The Queen of Nothing starts off where the last book left off, with Jude at a disadvantage and trying to figure out how to take back the power she has lost. There was a little bit of setup at the beginning to get the story going, but once it did and the action starts, it doesn't let up. My heart was in my throat the entire time, hoping Jude will overcome whatever current obstacles are in her way, and then as soon as she does, another crazy obstacle appears. It was a thrilling ride from beginning to end.

This is the book that we really see Jude come into her own. In the past, she was angry and ruthless, but indiscriminately so in her quest for power and respect. In this one, she is faced with decisions that require her to confront her humanity, and it was satisfying to see her character develop into someone more well-rounded.

All the things I loved from the previous books are back. There is so much clever dialogue in here, with everyone verbally cutting down everyone else. What I really need is to remember some of the witty repartee so I can incorporate it into my everyday conversations. And everyone is still scheming and mercilessly trying to advance their own agenda, so there are plenty of entertaining clashes.

This series contains one of the most tautly written romantic pairings I can remember, with so much shared hatred and mistrust, but also passion and hope. Those elements of the relationship are still going strong in this book, but we finally see it soften and become more affectionate as each side learns to trust the other.

This was the stunning conclusion to the trilogy that has taken over my life for the last week. I tried extremely hard to read this book as slowly as I possibly could, savoring every word. But alas, two days and I am done with it (and this world... forever). *sobs* And what an ending it was, the sort befitting such an epic story and journey.

Readaroo Rating: 5 stars!

In The Two Lila Bennetts, Lila has been living a life of ambition and immorality, defending criminals who are probably guilty and stepping all over everyone she cares about in her effort to get to the top. When she makes another bad decision, we see her life take two different directions, one in which she is kidnapped, and one in which she is not.

The two diverging story lines are both individually compelling enough. After all, who hasn't thought about what their lives could be if they had made a different choice back in the day? But the book blurb made it seem as if some sort of sci-fi thing was going on where her life is split in two, which isn't the case. We just follow two separate story lines of Lila's life after she does and doesn't do something. That's all.

One thing that is somewhat annoying is how big of a deal the book makes of Lila's transgressions. Sure, she does immoral things, but some are just part of her job and the rest isn't any worse than what probably half the population have done. And we spend so much time in Lila's mind while she analyzes her life and feelings and thinks about how wrong she is. It's exhausting. I know the overblown self-ruminations are just par for this genre, but it greatly contributes to why I didn't enjoy this more.

I did find the pacing of the two story lines to be quite good, and I was equally invested in both. The twist at the end for one of the stories is interesting, though if you think about it, you can come to the conclusion much earlier. And the twist for the other story wasn't really necessary. In the end, all that overwrought self-recrimination aside, the story lines themselves made for an entertaining and decently fun read.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

Diagnosis is a collection of short essays, each one detailing a seemingly baffling medical case that after some sleuthing and tests finally yields the root of the patient's medical issues.

I found this to be quite a snappy read. Each case is only 4 or 5 pages long, so it's easy to tell myself I'll read just one more case and before I knew it, I had read half the book. Each case is written like a mystery, with the clues in the beginning, and then it all comes together in the end with the right diagnosis.

For a book about medical issues, I thought it would be either too gruesome or boringly technical, but it was neither. It was a surprisingly fun, easy to follow, and fascinating read. I recommend it to all except those who get easily paranoid about medical issues.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

The Art of Theft sees the return of one of my favorite heroines, Charlotte Holmes, who had opened a consulting business under the fake name of Sherlock Holmes, whom she pretends is her brother. In this book, an old friend of Mrs. Watson's is in trouble. She's being blackmailed, and our heroine must steal a priceless artwork in order to safeguard her secrets.

This series just keeps getting better and better. All my favorite characters are back, including Lord Ingram, as proper and stick-in-the-mud as ever while tortuously pining after Charlotte; and Livia, Charlotte's lovable but full of self-doubt sister. And all these characters rally around Charlotte. They must all work together to steal the artwork, which makes for an interesting and unusual dynamic this time around.

Charlotte is as sharp and in command of her acumen as ever. It's just so much fun to follow along as she smartly lays out their plans and deduces what's going on. Her competence and wit is brilliant and entertaining, especially when juxtaposed against the Victorian time period of this story when women are valued more for their looks than their brains.

This book picks up pretty much where the last one left off, and it references things that have happened in the previous books, so this is probably a series best read in order. The mystery in here is fun, though don't expect any Agatha Christie-level "aha" moments or anything like that. Still, I adore this series and am already eagerly waiting for the next book.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

I just love me a good fairy tale. And I'm happy to report Uprooted totally fits the bill.

Agnieszka adores her beloved village, though it borders the Wood with its corruption and evil. The wizard known as the Dragon protects her village, but it comes at the price of a young woman handed over every ten years to serve. Growing up, Agnieszka lived in fear of the day the Dragon will pick her best friend Kasia. But when this year's choosing arrives, it seems she feared the wrong thing all along.

Ah, that sounds exactly like the sort of story I could sink my teeth into. It's dark and atmospheric, with brave maidens, a brooding wizard, a worthy villain, and magic everywhere. The only thing it doesn't have is dragons. (Just to be clear, the Dragon refers to the wizard, not an actual dragon, sadly.) It swept me away almost from the very first page.

I will say that this book isn't evenly compelling throughout. Most of it was riveting, but there were chapters where I had trouble getting through them, mostly when Agnieszka arrives at a new location and starts bumbling around. I like my female characters to be strong and clever, and while Agnieszka does get there, she sure spends a lot of time being confused and dense at the start. But it's a pretty minor complaint since those were only small parts of the book.

I absolutely loved Naomi Novik's Spinning Silver, and so I had gone into Uprooted with high expectations. While I didn't love this one quite as much, it delivered aplenty, with a magical tale full of adventure, courage, overcoming great odds, and a little dash of romance as well.

After hitting two for two, Naomi Novik has turned into a must-read author for me. I can't wait to dive into more of her books.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

The Thirst is another solidly entertaining installment of the Harry Hole series. This time, a serial killer is targeting women on Tinder, killing them by biting and draining them of their blood. Harry is no longer with the police force, but he recognizes from the murders that a killer from his past is back.

This series has been so consistently compelling, and this book is no different. Each of the five books I've read so far (I started with The Snowman - #7) has been gripping and fast-paced. This time, there are a number of shifty characters. I thought I had it all figured it, but I totally didn't and the end completely surprised me. It was all great fun.

Sometimes I think: poor Harry! This guy just can't catch a break. All he wants to do is to live a normal life being a lecturer at the police academy and hanging out with his wife and kid. But murders keep dragging him back, and he always ends up mentally and physically beaten up. But I guess if he had that peaceful life, then we wouldn't have any more stories to read.

I'm definitely going to continue with this series. I only have one more to read before I run out of the new books, and then I'll have to go back to the beginning and read #1-#6 that I've skipped.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars