Kelley Armstrong is an amazing author. I have yet to read anything by her that didn't hold my complete attention, and leave me a little sorry the story was over. I say that grudgingly with this one because she broke (and kept right on breaking) my cardinal rule with City of the Lost.
"Never do stupid stuff just because it serves your purpose!"
Nothing about this story developed organically. Every time I turned around her characters were saying or doing things just because it was expedient, not because it made sense for it to happen, or made for good storytelling.
From the first sentence I wanted to smack the heroine for being a bubble-headed doofus.
At her first session with a new therapist (yet another in a long line of predecessors) the MC - a supposedly savvy cop confesses to being a murderer. This isn't the first therapist - or the first confession hence the many predecessors. Soon her past is catching up with her and she needs to go poof. And low and behold there is a community for people to vanish into. AND her soul sucking BFF ALSO needs to go poof. So they do. AACK.
Activity-wise It was sort of watching a b- horror flick. ....Is she SERIOUSLY going to do that?.... No! Don't do that!..... Well that was stupid. Are you TRYING to get yourself.....ARRRRGH!
Despite myself I was sucked into City of the Lost and couldn't stop reading. If I'd been in a theater watching the movie I'd have thrown popcorn at the screen, heckled the heroine, and sighed when she got her HEA. Then I'd have turned to my hubby and said "Smack me if I'm ever that stupid OK?"
Evidently I will read anything Kelley writes even if I hate the story - which I sorta did. While the story irritated me on several levels, I couldn't put it aside. The characters were so vivid, and the writing so engaging I had to keep going. Note the 4 stars. That wasn't 'cause I liked the story - that was all Kelley being Kelley - an outstanding writer.
"Never do stupid stuff just because it serves your purpose!"
Nothing about this story developed organically. Every time I turned around her characters were saying or doing things just because it was expedient, not because it made sense for it to happen, or made for good storytelling.
From the first sentence I wanted to smack the heroine for being a bubble-headed doofus.
At her first session with a new therapist (yet another in a long line of predecessors) the MC - a supposedly savvy cop confesses to being a murderer. This isn't the first therapist - or the first confession hence the many predecessors. Soon her past is catching up with her and she needs to go poof. And low and behold there is a community for people to vanish into. AND her soul sucking BFF ALSO needs to go poof. So they do. AACK.
Activity-wise It was sort of watching a b- horror flick. ....Is she SERIOUSLY going to do that?.... No! Don't do that!..... Well that was stupid. Are you TRYING to get yourself.....ARRRRGH!
Despite myself I was sucked into City of the Lost and couldn't stop reading. If I'd been in a theater watching the movie I'd have thrown popcorn at the screen, heckled the heroine, and sighed when she got her HEA. Then I'd have turned to my hubby and said "Smack me if I'm ever that stupid OK?"
Evidently I will read anything Kelley writes even if I hate the story - which I sorta did. While the story irritated me on several levels, I couldn't put it aside. The characters were so vivid, and the writing so engaging I had to keep going. Note the 4 stars. That wasn't 'cause I liked the story - that was all Kelley being Kelley - an outstanding writer.
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