Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - The Boy Who Cried Bear

'The Boy Who Cried Bear' is the.second book in the Haven's Rock Series by Kelley Armstrong. Casey and Eric are one of my favorite detective and sheriff duo. They have left Rockton and started a new hidden town in the Yukon called Haven's Rock.

There are a lot of things different between Haven's Rock and Rockton. One being that, in Haven's Rock, they allow children. We meet two of the children, Carson and Max, in this installment. They are brothers that moved with their mom when their dad was murdered. One day on a hike, Max notices a bear. This starts the next case for Casey and Eric. While they have the town locked down, Max goes missing.

Armstrong continues to develop all the main characters in this series. Casey, Eric and the others have grown so much from the start of the Rockton series. She finds a way to keep this series interesting. Armstrong always leaves me wanting this next book, but alas I must wait. She combined suspense, mystery and everyday life into a satisfying read.

If you haven't read the Haven's Rock Series yet, you need to, especially if you read the Rockton series and enjoyed it.

Published February 20, 2024

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Prees, Minotaur Books, and Armstrong for the E-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

😊 Happy Reading 😊

#netgalley #stmartinspress #minotaurbooks #kelleyarmstrong #theboywhocriedbear #readaway2024 #serieslove2024 #alphabetchallenge2024 (B)

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louisekf's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

The Boy Who Cried Bear is the second book in the Haven's Rock series, which in itself is a spinoff from Kelley Armstrong’s terrific Rockton series. I believe this could be read as a standalone, although as with any good series, you would have a richer reading experience if you’ve read the previous books. Armstrong does give some good backstory without weighing down the current story.

Most of the book is narrated by the female main character, Casey, although some chapters are narrated by a 10-year-old boy named Max. Casey and Eric are a power couple! Casey is a detective and Eric serves as the sheriff of their new town, set in the midst of the Yukon wilderness in Canada. The location is purposeful, as they are trying to be a sanctuary of sorts for people who really need sanctuary. (Rockton was founded on a similar notion but got into problems when the leaders of that town let in criminals; Casey and Eric are determined to make sure that doesn’t happen with Haven’s Rock.)

Armstrong knows how to write gripping stories with wonderful characters. it seems she can write well in pretty much any genre (and she does!). This series is a mystery / thriller and it keeps you on your toes, trying to figure out who is responsible for (NO SPOILERS!). It was great to revisit with old favorites like Casey and Eric, along with Casey’s on-the-spectrum doctor sister, April; Isabel; Will; Kendra, and others, and to meet some of the new residents of Haven’s Rock, which now include a mother and two young sons (one of whom is the Max mentioned above). There is a mining company working the land not too far away from Haven’s Rock, which isn’t ideal in terms of keeping their town safe and separate. Relations with the miners are a bit tense.

There was an excellent subplot that centers on Casey and Eric’s personal lives and I look forward to reading more about that in future installments of this terrific series.

I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient. The audiobook was beautifully narrated by Thérèse Plummer.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book and to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

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readingwithleslie's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This was so good, like hard to put down good. When life gave me no choice but to pause, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Of course, I love these characters and following their growth, from Rockton to Haven’s Rock. But this story jumped right in, and gave an entirely new feel because of the changes (having families/children) to the town setup. It was very interesting, and had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Great read!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for giving me an eGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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pagesofkenzie's review against another edition

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fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

“We underestimated the human capacity for blame. In the real world, I wouldn’t have made that mistake. I’ve seen how the most innocent of victims are treated…No crime is so horrific that someone won’t blame the victim.”

First off, thank you @minotaur_books @netgalley and @kelleyarmstrongauthor for the advanced copy of A Boy Who Cried Bear in exchange for an honest review.

The Boy Who Cried Bear is the second book in the Rockton spin off series, Haven’s Rock.

If you have seen my review of the first book in this series you would known that I was apprehensive about this spinoff at first. I felt that Rockton had run it’s course & I wasn’t sure how a new spin off series would work. But boy did it work!

The mix of old faces from Rockton with new characters, original to Haven’s Rock, allows for more diverse characters allowing for complex themes to arise in this series that were only lightly touched on before. Which is exactly why I’m rating this five stars. Armstrong is not shying away from important conversations, nor beating her readers over the head with them. She is able to balance important social commentary that has the reader self reflecting while enjoying a well paced story.

Because, not only are we seeing rare disability rep in regards to Parkinson’s Disease, Prosopagnosia, and Autism but the central theme of this particular novel revolves around the treatment of a Latinx mother and the damage that racial stereotypes have on protecting victims, especially those part of marginalized communities.

Besides the above mentioned, the story is well written, we have fantastic character development, the pacing is spot on and that ending leaves you with so many questions that you need more.

I will mention that this series is not without its content warnings. There are some very dark themes here that I haven’t even mentioned so I strongly suggest checking out the warnings before reading. StoryGraph is a fantastic place for this!

But overall I’m very excited to see where this series goes!

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