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Root of Unity
(Russell's Attic #3)
by
Cas Russell has always used her superpowered mathematical skills to dodge snipers or take down enemies. Oh, yeah, and make as much money as possible on whatever unsavory gigs people will hire her for. But then one of her few friends asks a favor: help him track down a stolen math proof. One that, in the wrong hands, could crumble encryption protocols worldwide and utterly
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Start your review of Root of Unity (Russell's Attic, #3)
Fast paced and Cas as her usual kickass self. I mean who wouldn't love a super hero mathematician??!! 4 stars for a quick, fun read with real-life theoretical math. Popcorn for my vacation.
I genuinely do not know what to rate this book. Like, the characters and the general setup are so id-appealing to me that I'll pretty much always be delighted to read about them, but the structure of this book was weird and it was, in places, actively uncomfortable to read. It definitely wasn't as good as the first two books (both of which are GREAT), and yet I read it intently and quickly and cared deeply about it. I wasn't just engaged; I was well on my way to marrying it. So: four stars. But
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Root of Unity, book 3 in the Russell's Attic series by SL Huang, was quite a roller coaster. I've found myself becoming quite attached to the nearly unlikable, bristly Cas. (The author deftly manages to take her character to the edge while still giving her enough humanity to avoid alienating the reader.) Cas is a flawed anti-hero. She's damaged--for reasons involving her past but of which she is totally uncertain because her memory is basically a blank--but she is trying to be a better person.
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Whenever I think Cas Russel (Haung in disguise) has reached her pinnacle of awesomeness another book appears to blow me away—excuse the pun! More than a few thing exploded in this book. But it wasn't just the non-stop action on the page that had me riveted; it was the huge amount of personal growth our cranky, bad-ass heroine went through that made this book infinitely satisfying. Cas was put through the mangle in this book, finally learning that she can trust Arthur and Checker—sort of. In
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(Received an e-book from author for recommendation consideration.)
This is one of my favourite thriller series and Root of Unity definitely doesn't disappoint. Cas is an awesome action hero and her backstory is gradually becoming more and more fascinating. I also really love her moral struggle as she tries to be less ruthless and a better person, influenced by her friends. This seemed significantly darker than the previous 2 books (although it's a while since I've read them) but is still a really ...more
This is one of my favourite thriller series and Root of Unity definitely doesn't disappoint. Cas is an awesome action hero and her backstory is gradually becoming more and more fascinating. I also really love her moral struggle as she tries to be less ruthless and a better person, influenced by her friends. This seemed significantly darker than the previous 2 books (although it's a while since I've read them) but is still a really ...more
I enjoyed this one a little less than the first two, probably because Cas takes a lot of damage and I didn't quite believe she could keep going after some of it. But if you like hurt/comfort that is mostly hurt and no comfort (and you don't mind it happening to a woman) this could be good for you. (Note: none of the violence is sexual.)
This third iteration of Cas Russell by S.L. Huang did not disappoint. Our heroine is afflicted by her mathematical predilection which starts with Cas and her P.I. friend Arthur trying to help math professor Sonya recover a proof which would turn the world's financial and academic centers on end by invalidating their working models. This would be done by proving that P and NP are the same.
Cas, who's a mathematical prodigy herself, Arthur and the rest of the cast spends most of the time in and ...more
Cas, who's a mathematical prodigy herself, Arthur and the rest of the cast spends most of the time in and ...more
Good junk food for the brain books. The series is entertaining and quick to read. My only real complaint, one that makes the books harder and harder to read, is that Arthur's dialect is so awful and nonsensical it borders on the minstrel. If you don't know AAVE and don't have people to verify it, don't try to write in it.
There are a lot of things I liked about this book; I love Cass, Checker and all the other characters, the intrigue, the math nerdery. But Arthur's voice was suuuper off and it threw the whole book off for me. He's speaking a semi-mangled version of AAVE that feels very forced on the author's part. In the immortal words of Pete Campbell, not great, Bob.
These books are super fun, even though I can't pretend to understand even a tiny bit of the math.
