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Night Life (Nocturne City #1)

3.44 of 5 stars 3.44 · rating details · 2,636 ratings · 196 reviews

The first book ina thrilling, addictive new series by a talented new voice in dark fantasy. Welcome to Nocturne City, where werewolves, black magicians, and witches prowl the streets at night…

Among them is Luna Wilder, a tough-as-nails police officer whose job is to keep the peace. As an Insoli werewolf, Luna travels without a pack and must rely on instinct alone. And she’...more

Mass Market Paperback, 352 pages

Published March 4th 2008 by St. Martin's Paperbacks

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Mar 07, 2009 Anoolka rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, werewolves, witches-and-wizards, paranormal, series, romance, shapeshifters

Not good, not good at all. The characters are not likeable. I didn't care for any one of the cast. Not the main character, not her cousin with the silly name, not the main romantic interest who seemed like a creep (a pimp and drug deeler), not the cops, hell, the grandma was the most interesting of them all and she was in only one scene.

The heroin of the story is another bitchy, tough-as-nails chick who investigats a supernatural murder case. The way she acts and talks at times seems completely...more

8 likes · like · see review

May 14, 2012 Lori rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, series

Why do so many authors think that "strong female protagonist" equates to "raving bitch"? It seriously detracts from both the plot and any sympathy I'm supposed to feel for said protagonist.

This is decidedly true for Luna Wilder (also, cheesy name for a pack-less werewolf). Her "wild" nature interferes with her personal and professional life, but her habit of getting fired/rehired/suspended/reinstated every other paragraph gives the reader whiplash. She also seems to have an inability to focus o...more Why do so many authors think that "strong female protagonist" equates to "raving bitch"? It seriously detracts from both the plot and any sympathy I'm supposed to feel for said protagonist.

This is decidedly true for Luna Wilder (also, cheesy name for a pack-less werewolf). Her "wild" nature interferes with her personal and professional life, but her habit of getting fired/rehired/suspended/reinstated every other paragraph gives the reader whiplash. She also seems to have an inability to focus on any particular aspect of a case, jumping from one point to another based on others' behaviors rather than any sense of logic.

The character of Luna's cousin Sunny (still with the cheesy names) acts as the polar opposite of Luna and only highlights the negatives of Luna's personality, rather than the positives. Also, the hostility of Luna toward her maternal grandmother, and no real explanation for her missing parents, doesn't make her at all likable.

The plot doesn't stick together properly, either. The black eyes and name of a demon mentioned at the beginning of the book by a homeless man are never connected with Lockhart or the demon later in the book. Also, the tantalizing hint of previous attempts to raise the demon based on old forensic evidence is also tossed aside as the action builds.

Finally, while most urban fantasy novels must have some romantic element, this one seems contrived at best. Overly moralistic Luna looks the other way as her possible boyfriend is a pimp and drug pusher? Dmitri isn't much better; he is supposed to be overwrought with the loss of his mate, the first murder that Luna is investigating, yet here he is busy trying to seduce a new woman less than 24 hours after the body is found. The behavior of both characters doesn't ring true given their behavior toward others throughout the book. Also the tryst Luna has with Dmitri is shoehorned in at the last, and a rather inopportune, moment before the finale.

While it was an entertaining read, I won't go out of my way to follow the series. (less)

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Dec 18, 2010 Suzanne the Mighty ~Satin Seductress~ rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, author-caitlin-kittredge, smexy-shifters-and-werewolves, mages-witches-magic-users

3.25 Stars

This is the first in the Urban Fantasy series Nocturne City by Caitlin Kittredge. Luna Wilder is a homicide detective in the Nocturne City PD, as well as that she is also a werewolf, an Insoli, which means she is without a pack and must rely on herself. When she finds a dead were prostitute killed in a sadistic and ritualistic way, it leads her to the dangerous and sexy Dmitri Sandovsky, alpha of the Redback pack. But things start getting dangerous fast as another body turns up and bla...more

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Oct 19, 2011 chucklesthescot rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, paranormal-romance, urbanfantasy

Luna is a female detective and a werewolf solving crime in Nocturne City while keeping her wolfness secret from those she works with. She is investigating the werewolf attacks on girls in the city.

*sigh* Really did not like this one. Luna is cold and not exactly likeable but I could put that aside. However, the police department is full of woman hating, sexist pig cavemen who look down on her for being a woman. I'm getting so tired of these books where the author can only make the female look st...more

6 likes · like · see review

Oct 07, 2008 Oriana rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: english, paranormal, traded, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The good thing about this book is the plot. The story is fast paced with interesting twists and it grabs your attention right away even when you find some aspects truly annoying. The world building is actually good and the city is described vividly, which really worked for me.

In the other hand, it was very hard to sympathize with the main characters, no matter how much I tried. Luna Wilder is a bit too reckless for my tastes. Don’t get me wrong, I like a smart mouth heroine who has the courage t...more

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May 09, 2008 K.B. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: borrowed

With the glut of werewolf books on the market, Caitlin Kittredge manages to create a good, dark story that stands apart from the rest.

I'll tell you right off I'm not a big fan of the werewolf genre, too often it's just a snarling pack of men having a testosterone fest while the so-called "heroine" of the book stands back and lets them do all the work.

Not so in Night Life. Luna is a tough-as-nails cop, who's got a great mouth on her and a talent for landing herself in trouble. She does, however,...more

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May 21, 2008 steven rated it 2 of 5 stars

This is a simplistic trashy detective novel with a mild fantasy setting, insofar as the protagonist is a werewolf. On the fantastical side of things, it does not disappoint, and the murder mystery will have you guessing right up to the bloody climax.

The downside is, of course, that it's not terrifically deep, and doesn't do much to make anything but the mystery worthwhile. Our Hero is angsty and emo about being a werewolf without a pack, and likes to remind the reader of this every fifth page or...more

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May 13, 2010 Archer rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone

Shelves: nook-books, urban-fantasy

For the first book in a series, I liked the way it was written, it kept me interested, the way the chapters started and ended were smooth and more realistic.

I am looking forward to reading more and getting to know better both Luna and Sunny better, and hopefully getting to know alot more of the dangerous man Dmitri..

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Dec 27, 2008 Steff rated it 3 of 5 stars

Unleash Your Inner Wolf

There are a couple things about Nocturne City everyone should know.

1. If you aren’t of the blood or don’t have a pack then stay out of Ghosttown.
2. If you are a serial killer then stay out of the way of Detective Luna Wilder.

Being a packless Insoli werewolf in a city full of prejudice doesn’t make Detective Wilder’s job any easier. And when Luna has to go into Ghosttown, to question a suspect, she knows there will be trouble, but she has no idea her entire life is about...more

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Apr 07, 2013 Smirking rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: series, urban-fantasy

A fellow blogger asked me why I choose the books that I do. Is it the cover? The artwork in particular? The Back blurb? Maybe a title? I think my answer is a little bit of everything. While as readers we would love to be able to say don’t judge a book by its cover, but admittedly I pick up a book based on a title or a cover. These days I am less drawn to covers like the one for Night Life as I assume the book will be heavy on the romance and light on the character development and plots. Its not...more A fellow blogger asked me why I choose the books that I do. Is it the cover? The artwork in particular? The Back blurb? Maybe a title? I think my answer is a little bit of everything. While as readers we would love to be able to say don’t judge a book by its cover, but admittedly I pick up a book based on a title or a cover. These days I am less drawn to covers like the one for Night Life as I assume the book will be heavy on the romance and light on the character development and plots. Its not that I don’t dig romance every now and again, but I don’t want it to be the sole focus of the book I am reading. It is why, though I am a die hard romantic of the fuzzy wuzzy type, I don’t watch too many romantic comedies unless I am in ‘one of those moods’. Maybe this makes me less girly girl, but more often these days I am drawn to books by male authors or names I may not readily recognize. Why? Because I get all of that action, thrills, etc that I so often am missing in urban fantasy these days. In fact my boredom with urban fantasy of late has brought back my appetite for comic books and all things RA Salvatore and George R Martin. Or I am reading a lot of Young Adult stuff that relies more on the story than the mushy bits. But anyway I digress.

I picked up Night Life based on the cover and also because it was very cheap when my Borders bookstore closed a couple of years ago (Yep, still going through that To Be Read Pile, but seriously that pile adds more comrades every other day). People had some great things to say about Caitlin and her works, so i figured why not. I love that Kittredge is a bit of a geek so I feel a sort of kinship there. Now Nightlife is yet another series that takes place in a world where magic exists and so do the things that go bump in the night.

Things I really didn’t like so much: So lets go with the things I didn't love and we will leave the good news for last. I wanted to like Luna despite the pun (possibly intended) of her name. But I just couldn’t. Described as a tough as nails police detective and the best detective they have to boot, I found her to be a bit too reckless and her police work fairly shoddy. I get the whole Prime Suspect deal with having to have as much balls as the rest of your male dominated work force and yet it just fell flat to me. Yes there is a reason why people don’t like you. Its because you are a bitch. But even more so I don’t buy her as a police officer, let alone a detective (as in trying to arrest someone without a badge, warrant or even reading of rights or telling your superior that a ton of evidence is being torched). She is reckless, lacks any sort of tact and continues to act like said bitca rather than tone it down a wee bit so you don’t get your badge taken away. Plus she just does Captain Suicide sort of things like run into a bar full of werewolves who will kill you just for the fun of it. Maybe if she could really back of it up, I would shrug and go with it, but she isn't that girl. A lot of bark without bite and yes I meant that to be really stupid and punny. Even if you get over the fact that she is the stereotypical Mary Sue, she is flat and I didn’t care what happened to her. In fact I was kind of hoping Moggath would eat her.

Lets get to the eye rolling romance bits now. I simply could not buy into the attraction between Luna and Dmitri. Half the time, I wasn’t sure what Dimitri saw in Luna. His lover had just been brutally murdered and her death struck him hard to the point of making him emotionally unstable so for him to suddenly switch affections to Luna made me question his character and just how in love he actually had been. Maybe that’s just me. But he was just as inconsistent as Luna. Seriously choose a role and an attitude and stick with it. Besides the fact that a pimp drug dealer who “managed” his dead prostitute girlfriend is really what gets the butterflies all a flutter and compels me to jump your bones. In fact most of the men in the book are a#$hats and apparently stick to the antiquated mentality that women are the weaker sex and belong barefoot and pregnant at home.

Things I sort of liked:Okay so now for the good news. It was a very quick read. So yay for that part. And I did pick it up because of the cover and title, so.... shouldn't do that again. I will say that Kittredge did a good job with the world building. I liked the various neighborhoods of the city and how each played a part of the whole, the different populations that lived in them and the way they are viewed by the larger population. Sunny and Luna’s grandmother were decent characters though again very stereotypical and mostly flat instead of fully realized characters. I did finish it so that is a plus, apparently the plot was engaging enough (despite the many plot holes) that I finished it and there have been some books that are too horrible for me to even finish (Sorry Twilight fans).

In all it was not good. It is mediocrity at its worst sadly and to be honest I think one of the reasons why urban fantasy has such a bad rap these days. Which is sad as I am really rooting for most people in the genre. Sorry Kittredge but I wont be picking up the next one, but I wish you well.

Buy or Borrow: Borrow

Part of: A Series

Also Recommended: Ilona Andrews and the Kate Daniels series is nice for the world building, detective touch. For werewolves, I would go with Patricia Briggs and her Mercy Thompson series. Now if you are liking some grit, why not try the Felix Castor series by Mike Carey or for a male protagonist try Kate Griffin’s Midnight Mayor Saga.  (less)

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Jun 10, 2012 Colbie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've seen a lot of negative reviews so I've decided to say something about this book as well. I'll start out with negatives and work to positives ;)

Despite the tone of it, and the simplicity, I enjoyed this story. I can imagine people will be easily bored with the theme of the book (with all the wolf/witch/vampire craze as of late), or with the way the main character easily scolds others and is overly negative. I must admit I had a hard time reconciling with the protagonist Luna, not only does s...more I've seen a lot of negative reviews so I've decided to say something about this book as well. I'll start out with negatives and work to positives ;)

Despite the tone of it, and the simplicity, I enjoyed this story. I can imagine people will be easily bored with the theme of the book (with all the wolf/witch/vampire craze as of late), or with the way the main character easily scolds others and is overly negative. I must admit I had a hard time reconciling with the protagonist Luna, not only does she respond to things like I never would and she instantly uses foul words to people she has never seen before (I've been raised properly apparently), but she is completely different from the type of being I am or hang out with. But once I started to understand her character I was able to oversee some of her crude comments.

