Scan barcode
bookthief's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This book follows Eddie Flynn getting back into court after coming out of a depressive episode. Unfortunately the circumstances are not what he imagined. This book was good but slow. The following books are more intense and better put together than the defence.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, and Physical abuse
asourceoffiction's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Having read Thirteen, I was keen to start the Eddie Flynn series from the beginning. But it felt strangely like The Defence wasn't the first in the series because Flynn has so much history already when the story begins. The real-time plot is not very long, and is interspersed with recollections that slowly flesh out Eddie's backstory as a hustler and lawyer. And it works quite well; it generates an emotional investment in the case while cementing Eddie as a likeable but complex series protagonist.
What I found really clever (if a little hard to believe) is how Eddie uses his con days to come up with interesting ways to manipulate his situation and plot his defence strategy. And as a reader you're rooting for him but it's hard to watch him try to win a case for a known murderer, which makes for compelling reading.
As I got further into the book, the many different gang characters and allegiances got a bit hard to follow. But it also becomes an absolute adrenaline rush of action that ramps up to insane proportions by the end, which was great fun if a little too full on. The character set up and cliffhanger ending make it an intriguing opener for the series.
What I found really clever (if a little hard to believe) is how Eddie uses his con days to come up with interesting ways to manipulate his situation and plot his defence strategy. And as a reader you're rooting for him but it's hard to watch him try to win a case for a known murderer, which makes for compelling reading.
As I got further into the book, the many different gang characters and allegiances got a bit hard to follow. But it also becomes an absolute adrenaline rush of action that ramps up to insane proportions by the end, which was great fun if a little too full on. The character set up and cliffhanger ending make it an intriguing opener for the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Alcoholism, and Murder
liz_ross's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
It was good but... that's it. There's nothing else to say; it was just good and just good isn't enough. I like amazing, great, perfect. Not good... good is boring.
The word, not the book. The book was actually pretty filled with action to the point I couldn't put it down once it reached the climax. But that was due to the writing style and my love for elaborated plans such as the one Eddie created (I LOVED IT!), more than due to the plot.
The plot was good, sure, but it was so damn obvious and for someone who is supposedly so smart it took him way too much time to figure things out. It took me less than 10 chapters. Which means that when the "plot twist" came I already knew it far too long ago.
And the characters were also good. Complex, easy to remember, filled with life. But I swear if I had to read about Eddie being a former con artist, I would have set the book on fire. You could have forgotten everything else about him, but I guarantee you, that he was a con artist you wouldn't forget. He told me that five freaking times in the same freaking paragraph!
The action was realistic, though. Everything was. Which is obviously good. I don't have any Court experience, which means it may have felt realistic, but in reality none of it would ever happen. But that's the perks of not having Court experience. As it felt realistic, I can accept it as real and enjoy. I couldn't have done that if it didn't feel realistic as I would have spent my time on Google checking to see if things are really that way.
Just one last thing, what the hell is wrong with me to end up liking Olek almost as much as I liked Eddie?!
Full review coming soon!
The word, not the book. The book was actually pretty filled with action to the point I couldn't put it down once it reached the climax. But that was due to the writing style and my love for elaborated plans such as the one Eddie created (I LOVED IT!), more than due to the plot.
The plot was good, sure, but it was so damn obvious and for someone who is supposedly so smart it took him way too much time to figure things out. It took me less than 10 chapters. Which means that when the "plot twist" came I already knew it far too long ago.
And the characters were also good. Complex, easy to remember, filled with life. But I swear if I had to read about Eddie being a former con artist, I would have set the book on fire. You could have forgotten everything else about him, but I guarantee you, that he was a con artist you wouldn't forget. He told me that five freaking times in the same freaking paragraph!
The action was realistic, though. Everything was. Which is obviously good. I don't have any Court experience, which means it may have felt realistic, but in reality none of it would ever happen. But that's the perks of not having Court experience. As it felt realistic, I can accept it as real and enjoy. I couldn't have done that if it didn't feel realistic as I would have spent my time on Google checking to see if things are really that way.
Just one last thing, what the hell is wrong with me to end up liking Olek almost as much as I liked Eddie?!
Full review coming soon!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Rape
Moderate: Death and Murder
Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Pedophilia
More...