Cas Russell and her mathematical superpowers are back! Root of Unity is the third book in Russell’s Attic series (start with Zero Sum Game), a series of fast paced, science fiction action thriller’s. Cas Russell has superhuman math abilities which she uses to work as a mercenary, instantly calculating the trajectory of bullets and the exact parabolic arcs needed to leap between buildings.
However, Cas is also trying to become a better person. It’s a strange journey for our anti-heroine, and Roots ...more
However, Cas is also trying to become a better person. It’s a strange journey for our anti-heroine, and Roots ...more
Cas doesn’t find life easy when she’s between jobs, so she’s almost relieved when Arthur asks her to work on behalf of an old friend… though she’s less impressed when it turns out that the friend in question, a maths professor whose work has been stolen, didn’t actually want their help. When Cas hears what’s in the notes that have been taken from Professor Halliday, however, she immediately understands the consequences: this is a proof that would turn modern cryptography on its head.
This is the ...more
This is the ...more
I loved all the hints at Cas's backstory in this one, and am dying to find out where they lead. When does the next book come out?!? Also loved the development of her relationships with Checker and Arthur. I feel like we saw a lot more of Checker especially than usual. But holy shit Cas was put through the wringer this time! How many different kinds of injuries did she get?? Girl needs to sleep for about six weeks.
Math as superpower and math as world-destroying is still cool, though I don't know ...more
Math as superpower and math as world-destroying is still cool, though I don't know ...more
Oct 04, 2015
Mardia
added it
I liked the book quite a lot, particularly in how it developed Cas as a character and furthered the mystery of just who she is. One note I'd have is that while I LOVE Arthur as a character, there are times when the use of AAVE for him feels very...off. I'm not objecting to the use of AAVE at all, but oftentimes writers don't realize that as a dialect, it has grammatical rules, and here it just felt very forced and stilted. I enjoy the character a lot but it was distracting, especially in the
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This may be the best of the Russell's Attic series yet.
The action is superb, the tension was ramped up and high, the characters have grown more nuanced and rounded, and Cas Russell's interactions with other humans remains hilarious because she is still somewhat clueless about people. In this novel, her mathematical skills come to the fore because a proof is stolen--and we find out a little more about Cas' past.
The action is superb, the tension was ramped up and high, the characters have grown more nuanced and rounded, and Cas Russell's interactions with other humans remains hilarious because she is still somewhat clueless about people. In this novel, her mathematical skills come to the fore because a proof is stolen--and we find out a little more about Cas' past.
Did. Not. Like. Cas was so labile in this story. Her obsession with being able to do math, her weird loyalty to being a better person because of Arthur, the thing she did with Checker (spoiler!) in this book... I didn't enjoy this one at all. The mathematicians were all caricatures. I feel certain whoever wrote the first two books in this series didn't write this one. No bueno.
I really really love these books. In this one, Arthur asks Cas for help tracking down a stolen math proof that could change the face of cryptography. The further along they get, the more shocking discoveries they make; about the state of math, friendship and trust, and Cas' own past.
Characters I love, math with fascinating implications, and lots of precision violence. What more could I ask?
Characters I love, math with fascinating implications, and lots of precision violence. What more could I ask?
This series really doesn't disappoint. Fast pace action with an amazing anti-hero. The plots and inevitable twists are always pushing the story and Cas' character forward.
In this one we got a lot more glimpses into Cas' past though teasingly just enough to need to know more. It's going to be really interesting once Cas cracks her own code.
In this one we got a lot more glimpses into Cas' past though teasingly just enough to need to know more. It's going to be really interesting once Cas cracks her own code.
One of the best in the series so far. Damaged heroes, strange disclosures, delusions, explosions, partial revelations, and some amusing interstitial stories.
Being human is hard enough for all of us who know where we come from and can get a decent amount of sleep...
Being human is hard enough for all of us who know where we come from and can get a decent amount of sleep...
Math makes my head hurt, it's fascinating; yet still it makes my head hurt..
A good read and the lead is a piece of work, creative, compelling and fun in all senses, yet still math makes my head hurt..
A good read and the lead is a piece of work, creative, compelling and fun in all senses, yet still math makes my head hurt..
These books just keep getting better.
This book is soooooooo good. I can't wait for the next one.
nooooo i want more give me more
I really love this series. Can't wait for more.
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