sitting on the sidewalk waiting for a ride...Umm what happened to her car? Did it just fly off?
Oh and I thought that Sunny moved in with Luna because she wanted to (this from the first book) this book made it seem as though Sunny was forced to live with Luna?
I'm just left with to many questions
Oh and one more thing...the sex scene..I didnt even realize Dmitri was "in"
I found Pure Blood to be incredibly jumpy. One part mentioned that Dmitri was gone for a month, and then another he was gone for three.
I dont understand the feelings Luna has for Dmitri, they were together for a couple of days! Quit your bitching.
That was another thing, I couldnt get over her whining, and her moodyness. Does she really need to be a bitch to everyone?
One scene she was walking up to her car and driving up somewhere, and after she was done with the errand she was sitting on the sidewalk waiting for a ride...Umm what happened to her car? Did it just fly off?
Oh and I thought that Sunny moved in with Luna because she wanted to (this from the first book) this book made it seem as though Sunny was forced to live with Luna?
I'm just left with to many questions
Oh and one more thing...the sex scene..I didnt even realize Dmitri was "in"
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 26, 2010
I must have liked Pure Blood more than the first book in the series, because I can't fathom why it took me this long to get to it. It was fabulous. Luna makes for a great protagonist. It's hard to find a heroine that can pull off 'sassy' without being at least a little annoying and have a lot of problems without coming off whiney, but she manages in a big way. I felt all her frustrations and almost hurt for her when she was being physically hurt. Although she does get beaten, especially in the head, a lot. But I'll accept the lack of post-concussion syndrome dementia because of super were healing. This is also one of those rare series books that I felt that someone who had not read the first one could enjoy it nearly as much as someone who had; I would recommend it, but it's not essential to understanding and enjoying it. I will definitely not take anywhere near as long in getting to the next book in this series.
September 21, 2009
I read it and I read the third one as well, but I don't recommend that you do it. I kept thinking that because the magic was so interesting that there was some hope that there would be some character development. That perhaps Luna would learn something, but she doesn't. She doesn't grow or learn anything in books 1,2 or 3. She doesn't develop at all. In fact the reader learns nothing about why she has such a bad relationship with her family. No clues at all! After three books!
None of the characters progress. Oh, wait, one does. A cop she works with in book 3.
Honestly. This is the most annoying series because it has such promise and does nothing with it.
None of the characters progress. Oh, wait, one does. A cop she works with in book 3.
Honestly. This is the most annoying series because it has such promise and does nothing with it.
March 27, 2012
*Sigh*
I hate the idea of abandoning a series (mid-series), but I am considering this one. Luna is so angry. She doesn't stop and think before acting. Her character doesn't seem to be learning from past mistakes. For almost 30, I expect more maturity (or an improvement in behaviors from 1st book). I did enjoy the mystery. For that 3*. Based on Luna- 2* (And Dmitri is still in the picture. Blah!)
I hate the idea of abandoning a series (mid-series), but I am considering this one. Luna is so angry. She doesn't stop and think before acting. Her character doesn't seem to be learning from past mistakes. For almost 30, I expect more maturity (or an improvement in behaviors from 1st book). I did enjoy the mystery. For that 3*. Based on Luna- 2* (And Dmitri is still in the picture. Blah!)
May 13, 2010
I'm still loving this series, just finished the second book and I love Luna she is such a character, her feelings towards her family and her past situations are what draw you in. Luna is a well rounded person with a go get em personality that you can't help but like.
I was happy to see Dmitri come back and see Sunny back in the second book. And with the new development of Luna's should make the future books just that much better..
I was happy to see Dmitri come back and see Sunny back in the second book. And with the new development of Luna's should make the future books just that much better..
May 20, 2015
Luna Wilder is definitely an acquired taste as far as characters go. I thought this book was better than the first one. The relationship between homicide detective Luna and her new partner Shelby was quite interesting. They both irritated each other. Having no choice but to work together, they set out to solve a case. Throw in the mix the sexy werewolf Dmitri and the dangerous streets of Nocturne City and you've got a nice paranormal mystery.
November 8, 2015
This book was good. I liked the mystery in the book and I like the Werewolf detective, Luna, I have not read anything else by this author. I was trying a new one. I think I would try another book from Caitlin. I think this book had some good mystery. Luna found out who she can trust in this book.
August 31, 2015
Ok as I was unsure of whether I continued this series. I thought I would give it a go as I had all the books in the series. But sadly half way through what little was making me continue to read fell away only to leave me rejecting the rest of the series.
