I can always count on Liu Cixin to write a story full of elements I've never seen before and to put it together in an interesting and thought-provoking way.

In The Cretaceous Past, intelligence has been bestowed upon the dinosaurs and the ants. These two species start off on disparate paths, but when a chance encounter shows them the benefit of mutual cooperation, their paths slowly converge. This symbiotic relationship is fruitful and leads to advancements and improvements for them both. But how long can their cooperation last and what happens when it comes to an end?

This is an allegory, so don't let the fact that it's about animals throw you off. Liu is using this story to explore and comment on the social, political, religious, and environmental issues of our time. Though his original writing is in Chinese and this is a translation, the topics in here feel relevant and timely, even if we're from different cultures.

His writing always reads like a feast for the mind. They make me think of a giant thought exercise, where he takes his reader along on a journey of what-ifs. Who is to say that humans are the only intelligent beings to ever grace the earth? What if dinosaurs and ants not only roamed here, but also possessed intelligence and ingenuity? How might our history have shaken out then?

It follows that Liu's writing style very much matches his narrative content. His writing at times feels more like nonfiction than fiction. He is essentially presenting an alternative history, and that's how readers should approach it. This isn't character-driven at all. Rather, it's a historical text, just of a history that may not have come to pass.

I first came across Liu with his magnum opus, The Three-Body Problem trilogy, which is among the best science fiction I have ever read. And while this novella doesn't reach that level of brilliance, it's still a riveting read from beginning to end.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

Equal parts disturbing and riveting, My Dark Vanessa demanded my whole attention from the very first page. It's an undeniably important story that deserves to be told. But I come out of it reeling because it wasn't quite the story I thought I would be reading.

A troubled and lonely fifteen-year-old girl is singled out by her forty-two-year-old English teacher for special attention. He grooms her and manipulates her into being emotionally entangled with him. After a while, their relationship turns physical and sexual and clearly abusive.

Obviously, this is a graphic story and comes with all the trigger warnings you'd expect from something like this. Reading it was hard, and it was even more so to see firsthand how all the adults in Vanessa's life failed her, not just her abuser. There were so many signs that things were going wrong, yet her parents, her school, her other teachers, they all turned a blind eye so as not to cause trouble. As a result, they enabled and normalized the abuse and made Vanessa feel like she had no one to turn to.

But for me, it was her later life that was even harder to read. The author did not shy away from exploring the long-term affects of abuse. Vanessa reaches adulthood, and yet, she couldn't get away. She keeps going back for more, even though her abuser tries to cut off ties with her. He starts off as the aggressor, but their roles slowly become muddled. She obsesses over him, stalks him, reels him back in to their unhealthy relationship even though he tries to get out. When he doesn't give her the attention she craves, she tries to recreate their relationship with someone else.

To say Vanessa is the unwitting recipient through it all is to take the easy way out. And the author doesn't do that. Instead, she paints a complex, morally fraught, thought-provoking picture of abuse in all of its forms and consequences. Of course Vanessa starts out as a child and is initially the victim of her circumstances. But what about when she's in her twenties, or thirties? Can she ever truly move on, or has the abuse she endured robbed her of her agency and her ability to accept help and heal? There are no easy answers here, only uncomfortable questions.

This was such a distressing and unsettling read, and it left me torn up inside. It starts from a place that I was expecting and veers into a direction that was even darker and more complex than at first glance. Yet, through it all, I couldn't look away. It's definitely one of those memorable reads that will stay with me for a long time.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

There's something about this series that is just so darn satisfying, and this latest installment delivers again.

Our intrepid Harriet Gordon, in between her duties at her brother's school and working as a typist with the police, has joined the local drama club for a little bit of fun. But even among this gathering of folks with similar interests, there is tension and secrets simmering beneath the surface. When murder comes calling, it's up to Inspector Curran, with the help of Harriet, to figure out what's really going on, before any more innocent lives are cut short.

This was such an entertaining murder mystery. There's a good amount of things going on, so it never feels slow. With plenty of clues and red herrings to suss out and mull over, this was a mystery I could really sink my teeth into. And once it got going, I couldn't put it down and pretty much read it in one go.

