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kblincoln's review against another edition
4.0
I loved the first books so much, this one was a tiny bit of a letdown for me. Don't get me wrong-- there was tons of action, conspiracy, fight scenes, allusions to Cas' mysterious past, and good fun. However, most of the central conflict of the book, while a super-cool use of current or near-future technologies, was a result of decisions made by Cas that didn't ring true for me.
Not that I couldn't see her grey morality allowing her to do it, but it was along the lines of what the bad guys, Pithica, did in the first book that horrified her, and she did it knowing full well that the one person in the world she trusted and relied upon, Rio, would stop her.
So...huh. That felt wrong. And then there was a bit too much of her returning memories encroaching on her real life as she experienced mental breakdown. What I wanted was to have a more solid sense of who was talking during those mental breakdowns, but we often got just the dialogue and no sense of who was saying it....so we are still completely in the dark about Cas/Rio's past (don't even get me started on the cliffhanger ending where some of that stuff is just about to be revealed).
Besides all the usual action/conspiracy stuff that i enjoyed, a new character is introduced into the book , a female administrative helper for Checker, who acts as a kind of barometer of the craziness as she is fairly normal and reacts in kind of normal, outraged ways whenever the worst of Cas' life (Rio) interacts with her. I liked that.
No question I'll go on to reading the third book!
Not that I couldn't see her grey morality allowing her to do it, but it was along the lines of what the bad guys, Pithica, did in the first book that horrified her, and she did it knowing full well that the one person in the world she trusted and relied upon, Rio, would stop her.
So...huh. That felt wrong. And then there was a bit too much of her returning memories encroaching on her real life as she experienced mental breakdown. What I wanted was to have a more solid sense of who was talking during those mental breakdowns, but we often got just the dialogue and no sense of who was saying it....so we are still completely in the dark about Cas/Rio's past (don't even get me started on the cliffhanger ending where some of that stuff is just about to be revealed).
Besides all the usual action/conspiracy stuff that i enjoyed, a new character is introduced into the book , a female administrative helper for Checker, who acts as a kind of barometer of the craziness as she is fairly normal and reacts in kind of normal, outraged ways whenever the worst of Cas' life (Rio) interacts with her. I liked that.
No question I'll go on to reading the third book!
catcouch's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bookplaits's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.0
thogek's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Cursing
Minor: Trafficking and Drug abuse
bookhookedheather's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-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? Yes
4.0
silvae's review against another edition
4.0
TW: gun violence, mind control, alcoholism, suicidal ideation, amnesia, shitty men TM
Another solid entry in the Russellverse. I'm quite bummed that we did not get as much time with Arthur as we did the last time around, but I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the rest of the supporting cast again. Some passages dragged on and the fact that Cas got so hung up on a very dumb idea felt both in and out of character for her while being at times frustrating for the reader/listener. I also wish we could have had some downtime here and there to get to know Cas - and not just her past! - better. This may be why, despite the great fun I've been having with the series, I still find myself not being fully able to connect with the character. I love Cas and her crime family to pieces but dang, I just wish we could see past all her awful coping mechanisms once in a while.
Oh: I listened to this book on audiobook, as I had with the previous one, and found the numerous flashbacks to be quite difficult to follow at times - perhaps reading it might be a better option for those interested.
Another solid entry in the Russellverse. I'm quite bummed that we did not get as much time with Arthur as we did the last time around, but I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the rest of the supporting cast again. Some passages dragged on and the fact that Cas got so hung up on a very dumb idea felt both in and out of character for her while being at times frustrating for the reader/listener. I also wish we could have had some downtime here and there to get to know Cas - and not just her past! - better. This may be why, despite the great fun I've been having with the series, I still find myself not being fully able to connect with the character. I love Cas and her crime family to pieces but dang, I just wish we could see past all her awful coping mechanisms once in a while.
Oh: I listened to this book on audiobook, as I had with the previous one, and found the numerous flashbacks to be quite difficult to follow at times - perhaps reading it might be a better option for those interested.
metaphorosis's review
3.0
3.5 stars, Metaphorosis Reviews
Summary:
Cas Russell, whose mathematical ability allows her superhuman timing and accuracy, has faced down a network of telepaths. But now trouble has come to her own home time of Los Angeles, just when her past seems determined to destroy her.
