Review: City of the Lost

City of the Lost by Kelley Armstrong
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Kelley Armstrong is one of those authors to have quickly worked her way onto my favourite authors list, doing so after just a couple of books. As it stands, I’ve been working my way through her Women of the Otherworld books at a snail’s pace. I adore the series, but it is taking me a while. When I saw City of the Lost on sale, I knew it was time for me to jump into something else, something different. Taking a step away from the paranormal romance I knew and loved, I was eager to dive into a Kelley Armstrong thriller.

Thrillers and mysteries are actually some of my favourite books, even if I haven’t read all that many as of late. I’ve been in one of those moods where I’ve been picking up contemporary romance or paranormal romances. There was a time where such a thing would have horrified me, I never imagined I would reach the point where romance was my choice of read, yet such is where I’ve been at recently. However, when I was looking at my bookshelf and trying to decide what I was to pick up next, I knew I would be taking a break from that mood. City of the Lost was calling out to me, begging me to return to my mystery and thriller mindset.

Whilst there is romance within this story, as I’ve come to expect from Kelley Armstrong, it does not take over the entire story. It is there simmering in the background, slowly building, wiggling into your heart at a leisurely pace. You are aware of it, you ship it, you enjoy it, but it does not take over the entire story. There are scenes focusing solely upon the romance factor, but it is not the main element of the story. As I’ve said, this has more of a mystery and thriller kind of vibe.

At first, the story is a bit slow. It takes a few chapters before you’re completely pulled in. At the start, I believe people will fall into one of two categories. They will either be extremely intrigued, or they will be bored of waiting for the story to start. Whatever category you fall into, hold on. It does take a while for things to get moving, but once the story is moving we have quite a few different elements going on. Each time you think you’ve reached the bottom of the secrets to be uncovered, something more is added. There are some predictable elements and some surprising elements, and all work to bring the story together in a wonderful way.

As my first introduction to Kelley Armstrong’s thrillers, it was a wonderful read. I’m so glad there are more Casey Duncan books to come, as I’m going to be grabbing them up. I fell in love with the characters, the story, and the town. Without a doubt, I’ll be returning for more.

The Women of the Otherworld books were enough to cement Kelley Armstrong as a favourite author, but City of the Lost has shown she has more up her sleeve than I’d initially thought.

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