The premise of The Death of Mrs. Westaway is interesting enough. Hal receives a letter from a lawyer with the wonderful news that her grandmother left her an inheritance. Except, she's certain the lawyer sent the letter to the wrong person. But she goes anyways and hopes to defraud the family out of some money she desperately needs. Yep, I can be on board with that.

But immediately, I can tell I'm not a fan of the way Hal's character is written. She comes across as confused, slow-witted, and completely unable to speak clearly. Her conversations are full of hemming and hawing, stammering, and waffling. For example, here is a conversation from her side:

“I—you’re welcome,” she managed at last, and took a hesitant step forwards into the room.

“I, well, yes,” Hal said.

“Although I didn’t know, I mean, I didn’t bring—”

“I—no—” she managed faintly.

But, Unc—” She stumbled over the word, unable to make herself articulate it, and began again: “Look, there’s something I must—”

It was so tedious to read, I kept shouting at her in my head to just spit it out already.

She's also jumpy and paranoid, looking at everyone suspiciously even when they've just said some innocuous words.

Why had he said that? It was so uncomfortably close to her own speculations that she had not been able to find a reply—and had only gaped, and then left the room hurriedly, hiding her shock. Did he know something? Had he and [other character] been talking? Hal . . . found herself wondering about how much [the two characters] really knew.

All this, over a completely common saying. My eyes rolled so hard.

I understand that there should be a dark and foreboding feeling throughout, but it seems to be contrived from Hal's paranoia rather than from any actual atmosphere in the house. She also constantly forgets that she's pretending to be someone else and would say things from her real life that she shouldn't, and then feel stricken and berate herself when she does.

In fact, reading this, it struck me that it's exactly same way Ruth Ware wrote her main character Lo in The Woman in Cabin 10. It's beyond frustrating to read such weak and sniveling female characters when they don't have to be. In both cases, they could've been strong and quick-witted without taking anything away from the story, and it would've been better for it.

As for the mystery itself, it was enjoyable enough, though it's predicated on the outlandish notion that no one would figure out there are two people with the same name, even when there are pictures of these people.

I always see a lot of potential in Ruth Ware's premises, but her execution and in particular, her female characters, fall short. I hope she moves away from writing such silly idiots and instead chooses to write strong, kickass females. I'll be waiting.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

To Kill a Kingdom is so much fun! It's told from the perspective of the two main characters: Lira the siren who kills princes at the rate of one per year, and Elian the prince who sails around hunting sirens. Once their paths cross, it kicks off an abundance of treachery, intrigue, betrayal, and general badassery. The two are both strong in their convictions and loyalties, so they're likable characters that you can cheer and root for. It's especially fun to follow Lira on her journey as she slowly grows from a murderous anti-heroine into a hero.

When I originally picked it up, I thought it was a retelling of The Little Mermaid, but most of what's in this story is original, so it's more accurate to say that it's a homage rather than a retelling.

The initial few pages were a bit slow as we are introduced to this world, but the pace picks up once the two main characters meet and it never stops. There is so much that's covered in these pages, and the author does a great job of giving enough information without overloading the reader too quickly or including information that isn't necessary.

I'm so glad I picked up this book. The world that's created in this story, the delightful characters, and their crazy battles for what they believe in, all contribute to make this a fantastically entertaining and memorable tale.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

While most books tell you everything there is to know about a topic, We Have No Idea flips that on its head and tells you all that we still don't know about physics and the universe (which is a lot, it turns out). I went into this book having some knowledge of the topics covered, and it was really interesting to see them approached from the other side of what we don't know yet, especially with respect to how these topics relate to each other and fit into a bigger picture.

The tone and images throughout are a bit jokey and tongue-in-cheek, which is to say there are a lot of good (so good they're bad?) puns. I know some readers thought the jokes were a bit distracting, but I didn't feel they took anything away. I enjoyed them sprinkled through the pages and found that they livened up what otherwise would be very serious topics.

I think if you go into this book expecting answers, you'll be disappointed. Instead, this book reads more like a discussion. It slowly explores our current thinking, how we got there, the limits of our knowledge, and where possibilities lie for more research in the future. At times, it does repeat itself with what it doesn't know, so the book could have been a bit more concise in its presentation.

Overall, I got a lot of fascinating tidbits out of this book. It helped me connect some of my disparate thoughts into a more coherent picture of our universe, and left me with many questions yearning to be answered.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

The Woman in the Window suffers from the usual domestic thriller malady—an intriguing premise and a strong start that never quite materializes into a satisfying narrative.

Going in, the first pages grabbed me immediately. Usually it takes a bit for me to get going on a new book, what with those initial pages being slow and setup-filled, but no such problems exist here. The beginning was fast-paced and full of riveting tidbits. But then we arrive at the main event, and the book completely slows to a crawl.

From that point onwards, no detail is too small or too unimportant to be included. We read about the main character Anna walking from room to room, eating cereal, looking out her window, checking her email, and playing online chess. She also watches black-and-white films one after another, and we are told in detail of their plot and actors. It was so much filler that I often caught myself skimming ahead just to find some sort of action.

We are also treated to many pages of rambling narration about Anna drinking several bottles of wine every day while mixing in prescription drugs, then spending the rest of the time telling herself to focus and to think. She would wonder if she should drink some more or not drink some more. When she is not focused on drinking, she acts like a complete loony, shouting at people and lying to everyone. After all this, she is confused when people don't believe what she says.