April 13, 2011
Well, author did not improve so I will not be finishing this series. Same problems as first book. Only advantages are it's quick, mostly engaging and pretty short. Quality is very poor.
June 28, 2015
Not great but not horrible. Good trashy summer reading.
October 15, 2022
Pure Blood, by Caitlin Kittredge, is the second book in the "Nocturne City" urban fantasy series, featuring Luna Wilder, homicide detective and werewolf.
After an enforced leave of absence, Luna has returned to her job as a detective just in time to stumble into a magical war between the Blackburn blood witches and the O'Halloran caster witches. Being saddled with a new partner, and an O'Halloran at that, is less than ideal, but Shelby proves her worth to Luna as they navigate the seedy world of drugs and fetish clubs. In the meantime, Luna's personal life is imploding. The were she recognized as her mate, Dmitri, has been forbidden to see her, as she is Insoli, a lone wolf, and his pack blames Luna for the fact that Dmitri was bitten by a daemon. Luna tries to keep her distance from him, but when Shelby is knocked out of commission, it's Dmitri Luna turns to for help in averting an all-out witch war in Nocturne City.
I did not particularly like this story. It was certainly fast-paced, almost too much so. Luna barely had any downtime between running here and there. Usually she was going off half-cocked, which made her come across as rash and foolishly impulsive rather than bold and decisive. It seemed she was always flying by the seat of her pants instead of formulating a plan and having a back-up plan. Also, she was brutally beaten more than once, which was difficult to read and left me cringing. Not helping is that in the two worst instances, the beatings were a prelude to sexual assault, although in both cases it never got that far. No, our intrepid Dmitri came in to save the day both times. That's another thing that I didn't care for. If you're going to write a kick-ass heroine, she should be able to hold her own in a fight and be capable of saving herself and meting out some retribution along the way. I'm not saying our heroine needs to be infallible, but she should certainly be able to take care of herself. World building was not top-notch. I am still unsure if plain ol' humans are aware of witches and werewolves in their midst or not. Maddening.
I have the next book in the series on my shelf, but I don't think I'll read it. Maybe. I enjoy urban fantasy, but the brutality in this one was horrific, and there was no true humor to provide some levity. Luna was snarky, but it always came across as sarcastic rather than witty.
Despite my misgivings, I'm giving this four stars. It was exciting and well-written; I simply did not enjoy it.
After an enforced leave of absence, Luna has returned to her job as a detective just in time to stumble into a magical war between the Blackburn blood witches and the O'Halloran caster witches. Being saddled with a new partner, and an O'Halloran at that, is less than ideal, but Shelby proves her worth to Luna as they navigate the seedy world of drugs and fetish clubs. In the meantime, Luna's personal life is imploding. The were she recognized as her mate, Dmitri, has been forbidden to see her, as she is Insoli, a lone wolf, and his pack blames Luna for the fact that Dmitri was bitten by a daemon. Luna tries to keep her distance from him, but when Shelby is knocked out of commission, it's Dmitri Luna turns to for help in averting an all-out witch war in Nocturne City.
I did not particularly like this story. It was certainly fast-paced, almost too much so. Luna barely had any downtime between running here and there. Usually she was going off half-cocked, which made her come across as rash and foolishly impulsive rather than bold and decisive. It seemed she was always flying by the seat of her pants instead of formulating a plan and having a back-up plan. Also, she was brutally beaten more than once, which was difficult to read and left me cringing. Not helping is that in the two worst instances, the beatings were a prelude to sexual assault, although in both cases it never got that far. No, our intrepid Dmitri came in to save the day both times. That's another thing that I didn't care for. If you're going to write a kick-ass heroine, she should be able to hold her own in a fight and be capable of saving herself and meting out some retribution along the way. I'm not saying our heroine needs to be infallible, but she should certainly be able to take care of herself. World building was not top-notch. I am still unsure if plain ol' humans are aware of witches and werewolves in their midst or not. Maddening.
I have the next book in the series on my shelf, but I don't think I'll read it. Maybe. I enjoy urban fantasy, but the brutality in this one was horrific, and there was no true humor to provide some levity. Luna was snarky, but it always came across as sarcastic rather than witty.
