"The Tenth Circle" by Jodi Picoult

Rating- 3.5 stars

I have always loved Jodi Picoult, and this book is no different. The Tenth Circle brought out all of Picoult's strong points- her ability to create complex characters and really pull you in-I believe I finished this book in about three days because I read it in every free moment I had. Picoult added interest by creating comic book-style pages that tied into the story- She even added a message hidden in the comic pages. Picoult managed to break out of her usual mould in the last half of the book and created an unpredictable, shocking ending that her fans love her for. However, "The Tenth Circle" also showed some of Picoult's weaker sides.

I have always found Picoult's work overwritten. Usually, it is between books that I find this and so is easy to miss unless you reread her books enough. However, in this book Picoult used the same metaphor twice far enough apart that it was obvious that she was unaware she was reusing it but close enough that it was still obnoxious. Picoult also fell into her usual spiked pit when she tries to write about young adults- she is happy to use the normal cliché of high school students where to be popular you are cruel and anyone who is out of that is considered an outsider, along with many other untrue ways of categorizing the students. As someone who has had very recent experiences in high school, this is very difficult to ignore.

All in all, I believe that "The Tenth Circle" is an average piece of Jodi Picoult's work. I would not say that it is the best, but I was pulled in and not let go until the very last sentence. I would not recommend this to anyone who was yet to read a Picoult, but if you have some experience I would tell you to go for it. I enjoyed the book and hope that you will feel the same way.