Reading about people who make one bad decision after another, trying their darn hardest to sabotage their own life, is not what I consider a good time. And this trope seems to be an easy way out. Instead of taking the time to come up with a well-rounded character, why not just make the female an alcoholic, say she's an unreliable narrator, and put "woman" in the title of the book.

And to top it all off, the mystery ended up being not that interesting. I enjoy having characters figure out what's going on by being clever and putting together the clues. Instead, this mystery unravels because Anna is eventually told what happened. I felt pretty let down by the end, especially in light of having read so many pages of utter drudgery to get there.

Readaroo Rating: 2 stars

I feel conflicted about The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane. On the one hand, it is a beautifully written story. As someone who drinks a lot of tea, I was excited to discover in the book's pages pu'er tea, a fermented type of tea that I have never had or even heard of. The book contains a lot of well-researched information about the Akha people, an ethnic minority in China. It's also a story of yearning between a birth mother and the daughter she gave up for adoption.

But I feel like some parts of this story fell short. Every big event in here comes across as very convenient. An example is when Li-yan doesn't want to date, but meets a woman and becomes friends with her, and the women's son just so happens to be a perfect match for her, and he also happens to be exceedingly rich! Another is how Li-yan keeps running into the same friend in different cities. It makes sense where there are a few events like this in a book to move a plot along, but when every thing is a coincidence, it makes the story feel very contrived.

Another problem is that for a book built on its characters, they don't seem particularly self-aware. For example, Li-yan comes from a very superstitious society, to the point where they think twins are evil, and so twins born must be killed immediately. Years later, once she's been out to see the world and become educated, and this topic comes up again, instead of acknowledging that this was atrocious, she just brushes it aside and says her village doesn't do it anymore. She also comes from a society that values sons over daughters. After lamenting during her younger years how she feels marginalized as a woman, when she becomes pregnant as an adult, she keeps repeating to herself that she wants a son and not a daughter. This consistent lack of growth is a real missed opportunity, and it makes the characters unlikable and unrelatable to me.

Another odd thing is that this journey of self discovery and attempt to reunite birth mother and daughter ended really abruptly. Mother and daughter lay eyes on each other and that's the end of the book. For how much this book built up the yearning for one's own blood relatives, I don't know why the author would choose to just end the book like that when there was so much more to tell.

In the end, this story had so much potential. While it delivered on some, I was ultimately let down by all the missed opportunities and wish for how much more it could have been.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

So Pretty a Problem is the third book I've read in the Mordecai Tremaine series, and my favorite so far. Whereas you'd normally see a small set of possible suspects in a book of this genre, this time there were hardly any suspects at all. The wife admits to accidentally shooting her husband, and no one else has been seen going to their house. So case closed, right?

What follows this intriguing premise is the typical unfolding of a quintessential cozy mystery, slow and steady, with lots of clues wrapped up in seemingly everyday interactions. Suspicions are aplenty, and lots of secrets are slowly uncovered, all leading to the culmination of the big reveal, which does not disappoint.

I've really grown to enjoy this series, and I look forward to reading more about this lovable and sentimental amateur detective.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

Reading with Patrick instantly grabbed and captivated me. Kuo's story of Patrick is both joyful and heartbreaking. Her nuanced writing captures his humanity as well as his struggle within the boundaries of his race, his class, and his environment. She doesn't try to smooth out the negatives and only talk about the positives. Rather, there is an honesty to the writing that feels raw and emotional.

There are so many things I loved about this book. Its testament to the power of books and teachers is absolutely uplifting. There is also a thoughtful exploration of how much nurture plays into a young person's life versus the environment they were born into. In addition, Kuo raises interesting points around the plea bargain and how it denies justice to poor uneducated blacks.

This book isn't just an outward catalog of external happenings, but also an introspective for Kuo. It captures her uncertainty and frustrations when things are not going the way she expects, and honestly accesses her motivation and influence in her students' lives. Her writing is lyrical and graceful, incorporating poems and snippets of Patrick's writing into the narrative.

This book moved and touched me for all the reasons above and so much more. It is definitely one of my favorite books this year.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

If one word was to sum up my feelings of Only Human, it would be disappointing. The problem is nothing really happens in this book. The giant robots/alien invasion story was pretty much wrapped up by the end of the second book. What else is there? Well, the author tried to wring another 300 pages out of nothing and this is what we get.

This book is divided into two parallel story lines, one on Earth in present time after our characters return and one of their time on the alien planet. In both story lines, almost all of the time is spent with them talking about what they should do, hand-wringing through every possible facet of every possible choice, but doing so little. These tedious discussion of every minutiae makes me feel like I'm dumb and need everything spelled out for me, lest I be too stupid to catch on.

The characters are flat and one-dimensional, taking a side and sticking to it no matter what. Rose really likes science and learning about alien cultures, but she's so sad that people had to die. Vincent wants to get Eva back to earth. And Eva wants to stay on the alien planet. There, I just summarized 200 pages. When they argue with each other, there's no understanding of the other person's point of view. They pretty much just talk over each other through the whole book, making the same points over and over again.

The author should have stopped at two books. There is absolutely no point to this third book. It is completely forgettable and I would've missed nothing by skipping it.

Readaroo Rating: 2 stars