I've been looking for a good mystery series to sink my teeth into, and this just might be it.

Set in colonial Singapore, Singapore Sapphire introduces us to the strong and unflinching Harriet Gordon, who is trying to earn some money as a typist at a time when women are discouraged from education and working. When her first client is found murdered, she is drawn into the case, along with the kind and intelligent Inspector Curran. As more bodies show up, they soon realize this case is bigger than anyone initially thought.

I found the mystery to be quite fun. There were plenty of shady characters, and the story, once it got going, unfolded with one interesting event after another. It was also an unusual change of pace from most mysteries to have the police in here be portrayed as competent and kind. In fact, though this series focuses on Harriet and she pokes around as much as she can as a civilian, Inspector Curran plays a vital role in solving the case and saving the day.

I did find the pacing of this book to be a bit uneven, with the first quarter of it being quite slow and plodding. With this being the first book in the series, the characters and the setting understandably have to be introduced, though it felt like that was done a little too leisurely. But I'm really glad I stuck it out, because once I got past that part, the story picked up and became unceasingly entertaining.

Part of the reason this book initially attracted my attention is that I loved my visit to Singapore a few years ago, and it's always fun to read a story set in a place you've been. The author did an amazing job portraying the atmosphere of the place, with the heat, its oppressive humidity that's particularly rough for newcomers, the torrential rain storms, and its interesting mix of people from many different backgrounds. It was also fun to recognize places that we had visited while we were there.

This is the first book in the series, and it's an enjoyable and compelling start. I can't wait for more adventures from Harriet and Curran.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

I've been looking forward to reading I Am, I Am, I Am for so long because so many people have loved it. But I think this is a case where my expectations just didn't match what I got. I thought it would be a thrilling collection of essays about near death experiences. What I got was very little of that. Only a few of the experiences were even that interesting or nearing death while the rest were a stretch to fit that mold.

Probably the single thing I most disliked in this book was the author's writing style. It's over-embellished and florid, turning what could have been straightforward accounts into long-winded treatises. Most of the experiences were padded out with tangential ramblings, anecdotes, and various thoughts of her life and her philosophy. I can tell the author was trying to be insightful with her digressions, but it didn't come across that way to me. Instead, I was bored and often didn't see the point of what she was talking about.

I think another reason I didn't connect with this book is that the author and I have really different outlooks on life. She's ruled by emotions, doing whatever she feels like at the moment without accounting for danger. She often takes unnecessary risks with her life (like, how many times does one need to near-drown before being more careful in open water?), and it was frustrating to read this over and over. She also travels to far out, unsafe locations, usually with a young child, and it was exasperating to read about her putting not only her own life in danger, but also her children's.

In the end, this book just isn't for me. While there were a few interesting passages, I found most of it to be boring and irritating, and I'm glad I am done with it.

Readaroo Rating: 2 stars

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