Scan barcode
seakingnur's review against another edition
2.0
The premise of the plot would appear to be interesting but this book fell short of what I had expected. The writing is sub-par and the dialogue at times appears either too formal or too forced to sound informal. The characters aren't very realistically written.
Changes happen so quickly in the story that you can't grasp exactly what happened to cause it. Danny keeps switching emotions in an instant from hating his mother to wanting to be nice to her. Danny continues to act in a selfish manner right up until the book is almost finished before he turns around and he's nice and everything in the world will be fine.
Changes happen so quickly in the story that you can't grasp exactly what happened to cause it. Danny keeps switching emotions in an instant from hating his mother to wanting to be nice to her. Danny continues to act in a selfish manner right up until the book is almost finished before he turns around and he's nice and everything in the world will be fine.
k_lee_reads_it's review against another edition
4.0
Intense young adult novel about the fall out in a family trying to escape an abusive past. Definately a top contender for my YRCA vote.
kimkat's review against another edition
3.0
Everything about Danny's life has changed, and he has an incredibly difficult time dealing with it. At the beginning of the book I found him as a very unlikable character, but he had improved to be someone I could sympathize with by the end.
The style seems like it jumps around a bit, but overall it was a good book that is worth reading.
The style seems like it jumps around a bit, but overall it was a good book that is worth reading.
chantale's review against another edition
4.0
The author's background in practicing family law resonates well in the court proceedings scenes. The conflicting emotions of all the characters during the trial come across very strongly. Boll manages to share the mother, Catherine's feelings so that the reader can understand the adult perspective as well as her son Danny's emotions about the abuse in their family. I didn't know the name of Canada's Federal Government program - the Confidential Services for Victims of Abuse before reading this book. Watching too many American movies and tv shows I assumed it was covered under something like the American 'Witness Protection Program'. Good read, definitely recommended. For all ages.
audreych's review against another edition
3.0
Full review on my blog, holes In my brain.
My Thoughts
There was quite a bit going on with the novel, there were the two trials, family tension, and Danny’s internal and external conflicts, but I thought most of this worked well together.
The pacing and the plot was a bit off for my tastes, I thought the “first trial” (the father’s conviction) was both a bit preachy and a bit slow. It took forever to get to the predictable verdict, and the jargon used could be odd at times. I think it was designed to act as a “set up” to the second trial, but it didn’t work as well as planned. It did sound very realistic and official though (from what I know from watching too much TV). One comparison would be it is very John Grisham-y.
I thought that the characterization of Danny and his family was very well done, his love for his father despite his shortcomings felt realistic, along with his resentment for his mother relocating them. It was very like a 13 year old boy to rebel like he did, especially for reasons he doesn’t fully understand yet. The sibling relationship was okay for me, but it was understandable because Danny was his father’s favourite, and his sister was just “there”, something that’s foreign to him.
The overall plot was solid, I thought the ‘witness protection’ thing, the family income troubles, and the other personal issues Danny had were well represented and portrayed. It was a very unique storyline that I was happy to read about.
Boll expertly unravels the horrors that a single abusive family member can cause have on a family; the fear and the hope molds into one as a courageous mother fights for her life and the lives of her children. I think that The Second Trial deals with tough, and extremely important issues with a sturdy hand, not afraid to shy away from difficult truths.
Rating in HP Terms: Acceptable
7.5/10- because I thought that although the plot being pretty strong, characterization got on my nerves along with the narration. There were some parts that I was really annoyed with, along with some really realistic parts. Overall, I enjoyed this type of novel which was reminiscent of a few John Grisham novels. I found Danny to be an okay character, I wanted a bit more from him though.
Would recommend to people who would like to read about a boy main character, legal-stuff (like Grisham for YA), social issues, and family and personal relations.
My Thoughts
There was quite a bit going on with the novel, there were the two trials, family tension, and Danny’s internal and external conflicts, but I thought most of this worked well together.
The pacing and the plot was a bit off for my tastes, I thought the “first trial” (the father’s conviction) was both a bit preachy and a bit slow. It took forever to get to the predictable verdict, and the jargon used could be odd at times. I think it was designed to act as a “set up” to the second trial, but it didn’t work as well as planned. It did sound very realistic and official though (from what I know from watching too much TV). One comparison would be it is very John Grisham-y.
I thought that the characterization of Danny and his family was very well done, his love for his father despite his shortcomings felt realistic, along with his resentment for his mother relocating them. It was very like a 13 year old boy to rebel like he did, especially for reasons he doesn’t fully understand yet. The sibling relationship was okay for me, but it was understandable because Danny was his father’s favourite, and his sister was just “there”, something that’s foreign to him.
The overall plot was solid, I thought the ‘witness protection’ thing, the family income troubles, and the other personal issues Danny had were well represented and portrayed. It was a very unique storyline that I was happy to read about.
Boll expertly unravels the horrors that a single abusive family member can cause have on a family; the fear and the hope molds into one as a courageous mother fights for her life and the lives of her children. I think that The Second Trial deals with tough, and extremely important issues with a sturdy hand, not afraid to shy away from difficult truths.
Rating in HP Terms: Acceptable
7.5/10- because I thought that although the plot being pretty strong, characterization got on my nerves along with the narration. There were some parts that I was really annoyed with, along with some really realistic parts. Overall, I enjoyed this type of novel which was reminiscent of a few John Grisham novels. I found Danny to be an okay character, I wanted a bit more from him though.
Would recommend to people who would like to read about a boy main character, legal-stuff (like Grisham for YA), social issues, and family and personal relations.
More...