Judgment (Deck of Lies #4) - Jade Varden

Description
Cashing Out

Do I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?

How can I, when the truth will destroy us all? Now that I’ve started telling lies, I can’t stop. Not until all this is over, and I’m free of the family that never felt like mine. Maybe it’s wrong. Maybe I’m a bad person.

But it’s definitely the only way I’m ever going to escape them. I have to take the opportunity, no matter how terrible it is...don’t I?

My Opinion
I couldn't wait for judgment to be released and I'm pleased to say it was worth it! After reading book 1,2&3 in quick succession I was left on a terrible cliffhanger that meant I was wanting more but not able to read it, so when I saw Judgment was released I had to buy it and start reading straight away.

The book picks up pretty much where it left off, with Rain in prison and Asher working hard on her case. I was unsure how Jade Varden would keep the momentum through the book and where she would lead us with the story but learning from previous experiences with her work I didn't eve try to guess, knowing it would be unpredictable.

Judgement moved at a fast pace which pleasantly surprised me as most of it is set in the court room. I loved the way Varden made the trial interesting and engaging to read with elements of cleverly placed humor. I thought it might be a little like To Kill a Mockingbird (which bored me to death when I studied it) but Judgment, although similar was far more interesting. Constant battles between the lawyers, witnesses and judge kept things moving at a rapid and engaging pace, keeping me hooked to find out what the next testimony would be.

Like always with Varden's work, the writing flows effortlessly to create an interesting, intriguing and well developed plot that is easy for the audience to understand. She also kept the terminology pretty basic which I was thankful for as it meant I could enjoy the story without worrying about complex lawyer terms. She struck the balance perfectly with the detail she went into and the terms she used. The plot was easy to follow and even though it summed up what we already knew, Varden wrote it in a way that made it seem like a separate and different narrative which was great as it didn't feel repetitive in anyway.

Throughout the book Varden leaves subtle/not so subtle hints about some big turn of events and a plan Rain is devising which kept me turning pages until about 2am, as I had to finish the book the same day. I must admit that I could not predict what happened in the ending though. I had an idea of what might occur in general but what I read was even better and worth the wait. It rounded off the series nicely and made sure there was a big enough resolve to keep the reader satisfied and without questions. 

While reading there were a few minor typos "Ran" instead of "Rain" or "dd" instead of "did" but the quality of all the books in general have been to a high standard that even if there are a few mistakes they don't detract in any way from the writing. Believe me you will be too engrossed to notice and I only spotted them as I was in editor mode when I started reading.

Over all I would not only high recommend this book but the whole series as a must read! This book rounds everything off nicely and gives enough detail about characters to leave you satisfied with the feeling of finality  I'm so glad the author contacted me about Justice(#1) so I could buy the others and experience this great series. All the books have unpredictable twists that will keep you wanting more, fast paced action, romance and so much more. You would be silly to miss out on reading this book!