Books Butterfly Editorial Reviews

Tilted Scales – Inhuman Trafficking (An Urban Fantasy Legal Thriller) – Editorial Review

This is an Editorial Review of Tilted Scales – Inhuman Trafficking by Julian Kindred

Writing a book which is an Urban Fantasy mixed with a Legal Thriller is a precarious endeavor. We were pleasantly surprised that Julian Kindred pulled it off successfully. Tilted Scales is fantastical and fantastic and well worth your time

Trigger Warning: The protagonist of Tilted Scales is a survivor of child trafficking and forced prostitution. She also suffered abuse and sexual assault and physical violence. While there are no graphic scenes, there are several mentions of abuse and other suffering the protagonist went through

Books Butterfly Editorial Review of Tilted Scales – Inhuman Trafficking by Julian Kindred (Gyrfalcon Press)

Introduction & Context

At the heart of it, Tilted Scales is an exceptionally good read. 100/100 for Urban Fantasy readers, and a solid 80/100 for Legal Thriller & Thriller readers. The book is also a good, satisfying read for anyone who likes Fantasy

The protagonist, Jayne, is half human and half snake (from the waist down), and a very accomplished lawyer. The book does a very good job of drawing the reader into her world and an even better job of making her likeable and relatable

Strengths

The lead character is very likable and very human (despite being only half human). You will be rooting for her throughout. Basically, the main character is a Superstar and you really connect with her. This is the kind of character that would be amazing in a TV series

The book moves at a good pace and draws you in exceptionally well. It’s one of those rare books which makes you lose track of time

The author does a very good job of showing the reader what the life and life experience of a half human, half snake is like. There are some sweet touches like a reference to The Lincoln Lawyer

The book has a very strong start and maintains momentum throughout. The author manages to keep introducing us to more and more of Jayne’s world, while also moving the story along at a rapid pace

The Fantasy world is very well done. It’s a very good Urban Fantasy world with lots of interesting creatures such as Nagas and Lamias. The author strikes the right balance between introducing new creatures and building a strong connection with the protagonist, Jayne

Weaknesses

Despite being an excellent book, Tilted Scales has a few noticeable areas for improvement and a few small flaws

Firstly, everyone at the Law Firm other than Jayne (the protagonist) is not as impressive as her. Jayne is both an excellent lawyer and possesses amazing fantasy powers. Apart from her adoptive mother and father (in spirit, not literally), everyone else at her Law Firm are pretty vanilla

Secondly, the book is mostly an Urban Fantasy and the Legal Thriller aspect is more of a back drop. It is an Urban Fantasy set at a Law Firm with a lawyer as the protagonist. It is not really a ‘Legal Thriller’ in the way most legal thriller readers would expect. That being said, the brief courtroom scenes are very well done

Thirdly, all the support characters are too likable. It would have been nice if some of the people supporting Jayne had some shades of gray

Overall Thoughts

Titled Scales is a splendid read. 100/100 if you love Urban Fantasy. Somewhere between 70/100 and 80/100 if you like Legal Thrillers and/or Thrillers

The first third of the book is good. The second third is brilliant. The final third is very good. Overall, the book is a very satisfying and enjoyable read – An absolute must read for Urban Fantasy readers and a solid read for Thriller readers

Trigger Warning

The protagonist Jayne has suffered abuse and been forced into prostitution from a very early age. There are lots of triggers in this book for anyone who has suffered violence, abuse, or assault. There are multiple triggers and you can’t really avoid them as they are an integral part of both Jayne’s life experiences and the plot of the book

Overall Recommendation

We strongly recommend this book to both Fantasy Readers and Thriller readers. Please note that it has only a few courtroom scenes and will disappoint anyone hoping for a courtroom drama or expecting an out and out legal thriller

Overall, this book is a 90/100 for anyone who loves books, and 100/100 for anyone who loves Urban Fantasy. It’s just a very, very good read

Where to get Tilted Scales – Inhuman Trafficking by Julian Kindred

You can get Titled Scales – Inhuman Trafficking at Amazon

You can get in touch with the Author at his website -> Gyrfalcon Press

You can peruse the author’s books at his Amazon Author Page -> Julian Kindred Author Page at Amazon