Book: Suspicion
Author: Alexandra Monir
Number of Pages: 368
Source: Netgalley (I received this book in exchange for an honest review)
My Musings:The Basics:
“There’s something hidden in the maze.” Seventeen-year-old Imogen Rockford has never forgotten the last words her father said to her, before the blazing fire that consumed him, her mother, and the gardens of her family’s English country manor. For seven years, images of her parents’ death have haunted Imogen’s dreams. In an effort to escape the past, she leaves Rockford Manor and moves to New York City with her new guardians. But some attachments prove impossible to shake—including her love for her handsome neighbor Sebastian Stanhope. Then a life-altering letter arrives that forces Imogen to return to the manor in England, where she quickly learns that dark secrets lurk behind Rockford’s aristocratic exterior. At their center is Imogen herself—and Sebastian, the boy she never stopped loving. Combining spine-tingling mystery, romance, and unforgettable characters, Suspicion is an action-packed thrill ride.
Alright. So I think the cover is pretty awesome and I'm not going to lie it was half the reason I wanted to read the book. I know they tell you not to judge a book by it's cover, but I can't help it when it actually comes to books. The summary sold me on the book. It just seemed so eerie and cool and mysterious, that I HAD to read it. So read it I did. To be honest this wasn't a spectacular read, nor was it a book that I hated either. Let me explain.
I liked the authors writing style. She's descriptive, she can be funny, and can really make you connect with the characters in her book. The plot, however, moved a little slow at all the wrong parts and moved to quickly in others. This was something I really disliked about the book. While I love the author's descriptive style and the way she sets everything up, it made the plot lag even more. The beginning was pretty well done. I loved how it starts off as a flashback and how you see what happened both in recent events and events from a long time ago.
The book is separated into three parts. I really enjoyed the first one. It set up the stage nicely, introduced the characters in a likable way, overall it was good intro. I didn't really like the second part as much due to the plot moving along a little slow. By the second part she's back in England. The plot begun to be loose, and deviate a lot. It wasn't as focused or clear during the second part. I even found a lot of the relationship building really cheesy. However things do pick up by the third part. So at this point I wasn't enjoying the book that much but I kept reading and I'm glad I did. The last part of this book is a doozy! It's really good. I love the twists the author pulled out last minute. If you read this book and you're in the second part and not really enjoying it, I implore you to read on into the third part because everything will make sense and your mind will be blown. I know mine was.
Which brings me to character development and relationships. As a reader this is as vital as the plot. If these two are not done correctly I won't enjoy the novel as much.This part of the book was really ehh. Imogen is awesome, she's strong and capable and kind. She's kinda goofy and not really duchess matrial which is part of what makes her character so endearing. I kind of wish there were more moments of her being a duchess in English society. She does develop into a really likable and relatable character, which I love.She's about the only character in the entire book to grow and develop as a person. I really liked Sebastian. Mr. Stanhope is definitely swoon worthy! Not going to lie not a lot happens to him in terms of character development. He remains pretty static throughout the novel which isn't a real plus to his character. There's only one more character that goes through major changes but alas due to spoilers I cannot talk about it! Other than that all the other characters are cardboard cutouts, pretty much there to move the plot along, be a plot twist, or for decoration. This aspect of the book wasn't as strong as I would have liked it to be.
Romance wise I din't love it. Didn't hate it but that doesn't mean they are my next ship. I liked the paring, but I didn't like how the romance develop It was weird. He was all brooding and silent and angry for a while and then after one event he was all nice and sweet again. I just wished that instead of this snap back into friendship thing, the author would have developed their relationship better so that it wouldn't seem corny, or unrealistic.
Overall the book moved along slow and the plot is not always defined or followed, but it all comes together in the end which is what matters. The characters are pretty likable however there isn't a lot of character development and a not so great romance. It's pretty good mystery with some great paranormal aspects to it. I would recommend it to people who like historical fiction, or YA fantasy.
Coffee for this book: I think this book is best read as the sun goes down with a nice cup of a Chai Latte (not really coffee but still)
My Rating:
No comments:
Post a Comment