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A review by abookwormwithwine
The Trials of Lila Dalton by L.J. Shepherd
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Trials of Lila Dalton by L.J. Shepherd is one of the more layered debuts that I have read in a minute, and I was hooked from the very first chapter! The premise of a barrister standing at the front of a courtroom with no idea of how she got there or who she is was incredibly intriguing to me and the execution was well done. I initially rated this a 3, but after thinking about it more, it is probably more of a 4 star read for me. It is very complex and while I didn’t love the far-right aspect of the story I have to be fair to the author who literally put it in the note at the beginning that I failed to read first for fear of spoilers, so that’s on me.
I did love this book on audio and I thought Ella Lynch made for an amazing narrator. She was pleasant to listen to, easy to understand, and she totally took on the persona of our FMC Lila. The anxiety ridden moments especially as we get to the end were excellently expressed by Lynch and I could feel her voice radiating the tension I myself was feeling for Lila. I loved the isolated location setting as well as the scraps of memory and déjà vu that Lila experiences throughout as she tries to figure out how she got to where she is while at the same time trying to win the case for her client. This ended up being very twisty and I was so glad there was a conversation with the author (not in the audiobook) that confirmed it was what I thought it was. Very freaky and added a bit of an otherworldly twist I wasn't expecting.
Read this if you enjoy intricate debuts that are based on far-right conspiracy theorists, heaps of red herrings, and courtroom dramas!
Book Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Audiobook Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to the publishers for my advanced listening and reader copies of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
I did love this book on audio and I thought Ella Lynch made for an amazing narrator. She was pleasant to listen to, easy to understand, and she totally took on the persona of our FMC Lila. The anxiety ridden moments especially as we get to the end were excellently expressed by Lynch and I could feel her voice radiating the tension I myself was feeling for Lila. I loved the isolated location setting as well as the scraps of memory and déjà vu that Lila experiences throughout as she tries to figure out how she got to where she is while at the same time trying to win the case for her client. This ended up being very twisty and I was so glad there was a conversation with the author (not in the audiobook) that confirmed it was what I thought it was. Very freaky and added a bit of an otherworldly twist I wasn't expecting.
Read this if you enjoy intricate debuts that are based on far-right conspiracy theorists, heaps of red herrings, and courtroom dramas!
Book Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Audiobook Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to the publishers for my advanced listening and reader copies of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.