But to say the mystery was my favorite part of the story would be to sell it short. There's so much to love here. The characters really come alive, in particular Curran and Harriet. We're learning more and more about them, and in this installment, we come to understand Curran's personal history and his demons. It makes me appreciate his character even more. And Harriet remains strong and undaunted, no matter what comes her way.

You can tell Alison Stuart did so much research into colonial Singapore as part of her writing process, and it really shows. Like any historical fiction worth its salt, the setting feels authentic and atmospheric. Every time I read it, I'm transported to this time and place with its lush humidity and oppressive heat. Our visit to Singapore a few years ago was such a memorable one, and reading this series makes me long to visit this wonderful place again.

The mark of a good book is that I don't want it to end. When I reach that last page, I feel a sense of loss, as if I'm saying goodbye to a dear friend who I won't see for awhile. And so it is with this book. I hope Stuart won't keep us waiting too long for the next installment because I'm already salivating to get my hands on it.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

DNF - And another one bites the dust.

I've been trying to get into this book, on and off, for weeks now, and it's not working. By all accounts, everyone loves it and finds it riveting. Then I come along, and of course, I'm an outlier.

There's something about the combination of the writing and the story that just doesn't grab me. The writing style feels formulaic, with lots of mundane dialogue and descriptions, all to give atmosphere, but I don't feel it. Instead, it comes across as very predictable and fluffed up to me. I always prefer writing to be content-dense, but this is very much the opposite.

The story itself is rather bland. It's supposed to be a ghost story, yet I don't feel any chills or creepy vibes. In fact, I fell asleep twice reading it so far, which is my bar for moving on.

So there you go. I've given Simone St. James two tries so far. I read The Sun Down Motel all the way through and felt very much humdrum about it too. So I'm going to chalk this up to the author not being for me and part ways.

Readaroo Rating: 2 stars (DNF)

Honestly, this was just okay. It's clear I've missed what everyone else loves about it. And that's mostly due to the fact that I'm not sure I understood half of it.

This is a much-loved book, so before you come at me with pitchforks and tell me how I just don't get it, I know. That's what I'm trying to say here.

The writing style is flowery and dreamlike, focusing more on imagery and descriptions than on being clear. The same can be said about the worldbuilding, as if it had all happened elsewhere and we're just dropped in the middle of the narrative. It almost reads as if this is the companion book to an already established universe rather than the first novella of a series in its own right.

There are a lot of characters in here, especially when you consider how short this story is. But we don't really get to know any of them. The narrative always feels like it's coming from a distance, looking in rather than being inside the story. So even after having read it, I don't get a sense of who the characters truly are.

The unfolding of the narrative is rather disjointed, with lots of jumping around. It feels more like a series of separate little vignettes rather than a coherent whole that builds up to something. Lots of points are brought up, then never really explained. Even the ending, which is my favorite part, didn't really emerge from what was there before so much as it came out of nowhere.

All this contributes to a feeling of vague confusion that followed me throughout the whole story. I know many readers don't mind or even enjoy that narrative style, but it isn't for me. I only enjoy ambiguity when it's plot-based, so that it drives the story along and will be explained by the end. I don't like ambiguity when it's due to the writing style, because then it doesn't add anything and can be easily fixed by being just a little bit more clear.

I settled on 3 stars in the end because it's a novella and I don't feel like I wasted my time giving it a try. The ending was satisfying and at least added some clarity, though I wish the rest of it actually built up to it. But I'll be honest, if this was a full-length novel, I probably would've given it only 2 stars.

Obviously, I had high expectations going in, and in hindsight, they were too high. I had heard nothing but great things about both this novella and the author. But this is simply a case of mismatch between what I enjoy and what this story is. Many other readers loved it, so don't let me dissuade you from giving it a try.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

Is there anything Tessa Bailey can't write? I feel like with Hook, Line, and Sinker, she has cemented her status as a must-read author for me.

From the moment Fox and Hannah met, there's always been a little sizzle of attraction there. But between Fox's reputation as a ladies man and Hannah being the younger sister of his friend's fiancée, it doesn't seem like a good idea to take it further. Now they are solidly in the friend zone, texting every day and sharing their deepest thoughts. But when Hannah has to stay with Fox for a few weeks because of her job, will that finally nudge them towards being honest with their hearts and each other?

