Book Review: Soul Trade

Soul Trade

By:  Caitlin Kittredge

Publisher:  St. Martin's

Publish Date:  August 28, 2012

Format:  Paperback 395pgs, pocket book size

Genre:  Urban Fantasy

Series:  5th book in The Black London series; 1st Book ~ Street Magic, 2nd Book ~ Demon Bound, 3rd Book ~ Bone Gods, 4th Book ~ Devil's Business

Recommendation:  Most definitely.  Now that the Blacks strained there is more magic felt.  This brings the history back to the surface where we get to learn more of Jack's past and Pete's Weir abilities.

Book Synopsis:
Normally, Pete Caldecot stays far away from magical secret societies.  But ever since her partner and boyfriend Jack Winter stopped a primordial demon from ripping into our world, every ghost, demon, and mage in London has been wide awake -- and hungry.  And the magical society in question needs their help putting things right.

It all begins with an invitation.  Five pale figures surround Pete in the cemetery to "cordially" invite her to a gathering of the Prometheus Club.  Pete's never heard of them, but Jack has -- and he's not thrilled about it.  Especially the part that says, "Attend or die."  The Prometheans wouldn't come to London unless something big's about to go down.  So Pete and Jack decide to play it safe and make nice with the club -- even if that means facing down an army of demons in the process.  But now that they've joined the group, they're about to discover that membership comes at a cost...and has apocalyptic consequences.

First Sentence:
Pete Caldecott sat on a tombstone, watching fog curl soft fingers against the graveyard earth and waiting for Mickey Martin's ghost to appear.

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My Thoughts and Summary:
With Jack and Pete stopping the demon Nergal from entering the world every ghost and lesser demon and those touched of magic felt it.  That's why Pete ended up waiting in a graveyard, with an old force associate, for a lady murdering ghost Mickey Martian, which is what Jack does, except he's not wanting to do anything as of late.  Pete takes on exorcism cases, even though Jack thinks they're a waste of their time, to put food on the table and take care of Lily's needs.  Pete realizes something is wrong with the ghosts and Black.  But when done and leaving the cemetery, she is approached by five wax-skinned men to invite her to a club where refusal is of dire circumstances.  She still says no, but what happens when she opens the invitation... It seems jack and Pete are heading to Manchester - the terrible home Jack ran from - then to a tiny town possessed by something they've never seen before, and a case in Pete's past surfaces to grab her heart.

We start to see the ramifications of what happened at the end of Devil's Business.  Those with a touch of visions would never have known they had any ability except the black has changed causing their talent to spike, many more can see ghosts now.  People as talented as Jack are suffering a little more with the spike to him as well.  The Black is more potent in areas and stressed.  The Black is in flux.  After what happened in Los Angeles, and the demons returning to the Black, no mages in London trust Jack or will hire him.  They don't trust Pete either with being a Weir, but mundanes will, and they are broke beyond broke.

Pete and Jack as a couple...I was nervous about how they would be in the last two books.  And at the end of Devil's Business, I thought there might be a chance they could work out together.  They do.  They seem to be back to okay and even a little more than I'd seen them before.  Although, they do still curse and tell each other they are wrong, that is what I love about them, they hold nothing back.  Lily has joined us as well.

The story starts full in, as always, with action in a complicated exorcism.  The story movies fast, taking us around to different places and happenings with Pete and Jack.  Caitlin isn't afraid to move her characters around, and it works wonderfully to the plot.

We do get to learn more about Jack and his upbringing, or what little of it there was.  His parents, how he got into the mage world, and what his affiliation with the mysterious group The Prometheans is.  Jack hates the town he left behind, but for Pete he will do anything and go anywhere.  And Jack does just that.

We even learn more about Pete and her Weir powers.  This is interesting for me as I wanted more of her and her powers.  This book is from Pete's eyes, and I really liked it.  As I still have questions, I feel I got just what I wanted with Pete this round.  She, too, is still learning about her own abilities and using it.  So there's not much given, but by use you get to see what it's about.  And maybe Pete is the only one of her kind at this time...

It seems Pete and Jack are a pair that everyone doesn't want, but yet has to have.  They want control of the powers they possess.

Old friends are called upon, old case victims surface, Jack's history and childhood come to life, and all blended to the story at hand.  Caitlin has drawn back to Street Magic, the first book, for a few characters here.  The series has really built on itself.

I was thrilled with this book.  I think this might be the best of the series yet.


**I read this book for my own enjoyment.
***These are my personal thoughts on the read.