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nenya_kanadka's review
4.0
Ooh, more about Cas's brain! Very happy to delve a lot deeper into that mystery this time around. I enjoyed the engagement with the ethics of mind-control here too. The action in the last 1/3 or so didn't completely work for me (I think the endings of this series often feel a bit odd), but I loved spending time with these characters again.
BUT CLIFFHANGER!! Augh! I have to wait until 2017 for the next one! (At least it's already written, according to Huang.)
BUT CLIFFHANGER!! Augh! I have to wait until 2017 for the next one! (At least it's already written, according to Huang.)
frakalot's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
In this book we find Cas at perhaps her lowest and least consistent point of the story so far. Or maybe that's *at perhaps her most consistently, logically-inconsistent point of the story...
Cas refusing help is getting a little over the top now. Defying the logic she holds so fundamentally dear, we find Cas not listening to reason and even preferencing destruction. Like the metaphor of watching a train wreck, when you watch Cas destroy herself you can feel utterly powerless, incapable of helping someone who won't be helped.
I'm not actually referring to Cas avoiding looking into her history, I've personally found it a bit yuck that Checker and Arthur persist on that front against her will, notwithstanding their noble intent. But there are times when she should have stopped, or she should have taken the proffered hand, and didn't. Simon following Cas around on her Arkacite break in was quite silly because it didn't stop Cas in her tracks. I presume this is all intended as part of the confusion she experiences due to scratching at the surface of her mysterious past but it's beginning to feel excessive.
The psychic phenomena are back, but this time it is paralleled and contrasted with (less voodoo, tech-based) subliminal mind control techniques. We learn about a brain wave manipulation device which Cas tries to implement as a weapon against crime and anyone could guess that this was always going to go south quickly.
Given the staunch opposition to Pithica's plans for world peace by means of psychic influence, it is not just odd but outright hypocritical that the team would attempt a scheme which involves diminishing the free will of others. This is an intentional choice by the author of course, but was probably one of the harder aspects of the story to swallow.
Get your Rio fix on. Rio is back to play a part in both main threads, connecting some of the dots in Cas Russell's past, but also getting involved in her current do gooder mission to forcibly save LA from itself. When Rio is in town, inevitably heads will roll.
This story wasn't as strong as the last one for me, it's a little less fun and more frantic, especially as the tension builds toward the end. Friendships are put to the test. Methods and motivations are put under the microscope. The mathematics is a little more than an embellishment in this book but doesn't feature as prominently as in the last book. Even though the backstory is gradually coming to fore there seemed to be much less character development too.
Still a fine read and worth all 5 of my stars. But I'm going to expect more mathematics and a shocking reveal in the next books.
Cas refusing help is getting a little over the top now. Defying the logic she holds so fundamentally dear, we find Cas not listening to reason and even preferencing destruction. Like the metaphor of watching a train wreck, when you watch Cas destroy herself you can feel utterly powerless, incapable of helping someone who won't be helped.
I'm not actually referring to Cas avoiding looking into her history, I've personally found it a bit yuck that Checker and Arthur persist on that front against her will, notwithstanding their noble intent. But there are times when she should have stopped, or she should have taken the proffered hand, and didn't. Simon following Cas around on her Arkacite break in was quite silly because it didn't stop Cas in her tracks. I presume this is all intended as part of the confusion she experiences due to scratching at the surface of her mysterious past but it's beginning to feel excessive.
The psychic phenomena are back, but this time it is paralleled and contrasted with (less voodoo, tech-based) subliminal mind control techniques. We learn about a brain wave manipulation device which Cas tries to implement as a weapon against crime and anyone could guess that this was always going to go south quickly.
Given the staunch opposition to Pithica's plans for world peace by means of psychic influence, it is not just odd but outright hypocritical that the team would attempt a scheme which involves diminishing the free will of others. This is an intentional choice by the author of course, but was probably one of the harder aspects of the story to swallow.
Get your Rio fix on. Rio is back to play a part in both main threads, connecting some of the dots in Cas Russell's past, but also getting involved in her current do gooder mission to forcibly save LA from itself. When Rio is in town, inevitably heads will roll.
This story wasn't as strong as the last one for me, it's a little less fun and more frantic, especially as the tension builds toward the end. Friendships are put to the test. Methods and motivations are put under the microscope. The mathematics is a little more than an embellishment in this book but doesn't feature as prominently as in the last book. Even though the backstory is gradually coming to fore there seemed to be much less character development too.
Still a fine read and worth all 5 of my stars. But I'm going to expect more mathematics and a shocking reveal in the next books.
coolcurrybooks's review
4.0
Plastic Smile is the fourth novel in the Russell’s Attic series, a usually action oriented science fiction series about an anti-heroic woman with superpowers based on math. I suggest reading the series in order, starting with the first book, Zero Sum Game. This review may contain spoilers for prior books.
As part of her attempt to become a better person, Cas Russell has decided to fight crime. Being Cas, she decides to find the most mathematically efficient way of crime fighting. She hits upon a device that emits subsonic signals that break up group thought. Subliminal brain control over the entire Los Angles area. What could go wrong?
At the same time, Cas finally agreed to let Checkers look into her background. However, it may be too late. The nightmares and flashes of memory have been building up to the point where Cas is barely able to function. She may be on the brink of a complete mental collapse.
Compared to the other installments, Plastic Smile was not as fast paced or full or action. The pacing in general felt sort of wonky, since it didn’t follow the normal formula of Cas chasing after a defined bad guy and them trying to kill her. However, Plastic Smile more than made up for this by finally revealing answers about Cas’s background! This is something I’ve been wanting to know since book one, so I was so excited to have it here.
Cas’s deteriorating mental state is a large part of the focus in Plastic Smile, and I really loved this plot line. I adore books where the protagonist is on the edge of a mental breakdown, so it should be no surprise that I liked this so much.
Cas is a great protagonist, and one of the best antiheroines I’ve encountered in science fiction. In addition, I’ve really grown to like the supporting cast. A prickly loner finding friends is a character arc I’m sure to love.
Russell’s Attic is the sort of series I turn to where I want something fun and snappy. It’s probably my favorite self published series, and I encourage everyone else to give it a try. I would love to see it get more attention.
The Illustrated Page.
As part of her attempt to become a better person, Cas Russell has decided to fight crime. Being Cas, she decides to find the most mathematically efficient way of crime fighting. She hits upon a device that emits subsonic signals that break up group thought. Subliminal brain control over the entire Los Angles area. What could go wrong?
At the same time, Cas finally agreed to let Checkers look into her background. However, it may be too late. The nightmares and flashes of memory have been building up to the point where Cas is barely able to function. She may be on the brink of a complete mental collapse.
Compared to the other installments, Plastic Smile was not as fast paced or full or action. The pacing in general felt sort of wonky, since it didn’t follow the normal formula of Cas chasing after a defined bad guy and them trying to kill her. However, Plastic Smile more than made up for this by finally revealing answers about Cas’s background! This is something I’ve been wanting to know since book one, so I was so excited to have it here.
Cas’s deteriorating mental state is a large part of the focus in Plastic Smile, and I really loved this plot line. I adore books where the protagonist is on the edge of a mental breakdown, so it should be no surprise that I liked this so much.
Cas is a great protagonist, and one of the best antiheroines I’ve encountered in science fiction. In addition, I’ve really grown to like the supporting cast. A prickly loner finding friends is a character arc I’m sure to love.
Russell’s Attic is the sort of series I turn to where I want something fun and snappy. It’s probably my favorite self published series, and I encourage everyone else to give it a try. I would love to see it get more attention.
The Illustrated Page.
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