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theshaggyshepherd 's review for:
The Book of Two Ways
by Jodi Picoult
The Book of Two Ways // by Jodi Picoult
The premise of this book was super intriguing so I was very excited to receive the ARC for this one. I have read a couple of books by Jodi Picoult and while this isn't my favorite genre, I've always enjoyed myself with her. Overall, I like the story that was told here, the twisty structure, and the existential questions that weave their way throughout the entire book. But I want to point out to regular Picoult readers that this book is not exactly like what we are used to.
Jodi Picoult is great at finding topics and questions that to many of us are difficult to answer or think through. She usually presents them in a way where we can see both the benefits and downsides of each path. Sometimes these things are emotional, sometimes moral, and sometimes she turns everything we think we know upside down on its head. What is different about this book though is not this particular component but what she has added around it.
Part of the reason I wanted to read The Book of Two Ways is because I enjoy learning about new topics but Picoult took this to a whole new level. I've never understood the term info-dumping that I learned from other reviewers but I know exactly what they mean now. This book has SO MUCH information coming at you the entire way through. I'm used to a lot of world-building from my favorite fantasy books but this almost feels like a school textbook sometimes, not only for Egyptology but also quantum physics and several other topics. While overall I found this all to be interesting, it was difficult to stay engaged with the main storyline sometimes. I also had several other books I was reading and found myself preferring the excitement of those the majority of the time because Two Ways was just not very thrilling. It has more of a slow and steady approach.
The last quarter of the story though definitely picked up a bit. I had several theories about how this book would end but she managed to elude me after all. I enjoy a twisty story and while it was a bit confusing when you got into the middle of this mixup, it was fun to put the puzzle together at the end. I am happy that I read this book. It's obvious that a ton of research went into it. But I do think that the description of it makes it sound a bit more exciting that it turned out to be and that this wouldn't be a good fit for a lot of her regular readers.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of this book was super intriguing so I was very excited to receive the ARC for this one. I have read a couple of books by Jodi Picoult and while this isn't my favorite genre, I've always enjoyed myself with her. Overall, I like the story that was told here, the twisty structure, and the existential questions that weave their way throughout the entire book. But I want to point out to regular Picoult readers that this book is not exactly like what we are used to.
Jodi Picoult is great at finding topics and questions that to many of us are difficult to answer or think through. She usually presents them in a way where we can see both the benefits and downsides of each path. Sometimes these things are emotional, sometimes moral, and sometimes she turns everything we think we know upside down on its head. What is different about this book though is not this particular component but what she has added around it.
Part of the reason I wanted to read The Book of Two Ways is because I enjoy learning about new topics but Picoult took this to a whole new level. I've never understood the term info-dumping that I learned from other reviewers but I know exactly what they mean now. This book has SO MUCH information coming at you the entire way through. I'm used to a lot of world-building from my favorite fantasy books but this almost feels like a school textbook sometimes, not only for Egyptology but also quantum physics and several other topics. While overall I found this all to be interesting, it was difficult to stay engaged with the main storyline sometimes. I also had several other books I was reading and found myself preferring the excitement of those the majority of the time because Two Ways was just not very thrilling. It has more of a slow and steady approach.
The last quarter of the story though definitely picked up a bit. I had several theories about how this book would end but she managed to elude me after all. I enjoy a twisty story and while it was a bit confusing when you got into the middle of this mixup, it was fun to put the puzzle together at the end. I am happy that I read this book. It's obvious that a ton of research went into it. But I do think that the description of it makes it sound a bit more exciting that it turned out to be and that this wouldn't be a good fit for a lot of her regular readers.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.