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A review by bookishnerdmom
Toxic Effects by Joel Shulkin
3.0
The premise of the novel is quite intriguing. A mad scientist type v. a smart female lead. Action packed, thrilling, and suspenseful. While hitting all of these buttons I did find it missing the mark in other areas for me.
First off- there are a LOT of characters to keep track of here. I suggest using book darts or post its to keep track of who is who and their relationships to one another. The reader is pummeled early on with a barrage of players and zero to no character development. To be fair- this is the second book in the series. With a quick reference to notes this is not much of an issuer.
Next, I did find the drugs mentioned in this novel (fictional drugs) lacked a comprehensive description. I would have preferred a deeper dive into the theoretical mechanisms of said drugs.
I really enjoyed the cop drama trope as I got a Black List/ NYPD Blue vibe from the book.
However, much of this scientific thriller felt hurried and hastily put together- more like a rough draft than a final project. Where is the editing? More pages and less chapters (91 chapters!) should have served well here.
Overall, it reads like a script not a novel for me but I was entertained and the book has me thinking about how easy it would be for something like this to happen IRL.
3.5/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️
First off- there are a LOT of characters to keep track of here. I suggest using book darts or post its to keep track of who is who and their relationships to one another. The reader is pummeled early on with a barrage of players and zero to no character development. To be fair- this is the second book in the series. With a quick reference to notes this is not much of an issuer.
Next, I did find the drugs mentioned in this novel (fictional drugs) lacked a comprehensive description. I would have preferred a deeper dive into the theoretical mechanisms of said drugs.
I really enjoyed the cop drama trope as I got a Black List/ NYPD Blue vibe from the book.
However, much of this scientific thriller felt hurried and hastily put together- more like a rough draft than a final project. Where is the editing? More pages and less chapters (91 chapters!) should have served well here.
Overall, it reads like a script not a novel for me but I was entertained and the book has me thinking about how easy it would be for something like this to happen IRL.
3.5/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️