Despite my misgivings, I'm giving this four stars. It was exciting and well-written; I simply did not enjoy it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2023
Herkese merhaba; Saf Kan, Nocturne Şehri serisinin ikinci romanı. Kesinlikle ikinci kitap bire göre açık ara çok daha iyiydi. Birinci kitaptaki karakterleri tekrar görünce çok sevindim ve bu kadar sevineceğimi tahmin etmiyordum. İlk kitaptaki beğenmediğim özellikler bu kitapta da mevcuttu maalesef ancak çok daha azdı ve yaşanan olaylar sırasında çok fazla baskın değildi. Bu beni mutlu etti açıkçası. Karakterlerimizden; Luna daha akıllı ve cesurdu. Dmitri hakkında kararsızım. Çok seviyorum kendisini ama bazen çok saçmalayabiliyor. Yine de Trevor mu Joshua mı Dmitri mi desen tabiki oyum sonuna kadar Dmitri'ye. Vakayı, hikaye kurgusunu, olayların ilerleyişini çok sevdim. Gayet akıcı ve heyecanlıydı. Sadece Dmitri ile Luna'nın sahnelerinin saçma sapan yerlerde kesilip ani yaşanan olaylardan nefret ettim. Böyle her seferinde ağzım açık kalıyor yani bu da bir beceri diye düşünüyorum. Üçüncü kitabı okumak çok istiyorum. En yakın zamanda alacağım. Umarım üç hepsinden daha iyi olur. Hepimize keyifli okumalar...
April 6, 2022
This book had so much good set up for it. There was the murder mystery. The magic mafia types with the caster family. The blood feud between caster witches and blood witches. The angst with the separation from her love interest because of demonic events from the first book. Like literally so many good things setup. And yet, this one fell flat for me.
Honestly, I spent a majority of this book wholeheartedly wanting to shake the main character and ask her why the heck she had to keep telling the bad guys what she knew about them with absolutely no backup to help her out should things go south. Like that’s just asking to get yourself killed by the magic mobster. Come on, Luna, think harder. Like multiple times she does this, and it just left me feeling irritated for almost the entire read.
Rate: ⭐️⭐️💫 (2.5)
Honestly, I spent a majority of this book wholeheartedly wanting to shake the main character and ask her why the heck she had to keep telling the bad guys what she knew about them with absolutely no backup to help her out should things go south. Like that’s just asking to get yourself killed by the magic mobster. Come on, Luna, think harder. Like multiple times she does this, and it just left me feeling irritated for almost the entire read.
Rate: ⭐️⭐️💫 (2.5)
October 24, 2017
I absolutely am obsessed with Luna! She's one of the most flawed and harsh female characters I've ever read (aside from maybe Stacia Kane' Chess Putnam). I am perplexed that so many female readers have reacted so badly to this character.. don't know what it says about the patriarchy and all that blah blah, but to not understand the beauty and violence of this character is truly your loss.
September 28, 2018
Nothing irritates me more than a book with blatantly incorrect facts. Luna ends up with a broken arm, a few pages later it says her fibula was broken, a page later “... he yanked on the arm that wasn’t broken.” The fibula is a bone in the lower leg (below the knee), not a bone in the arm. I’m not a doctor, I don’t work in the medical field, but this is basic biology that most people know.
August 16, 2018
Definitely better than the first one, but there are some cringe-worthy things that haven't aged well. Luna gets rescued by her tall/dark/handsome a lot. There's some pretty blatant puritan sentiments as well.
July 22, 2018
This is completely ridiculous.
October 23, 2019
Pretty darn good book. Better than kittredge's first. I like it.
January 9, 2020
Another good installment to this series. A Fun entertaining read.
Want to read
July 19, 2020elibrary
February 5, 2021
Okay okay.. I’m really starting to like this
January 5, 2022
I actually liked it more then the first one.
March 6, 2024
It’s an OK read I was just the storyline is kind of dragging so it took me forever to get through it. I’m gonna wait to read the rest of the series later.
May 23, 2020
Humm.. You know that train wreck of a friend that you hang out and drink with though not really sure why 70% of the time? Luna and this book are kind of the embodiment of that.
August 16, 2008
Reviewed for queuemyreview.com: Book release, Sep08
I’ve said before that I’m a fan of series books. I enjoy learning more about the world an author has created and the individuals residing there. But there is a downside to books in a series. What happens if you didn’t read the first one? Two? Three? Do you have to go get the earlier ones and read them all in order? (Don’t laugh! I have online friends who swear they won’t read series books out of order.) MUST you read the earlier books to understand book #whatever? I have read series’ books out of order. I’ve also read them (religiously) in order because I’m waiting at the bookstore when they are released! Some authors do a very good job of including enough information about the overall series that reading out of order isn’t an issue. Unfortunately for me, Caitlin Kittredge didn’t quite make that cut for me in “Pure Blood”, book two of her ‘Nocturne City’ novels. In all fairness, I must add that romance novelists are much more likely to make sure their later series books can be read as a standalone novel. Once you enter the fantasy or urban fantasy genre, I think the worlds may be much more elaborate. Or I’m just trying to come up with a good alibi for this book.
