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3.01 AVERAGE
3.01 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
*Provided through NetGalley by Poisoned Pen Press, with my honest review below*
This was a very unexpected read! The premise and cover hooked me and I was excited to sit down with this. Undoubtedly L.J. Shepherd is a strong writer and I was happy to be introduced to her work as I will keep my eye out for more of her books in the future.
I am rating this just under 3.5 stars. The story has a lot going for it, starting with a lot of intrigue that carried throughout. While the tension built up, so did the new additions to the plot, with mystery upon mystery introduced. This got a little tiresome after the first handful because I wanted a stronger focus on seeing the central premise through. The various plot points were certainly extremely thought provoking and I liked the developments on their own and would have enjoyed them across several unique books. With some restraint and pruning of events, this story would be stellar (the ending alone was so good!).
The author shows a lot of talent and this book has a lot to offer. While it might be a touch too much for me, it does remind me of several celebrated authors who were able to spin out very popular series to the delight of readers, and I would recommend this to readers with their past interests in those books in mind.
Thank you again for the ARC, Poisoned Pen Press, it is much appreciated and I enjoyed the read and the opportunity to share my feedback.
This was a very unexpected read! The premise and cover hooked me and I was excited to sit down with this. Undoubtedly L.J. Shepherd is a strong writer and I was happy to be introduced to her work as I will keep my eye out for more of her books in the future.
I am rating this just under 3.5 stars. The story has a lot going for it, starting with a lot of intrigue that carried throughout. While the tension built up, so did the new additions to the plot, with mystery upon mystery introduced. This got a little tiresome after the first handful because I wanted a stronger focus on seeing the central premise through. The various plot points were certainly extremely thought provoking and I liked the developments on their own and would have enjoyed them across several unique books. With some restraint and pruning of events, this story would be stellar (the ending alone was so good!).
The author shows a lot of talent and this book has a lot to offer. While it might be a touch too much for me, it does remind me of several celebrated authors who were able to spin out very popular series to the delight of readers, and I would recommend this to readers with their past interests in those books in mind.
Thank you again for the ARC, Poisoned Pen Press, it is much appreciated and I enjoyed the read and the opportunity to share my feedback.
This book is an odd mix of courtroom drama, speculative fiction, and psychological suspense.
Lila Dalton awakes in a courtroom with no memory of who she is or her life. She quickly surmises that she’s a lawyer whose job it is to defend a man who planted bombs that killed 27 people. The trial is being held on an isolated island in the north Atlantic where the most series crimes are tried. She starts receiving threatening messages, knows she is being monitored, and is even accused of a crime, so she doesn’t know whom she can trust even as it becomes apparent that it is imperative that she succeed in having her client acquitted.
The chaotic plot requires a great deal of suspension of disbelief. Its a muddled mishmash that goes madly off in in all directions, touching on conspiracy theories, far-right extremists, white supremacists, satanism, government cover-ups, the nature of time, mind-control, and memory tampering. The convoluted plot with its implausible scenarios is confusing and difficult to follow.
Then there’s the ending! The last scene is a coming-full-circle scene which is a nice touch but there are so many unanswered questions. The ending that is supposed to explain everything doesn’t, so it’s definitely not a satisfactory closing.
Another problem is that it is difficult to connect with Lila. We get to learn very little about her and she acts in a scatter-brained manner. For example, she knows she should be focusing on the case but she goes off and wastes time, later admitting, “How could I have dropped the ball so badly?” We do see glimmers of intelligence during her cross-examinations of witnesses, but otherwise there’s no depth to her. There’s a similar problem with the secondary characters who are also flat. So many of the men are stereotypical misogynists?
The only time I found myself agreeing with the novel was during the discussion of the dangers of the internet: “’This is going to be an information war. And the casualties will be logic and truth. The bombs will be lies and rhetoric. . . . People will be controlled by the internet. Even weirder, they’ll think they’re in control.’”
This book was definitely not for me. Much of the time I felt like Lila: lost and disoriented. Was this the author’s intention? The labyrinthine ideologies espoused by various characters and the illogical sequence of events make this a bizarre read. For me, it was a real trial.
Note: I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley.
Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) or substack (https://doreenyakabuski.substack.com/) for over 1,100 of my book reviews.
Lila Dalton awakes in a courtroom with no memory of who she is or her life. She quickly surmises that she’s a lawyer whose job it is to defend a man who planted bombs that killed 27 people. The trial is being held on an isolated island in the north Atlantic where the most series crimes are tried. She starts receiving threatening messages, knows she is being monitored, and is even accused of a crime, so she doesn’t know whom she can trust even as it becomes apparent that it is imperative that she succeed in having her client acquitted.