Another point I've seen discussed before is the pace and the characters' who are not likeable'. I agree with this. As a reader you're not waiting to read every chapter between the cousins start as some sort of word-fight. There's a lot of negativity and crude words in this book. In real life situations can be like this. I have the feeling Caitlin Kittredge did just that. She must have seen the story play out in front of her and noted it all down as she saw it in her mind. By doing so she must have lost sight of the 'excitement factor' for the readers, her audience.

Yet I liked this story because I could see the characters take shape and some of them I liked really well. For instance Lockhart (don't ask me why, in my mind he was sexier than Dmitri). I am a very visual reader and always see what I read, and this story I could easily see like a film. Simplicity doesn't really matter if the images are lovely, the case was one which left me guessing till the end, and the characters we could not like in my opinion had a reason not to be liked which became clear while reading.

In conclusion, I can understand why this story would not be suited for some, and why others would enjoy it. I enjoyed it, and though I would not recommend it to all my friends, the ones who would like to read an alternate detective, love werewolves stories or have a bit of 'Buffy/Charmed-vibe' I would suggest this book to. (less)

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Jun 01, 2012 Joseph Teller rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-urban, fantasy-urban-horror

I've read a lot of Urban Fantasy/Horror fiction in recent years, and this feels like a case of an author who's been handed a list of tropes by their publisher that they must include, and then told to throw a few new twists in.

So we have a strong independent female protagonist, a police detective, who has a secret that makes her a minority in a modern setting (werewolf). She is headstrong, as well as physically strong, and has political enemies within the department who dislike that she is succee...more I've read a lot of Urban Fantasy/Horror fiction in recent years, and this feels like a case of an author who's been handed a list of tropes by their publisher that they must include, and then told to throw a few new twists in.

So we have a strong independent female protagonist, a police detective, who has a secret that makes her a minority in a modern setting (werewolf). She is headstrong, as well as physically strong, and has political enemies within the department who dislike that she is succeeding and moved up the ranks quickly. She snaps, injures a jerk also on the force.

She's got an outstanding murder case, which may be a crime by another werewolf, so rather than work in the system she decides to go and continue investigating after being suspended. And goes about doing it in a typical 'why is she being so stupid' kind of way.

Oh wait, of course, she's a big strong werewolf woman and can take care of herself, except when she doesn't or when theres a male character to do it for her. She didn't say nearly a word at her preliminary hearing where she gets suspended, letting her boss do all the talking.

It sort of goes that way.... add in a mental struggle with her 'wolf' side, a wolf pack leader who might be a murderer but has a 'bad boy' air about him that draws her to him in an alpha male kind of way, and an antagonist of a magician with demonic power who wants to enslave werewolves to serve him....

I gave up after a while. It just didn't work, it really did come across as a trope checklist, and really a harlequin supernatural romance more than a detective story or a urban horror/action fantasy. Even the character's sister the Yoga/Naturalist hippie herbal witch comes across as a stereotype out of central casting with nothing to really distinguish her.

The setting comes across as, well, artificial. The story was running flat on me and I could not attach mentally to the main character or even any of the characters around her. And really, a werewolf woman named Luna?

Maybe I'm a bit too jaded in my reading, or I've read too much, or I don't get the current crop of popular authors. I don't want a reworking of the same old tropes in a different order, or characters that can step out of central casting easily in case anyone wants to option the novel for a movie.

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Oct 14, 2011 Kathy Davie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, urban

First in the Nocturne City urban fantasy series about two cousins: one a blood witch and the other a bitten werewolf/cop set in an alternate Earth.

The Story
Girls are being horribly murdered and Luna can't tell anyone that it's a werewolf. So she has to work the case with hostile cops, suspects, and witnesses all around her [yeah, I know why everyone is hostile towards Luna; even her cousin is hostile! I certainly can't find the attraction Dmitri sees].

As the case evolves, a DA's son becomes inv...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Amanda rated it 1 of 5 stars

I think I read this book because it was basically the only thing I could get my hands on when I needed something to read. I thought it could be fun, though cliche. I was wrong -it didn't take long for my relatively low expectations to be dashed by how cliche (and somewhat convoluted) the plot is, how unlikeable the main character is, and how, with each passing page, Night Life became even more difficult to read.

