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A review by frakalot
Plastic Smile by S.L. Huang
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.