Luna is a homicide detective who also happens to be a werewolf. Apparently this ‘change’ occurred during the first book in the series which I haven’t read. She also apparently had an involved relationship with Dmitri in the first book as she can’t forget about him (but he doesn’t appear until late in this book and she is surprised to see him) even though she is involved in a sexual relationship with a musician in this book. Did you get all that? I confess that I didn’t like Luna at first. Or second. She didn’t grow on me at all. She came across as hostile, unfriendly, insecure, and ‘loose’. I’m hoping that maybe events in the first book could explain her attitude…but as it stands, I just didn’t relate to her at all.
There are some interesting secondary characters: a real witch of a new boss (no, not literally), her mostly loser musician boyfriend, her gruff and loyal supervisor, and her estranged Grandmother and witch sister (yes, a real witch this time). Well, her sister isn’t really estranged, she just moved back in with her Grandmother because living with Luna tended to be life-threatening. Then there’s her new partner who reminds Luna of a Barbie doll. Her new partner is also estranged from her family because she comes from a long line of witches, but has no powers. This could come in handy since the case they’re investigating appears to be the start of a ‘witch war’. I don’t want to give any more away, but there’s action galore and Luna manages to tick off just about everyone she comes in contact with and physical altercations abound.
“Pure Blood” by Caitlin Kittredge is very urban and very gritty. It’s also a bit violent…a little too violent for me. If dark urban fantasy is your cup of tea, you may want to give this one a try. But be sure to read book one, “Night Life” first!
Til next time
JJ
I’ve said before that I’m a fan of series books. I enjoy learning more about the world an author has created and the individuals residing there. But there is a downside to books in a series. What happens if you didn’t read the first one? Two? Three? Do you have to go get the earlier ones and read them all in order? (Don’t laugh! I have online friends who swear they won’t read series books out of order.) MUST you read the earlier books to understand book #whatever? I have read series’ books out of order. I’ve also read them (religiously) in order because I’m waiting at the bookstore when they are released! Some authors do a very good job of including enough information about the overall series that reading out of order isn’t an issue. Unfortunately for me, Caitlin Kittredge didn’t quite make that cut for me in “Pure Blood”, book two of her ‘Nocturne City’ novels. In all fairness, I must add that romance novelists are much more likely to make sure their later series books can be read as a standalone novel. Once you enter the fantasy or urban fantasy genre, I think the worlds may be much more elaborate. Or I’m just trying to come up with a good alibi for this book.
Luna is a homicide detective who also happens to be a werewolf. Apparently this ‘change’ occurred during the first book in the series which I haven’t read. She also apparently had an involved relationship with Dmitri in the first book as she can’t forget about him (but he doesn’t appear until late in this book and she is surprised to see him) even though she is involved in a sexual relationship with a musician in this book. Did you get all that? I confess that I didn’t like Luna at first. Or second. She didn’t grow on me at all. She came across as hostile, unfriendly, insecure, and ‘loose’. I’m hoping that maybe events in the first book could explain her attitude…but as it stands, I just didn’t relate to her at all.
There are some interesting secondary characters: a real witch of a new boss (no, not literally), her mostly loser musician boyfriend, her gruff and loyal supervisor, and her estranged Grandmother and witch sister (yes, a real witch this time). Well, her sister isn’t really estranged, she just moved back in with her Grandmother because living with Luna tended to be life-threatening. Then there’s her new partner who reminds Luna of a Barbie doll. Her new partner is also estranged from her family because she comes from a long line of witches, but has no powers. This could come in handy since the case they’re investigating appears to be the start of a ‘witch war’. I don’t want to give any more away, but there’s action galore and Luna manages to tick off just about everyone she comes in contact with and physical altercations abound.
“Pure Blood” by Caitlin Kittredge is very urban and very gritty. It’s also a bit violent…a little too violent for me. If dark urban fantasy is your cup of tea, you may want to give this one a try. But be sure to read book one, “Night Life” first!
