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Book Reviews

A Stranger in Town (Rockton #6) by Kelley Armstrong

2/22/2021

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SYNOPSIS
Detective Casey Duncan has noticed fewer and fewer residents coming in to the hidden town of Rockton, and no extensions being granted. Her boyfriend, Sheriff Eric Dalton, presumes it’s the natural flux of things, but Casey’s not so sure.

Something bigger is happening in the small town they call home.

When an injured hiker stumbles from the woods, the sole survivor of a hostile attack, it’s all hands on deck. Even a member of the elusive Rockton council comes in to help.

​This council member also comes bearing news: Rockton is being shut down due to the hostile situation.
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Casey and Eric must now race to save the town that has allowed residents to have a fresh start, away from the mistakes of their past, while also getting to the bottom of this latest attack.
Synopsis from Goodreads

PERSONAL REVIEW
I can't believe this is the 6th novel in the Rockton series by Kelley Armstrong! I remember feeling hesitant in starting the series - I had loved her paranormal novels but wasn't sure about her contemporary writing. I'm so glad I decided to start City of the Lost because I became hooked with Casey, Eric, and this hidden town in the Yukon. But after five books, there are some answers we are ready to get...

Excellent Storyline

We are finally given answers to how the hostiles were created! We have been building towards this answer for 5 books now (I don’t count the first book in the series because Casey was dealing with a lot of other things) and I can’t believe we are finally here! In classic Armstrong fashion, there are multiple mysteries for Casey to solve which obviously all overlap. I love this because it’s easy foe Armstrong to bring us on a journey where it’s not easy to tell what the answer is. I loved how past and present overlap when different characters meet again, and we’re introduced to one of the original board members of Rockton! A lot happens in this book, but it felt like a solid resolution to the hostile problem while also moving forward on what Rockton is going to look like in the future.

Too Much Time Reviewing Past Books
The biggest thing that bogs down this book (and most of the Rockton series) is how often Armstrong retells what has happened in previous novels. This is unfortunate because it should be assumed that if someone is reading this book, they’ve read the rest of the series already or if they haven’t, they’ll realize it’s part of a series and go find the others. Instead, a lot of time is spent rehashing events from previous books, which halts the progress of this story. Armstrong has done this is the last two books of this series as well- constantly looking back instead of continually moving the story forward. It’s not the worst thing, but it’s definitely annoying to feel like I’m reading the same pieces of a story over and over again.

An Ending and a Beginning...
While the series takes a while to get there, we are finally given an answer to the hostile problem. However, it looks like Rockton itself might be coming to an end as Casey and Eric realize that the town might be shutdown. With this revelation I would've LOVED to see more conversations about what happens next. Clearly Armstrong has a plan for them, and I'm excited to read about it, but it feels a bit too much like dangling a carrot over and over again. Casey and Eric have been talking about their back up plan for three books now! Where is it? To only give us the teaser at the end of them finally starting to plan something is frustrating - more could've been developed in this book to create a smoother bridge in the series.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, even if I am getting annoyed at how long it takes for something to be accomplished. We get some fun information about Jacob and get to see secondary characters, but not enough time is spent here. Instead, a lot of the book is spent retelling what happened in previous novels and simply thinking about what happens if Rockton closes. However, we get closure around the hostile mystery which is a long time coming. I'd recommend this book to those who love the Rockton series, are fans of Kelley Armstrong, or are looking for a mystery series to dive into (you have 6 books here to enjoy!).

Let me know what you thought of this newest addition to the series!


FINAL RATING: 4/5

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    About Me

    Hi, I'm Alexandra! I love reading (largely YA fiction, but sometimes I'll read "adult" books), playing board games, Nutella, and binge-watching TV shows on Netflix with my husband. 

    I absolutely love to travel, but home will always be in Toronto. Books come with me everywhere and I can't wait to hear if you agree or disagree with my reviews. 


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  • Book Reviews
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