Down the Rabbit Hole

Set against the backdrop of China’s Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion.

This was another bookclub book, and a translated novel from Chinese. The synopsis is quite short, and definitely doesn’t capture what the book covers and reads as. It’s quite a science-y book, and I think the more knowledge you have of physics, perhaps the more interesting it might be. For me (not the physics expert), I just accepted all the science as fact and assumed it all made sense. The science took up a large portion of the book, which I think was a little bit distracting at times when they really dove deep into the explanations

The Three-Body Problem is a story that takes place in the backdrop of China’s Cultural Revolution, which is an important aspect of the book. However, the majority of the story really revolves around the story of the relationship between Earth and a civilization far far away. Communication is the crux of the story, and the factions on earth that form to either support the merge or against. The story takes place mostly in third person, but following the perspective of various characters in the story.

Continue reading →

Review: Peril at End House by Agatha Christie

August 28, 2024 Fives @ Down The Rabbit Hole

Hercule Poirot is vacationing on the Cornish coast when he meets Nick Buckley. Nick is the young and reckless mistress of End House, an imposing structure perched on the rocky cliffs of St. Loo.

Poirot quickly takes a particular interest in the young woman. Recently, she has narrowly escaped a series of life-threatening accidents. Something tells the Belgian sleuth that these so-called accidents are more than just mere coincidences or a spate of bad luck. Something like a bullet! It seems all too clear to him that someone is trying to do away with poor Nick, but who? And, what is the motive? In his quest for answers, Poirot must delve into the dark history of End House. The deeper he gets into his investigation, the more certain he is that the killer will soon strike again. And, this time, Nick may not escape with her life.

Another Agatha Christie! Hopefully I can make my way through the Hercule Poirots eventually, but maybe not all at once. I saw this at a used bookstore, and I didn’t want to pick it up, but I did end up borrowing it from the library and quickly read through it. I love how short these are, and these writings are honestly timeless. I seriously can’t believe these were written so long ago.

Peril at End House revolves around the mystery of the attempted murder(s) on Nick Buckley, the young heiress of End House. End House is aptly named. Although it is large and vast, it is also run down, and currently a place of unhappiness. The recent attempts on Nick’s life have definitely made the title even more apt. Luckily again, Hercule Poirot is in town, and quickly steps in to prevent Nick’s assassin from claiming her life. Will Poirot be able to save her life and the culprit? Or will he have to give up one to save the other.

Continue reading →

2 star

Review: The Good Sister by Gillian McAllister

May 23, 2024 Fives @ Down The Rabbit Hole

An electrifying novel about the unyielding bond between two sisters, which is severely tested when one of them is accused of the worst imaginable crime.

Martha and Becky Blackwater are more than sisters–they’re each other’s lifelines. When Martha finds herself struggling to balance early motherhood and her growing business, Becky steps in to babysit her niece, Layla, without a second thought, bringing the two women closer than ever. But when Layla is found dead one morning, at only eight weeks old, Becky is charged with the unthinkable: the murder of her sister’s child.

Nine months later, Becky is on trial and maintains her innocence–and so does Martha. Unable to shake the feeling that her sister couldn’t possibly be guilty, Martha sets out to uncover exactly what happened that night, and how things could have gone so wrong. As the trial progresses, fault lines between the sisters begin to show–revealing cracks deep in their relationship and threatening the family each has worked so hard to build. With incredible empathy and resounding emotional heft, The Good Sister is a powerhouse of a novel that will lead readers to question everything they know about motherhood, family, and the price of forgiveness.

This is one of the ones I just picked up the library since it was free to read and I had the time. The premise was super interesting and engaging, and reading back, it still was. Unfortunately, this book didn’t execute in the way I thought it would. I still made it through, and I wouldn’t call it terrible, but I certainly call it good—at least for my standards. Read on to maybe see if I was being too harsh.

The Good Sister is a courtroom mystery thriller that revolves around a tragic family incident, the death of Martha’s child, Layla. Worst of all, Martha’s sister, Becky, is on trial for the murder, and the odds are not looking good. Once each other’s closest lifelines, inevitably the family is literally and emotionally split apart as the trial threatens to reveal all the deep secrets of the family’s past, and air out every time detail of one’s personal life for all to see. Needless to say there cannot be a winner in this court game.

Continue reading →