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3.01 AVERAGE
3.01 AVERAGE
Trial Of Lila Dalton by L. J Shephard
This book was so interesting! It’s a courtroom drama with a twist! Lila can’t remember what happened to her but she comes to at the court house and her silk… is in a coma and she’s been thrown in. She can’t remember a lick of anything… and someone wants her to win or she will lose in a big way!
Oohh gave me chills! Lila is great because she can’t remember anything and she gets pieces of memories as she goes. Someone wants her to win her case but something sinister is going on.
The pace is a bit slow for me but the story was interesting enough that I could overlook that! There are some plot holes but again, I can move past that.
The ending wasn’t brilliant but I did enjoy the book on the whole.
4 stars
This book was so interesting! It’s a courtroom drama with a twist! Lila can’t remember what happened to her but she comes to at the court house and her silk… is in a coma and she’s been thrown in. She can’t remember a lick of anything… and someone wants her to win or she will lose in a big way!
Oohh gave me chills! Lila is great because she can’t remember anything and she gets pieces of memories as she goes. Someone wants her to win her case but something sinister is going on.
The pace is a bit slow for me but the story was interesting enough that I could overlook that! There are some plot holes but again, I can move past that.
The ending wasn’t brilliant but I did enjoy the book on the whole.
4 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for access the opportunity to review this title.
We first meet Lila Dalton in a court room during a murder trial as she stares bewilderingly at a jury. Lila has lost her memory, she doesn't know who she is, why she's in the court room, or how she got there. She also doesn't know who to trust.
This book had the potential to be so much better. The memory loss gets to be annoying although it's central to the story. The cause of the memory loss is far fetched. The book starts to fall apart with about 100 pages left to finish. To be honest, it was a chore to finish the book. Had I not recieved an ARC and promised to write a review, I would've dnf'd this book.
The book fails to wrap-up all the loose ends. There are two characters whose deaths are treated as merely collateral damage and are not fully developed in the story. The ending is a disappointing commentary on society and tries to draw a parallel to current cultural and ideological conflicts but is so poorly written it comes off as more of a farce.
I can not recommend this book. 2/5
We first meet Lila Dalton in a court room during a murder trial as she stares bewilderingly at a jury. Lila has lost her memory, she doesn't know who she is, why she's in the court room, or how she got there. She also doesn't know who to trust.
This book had the potential to be so much better. The memory loss gets to be annoying although it's central to the story. The cause of the memory loss is far fetched. The book starts to fall apart with about 100 pages left to finish. To be honest, it was a chore to finish the book. Had I not recieved an ARC and promised to write a review, I would've dnf'd this book.
The book fails to wrap-up all the loose ends. There are two characters whose deaths are treated as merely collateral damage and are not fully developed in the story. The ending is a disappointing commentary on society and tries to draw a parallel to current cultural and ideological conflicts but is so poorly written it comes off as more of a farce.
I can not recommend this book. 2/5
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Let me start out with saying I definitely would have DNFed this had I not had an arc for it. This book was not good. This book was so over complicated for the story it was trying to tell.
First, there are random perspective changed throughout the entire book. These add nothing to the story, especially because there is not rhyme or reason to when they occur.
Next, the whole middle of the book felt like the same pattern. Over and over and over and over again. It made the book feel so long and like literally nothing was happening ever.
Finally, the end sucked. There was little resolution to any of the big things. It kinda explained things but not really. Just kind of a cop out of an ending in my opinion.
Overall, I was not a fan and would not recommend. This was the longest 350 pages I have ever read.
Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the advanced copy!
First, there are random perspective changed throughout the entire book. These add nothing to the story, especially because there is not rhyme or reason to when they occur.
Next, the whole middle of the book felt like the same pattern. Over and over and over and over again. It made the book feel so long and like literally nothing was happening ever.
Finally, the end sucked. There was little resolution to any of the big things. It kinda explained things but not really. Just kind of a cop out of an ending in my opinion.
Overall, I was not a fan and would not recommend. This was the longest 350 pages I have ever read.
Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the advanced copy!
If you liked The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, you will like this too!
⋆⋆⋆⅓
this was a whole rollercoaster. i was actually so obsessed, despite its predictability and the fact that i think lila should have died in the explosion herself. someone in the reviews said this was like [famous book] x [famous movie adaptation of book], and i absolutely see it. x character being a nazi was obvious, and the island being the [redacted] brainchild of a nutcase billionaire was also predictable (this one was on purpose, so it didn't take away from the intrigue).
but with this many inspirations/themes, it felt like the plot was trying for something that it didn't quite achieve (at least with me). the execution and pacing was off. far too much happened in the last 20% and the first 60% is just going in circles, making the [book] inspiration as obvious as possible. granted, the similarities are why i was so invested in the first place—i love that brand of dystopia.
lower rating because the prose was meh, the characters were insufferable (i hate defense lawyers. your first client is a nazi cultist mass murderer, your second client is a serial rapist, and you're a woman?? oh camille vasquez, do you not have shame?), and it was just unoriginal in how it portrayed certain themes.
thank you to netgalley for the advanced copy.
this was a whole rollercoaster. i was actually so obsessed, despite its predictability and the fact that i think lila should have died in the explosion herself. someone in the reviews said this was like [famous book] x [famous movie adaptation of book], and i absolutely see it. x character being a nazi was obvious, and the island being the [redacted] brainchild of a nutcase billionaire was also predictable (this one was on purpose, so it didn't take away from the intrigue).
