elisa

April

This month I read 4 books and 4 ebooks from the Toronto Public Library, totalling to 8 books.

Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin

Synopsis: Hana Khan works part time at her family’s restaurant, Three Sisters Biriyani Poutine. It’s the only halal restaurant in the Golden Crescent neighborhood of Toronto and a beloved family-run institution. Unfortunately, sales are slowing, and they rarely have any customers. What Hana really wants to do is become a Radio host and share stories from her community (South Asian Muslims) with the world. She already has a mini podcast (Ana’s Brown Girl Rambles) and at least one devoted fan (stanleyp). Right now she’s struggling in her radio internship, and she’s about to have way more problems than just her annoying coworker and her ignorant boss: another halal restaurant is opening up in the Golden Crescent, and the owner has declared that he’s trying to put Three Sisters out of business. Can Hana save her family’s restaurant?

My thoughts: This book was touted as a Muslim “You’ve Got Mail” (which annoyed me a bit because it completely gave away the whole plot, but whatever). Overall I thought it was generally good. I really liked the plotlines surrounding Hana’s Auntie who was visiting from India (because she was a really good character), and the themes of families who immigrated vs those who chose to stay. I did not like when Hana started spreading online rumours about the rival restaurant, because it felt like a cheap move, and I’m glad she regretted it. I also wasn’t really sold on the storylines surrounding Hana’s work at the Radio Station. Personally, I view radio and journalism as a profession where you share information with others, not really where you tell stories, so the final podcast that she produced (Secret Family Histories) didn’t really land with me.

Rating: 3/5 background star-crossed lovers who flee to northern Ontario in order to be together

Rockton Series by Kelley Armstrong

City of the Lost (Book 1)

Synopsis: 10 years ago, Casey had the world’s worst boyfriend. When he got caught selling drugs on someone else’s territory, he escaped by himself, leaving Casey behind to be brutally assaulted. Weeks later, when she was finally out of the hospital, Casey confronted him; when he refused to apologize, she killed him. No one ever tied his death to her, and since then Casey has kept her head down and worked her way through the ranks to become a homicide detective in the local police force. She has a good life; her best friend, Diana, and occasional companionship from guys if she wants it. But all that changes when her current beau gets shot by a hired gun; only luck prevented the hitman from killing Casey too, and it means that her time is up. Her ex-boyfriend was the grandson of a notorious Quebecois mobster; he must suspect that Casey killed his grandson, and will stop at nothing to get his revenge. Casey needs to get out of town immediately. At the same time, Diana’s abusive ex is back in town, and she also needs a safe haven to go to. Diana’s heard a rumor about a mysterious off-the-grid town; the kind of place where no one can find you. Casey is reluctant to go, but the town’s council will only admit Diana if Casey comes along, because they’re in desperate need of a homicide detective. So, Casey and Diana arrive in Rockton, a settlement deep in the Yukon woods, hidden from civilization. Rockton isn’t like any other place; there’s no cell service, minimal electricity, and everything has something to hide. Once you arrive, you can’t leave until your term is over. And now, there’s a string of unsolved murders that the town’s Sheriff, Eric Dalton, has been unable to handle by himself. Will Casey be able to solve the murders? Or has she just committed herself to the worst two years of her life.

Ranking: 5/5 Rockton labour credits (the only currency worth anything up here)

A Darkness Absolute (Book 2)

Synopsis: It’s been a few months since Casey arrived in Rockton, and surprisingly she’s adapted quite well. She’s dating the Sheriff, Eric Dalton, and is best friends with his Deputy, Will Anders. When Casey and Will are out exploring the woods, a blizzard forces them to take shelter in an isolated cave. There, they find something truly horrifying: a woman who went missing from Rockton over a year ago. But the worst part: she’s still alive. Her name is Nicole, and she’s been trapped in that cave for months by a mysterious captor that returns frequently to assault her. She’s in desperate need of medical attention, and Casey and Will are determined to do everything in their power to get her back to Rockton safely. Once they return, Casey must figure out who Nicole’s captor is, before he can strike again.

Rating: 5/5 Newfoundland dogs named after the X-woman Storm

This Fallen Prey (Book 3)

Synopsis: Rockton isn’t just a safe haven for victims with nowhere else to go. When it was initially founded in the 1960s, it was, but the town’s council has changed overtime. Now, they treat it as an investment, and they’re determined to get their money's worth. A town like Rockton isn’t cheap to run, especially when most people (like Casey and Diana) only paid about $5000 to stay for two years. Even an influx of white collar criminals, whose financial crimes mean that they can afford to pay significantly more than the average resident, isn’t enough for investors. So, they’ve decided that Rockton needs more streams of revenue. Sheriff Eric Dalton has suspected that many of the alleged white collar criminals are actually on the run because they’ve committed violent crimes, and that the council is wilfully turning a blind eye as long as they get paid. But things come to a head when a small plane lands in Rockton. It’s only passenger: an alleged serial killer named Olive Brady, whose parents are paying Rockton a small fortune to keep him imprisoned in the Yukon where no one will find him. Eric and Casey are furious; the small settlement doesn’t have the resources to keep anyone prisoner, and even if it did, the townspeople will understandably riot if they find out that there’s a dangerous criminal being kept in Rockton (and they do). But the most worrying issue: Brady quickly manages to escape, something that only could have been accomplished with outside help. Does Brady have an accomplice in town? Is he even guilty of his alleged crimes? It’s up to Casey and Eric to find Brady and figure out the truth, before even more people get killed.