Luna Wilders, a werewolf without a pack, (yes, a werewolf named Luna...original), is...more

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Jun 23, 2011 Erinaceina rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reads, bad-boy-heroes, crime, enemies-opponents-antagonists, magic, threw-it-at-a-wall, tstl, urban-fantasy, shapeshifters-werewolves

So often in reviews, I end up saying that I really WANTED to like such-and-such a book, but... And, in a nutshell, this was my problem with this book. I really wanted to like this book. I raced through the first hundred pages. I really did like Dmitri despite his past profession (pimp and drug dealer) and despite the fact that he seemed to spend a surprisingly large proportion of the book throwing stuff at walls due to angst. Really, a surprising proportion of the book.

But I hated Luna by the en...more

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Apr 05, 2011 Yvette rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I don't know where to begin with this review....Okay, so I liked the book enough to finish it, but not enough to endure another round of Luna Wilder, homicide detective.

No, I think I'll stop with Night Life. Luna first and foremost is a complete bitch. At one point she says she has to be in order to get the respect she deserves as a female detective....right. Moving on, she falls for the suspect in a brutal homicide. Dmitri is the pack leader to the Redbacks, were's living in the abandoned, Ghos...more I don't know where to begin with this review....Okay, so I liked the book enough to finish it, but not enough to endure another round of Luna Wilder, homicide detective.

No, I think I'll stop with Night Life. Luna first and foremost is a complete bitch. At one point she says she has to be in order to get the respect she deserves as a female detective....right. Moving on, she falls for the suspect in a brutal homicide. Dmitri is the pack leader to the Redbacks, were's living in the abandoned, Ghosttown in Nocturne City. When they first meet, she hits on him, propositions herself, handcuffs him, gets knocked in the head by him, then proceeds to chase, find, get attacked again by him in wolf form, and crash through a building....and then she starts to love him. Way to start that romance.

The guy was a big baby when we first meet him. Of course he had just found out his future mate was killed, and he's the prime suspect but to he has the appearance of the biggest baddest freaking alpha wolf, and he cries,...in a bar,...infront of his pack....and a cop. Not so good on your image Mr. Badass. I just don't get the image of him as an alpha at all. Just because he can make a few of his pack whimper when he meets their eyes, not so scary. I like my alphas scary and commanding. Dmitri was not.

The story had plot holes, and I was like "what?" then like "huh?" and then "Oh hell...what?" again. Luna was having trouble with her wolfy side at the beginning of the story and doesn't know what's going on, so she asks her cousing for help....they look shit up and ask questions but you never find out what the hell was wrong that was making her want to phase 7 days before the full moon. Kittredge brought characters in that I didn't understand completely why they were in the story, tattoo guy with the freaky face, Cassandra the blood witch (by the way whats the difference between blood and caste witches?? that wasn't explained at all), her little minions, Lockhart (didn't really get what the hell he was), didn't understand what Duncan was trying to accomplish, Stephen Duncan, was he a were or not?? Why did she have such a big problem with her grandma? Never explained. What happened with Roenburg? or Bryson, the prick? Why was Officer Thorpe killed in Roenburgs house, that was my "Oh hell....what?" moment there. Were all the the 24th precint police department corrupt or something?

Sooo many questions and not enough answers....

There were a few moments in the book where I was like, "how the hell are you one of the best detectives? NO, really." Luna makes mistake after mistake, which led me to believe that either she was a complete idiot, or that she was a complete idiot. Example: she's a lone wolf, who just got suspended from her job and she decides to go the wolf pack hangout knowing she will not be welcome and will likely be killed. Still she goes in alone, unarmed, and looking for a pimping-drug dealing-wolf. Like I said, idiot.

There were a few moments that I laughed at though, which is probably why I stayed reading. Example:
"You're going out."
"Yes."
"On a date."
"Yes."
"With a murder suspect?"
I grimaced. "He's not really a suspect anymore. Now I think the DA's son did it."
"Oh, Luna, why can't you use Match.com like everyone else?"