but with this many inspirations/themes, it felt like the plot was trying for something that it didn't quite achieve (at least with me). the execution and pacing was off. far too much happened in the last 20% and the first 60% is just going in circles, making the [book] inspiration as obvious as possible. granted, the similarities are why i was so invested in the first place—i love that brand of dystopia.
lower rating because the prose was meh, the characters were insufferable (i hate defense lawyers. your first client is a nazi cultist mass murderer, your second client is a serial rapist, and you're a woman?? oh camille vasquez, do you not have shame?), and it was just unoriginal in how it portrayed certain themes.
thank you to netgalley for the advanced copy.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Overall: ⭐️⭐️
Writing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Characters: ⭐️⭐️
Narrator(s): ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tropes, etc: Amnesia, Legal Drama, Blackmail, Conspiracy
POV: Single, 1st Person
The Praise: The premise had a lot of potential but I think it was forfeited in order to have a gotcha moment at the end.
The Critique: There was simply too much going on. It felt very disjointed and confusing. I also feel like there were a lot of loose ends.
Final Thoughts: I really had to slog through this, which was a bummer because I love legal dramas.
I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Misogyny, Racism, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
fast-paced
Lila Dalton, a woman with amnesia, wakes up in a courtroom to find herself the lawyer for a man accused of mass murder. Stranded on a remote island where the most serious crimes are tried, she must prove her client's innocence while struggling to trust anything around her, including her own memory.
This has a super interesting premise, and a really strong start, but if I'm being honest.... It was a mess. There were just so many ideas happening simultaneously that it was hard to follow. It felt like the author was trying really hard to include surprising things, but it got way too convoluted and none of the ideas were fully realized. This could have used another round or two of editing.
I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley and this is my voluntary and unbiased review.
This has a super interesting premise, and a really strong start, but if I'm being honest.... It was a mess. There were just so many ideas happening simultaneously that it was hard to follow. It felt like the author was trying really hard to include surprising things, but it got way too convoluted and none of the ideas were fully realized. This could have used another round or two of editing.
I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley and this is my voluntary and unbiased review.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Usually when I pick up a legal thriller, it tends to be more of the vein that there is an amateur detective who just happens to have connections to the legal profession. Given that the summary for this book also contained speculative or sci-fi implications, I didn't expect this to be much different. I was so delightfully surprised to be wrong.
I have never read a book that uses the actual trail process, legal language and debate tactics as a legitimate discovery devise as much as it does 'on the ground' work. I am absolutely not surprised at all that the author has the background as a barrister. It shows in all the best ways. While my own areas of study are in the American system and I am not a member of the bar, the linguistic battle approach and ties of court procedure, rules of evidence, etc were music to my ears. It added such a realistic other-level nature to this.
On the mystery and speculative side it does not disappoint either. What seems like a cut and dry argument about extremism and cult behavior turns out to be so much more twisted and in some ways sickeningly prevalent to current day. It also dangles the questions of reality and feasibility long enough so that you wonder if this really is just a psychological manifestation. The solution of which is a twist that I hadn't quite sifted out but felt so very right for the overarching turns.
The most successful mystery-thrillers keep you guessing, work within a realm of possibility for the world they operate in, and are aware of their setting and the placement of clues. This is all that and more with a wonderful narrative tone, a sympathetic central character, and a two fold mystery that uses a period in our history that has opened up and continues to cycle today. Brilliant work. Absolutely recommend.
I have never read a book that uses the actual trail process, legal language and debate tactics as a legitimate discovery devise as much as it does 'on the ground' work. I am absolutely not surprised at all that the author has the background as a barrister. It shows in all the best ways. While my own areas of study are in the American system and I am not a member of the bar, the linguistic battle approach and ties of court procedure, rules of evidence, etc were music to my ears. It added such a realistic other-level nature to this.
On the mystery and speculative side it does not disappoint either. What seems like a cut and dry argument about extremism and cult behavior turns out to be so much more twisted and in some ways sickeningly prevalent to current day. It also dangles the questions of reality and feasibility long enough so that you wonder if this really is just a psychological manifestation. The solution of which is a twist that I hadn't quite sifted out but felt so very right for the overarching turns.
The most successful mystery-thrillers keep you guessing, work within a realm of possibility for the world they operate in, and are aware of their setting and the placement of clues. This is all that and more with a wonderful narrative tone, a sympathetic central character, and a two fold mystery that uses a period in our history that has opened up and continues to cycle today. Brilliant work. Absolutely recommend.
mysterious
slow-paced
This is one of those books that requires a suspension of belief as well as some quantum physic style multiverse stuff. I went into it thinking this would be fun. Instead it became a bit of a slow slog with way too many extra components tossed in which took away from the main plot.
Lila is in court as a barrister when she realizes she has no idea who she is or what she is doing there. Cue her racing around freaking out and trying to figure out what to do. Now this and the trial itself could have been great. But they went on to add a cop with a weird grudge and some mind control stuff mixed with Neo nazis……honestly my brain just said ENOUGH.
I know that some people will enjoy this but it sadly was not for me.
I received a ARC of this title, all opinions are my own.
Lila is in court as a barrister when she realizes she has no idea who she is or what she is doing there. Cue her racing around freaking out and trying to figure out what to do. Now this and the trial itself could have been great. But they went on to add a cop with a weird grudge and some mind control stuff mixed with Neo nazis……honestly my brain just said ENOUGH.
I know that some people will enjoy this but it sadly was not for me.
I received a ARC of this title, all opinions are my own.
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No