sarah_reading_party 's review for:

The Trials of Lila Dalton by L.J. Shepherd

2.5

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

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Unfortunately, The Trials of Lila Dalton was not the book for me. While the writing was engaging and immersive, the subject matter was odd and the legal jargon was overbearing at times. Honestly, I was just waiting for this book to end. I still can't decide if I like Lila Dalton as a character or not. She had crazy circumstances happen to her, but her behavior was also very strange. Overall, I felt like this book tried to do too much - there was too much neo-Nazi content as well as religious, political, and psychological issues going on. Everything was way too far fetched for me... and if I didn't care about the character, what is my motivation to be engaged with this book? I'd consider reading the author again but perhaps with a different sort of plot. I think for the right reader this book will be a hit but that is not me. I was expecting more of a realistic thriller and this was not that. 

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.