Til next time
JJ
May 7, 2009
There's a war brewing between caster witches and blood witches in Nocturne City, so it's a good thing that Luna Wilder is back on the force to take care of things. After she is almost killed by a junkie at a crime scene, she heads back to the department to find out there's a new boss in the precinct, Captain Matilda Morgan, who would love nothing more than to kick Luna to the curb. Luna is also paired up with a new bimbo of a partner, Shelby O'Halloran, whose perky attitude is enough to drive Luna right up the wall. Together they must solve the murders that keep piling up, but Luna doesn't want to work with Shelby. She has trust issues, and her mind is preoccupied with Dmitri. Wondering why he took off, and why he hasn't called her back. Last she saw him he had received the bite from a demon, courtesy of Luna's last big case, and is now severely ill.
If Luna doesn't find out who is at the helm of these murders, she may end up dead herself, as well as Shelby and Dmitri.
I found Pure Blood to be much better than the first in the series, Night Life (Nocturne City, Book 1), not that I didn't like Night Life, it just had a few glitches. Luna is pretty hard headed and gutsy, and she has no problem going after the bad guys herself, which I really like about her. She also has no problem being rescued once in awhile. Here we have a heroin e that is vulnerable to death and damage, and getting help out of a jam is necessary sometimes. I enjoyed the war between the different "gangs" of witches, and Luna finding out more about her past as she solves the case. There were some things that I found lacking, mostly in the characters. Sunny was only featured for a bit here and there; after she played such a big role in the first book I was expecting and excited to see more of her. Dmitri and his new woman friend weren't developed enough for me. I find it hard to lust after Dmitri, because I don't know enough about him. Sometimes I don't even understand Luna's attraction.
The pack elders were a good addition to the books, and hopefully there will be more of them in the future. I have a feeling that Luna and Dmitri are going to have a rough go of things in the next book to come. Even Shelby is likeable after her walls are broken down and you get to the heart of her.
Overall I enjoyed Pure Blood. I like seeing the story unfold through Luna's eyes, and I like creepy Nocturne City. I'm looking forward to reading Second Skin (Nocturne City, Book 3) when it comes out in March 09.
If Luna doesn't find out who is at the helm of these murders, she may end up dead herself, as well as Shelby and Dmitri.
I found Pure Blood to be much better than the first in the series, Night Life (Nocturne City, Book 1), not that I didn't like Night Life, it just had a few glitches. Luna is pretty hard headed and gutsy, and she has no problem going after the bad guys herself, which I really like about her. She also has no problem being rescued once in awhile. Here we have a heroin e that is vulnerable to death and damage, and getting help out of a jam is necessary sometimes. I enjoyed the war between the different "gangs" of witches, and Luna finding out more about her past as she solves the case. There were some things that I found lacking, mostly in the characters. Sunny was only featured for a bit here and there; after she played such a big role in the first book I was expecting and excited to see more of her. Dmitri and his new woman friend weren't developed enough for me. I find it hard to lust after Dmitri, because I don't know enough about him. Sometimes I don't even understand Luna's attraction.
The pack elders were a good addition to the books, and hopefully there will be more of them in the future. I have a feeling that Luna and Dmitri are going to have a rough go of things in the next book to come. Even Shelby is likeable after her walls are broken down and you get to the heart of her.
Overall I enjoyed Pure Blood. I like seeing the story unfold through Luna's eyes, and I like creepy Nocturne City. I'm looking forward to reading Second Skin (Nocturne City, Book 3) when it comes out in March 09.
December 10, 2017
Den ersten Band dieser Reihe habe ich vor etwa sechs oder sieben Jahren gelesen. Soweit ich mich erinnere, fand ich die Geschichte eher mau und einfach nur "ganz nett". Irgendwie landete Teil zwei dann aber doch in meinen Händen und ich entschloss mich dazu, Luna noch eine Chance zu geben.
Dennoch ging ich eigentlich davon aus, dass ich das Buch, bzw. die Reihe, abbrechen werde. Mein Lesegeschmack hat sich verändert und viele Themen interessieren mich nicht mehr, viele alte angebrochene Reihen habe ich aussortiert. Ich ging davon aus, dass wenn mich damals schon der erste Teil nicht gepackt hatte, ich unterdessen diesen Büchern gar nichts mehr abgewinnen können werde.
Aber ich habe mich getäuscht. Nicht darin, dass sich mein Geschmack verändert hat, sondern darin, dass ich das Buch abbrechen würde. Denn es hat mir gefallen, sehr sogar! Ja, mein Geschmack hat sich verändert und deshalb gefällt mir die Nocturne-Reihe nun besser als damals. Jetzt komme ich viel besser mit dem resoluten Charakter von Luna Wilder klar und finde sie eine richtig tolle Figur.
