If I have a real criticism, it is that the main secret, for which so many people have jumped to the wrong conclusions, is not really well prepared; it isn't likely to be worked out by the reader before it becomes obvious to the main characters. A good detective novel, of any sort, should allow the astute reader to figure out what all the hubbub is about. It's just sort of dropped onto the floor at some point, which was a bit of a let-down. Perhaps I'm just not astute enough. First off -I love Holly Smale's writing style - I have read lots of her YA/middle grade books previously and she writes so personably. Its like reading a diary. Her characters are always so vivid and this book is no exception. as i sit on my swivel chair and search for the emotions i’m supposed to feel now but can’t seem to find, i can’t help wondering: am i a monster? and—if so—was i born or was i made?” The further I got into Holly Smale’s newest book, The Cassandra Complex (titled Cassandra in Reverse in the U.S.) the more I had the feeling that it is quite remarkable. Smale’s adult fiction debut is a step forward, in some ways, in how autistic people are represented, one that reads very much as being from within the autistic community. This is not a book that depicts an autistic person based on how we appear from the outside, or one that represents one person’s experience in a way that’s completely detached from the broader context of the neurodiversity paradigm. (Although it does depict one specific autistic person’s experience, which Smale helpfully emphasises in the end notes.)

If you give the power of time travel to a woman who eats banana muffins ever day, for three decades, you can’t go expecting her to be someone else with it” Clever, unusual and often amusing, this is a powerful exploration of one woman's attempt to find happiness against the odds' Daily Express What a waste of a gift though. It was one reason I didn’t enjoy the story. I was hoping and thinking that Cassandra would start to do better or do things differently (not Will much, much earlier) but all I can say is that I would think it would be hard to make time travel boring but I was bored. I will add that I don’t often feel bored. Even the “romance” storyline felt boring. I don’t like romance books but this wasn’t even one. Not really. I don’t know exactly what it was. I think that what Cassandra eventually does is interesting though and I wish it hadn’t taken so very long to get there. She also tries to do her job better but I like that her view of the job doesn't change. She still hates it but learns to deal with her boss and also fix her workplace relationships. She's resilient but also learns where to be flexible. She just grows SO MUCH and I was supporting her the whole way through. I loved Sophie and how we misread her at the start. She ended up being by favourite character in the end (along with Art and Sal). Well that was a surprise. I really thought after the first chapter or so that I was really going to get irritated or Cassandra was going to get on my nerves but instead I quit trying to read it a bit at a time and read the last half in one go. A thoroughly enjoyable read.Cassandra is an absolutely brilliant character and I completely fell in love with her' READER REVIEW ***** The book begins with her getting fired from her job, getting dumped by her boyfriend, and her living situation with her roommates is pretty well destroyed. So far, it was reminding me very strongly of Penny Reid's Neanderthal Seeks Human just without the huge dose of humor. (One of my top favorite books, btw) Cassandra doesn't care much for her PR job in the first place, considering she just isn't a people person. However, nobody wants to be fired and lose their financial stability, so she is naturally distraught. Even more upsetting is her unexpected break-up with her lovely boyfriend Will of four months. She truly cares for Will, and was completely blindsided by his sudden extraction from their relationship. Will seemed to genuinely admire Cassandra's intelligence and wasn't put off by her differences. What seemed to be a breaking point for him was her issue with opening up to him about her feelings and sharing herself with him. No matter how many times he asked her to share what she was thinking and feeling, she didn't know how to give that to him. Speaking of Art, I know it was suggested that Cass could have tried to save lives but I think Cass still did save lives in her own way! Sal decided to believe Cass over that trash boyfriend, Sophie got better recognition and (intentional or not) helped Art find her perfect match. Then, she spends the majority of the book trying to re-establish her relationship with her boyfriend. That got boring fast.

