I received a copy of this title from NetGalley. It does not impact my review.
Suspicion will be available December 9, 2014.
Synopsis from Good Reads:
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?
After a month of participating in my first NaNoWriMo, it was a relief to get back to just reading. While Suspicion is not a perfect book, it was a quick and enjoyable read and served as a great transition from Writing Land to Reading Land.
Imogene loved spending summers with her English relatives at the palace-like Rockford Manor where her grandfather, a duke, and her uncle, aunt, and cousin live. She’s always felt drawn to the land of Rockford and her cousin, Lucia, is her best friend. However, when she’s ten years old, a tragedy strikes leaving both Imogene and Lucia parentless. Lucia stays with her grandfather at Rockford and Imogene goes back to New York and avoids all contact with her remaining relatives.
Seven years later, Imogene finds out that both her grandfather and cousin are dead and the Title is now hers. She must return to Rockford as the duchess, or the land will be taken over by the Government. She agrees to go and is excited to see her childhood crush, Sebastian, and tries to adjust to life as a Duchess. But while there she learns things about herself and her family’s history that’s hard to believe. And that Lucia’s death may not have been an accident.
The pacing of the book was a little off to me. Everything happened very quickly. Which is nice in a way, because the story was always moving and there never seemed to be any big lulls, but I would’ve liked more time spent on character development. While I felt Imogene was fairly well developed, I never fully cared about the other characters. I also couldn’t really get invested in the love interest. There were also moments that I felt could’ve used more explanation or description for a greater impact.
I felt the overall storyline was a good one. It definitely had a bit of a Princes Diaries vibe in the beginning of the book, including lessons on how to be a duchess, which I enjoyed, even if it was a little rushed. I liked the timeline style. It started in the present and then backed up seven years to get caught up, then continued on in the present. I love non-linear timelines and I felt it was done well here. The plot involved some paranormal/supernatural elements which added a little something special to Rockford Manor, but wasn’t as big a part of the plot that I expected it to be. There was an extra mystery involving Lucia’s death that was thrown in towards the end, but I liked it and how it played it out. Again, though, I felt like it could’ve used a little more time spent on it.
Overall, I enjoyed Suspicion. It was a fast, easy read. I feel like it could be enjoyed by all ages, but maybe geared more towards the younger end of the YA spectrum.
Rating (out of 5):
Plot: 3
Characters: 2.5
Readability: 3.5
Enjoyability: 3.5
Overall Rating: 3.125 Stars
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