Suspicionby Alexandra Monir
Publishing date: December 9th 2014
Publisher: Delacorte Press
296 pages
Mysterious. Magnificent. Creepy. Welcome to Rockford Manor.
"There's something hidden in the Maze." Seventeen-year-old Imogen has never forgotten the last words her father said to her seven years ago, before the blazing fire that consumed him, her mother, and the gardens of her family's English country manor.
Haunted by her parents' deaths, Imogen moves to New York City with her new guardians. But when a letter arrives with the news of her cousin's untimely death, revealing that Imogen is now the only heir left to run the estate, she returns to England and warily accepts her role as duchess.
All is not as it seems at Rockford, and Imogen quickly learns that dark secrets lurk behind the mansion's aristocratic exterior, hinting that the spate of deaths in her family were no accident. And at the center of the mystery is Imogen herself--and Sebastian, the childhood friend she has secretly loved for years. Just what has Imogen walked into?
Combining a fresh twist on the classic REBECCA with a spine-tingling mystery and powerful romance, SUSPICION is an action-packed thrill ride.
I have been seeing a lot of negative reviews of Suspicion lately. I'm glad I didn't feel about it like majority though, but then again, I could see where they were coming from. I did like Suspicion and the main idea, but I couldn't help but feel that this book could have been SO MUCH BETTER! Sometimes it felt like some of the really important things are missing, or are left unexplored.
The story starts when Imogen was just 10 years old and we learn all about the fire and all about the death of her parents and her uncle and aunt. It is continued 7 years after the fire that happened in the Rockford Manor, and Imogen is living in America with friends of her parents when she learns that both her grandfather and her cousin Lucia are dead and that she is the next one in line to inherit the Rockford Manor and become the new Duchess of Wickersham. She decides to accept it, thinking it is her, duty and even if she's only 17 years old, she moves across the world to live in an old, but still magnificent Rockford Manor. Soon, some mysterious things start to happen and she and the boy she likes are caught in the middle. Will they solve the mystery that lies behind the old Rockford Manor, or are they also going to become victims of the Manor?
My main problem with Suspicion, like I said before, was that the things were left unexplained and unexplored. The whole concept was pretty much amazing, but the focus was on things that weren't of that big of an importance. Monir spent too much time on the first half of the book describing Imogen's life in America and her childhood, while it would be better is she focused a little bit more on British aristocracy, their life and everyday duties since it was a big part of Imogen's new life.
The mystery in this book also had the potential to be really great, but instead, everything was pretty much rushed in the last 50 or so pages and it can leave a reader unsatisfied. If it was brought to us in bits during the whole book, I know I would have been more engrossed in Suspicion than I really was. Then, there is this paranormal twist, but I'm really not sure what is the meaning of it in this book. Like with all the other things in this book, it is not explained properly, and I probably have about hundred questions that were left unanswered.
Then there is the romance. I think this is the only thing in this book that I really liked, even if it did have a bit of insta-loveish feeling, but then it wasn't an insta-love. It's kinda hard to explain this, but I think it didn't feel entirely like an insta-romance due to their friendship when they were children.
All in all, I did enjoy Suspicion in the end, but I was hoping for a lot more from this book.
I read Timeless by Alexandra Monir, and it sounds like many of the issues that I had with that book also show up in her new release. It's disappointing because I love the time periods Monir writes about, and I think the scenes she illustrates with her writing are beautiful. Unfortunately, I think her stories have a few plot holes that can be a challenge to look past. I'm really reluctant to give this book a try =\
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean. I'm really sad to find out that those were the main problems with her Timeless series too, you'd hope that she'd fix those problems.
ReplyDeleteAlso, even if this one may seam like a historical novel, it's not. It is actually set in 2014, and it's a take on modern British aristocracy.
I think this is the most positive review I have read of this book! Which is saying something. Oddly, I kind of want to read this, if just to see what all these shenanigans are about! (And fine, maybe I want to be a little snarky.) But it just sounds like such a mess. But with all kinds of potential. In these cases, I almost wish someone had pushed back publication and revamped a bit. Seems like that would have been a good option in this case, at least to tie the story together a bit more, to explain stuff a bit more. Ugh. Disappointing, especially with the gorgeous cover!
ReplyDeleteAs for the last book I read that had SO much potential but was a flop, it was Vivian Versus the Apocalypse. The premise was AMAZING, it had all the potential in the world, and it just was.. blah. It ended up not really going anywhere at all. Such a shame when books do that!
Really? I have seen some really positive reviews, like 4/5 stars positive, lol. That's the only reason why I still had hope for this book.
ReplyDeleteBut yes, it they revamped the book just a little bit, it would have been a hit with everyone!
Yeah, but that doesn't happen to me a lot. It's either I like it, or I don't, but this is surprising, I have only heard positive things about The Kiss of Deception. I'll have to have your warning in my mind since I was planning on reading it soon.
ReplyDelete