The Cassandra Complex is a strange book, both a prequel and a beginning to the Emorality series, which is a sequence of novels that explore the future of humanity, when we've invented a concept known as emorality and spread it to every living human. Emortality is essentially immortality - people can live forever and stay young! - except that it's not true immortality - you can get hurt, you can die. Just not from aging. In Inherit the Earth, the central question was: now that everyone can live forever, who gets to, ahem, inherit the Earth? Who has to leave it? What happens as the population continues to grow and no one's getting older? Lisa(the main character) also struggles with not being taken seriously as a 61 year old woman, and feels pressure to resign from her job. So the main themes are agism, high global population, and the feminist movement, all among a high speed pursuit to find the kidnapped scientist. Honestly the author is so wordy, I couldn't understand if he was making a point with all of this, or just introducing general concepts. I would have loved to read a dumbed down version for someone like me who can't concentrate for very long. When I woke up this morning, it suddenly occurred to me that I’m not using my newfound abilities to their full capacity. I can travel through time, which means I can draw the day in pencil and then simply erase it when it’s done. I can have a holiday whenever I feel like it.So when she gets dumped, fired AND her local café runs out of banana muffins - all in one day - it feels like the end of the world. Cassandra, the main character, has some great philosophical, original thoughts that effortlessly pulled me into the story. As she begins her narration, she even breaks the fourth wall by speaking directly to the reader. It was a really promising first impression, and even better, she only became more interesting the more I read. I could see how many people might be frustrated or annoyed with her horrible interactions with everyone around her. After all, she hasn't a clue how to engage in small talk or polite, casual conversation. She inevitably manages to offend or anger the person she is speaking to-completely unintentionally. Still, for me, her clumsiness at personal and professional relationships made me feel so sympathetic towards her struggles. The author spent a lot of time explaining Cassandra's differences, daily challenges, and feelings of despair that she couldn't stop pushing people away. Based on all of these things, it became crystal clear very early on that Cassandra is autistic, but was never diagnosed. Cassandra Dankworth is one of the most compulsively readable protagonists in contemporary fiction. This is a truly original novel, a war cry for you to be you and for me to be me. I loved it.' Laura Jane Williams I don’t know. I have been debating this book since I started to read it. I really, really wanted to like it.

This is a truly original novel, a war cry for you to be you and for me to be me' LAURA JANE WILLIAMS There was just too much going on, and I don't think these new plot elements/themes complimented each other.i feel loneliness inside me, all of the time, and i also like to be alone and don’t really like other humans much either, so where the hell does that leave me?”

Lisa Freeman is intensely involved in the investigation, due to her combined roles of policewoman, biology expert and Miller's closest friend (and former lover) as well as being a peripheral victim. She is not entirely believable, but it is nice to see a central character who is rather more elderly than usual in science fiction. The basic story is pretty-much what I wrote in this review's opening paragraph. The details tend to be logical enough as the story unfolds, although the premise underlying the whole shebang is the sort of thing that Greg Bear likes to play with. This is not a bad thing, just a bit unexpected, as the few other things of Brian Stableford's which I've read were nothing like this novel. I'm in no way qualified to say whether some of the more bizarre tidbits that are used to underpin this tale are real, or given fair treatment, but the internal logic is more than fair, so I left my "Suspend Disbelief" switch on, and enjoyed the ride, in general. That Mr. Stableford is a biologist and sociologist made it a bit easier to accept some of the more... peculiar things in this tale. Fear Before the March of Flames, Taking Cassandra to the End of the World Party (song) on album The Always Open Mouth 2006 I wish I could have loved this one more, but I ended up having very mixed feelings. I will say that despite my issues, this was an original concept that held my interest pretty much the whole way through. I might be willing to give this author another try in the future if the right synopsis catches my eye again. The book includes loads of Greek mythology references, which were interesting (to a point) and revealed part of Cassie’s way of processing; but it became a bit much for me. And there are a lot of descriptions of seeing emotions as colors, which is also interesting as it relates to Cassie’s way of processing information; but it’s also overdone. It really is enlightening to get a glimpse behind the curtain to see Cassie’s internal functioning.This is a science fiction novel of enormous scope, filled with wonders. Set earlier in the same "future history" as Inherit the Earth, Architects of Emortality, and The Fountains of Youth, The Cassandra Complex is the independent story of events crucial to the creation of the universe in which the others take place. It is the twenty-first century, a world of rapid change and biotech threats and promises. World War Three, the biotech war, is on the horizon and the world as we know it is going to end. The fateful question is, who is going to choose the kind of future that will follow, and who gets to live in this new world to come? I’ve just put this book down and I’m genuinely sad, angry and frustrated. This was possibly my most anticipated release of the year and it was a huge letdown. Anytime I see a new book pop up with a time travel theme, I'm automatically excited to read it. I'm a bit obsessed with time travel, and frankly, there isn't enough out there to whet my voracious appetite for it. Let me start off by saying that Cassandra in Reverse started off with a bang. i’m supposed to see her pain, sweep forward, wrap my arms around her and tell her everything is going to be okay, but i don’t think i can physically do it.” this one means a lot to me because i also struggle with comforting people. it’s hard. i’ve never been in love. not really. not fully. and i’m really scared that i’m not capable of it, not built for it, not destined for it —that i don’t know what true love means, or feels like, and i never will— which means that i am, actually, broken.” 🥹🥹