To sum it up, the plot was okay, the writing was ok, the characters were trash IMO and it was fast paced but I had a lot of questions left unaswered. Is it worth the read, sure it is, but it wasn't MY cup of tea. (less)

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Oct 02, 2010 Kim Ryser rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010booksread

This is one of the worst books I've read in a long time. I read the first book in the author's latest series and thought it was ok, so I figured I'd give this a try. I wasn't expecting much, but took it on vacation with me and started it on the eight hour flight home. A lot of things in this book are wince-inducing, like having the main character be a werewolf detective in a town called Nocturne City. Her name is...wait for it...Luna Wilder. And she's a werewolf. Get it? It still could have been...more

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Feb 28, 2010 Brenda rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had never red Caitlin Kittredge before, but had heard good things about her books. After reading a few chapters of Night Life I thought to myself "Hey, this could be Law and Order: Special Victims Unit but with werewolves, demons and witches!" However, I think it's much better than SVU due to the snarky main character Luna and the sexy Dmitri with his tough guy charm. He snuck up on me in the book for some reason. At first I didn't appreciate his sexiness, distracted by the serial killing psyc...more I had never red Caitlin Kittredge before, but had heard good things about her books. After reading a few chapters of Night Life I thought to myself "Hey, this could be Law and Order: Special Victims Unit but with werewolves, demons and witches!" However, I think it's much better than SVU due to the snarky main character Luna and the sexy Dmitri with his tough guy charm. He snuck up on me in the book for some reason. At first I didn't appreciate his sexiness, distracted by the serial killing psycho Luna is trying to find and stop. Once I did notice him things became much more interesting for me, and for Luna.

Night Life is a quick read, mostly because the action and plot twists kept me on the edge of my seat, as if putting the book down would somehow hinder Luna's investigation. The end, and especially the final showdown with the bad guy, is amazing with a plot twist I had not excepted.

As far as romance, this is not a Happily Ever After book, but it still made my heart ache for Luna. She's not a happy, "let's look at the positive" person like her sister Sunny, who is trying to influence her in that department. Luna is a good cop, a reluctant werewolf with issues, and a loyal friend. Her life is complicated, which is what makes her story a good read. Happy and simple may be awesome in real life when it's possible, but a good story it doesn't make.

I want to take a minute and address the reviews I saw on Amazon. I was really surprised to see people calling Luna "a bitch", "unlikeable" and yes, someone actually called her a "mean girl". First, I have to wonder if the reviewers truly read the book to the very end. Luna is tough, and yes, she is sarcastic and "in your face". It's a way of protecting herself from the realities of her job, her past and the horrendous murders taking place. The other thing that bothers me is that the book is clearly marketed as a gritty urban fantasy. This genre is not for everyone. I happen to love it, and do not think it would be in the least realistic to have the heroes and heroines too "nice" or too "understanding". Here is an example of Luna's "attitude". A fellow police officer has beaten up a kid when bringing him into the station, and has an attitude about Luna:

He reached around and patted me on the bottom. "Thank that sweet ass."
(skipping a few lines...)

"That's my trigger finger you got!" he yelped.

"Then you shouldn't have put it on my ass." I pinched harder. "I couldn't care less what you think of me. But for the record, I think you are a violent, incompetent psychopath who has no business being a police officer."

Personally, I think he got off light. The other characters in the book are varied; some are likable such as Sunny, Mac, and Dmitri, in my opinion. Some characters are distinctly unlikeable and I found each one had specific reasons for being that way.

If you are a fan of Lori Handeland, Vicki Petterssen, Marjorie M. Liu, Jeanne Stein or Ilona Andrews you will want to pick up the Nocturne City Novels. I will be reading the other three books in the series as soon as I can.
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Nov 26, 2009 Ailsa rated it 3 of 5 stars

I heard a lot about this author before I picked up the book, which led to mixed feelings while I was reading it. I wonder if I set my expectations too high, because it never quite hit the nail on the head for me.
The book opens with Luna looking at a grisly murder scene. It pulled me in, and I read the first chunk in one sitting. Luna was an interesting main character - I liked her, and I liked how she dealt with the issues presented to her over the course of the story. She was fun, and I could r...more

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Aug 10, 2009 Rachel rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: supernatural, fiction

Having really liked Street Magic, I went back and picked up Night Life, the first in Kittredge's previous series. I have to say, I didn't like it all that much. Luna seemed strident, unpleasant, and borderline psychotic, and did little other than really irritate the people around her (and me!)

