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readingunderthecovers's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I liked Null Set but it felt a lot like a middle book (which it is, go figure). We get some answers to Cas’s past but there are still a lot of loose ends. Also I feel like Cas went to a very dark and weird place with her whole solution to crime thing. I’m glad she realized it was a bad idea. The action was definitely a highlight of the book and I really enjoyed seeing Cas form more friendships.
pearlc's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
bitterindigo's review against another edition
3.0
Honestly, the three stars is a lie, I hated this, but I'm hesitant to blame the book because my mood is not great. I liked the first book so much, and this, instead of building on it, sort of got stuck in one rut and just kept repeating the same scene with slightly different dialogue over and over - oh, she's remembering. Oh, she shouldn't remember. Or maybe she should. No, she shouldn't - until I wanted to scream and fling my ipad across the room. I'm going to try the third book, but god help us all if it's not an improvement.
errantdreams's review against another edition
5.0
The real meat of this is the question of gray areas and what’s morally right or wrong. How is what Cas wants to do different from what Pithica wanted to do? Sure, she’s “just” freeing people from negative influences, but she’s still messing with their minds. And of course there’s the inevitable fact that something is bound to go wrong when you start messing with human minds. One of the things I love about these books is that there are no easy answers. From a certain point of view, the main characters are the bad guys. And yet, it isn’t that simple.
There’s another problem going on: Cas’s mind is coming apart at the seams. Dawna messed with her memories previously, and now her mysterious past is coming back, bit by bit. It’s causing Cas to black out at bad times. It’s also tearing her apart. This could very well kill her, and Cas can’t trust the mysterious man who has shown up and who says he can help her.
Rio is also back–the psychopathic quasi-friend of Cas’s–and he and Cas’s friends aren’t going to get along. Rio’s a danger to everyone, and he’s about to make LA even more dangerous for our heroes. I love Huang’s character-building. (Although even though Rio’s Asian, I keep mentally hearing his voice as a perfect Chris-Judge-as-Teal’c from Stargate.)
I still love Cas’s mathematical abilities and how she uses them. It’s so creative and delightful. It particularly makes for interesting action scenes.
I wish this volume hadn’t ended where it did. It feels like an emotional cliffhanger, and I just don’t enjoy cliffhangers. I do, however, plan to pick up the sequel when it comes out!
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2019/07/review-null-set-s-l-huang/
There’s another problem going on: Cas’s mind is coming apart at the seams. Dawna messed with her memories previously, and now her mysterious past is coming back, bit by bit. It’s causing Cas to black out at bad times. It’s also tearing her apart. This could very well kill her, and Cas can’t trust the mysterious man who has shown up and who says he can help her.
Rio is also back–the psychopathic quasi-friend of Cas’s–and he and Cas’s friends aren’t going to get along. Rio’s a danger to everyone, and he’s about to make LA even more dangerous for our heroes. I love Huang’s character-building. (Although even though Rio’s Asian, I keep mentally hearing his voice as a perfect Chris-Judge-as-Teal’c from Stargate.)
I still love Cas’s mathematical abilities and how she uses them. It’s so creative and delightful. It particularly makes for interesting action scenes.
I wish this volume hadn’t ended where it did. It feels like an emotional cliffhanger, and I just don’t enjoy cliffhangers. I do, however, plan to pick up the sequel when it comes out!
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2019/07/review-null-set-s-l-huang/
crofteereader's review against another edition
3.0
Not as great as the first one but still a fun ride and Lauren Fortgang makes it that much better on audio. Review to come
echan's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
rrice2017's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
bluebec's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this, well paced, great characterisation, and a good plot
sunsoar25's review against another edition
3.0
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Null Set by S.L. Huang as it turns out is actually the second book in the Cas Russell series. If only I realized that before I was approved for it. I totally should have read book one, Zero Sum Game, first but either way this still ended up being a pretty great read on its own. I liked getting to Cas herself because her abilities are cool - her genius mathematical skills give her superhuman accuracy and timing - verging on magical. She's flawed but an intriguing figure. The characters themselves were my favorite aspect of the book. Overall, I want to know more about Cas and her world, so I believe I may have to go back to check out the first book in the series.
Null Set by S.L. Huang as it turns out is actually the second book in the Cas Russell series. If only I realized that before I was approved for it. I totally should have read book one, Zero Sum Game, first but either way this still ended up being a pretty great read on its own. I liked getting to Cas herself because her abilities are cool - her genius mathematical skills give her superhuman accuracy and timing - verging on magical. She's flawed but an intriguing figure. The characters themselves were my favorite aspect of the book. Overall, I want to know more about Cas and her world, so I believe I may have to go back to check out the first book in the series.