Mediocre thriller but excellent speculative story!
I’ve been sitting with my thoughts on this book for a few days now, but I think I’m finally ready to review it!
I was hooked on this story from the first chapter - and it became even more interesting as I realized there were two timelines and multiple POVs, including opposing characters’ POVs! I always find that fun. There is a lot going on in this story from start to finish — the fast pace and continual reveals kept me turning the page until I finished the book, in just two sittings.
This is being touted as a psychological thriller… and it is, I suppose? But while I appreciated the way everything was set up so logically (something MANY thrillers lack), I didn’t love the thriller elements. It was so tidy and logical that I guessed everything a few chapters before each reveal, so it was fun when I made each realization (yes, there were gasps of surprise and delight), but I wanted the characters to figure everything out and the twists to reveal themselves faster, so that lag became mildly frustrating. Fellow avid thriller readers may feel the same.
On the other hand, as a speculative book about the future of genetic manipulation, the ethical dilemmas and consequences that might arise, and what it means to be a parent, it was fascinating! There were so many interesting points brought up that made me think quite a lot. The author has a bioethics degree from Columbia as well as an ongoing position as editor in chief of a magazine covering innovation and ethics in the life sciences — and it’s clear from the book that she’s versed in the subject.
I would recommend this story for newer thriller readers, anyone interested in bioethics, gene manipulation, fast paced mysteries, and to what lengths parents will go to protect their children.
Free advanced copy provided by Crooked Lane Books via Bookish First in exchange for an honest review.
I was hooked on this story from the first chapter - and it became even more interesting as I realized there were two timelines and multiple POVs, including opposing characters’ POVs! I always find that fun. There is a lot going on in this story from start to finish — the fast pace and continual reveals kept me turning the page until I finished the book, in just two sittings.
This is being touted as a psychological thriller… and it is, I suppose? But while I appreciated the way everything was set up so logically (something MANY thrillers lack), I didn’t love the thriller elements. It was so tidy and logical that I guessed everything a few chapters before each reveal, so it was fun when I made each realization (yes, there were gasps of surprise and delight), but I wanted the characters to figure everything out and the twists to reveal themselves faster, so that lag became mildly frustrating. Fellow avid thriller readers may feel the same.
On the other hand, as a speculative book about the future of genetic manipulation, the ethical dilemmas and consequences that might arise, and what it means to be a parent, it was fascinating! There were so many interesting points brought up that made me think quite a lot. The author has a bioethics degree from Columbia as well as an ongoing position as editor in chief of a magazine covering innovation and ethics in the life sciences — and it’s clear from the book that she’s versed in the subject.
I would recommend this story for newer thriller readers, anyone interested in bioethics, gene manipulation, fast paced mysteries, and to what lengths parents will go to protect their children.
Free advanced copy provided by Crooked Lane Books via Bookish First in exchange for an honest review.