The book revolves around a series of murders, which Luna (as a police detective) is determined to solve. This is complicated by the fact that they seem to be related to the werewolf community, and Luna is p...more

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Mar 23, 2012 Noodle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance, urban-fantasy

Book one in the Nocturne City Series was a little hard to get into. Maybe because I have just finished Alpha & Omega by Patricia Briggs and quite frankly, nothing can compare, it didn't quite do it for me.

I wanted to like it. I'm not afraid of my werewolves being nasty brutes with little redeeming qualities, so that's not what really put me off. And let's face it, the lead male, Dimitri Sandovsky is not a nice man. Neither is the female protagonist, Luna Wilder, actually. But still, that was...more

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Jan 28, 2012 Melbourne on my mind rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, would-not-read-again, 2012

I knew it wasn't going to end well for me and this book when I disliked the main character before the end of the first page. Seriously. The main character is a night shift detective who lives in Nocturne City. She's also a werewolf, and her name is Luna. Again, seriously. I suspect she's meant to come off as "tough as nails but with a heart of gold". Instead, she just comes off as an annoying bitch.

In the course of investigating the first murder of the book, she decides that her main suspect is...more

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Oct 25, 2011 Theresa rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, fantasy, dnf

Holy Hexagon, talk about a disappointment!

As a HUGE fan of Kittredge's Black London books, I figured I would try out this series and see if I could find something to fill the time between Black London releases. Being as I quit this book at page 92, this series won't be the filler.

Luna - heroine - is one of the most unlikable characters I've read in awhile. She is supposed to be tough-as-nails, but is more likely to get punched in the face by this reader. She is abrasive, annoying, and I'm sorry,...more

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Jun 19, 2011 Ami rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy-paranormal-futuristic

Take out the weres, witches, and demon plot, this story feels like a police-procedural with a tough female detective. And THAT, is just fine by me. What can I say, I love reading police-procedural books and watching them. I don't read the genre as much but whenever I stumble into that, I enjoy it. The paranormal elements of were beings and the demons summoning are written nicely, though. I don't have such difficulties to grasp the plot. I also enjoy the investigation to the murders.

Character wis...more

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Dec 17, 2010 Vasya rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-paranormal

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I probably would have liked this book more if I read it at a different time. As it was, I was often distracted while I was reading it so that may have influenced my judgment of this book, so it probably deserves a better grade.

I liked Luna. She is fierce, she is determined and she has that uncanny ability of separating right and wrong, or at least having her reasons for what right and what wrong is to her. What didn't quite sit with me most favorably was the fact that she's a cop. I mean, okay,...more I probably would have liked this book more if I read it at a different time. As it was, I was often distracted while I was reading it so that may have influenced my judgment of this book, so it probably deserves a better grade.

I liked Luna. She is fierce, she is determined and she has that uncanny ability of separating right and wrong, or at least having her reasons for what right and what wrong is to her. What didn't quite sit with me most favorably was the fact that she's a cop. I mean, okay, there are a lot of heroines today that work with law, but she had that air around her that just screamed - detective at work - and it reminded me too much of the TV shows that are sprouting from every channel known to human kind. It gives this book a little of a movie quality, action packed storyline, and while some like those types of books, I am not a fan.

Dimitri is definitely not something I expected from a male character. Usually they all have that "I'm-in-charge" aura around them, and while he is an Alpha and is pretty dominant as a person, he is also real. Emotions can get a hold of him, he is not stoic, and the fact that he admits to Luna that she is basically something of his rebound girl to him is a fact that no main character has ever done before (or at least, I haven't read about it until now). Not to mention that being a pimp is a former occupation of Dimitri - you just have to love him for his roughness and his view on life.

The end of the book is a little confusing to me. I know that Luna has problem dealing with her being an Insoli were, but I don't get it that she is that scared as the ending made it to be. I know that it is a problem, but not that big, it was something on the side that she had to deal with, but my observation may not be 100% accurate since I was pulled out of reading this book a few times, so that grip on her personal problems may not be felt as I should have.

And, in the end, even though I hate books that deal with demons (or daemons, whatever), I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.(less)

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Mar 06, 2010 Joe Informatico rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime, urban-fantasy, procedural, werewolves

I haven't read a lot of books in the recent paranormal crime/romance urban fantasy genre, partly because I got my fill of that stuff a decade ago and partly because most of them aren't very good at all.