I thought the beginning of this book was just adorable. There was so much tension between them as they went around pretending they were strictly platonic friends with each other. Hannah even has a lingering crush on her boss, and Fox has to give her advice on how she can go about trying to snag him. It was so much fun and I about died with delight.

But then we reach the middle of the book, and I feel like it kind of lost some steam for me. Instead of the usual snappy pace, it just went on and on. Fox or Hannah would come up with yet another reason (or the same one) for why they can't possibly be together, and we just went in circles, again and again.

To be fair, I always think I'm going to love the friends-to-lovers trope so much more than I actually do. When I think of other books I've read in the same vein, I always end up a bit lukewarm by the end. It's because there just isn't 300 pages worth of material you can fill on two friends who clearly have the hots for each other, but are either too slow or hung up to actually realize it. So to make a big conflict out of the whole thing, minor reasons must be dragged out to the max, and that's what happened here.

Usually with Tessa Bailey romances, I feel like I have to make a note of how steamy they are, lest a new reader go in unawares and combusts in front of the pages. But this one didn't feel that hot. I don't know if it's because the story dragged on a bit and so the tension wasn't as high, or if the hotness level was a notch down from the usual. Either way, it's still steamy, just not as scorching as I normally associate with Tessa Bailey.

I feel like this all sounds a bit negative, but it really isn't. Tessa Bailey can write the heck out of anything, and she definitely makes this story as interesting and heartfelt as possible. So in terms of this being a delightful read, there's no question. But even her writing chops cannot overcome a trope that just isn't that exciting to begin with. But even within the confines of that, she still wrote my favorite rendition of it. And that says a lot.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

I dreamed of who I used to be.

Of who, or what, I might become.

This right here. This is what I've been waiting for. With Upgrade, Blake Crouch has finally written a successor worthy of Dark Matter.

You might think that I have some sort of rigorous, scientific method for determining what makes a 5-star read for me. But honestly, it's just a feeling. I get this tingle that goes from the back of my head all the way down my spine. And when I feel it, I know that I've found something special and worth savoring. And that's what happened here.

When I think of a great science fiction story, I think of something bold and imaginative, capable of surprising me and challenging my preconceived notions, one that reaches to the root of what it means to be human, and takes us on a journey of where we've been and where we're going. And this story is all that and more.

Just like most Blake Crouch novels, this book feels accessible, even to those readers who don't normally indulge in the genre. And a large reason is because it reads like a thriller. It's relentlessly paced and utterly riveting, and I can't imagine trying to put it down once I've started. Every chapter held surprises and revelations, and even when I thought I was getting an inkling of where it might be headed, it still managed to prove me wrong.

While the science in here is interesting, I suspect most readers will connect with it for far more reasons than that. It seamlessly blends a whole bunch of interesting and timely topics, from philosophy to ethics, evolution to the environment, that elevates it from just a story that passes through one's mind to a story that's truly arresting and memorable.

I've noticed that Crouch is particularly adept at putting the reader in the shoes of the main character. We feel his pain, understand his choices, and appreciate the difficulty of his dilemmas. And it makes me wonder, what would I do when given such impossible choices? Would I have what it takes to sacrifice everything to do what needs to be done? I'd like to think so, and it's definitely an interesting thought to contemplate.

A word of caution here. I normally include a small tease of the story I'm reviewing, but you'll notice I haven't included any such information here. It's because even that little bit feels like a spoiler. In fact, I've been careful not to allude to anything that happens in the entire story, and that's on purpose.

I went into this completely blind and absolutely loved the initial pages as it set up the premise and got into the heart of the story. There were so many things that surprised me and those reveals contributed so much to the delightful experience of reading this book. After I finished, I read the blurb on the back, and it pretty much gives it all away. So my suggestion is to skip the blurb altogether and just go right into it. You'll be glad you did.

Ever since Blake Crouch came out with Dark Matter, I've been waiting patiently for another book of his that will grab me just as much. (Recursion wasn't it, unfortunately.) I wanted another that would work on so many levels: a riveting and unputdownable thriller on the surface, but also thought-provoking and scientifically intriguing, and relatable to every reader even though the premise is so outrageous. And it seems my patience has finally paid off.

Readaroo Rating: 5 stars!

My heartfelt thanks for the copy that was provided for my honest and unbiased review.