Review:
S. L. Huang first self-published the Russell’s Attic series, only to have it taken up, edited, and re-issued (in a different order) as the Cas Russell series. I read the first book in this series, Zero Sum Game, in its original version, and this (now) second book in the reissued version. It’s therefore not to surprising that there are significant discontinuities between the two – and that’s with having read the first book only a few months back. It takes a few chapters to catch up with the new situation, but then it’s fairly smooth sailing. The book overall, however, is less of a success than than the first. While I’ve given each 3.5 stars, the first book leaned high, and the second leans low.
Cas is still her messy, engaging self, but in this book, she veers heavily toward Thomas Covenant territory – with a blindingly obvious path before her that she adamantly refuses to take. That intensely frustrating approach worked for Covenant because that was an essential part of his character. Here, it’s just frustrating – it feels like a clunky, heavy-handed authorial attempt to create tension, and Cas’ introspective defence of her actions just isn’t convincing. That’s compounded by an amnesia plot-line that crops up constantly, but simply isn’t interesting; it feels tired.
Cas’ mathematical abilities continue to be a little too all-powerful and magical, and some of the other plot points aren’t too credible either. What saves the book is the strong characterization. Cas is engaging, sympathetic, and interesting. But even there, the book begins to fall short. She suffers substantially from Good Guy Arrogance – doing what she likes for the greater good, ruining people’s lives left and right, and yet they all forgive her and fall over themselves to put her at the center of their lives. It’s not clear why. She’s got a superpower, and she’s interesting, but I think she’d be hell to spend very much time with.
The book skates through on the strength of its characters and second half, but frankly I’d have preferred to see the major plot line deleted, and this presented as the first half of a different book. Much of this one feels like it’s deliberately prolonging the mystery of Cas’ origins that we’re all really interested in. Maybe I should have gone back to the original version (#4 in that version of the series). Certainly, I think the self-published book 1 was stronger than this professionally published book 2. Worth reading, but not what I hoped for. Here’s hoping the (new) book 3 is more focused. I have to give Huang credit again for a really thoughtful attempt (via her website) to help readers bridge the gaps from one version of the series to another.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Summary:
Cas Russell, whose mathematical ability allows her superhuman timing and accuracy, has faced down a network of telepaths. But now trouble has come to her own home time of Los Angeles, just when her past seems determined to destroy her.
Review:
S. L. Huang first self-published the Russell’s Attic series, only to have it taken up, edited, and re-issued (in a different order) as the Cas Russell series. I read the first book in this series, Zero Sum Game, in its original version, and this (now) second book in the reissued version. It’s therefore not to surprising that there are significant discontinuities between the two – and that’s with having read the first book only a few months back. It takes a few chapters to catch up with the new situation, but then it’s fairly smooth sailing. The book overall, however, is less of a success than than the first. While I’ve given each 3.5 stars, the first book leaned high, and the second leans low.
Cas is still her messy, engaging self, but in this book, she veers heavily toward Thomas Covenant territory – with a blindingly obvious path before her that she adamantly refuses to take. That intensely frustrating approach worked for Covenant because that was an essential part of his character. Here, it’s just frustrating – it feels like a clunky, heavy-handed authorial attempt to create tension, and Cas’ introspective defence of her actions just isn’t convincing. That’s compounded by an amnesia plot-line that crops up constantly, but simply isn’t interesting; it feels tired.
Cas’ mathematical abilities continue to be a little too all-powerful and magical, and some of the other plot points aren’t too credible either. What saves the book is the strong characterization. Cas is engaging, sympathetic, and interesting. But even there, the book begins to fall short. She suffers substantially from Good Guy Arrogance – doing what she likes for the greater good, ruining people’s lives left and right, and yet they all forgive her and fall over themselves to put her at the center of their lives. It’s not clear why. She’s got a superpower, and she’s interesting, but I think she’d be hell to spend very much time with.
The book skates through on the strength of its characters and second half, but frankly I’d have preferred to see the major plot line deleted, and this presented as the first half of a different book. Much of this one feels like it’s deliberately prolonging the mystery of Cas’ origins that we’re all really interested in. Maybe I should have gone back to the original version (#4 in that version of the series). Certainly, I think the self-published book 1 was stronger than this professionally published book 2. Worth reading, but not what I hoped for. Here’s hoping the (new) book 3 is more focused. I have to give Huang credit again for a really thoughtful attempt (via her website) to help readers bridge the gaps from one version of the series to another.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
_hex_libris's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
fluffdragon's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 rounded up. The plot isn't as gripping as the previous installment, but spending time with these characters (especially Cas) is still fun.