Luna ist, wie ihr Name schon sagt, wild. Sie ist frei, aber als Werwölfin ohne Rudel eben auch vogelfrei. Dennoch lässt sie sich nicht unterkriegen und genau diese Sturheit gefällt mir unterdessen an ihr. Zuvor habe ich das als "perfekte Figur, die unbesiegbar ist" eingeordnet. Aber das ist sie nicht. Mehr als einmal bekommt Luna auf gut Deutsch "auf die Fresse" und muss ziemlich einstecken. Aber sie steht wieder auf und macht weiter. Eine echt klasse Protagonistin.
Neben jeder Menge Action kommt in diesem Buch auch der Humor nicht zu kurz, Lunas Antworten sind derb, aber als nichtbeteiligter Leser auch oft wirklich witzig. Mir gefällt diese Mischung. Was mir ebenso positiv aufgefallen ist, ist die Tatsache, dass Dmitri und Lunas Beziehung zu ihm zwar thematisiert wird, aber an keiner Stelle zu dominant oder gar kitschig wird.
Autorin Kittredge gibt ihren Figuren hier Platz, sich zu entwickeln und ihre eigenen Wege zu gehen. Ausserdem ist in "Blutfehde" nichts so, wie es auf den ersten Blick den Anschein hat. Der Kriminalfall ist somit gut inszeniert und der Leser ist angehalten, mitzurätseln, was es mit den Morden auf sich haben könnte.
Dieses Buch hat mir ein wirklich angenehmes Lesevergnügen bereitet und natürlich steht der dritte Teil bereits auf meiner Wunschliste. Wenn sich Kittredge an die obig genannten, positiven Punkte hält, dann weiss ich, dass mir auch das nächste Buch gefallen wird.
Dennoch ging ich eigentlich davon aus, dass ich das Buch, bzw. die Reihe, abbrechen werde. Mein Lesegeschmack hat sich verändert und viele Themen interessieren mich nicht mehr, viele alte angebrochene Reihen habe ich aussortiert. Ich ging davon aus, dass wenn mich damals schon der erste Teil nicht gepackt hatte, ich unterdessen diesen Büchern gar nichts mehr abgewinnen können werde.
Aber ich habe mich getäuscht. Nicht darin, dass sich mein Geschmack verändert hat, sondern darin, dass ich das Buch abbrechen würde. Denn es hat mir gefallen, sehr sogar! Ja, mein Geschmack hat sich verändert und deshalb gefällt mir die Nocturne-Reihe nun besser als damals. Jetzt komme ich viel besser mit dem resoluten Charakter von Luna Wilder klar und finde sie eine richtig tolle Figur.
Luna ist, wie ihr Name schon sagt, wild. Sie ist frei, aber als Werwölfin ohne Rudel eben auch vogelfrei. Dennoch lässt sie sich nicht unterkriegen und genau diese Sturheit gefällt mir unterdessen an ihr. Zuvor habe ich das als "perfekte Figur, die unbesiegbar ist" eingeordnet. Aber das ist sie nicht. Mehr als einmal bekommt Luna auf gut Deutsch "auf die Fresse" und muss ziemlich einstecken. Aber sie steht wieder auf und macht weiter. Eine echt klasse Protagonistin.
Neben jeder Menge Action kommt in diesem Buch auch der Humor nicht zu kurz, Lunas Antworten sind derb, aber als nichtbeteiligter Leser auch oft wirklich witzig. Mir gefällt diese Mischung. Was mir ebenso positiv aufgefallen ist, ist die Tatsache, dass Dmitri und Lunas Beziehung zu ihm zwar thematisiert wird, aber an keiner Stelle zu dominant oder gar kitschig wird.
Autorin Kittredge gibt ihren Figuren hier Platz, sich zu entwickeln und ihre eigenen Wege zu gehen. Ausserdem ist in "Blutfehde" nichts so, wie es auf den ersten Blick den Anschein hat. Der Kriminalfall ist somit gut inszeniert und der Leser ist angehalten, mitzurätseln, was es mit den Morden auf sich haben könnte.
Dieses Buch hat mir ein wirklich angenehmes Lesevergnügen bereitet und natürlich steht der dritte Teil bereits auf meiner Wunschliste. Wenn sich Kittredge an die obig genannten, positiven Punkte hält, dann weiss ich, dass mir auch das nächste Buch gefallen wird.
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