Canyons of Night by Jayne Castle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Canyons of Night is the 3rd book in a trilogy, yet it reads like a prologue for an upcoming book or series. The world of Harmony has been expanded with new locations, a new island, and a new mystery…unfortunately, the biggest mystery was not addressed in the book.
I definitely enjoyed the mix of paranormal, suspense, and romance that Castle does so well. I’ve been following her Harmony series (and to some extent her St. Helens books), for years. This latest title is a worthy addition to the line up. Engaging, well-written characters, and a story that propells you smoothly with hardly a hitch to the dramatic conclusion and happily ever after, with a loveable, mischevious four-eyed companion who’s a bit on the wild side thrown in. It was almost everything I could have wanted from a new tale in Harmony…except that when I reached the final page, it was with a sense of disbelief and frustration, not satisfaction.
There is a sense of crawling dread, of ominous, creeping doom snaking it’s way through the novel–and the source is the “Preserve”, a strange, feral, surreal forest that has been fenced off from inhabitants, and is undergoing some sinister changes. Enough page length and detail goes into describing the area that the setting becomes another character, a power player with enough impact that it took the spotlight off the main mystery for the trilogy–and switches it to wondering just what is happening out there in the darkness of the forest primeval? It’s a question that’s never answered, and probably won’t be until the next book or trilogy comes out.
The Lockhart Letters 