So I have yet to read the original Trylle books but when I came across this spinoff start to a new set of books it sounded good and I wanted to jump right in. I don't know if reading the first set might have increased my enjoyment in this one, probably a bit. I did still enjoy it for the most part but I would have liked to see more action. The story kept a rather slow pace and that could make it feel like it was dragging at times.

I liked Ulla well enough. As a protagonist she's rather interesting...she's so even-keeled and pragmatic, which is kind of refreshing in a sense, but it also made it her feel maybe a tad robotic at times and left a little disconnect there. I think her story, her search for answers on where/who she came from helped even that out and give her more depth and feeling. I had similar feelings on the other prominent characters in the sense that I liked them but none were exactly jumping off the pages. Eliana might be the one stand out, but I think a lot of her intrigue came from all the mystery surrounding her.

While it lacked in action for the most part it certainly didn't lack in imagination or world building. This was an interesting world to explore and I would like to see where the next book takes me. I think that one will likely make or break it for me.

I received an arc of this book from Wednesday Booka via Netgalley and this is my honest review.

In the first book in a new series Kelley Armstrong takes readers to Rockton Yukon where a town full of secrets has a murderer amount them:

Casey Duncan is homicide detective that who holds a secret, she committed murder when she was in college. The man she murdered was the grandson of a mobsters and she knew that one day it would catch up to her. So started the self destructive tendency of her life of playing Russian roulette of what she had done. And it does catch up to her and almost kills her, but her friend Diana has a plan. Diana is on the run from her abusive ex-husband who has been stalking her; A town names Rockton. You must apply to live there and if you are accepted you must leave all your old life behind you. Casey isn't the best candidate, they do not take murderers, but she is something the town needs, a homicide detective.

I have always liked Armstrong as an author, though I will admit it has been a few years since I have read any of her series but I am so happy to find this series as this book was amazing in my opinion. I love a small town as they always seem to have some mysterious secrets well in Rockton everyone has secrets so I knew i was going to like this book. People leave their old life and ways behind them when they come to Rockton so it is a secret as to why each person is there  and their reason can vary so much that no two people are alike or have the same backstory. Some are white collar criminals, some are fleeing stalker or abusive husbands, some are fleeing the law but are actually innocent. Rockton is supposed to provide them with a fresh start. It’s like Armstrong personally asked me what I would like to see for a setting of a book and totally delivering on it. I could not have done it better myself (you know if was actually an author who was on the NY times best seller list lol).

I found the plot intricate, compelling and sophisticated all at once as Casey wades through the information she receives and having to do detective and forensic work the old fashion way. I think that is what really stands out in the book, there are no labs to run tests on samples found it is good old fashioned detective work of putting the pieces together so they are able to track down their killer. This helps set this book apart from others written these days taking detective work back to its roots but in a modern way as well. Let’s say there is no DNA or forensic evidence coming that is going to change everything or put the pieces together. This back to basics approach that Armstrong decided to take was really refreshing.

As this town is small 200 people you are introduced to the murderer along the way it is up to the reader to figure out who. I will say I was able to figure it out. I wasn’t always 100% confident in what I was thinking as Armstrong does a good job of making a lot of people suspects but in the end I was right. There were also some secondary story line twists that I did not see coming at all and Armstrong does a good job of intertwining these events  into the main plot line and mystery. Yes, there is some romance aspect that is put in to the book that did take a bit away from the overall plot but at the same time I can see why it happened, I mean it is a town of 200 and women are in the minority so it was bound to happen.

I really enjoyed Casey as a character, her morals and self destructiveness were are interesting combination as well as her continuing to pursue becoming a police officer. I like that Armstrong did take time to flesh out her back story as who Casey is now is very much dependent on her past, and her reasons for coming to Rockton. Through Casey we are able to get to know some of the other people in the town and due to the fact that she is a homicide detective we get to know why some people are there and it shapes her opinion of them and the council.

This is an awesome start to a new series. It had everything I wanted and then some for a mystery/thriller read. Armstrong knows how to set the stage and keep the story not only flowing but interesting as well. I know I’m invested in Rockton now and cannot wait to read the next book.

Enjoy!!!!

   

Actual rating: 3.75 stars but rounded up to 4 stars!

The start of the story was okay but then things started to get crazy because someone already died and that's just the beginning of this book. During my time reading this, I got legit confused. I can’t say it's completely random but the book being disorganized is one thing and how it all still fits together is another. You really need to focus on the story when reading it. I consider its pace to be somewhere in between because it starts slow but quickens maybe a little too fast. Try to keep up but take in every single thing so that you can understand whatever is happening because there is a LOT going on.

There were some unexpected stuff happening right there. Things like profanities, betrayal, murder, etc. I never thought I'd read that in a fantasy book but I had low expectations for this book because honestly, I didn't know what to expect out of it. One thing I enjoyed was the starting bits that contain stories or info about different mythology and folklores.

The characters were great. Each one had a distinct personality and let me tell you, there were a lot of characters. I really liked the main character, Jude. He is so quirky and adorable but damn, he can be one dangerous man. I probably like him even more because of his dark humor. Another character I liked is Renaissance, Renai for short. First thing’s first, the name. It’s an unusual name but I think that it is so witty. At first, I thought she was just going to be one of those passing-by, filling-out-holes kind of characters but nooo. It gets better than that and she’s more involved in the story and gets more “screen time.” When I saw that the sequel was somehow about her, I got a little too excited so I’m going to watch out for that. Hooray for great characters!

The story went on longer than I expected but it's fine. This book actually took me a few days to continue it because I started this on the day before NYE. When I read some parts, I thought some of them were unnecessary and just made the book longer than it had to be but all-in-all, the book seemed complete and came with extra bits. The City of Lost Fortunes seemed to start out as boring and slow but became more intense as it came to the end. I would describe it as twisted, not just because of its characters but also because of its plot. I hope the sequel’s just as a sick read as the first one.

A big thanks to NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book.

A good history. The emphasis includes how geography effected the city. The text is short but clear and concise

Mythology, magic, and mystery--how could I not love this? It has symbol and myth woven into the story from the first sentence. I really liked the quick overview of mythological stories at the beginning of chapters, for example this one from the start of chapter ten:

Every world is a circle with a center, a wheel with a hub on which it turns. Sometimes it is a feature of the natural world -- a mountain or a tree. In China they feel the world spin where Mount Kunlun pierces the sky, just as the Lakota revere Inyan Kara in the Black Hills, and as the Anangu of Australia regard Uluru rock. Buddha found Enlightenment beneath the bodhi tree; Odin hung upon an ash named Yggdrasil; and the Serpent wound itself around the Tree of Knowledge in Eden. When the natural world did not provide a focus, they built one: pillars and obelisks, towers and shrines. The Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan, of Khufu at Giza. The Umbilicus Urbis Romae in Rome, Kaaba in Mecca, the Tower in Babel. Every world has its center, its sacred place where Earth meets Heaven, the point around which everything revolves. Places of Power. Of Truth. Of Sanctuary.

It was also very cool how Jude could see with the eyes of a Trickster, seeing how fortunate people are based on how brightly they shine. The whole handling of the Trickster archetype was so well-done throughout the book and made the story a joy to read.