Rating: 3/5 loving stepfathers with no ulterior motives.

(A note on the rating: Readers may wonder why this is the only book in the series with a rating of less than 5/5. This book had everything that I love about the Rockton series, but I was so upset about the ending that I docked it two points. Brady and his stepfather were both killed without figuring out if either (or both) of them were actually guilty. Multiple female characters had plot twists that felt extremely out of character and had very little explanation. Overall, I think that the author had too much going on and rushed the ending instead of taking the time to resolve things. But the first 75% of the book was great, and I still really wanted to keep reading.)

Watcher in the Woods (Book 4)

Synopsis: Detective Casey Butler has had to face fearsome challenges while living in Rockton, but she might be facing her biggest one yet: talking to her sister. April is a world-renowned neurosurgeon in Vancouver, but her and Casey’s relationship has always been frosty at best. But Casey has no other choice; their carpenter Kenny was shot in the back and might be paralyzed, and the town has no doctor or nurse to speak of besides Will Anders, current head of militia and former Army medic. April reluctantly agrees to spend one weekend in Rockton, so Casey and Dalton plan to quietly smuggle her in and out without the rest of the townspeople finding out. The only problem? That same weekend, a man claiming to be a US Marshal arrives in Rockton, and he’s looking for someone. He refuses to say who, much to Casey and Dalton’s frustrations, never mind that a US Marshall shouldn’t even have jurisdiction in the Yukon. And when the marshall ends up dead, April (a convenient new arrival) becomes the biggest suspect. Will Casey be able to clear her sister’s name and figure out what’s really going on?

Rating: 5/5 rent-controlled properties partially owned and operated by your ex-friend’s grandmother

Alone in the Wild (Book 5)

Synopsis: Casey and Eric are on a much needed vacation (although when you live in rural Yukon, it usually means going to a different part of the woods). But on the way back, they discover something more than just the typical dead body: a dead body and a live baby. Rockton is a strictly for single adults, so there’s no way the baby came from there. When it’s discovered that the dead woman isn’t the baby girl’s birth mother, Casey must figure out who she really belongs to. But a lot of people seem to think that the baby would be better off away from her true family. If that’s true, Casey must wrestle with the possibility of adopting the baby and becoming a mother. And since severe injuries have left her infertile, this might be her only chance at motherhood. Will Casey be able to figure out the truth, and make the right decision?

Rating: 5/5 bracelets made by your wife’s lesbian lover

A Stranger in Town (Book 6)

Synopsis: Detective Casey Butler and her boyfriend Sheriff Eric Dalton are out for a walk in the Yukon forests surrounding Rockton. It’s a nice day, about to be made much worse by an unpleasant discovery: a female hiker who was brutally attacked by someone or something. Casey brings her back to Rockton for treatment; the hiker is in a state of mental confusion and doesn’t understand English, but luckily a new Rockton resident, Jay, speaks Dutch and agrees to translate. Casey and Dalton are worried; after finding the hiker’s presumed campsite, it seems as though she was attacked by the hostiles; a group of former Rockton residents that fled into the forest and somehow became savages. The hostiles can’t be reasoned with, and will attack anything that they perceive as a threat. Casey has always been worried about the hostiles, but this incident has her even more concerned; will she be able to find out what’s really going on?

Rating: 5/5 boots with your lover’s severed foot in them

The Deepest of Secrets (Book 7)

Synopsis: After finally discovering the secret history of the hostiles (wild people that live savagely in the woods around Rockton), and that the council was responsible, Detective Casey Butler is satisfied. But it seems as though she’ll be punished for solving this mystery: the council is shutting Rockton down. No ones extensions are getting approved, and no new villagers are being accepted. The council doesn’t want to completely give up on their investment, but they want to start fresh with a new settlement that has a less inquisitive police department. Of course, Sheriff Eric Dalton and Casey are both invited to come along, but it’s the last thing that they want. They’ve both had issues with the way the council has run Rockton for years, and this is the last straw. But the townspeople are restless; someone is going around revealing residents secrets (a major sin in a town designed to shelter people running away from their pasts) and fomenting discontent. And of course, a body is soon discovered. Will Casey be able to solve this final mystery, or will it die along with Rockton?

Rating: 5/5 outdoor movie screens with a startling accusation pinned to them

My Overall Thoughts: I am obsessed with this series, I love it (and it’s sequel series that I’ll discuss next month) so much. Casey and Eric are great main characters, and have a really loving, supportive, and unproblematic relationship. I like how unique the setting of Rockton is, and the author makes sure to describe a lot of the wilderness surroundings (including dangerous encounters with wildlife), and how life in Rockton is so different from what it’s like to live down south. Truly, I don’t think my synopses have done the series justice, so I’ll just say that I’m addicted to it, and cannot wait for the next book to be released. (Editor’s note: looking back on my review of this series, I feel like I’m not really doing it justice because I’m unable to fully articulate what I really like about it. It’s partially that I read the books back to back to back so quickly, partially that I’m doing this review after the fact, and partially because this is the kind of book where I go into a fugue state while reading it. I just get so entranced that I can’t wait to see what happens next. I suppose this isn’t the sign of a book written particularly well, but I’m choosing to focus on how much joy this series has brought me. Hopefully you are able to pick up what I’m putting down.)

i am, your most faithful blogger, elisa