Night Life held my attention, first and foremost, because there aren't any vampires. I'm really sick of vampires, so reading a book where the werewolves and witches were the focus instead of the supporting cast of a vampire book immediately scores points with me. What I found most surprising was t...more

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Nov 19, 2011 Christoffer Lernö rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal

I'm a bit split in regards to what I should think about this book.

On one hand, it's an easy read and the "murder mystery" at the heart of the story is good enough that it is not obvious who the bad guy is after reading half the book.

On the other hand, it very clearly introduces a *series* of books: we have the introduction of the various characters for the series, we have a story which both serves as story and as a help to set up the characters and background for the continuation of the series.

N...more

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Jun 23, 2011 Kay rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the protagonist, Luna, with her impulsive, kick-ass ways; the universe with its out-but-not-accepted!supernaturals; the bloody, complicated magic that actually made sense; and, of course, the love interest Dmitri, who was such a bad catch, it's ridiculous.

And yet, there are a number of reasons why I shouldn't have enjoyed Night Life. For starters, a lot of Luna's erratic, stupidly fearless behaviour was blamed on her being a were. Same went for her love inte...more I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the protagonist, Luna, with her impulsive, kick-ass ways; the universe with its out-but-not-accepted!supernaturals; the bloody, complicated magic that actually made sense; and, of course, the love interest Dmitri, who was such a bad catch, it's ridiculous.

And yet, there are a number of reasons why I shouldn't have enjoyed Night Life. For starters, a lot of Luna's erratic, stupidly fearless behaviour was blamed on her being a were. Same went for her love interest Dmitri. One minute they are getting on just fine, the next they have nearly come to blows, and then they are jumping each other's bones. Unbelievable would be putting it lightly... or so one would think. It worked in Night Life - and so did a number of other things you'd think would have me rolling my eyes. For example, the book centres around an open-and-shut criminal case. I don't tend to like my Urban Fantasy overlapping too heavily with a criminal procedure novel - mostly because I think it illogical to have a character chose to risk their life (and the lives of their loved ones) for a stranger. And yet Night Life, for all its criminal fantasy elements, made it work.

I was also surprised by how much I liked Luna. Although she was erratic and had no sense of self-preservation, she was an enjoyable narrator that I could completely root for. Luna's fierce pursuit for justice, as well as her troubled past (which involves attempted rape and an evil grandmother), made her all the more admirable. And then there was love interest Dmitri... actually, I'm not sure I should call him a love interest. The guy is Bad. News. He has an extremely sordid criminal record and really should be everything I hate. And yet, he proves himself worth his weight more than once... and, well, everyone loves a proper bad boy now and again. Especially when partnered with a heroine who can more than take care of herself.

The only character I was less than fond of was Luna's cousin - and supposedly her best friend - Sunny. God, did I ever want to show her off a cliff. How could this woman profess to care for Luna whilst defending the man that attacked her and the woman that had kicked her out of her home? *makes stabbing gestures*

Bottom line? Night Life was a welcome respite from the mundane UF I've been reading lately. If you want a bit of a rough-and-tumble in your next fantasy, pick this up!

http://deadbookdarling.blogspot.com/2...(less)

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Oct 01, 2009 marlene rated it 3 of 5 stars

i liked this book even if i didn't like the main characters. make sense? not me me either, don't worry. the world that was built was a complex one but easy to grasp right off the bat. the mystery who done it was really well done. i had someone else pegged as the main bad guy for awhile. i really fell in love with the Black London book and i saw a lot of that dark grittyness in this one. The characters are so far from the same league though. the heroine Lune is incredibly hostile to pretty much e...more

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May 29, 2009 Rhianon rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-dark-fantasy

Good enough that I've had my curiosity piqued about the next one. I enjoyed Kittredge's characters, individually and together, much more than I have any of late.

Will probably pick up the second in the series soon, but while she left it open-ended, she didn't leave me with that pressing itch to snare it immediately and satiate my curiosity. There's only so many ways to twist the plot of a book that centers around a homicide cop, yes? There will always be a death in need of solving that, in the en...more

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About Caitlin Kittredge

Caitlin 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 i...more

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Night Life (Nocturne City #1)

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