The chaotic plot requires a great deal of suspension of disbelief. Its a muddled mishmash that goes madly off in in all directions, touching on conspiracy theories, far-right extremists, white supremacists, satanism, government cover-ups, the nature of time, mind-control, and memory tampering. The convoluted plot with its implausible scenarios is confusing and difficult to follow.
Then there’s the ending! The last scene is a coming-full-circle scene which is a nice touch but there are so many unanswered questions. The ending that is supposed to explain everything doesn’t, so it’s definitely not a satisfactory closing.
Another problem is that it is difficult to connect with Lila. We get to learn very little about her and she acts in a scatter-brained manner. For example, she knows she should be focusing on the case but she goes off and wastes time, later admitting, “How could I have dropped the ball so badly?” We do see glimmers of intelligence during her cross-examinations of witnesses, but otherwise there’s no depth to her. There’s a similar problem with the secondary characters who are also flat. So many of the men are stereotypical misogynists?
The only time I found myself agreeing with the novel was during the discussion of the dangers of the internet: “’This is going to be an information war. And the casualties will be logic and truth. The bombs will be lies and rhetoric. . . . People will be controlled by the internet. Even weirder, they’ll think they’re in control.’”
This book was definitely not for me. Much of the time I felt like Lila: lost and disoriented. Was this the author’s intention? The labyrinthine ideologies espoused by various characters and the illogical sequence of events make this a bizarre read. For me, it was a real trial.
Note: I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley.
Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) or substack (https://doreenyakabuski.substack.com/) for over 1,100 of my book reviews.
Too many details to connect and it was confusing. It felt constructed in way that forgot to use enough string.
DNF around 70%
I hate not finishing ARCs, but I just can't do it. The synopsis of this book makes you think it's about Lila trying to defend a murderer with no memory, but it very quickly gets away from that. If I'm being honest, I'm confused and I don't know what's going on. I truly can't explain to anyone what this book is about because even after reading three quarters of it, I DON'T KNOW.
Too much confusing lawyer-speak, confusing cult (? I really don't know if that's what it was) stuff, and just confusing stuff all around.
Sorry for the god awful review but my brain hurts.
Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.
I hate not finishing ARCs, but I just can't do it. The synopsis of this book makes you think it's about Lila trying to defend a murderer with no memory, but it very quickly gets away from that. If I'm being honest, I'm confused and I don't know what's going on. I truly can't explain to anyone what this book is about because even after reading three quarters of it, I DON'T KNOW.
Too much confusing lawyer-speak, confusing cult (? I really don't know if that's what it was) stuff, and just confusing stuff all around.
Sorry for the god awful review but my brain hurts.
Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.
***2.5 Stars***
It breaks my heart to say this, knowing how much time and effort the author has poured into their work, but I found this story to be a bit overwhelming. There was so much going on that I struggled to follow the plot, even with a limited number of characters and a single main setting. I also didn’t feel a strong connection to any of the main characters; I was more curious about how Lila lost her memory than invested in her journey to victory. I believe the book will find its audience, and the author certainly has a talent for writing. However, I felt the narrative was overly complex for those seeking a straightforward mystery. Now, about that ending! The last scene ties things together nicely, but it also raises a ton of unanswered questions. The resolution that’s meant to shed light on everything doesn’t quite do the job, leaving it feeling less than satisfying.
On a positive note, I genuinely enjoyed the narrators voice, and she had a wonderful ability to switch it up for different characters.
Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for providing this audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback.
It breaks my heart to say this, knowing how much time and effort the author has poured into their work, but I found this story to be a bit overwhelming. There was so much going on that I struggled to follow the plot, even with a limited number of characters and a single main setting. I also didn’t feel a strong connection to any of the main characters; I was more curious about how Lila lost her memory than invested in her journey to victory. I believe the book will find its audience, and the author certainly has a talent for writing. However, I felt the narrative was overly complex for those seeking a straightforward mystery. Now, about that ending! The last scene ties things together nicely, but it also raises a ton of unanswered questions. The resolution that’s meant to shed light on everything doesn’t quite do the job, leaving it feeling less than satisfying.
On a positive note, I genuinely enjoyed the narrators voice, and she had a wonderful ability to switch it up for different characters.
Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for providing this audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback.
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated