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okevamae's review against another edition
3.0
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I’m in awe of Stacey Abrams for a multitude of reasons. (Seriously, she’s just the coolest.) I was super excited to hear that she was a fiction writer, and even more excited to get my hands on an ARC of her newest book.
Avery Keene is a young lawyer who beat the odds and worked her way up to a coveted clerkship in the U.S. Supreme Court. She’s very good at her job, although her boss, Justice Wynn, doesn’t seem to think much of her – or of anyone, really. But one day, when Justice Wynn suddenly falls into a coma under mysterious circumstances, Avery finds out that he has entrusted her not only with his medical power of attorney, but with solving the mystery behind his sudden illness as well. With the possibility of a Supreme Court seat coming into play, and a ruling on high-profile case against a Presidential decision hanging in the balance, Avery quickly finds herself embroiled in a high-stakes game of chess with more than one life on the line.
Abrams excels at not only at plotting a clever story, but also in creating characters that the audience is interested in following, something which legal thrillers too often lack in my opinion. Avery is smart, likeable, and very human. Wynn, for all his cantankerous behavior and many flaws, is someone the audience wants to know more about. Many of the secondary characters are just as complex and interesting. Meanwhile, the plot has enough twists, turns, and brain-teasing mysteries to keep you guessing.
One criticism of something minor that I can’t let slide (sorry, Stacey): The 3rd person omniscient POV is mostly limited to a handful of characters, and usually only one per scene, but occasionally there are random jumps to other characters, for as little as a sentence or two, and these little jaunts into another character’s mind sometimes give too much away. I’d prefer if these little glimpses into what a character is thinking, or what their motivations are, would be conveyed in a more subtle way, or even just left to the imagination. I didn’t feel like I got much of value out of these tiny little POV jumps, and often felt like the story and the writing would have been tighter if I hadn’t known what that person was thinking.
Overall, though the writing lacks the subtlety of a master of the genre, the result is still a tense, intriguing, puzzle-solving thrill ride with high stakes and interesting characters. Plus, I always like to find a book about a badass woman of color, particularly one that’s written by a badass woman of color. Definitely worth a read!
I’m in awe of Stacey Abrams for a multitude of reasons. (Seriously, she’s just the coolest.) I was super excited to hear that she was a fiction writer, and even more excited to get my hands on an ARC of her newest book.
Avery Keene is a young lawyer who beat the odds and worked her way up to a coveted clerkship in the U.S. Supreme Court. She’s very good at her job, although her boss, Justice Wynn, doesn’t seem to think much of her – or of anyone, really. But one day, when Justice Wynn suddenly falls into a coma under mysterious circumstances, Avery finds out that he has entrusted her not only with his medical power of attorney, but with solving the mystery behind his sudden illness as well. With the possibility of a Supreme Court seat coming into play, and a ruling on high-profile case against a Presidential decision hanging in the balance, Avery quickly finds herself embroiled in a high-stakes game of chess with more than one life on the line.
Abrams excels at not only at plotting a clever story, but also in creating characters that the audience is interested in following, something which legal thrillers too often lack in my opinion. Avery is smart, likeable, and very human. Wynn, for all his cantankerous behavior and many flaws, is someone the audience wants to know more about. Many of the secondary characters are just as complex and interesting. Meanwhile, the plot has enough twists, turns, and brain-teasing mysteries to keep you guessing.
One criticism of something minor that I can’t let slide (sorry, Stacey): The 3rd person omniscient POV is mostly limited to a handful of characters, and usually only one per scene, but occasionally there are random jumps to other characters, for as little as a sentence or two, and these little jaunts into another character’s mind sometimes give too much away. I’d prefer if these little glimpses into what a character is thinking, or what their motivations are, would be conveyed in a more subtle way, or even just left to the imagination. I didn’t feel like I got much of value out of these tiny little POV jumps, and often felt like the story and the writing would have been tighter if I hadn’t known what that person was thinking.
Overall, though the writing lacks the subtlety of a master of the genre, the result is still a tense, intriguing, puzzle-solving thrill ride with high stakes and interesting characters. Plus, I always like to find a book about a badass woman of color, particularly one that’s written by a badass woman of color. Definitely worth a read!
cortingbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
If you love tv series like The Equalizer and Jack Ryan then you will love this book. Full of action, suspense, and intrigue.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Violence
purplepierogi's review against another edition
2.0
law clerk with mommy issues meets comatose swing vote justice meets national-treasure-esque clue hunt meets very very wordy writing. that being said, let’s hear it for Stacey Abrams — this book needed a better editor, but how cool is it that she does so much work for voting registration and still makes time to write legal thrillers w romantic undertones <3
ginsbergcat's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
martalisa's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
I couldn’t put this down, super engaging thriller. At times it was hard to keep track of all the characters, but I still really enjoyed it
brumlevem's review against another edition
2.0
Audiobook didn't keep my attention; complicated plot.
sarahh14's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
freev's review against another edition
3.0
It’s an overall good story with really great bones but ultimately it had too many characters and majority of them seemed to hold an equal level of importance throughout the story. I originally wanted to round my 3.5 rating up to a 4 star but I began to lose hope for the book when I figured out the predicable ending. I was hoping for more here just because of who the author is, so that might be part of my displeasure.
bookloverjenn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
kaelaceleste's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 rounded up! I knew I would like this bc I love Stacey Abrams but who knew the savior of American democracy was also such a good author :') I also inadvertently learned a lot about law and policy through this book lmao