Suspicion
by Alexandra Monir
Expected publication: December 9th 2014 by Delacorte Press
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.
Suspicion is like a paranormal Princess diaries, only it’s also a gothic thriller. Alexandra Monir, the author of Timeless series, creates a spooky mystery surrounding the Rockford family, which, as every rich and powerful family, has a few skeletons in wardrobe. This is also a YA retelling of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, which I haven’t read, so no further comments about it. This book is either love or hate. You can do as I did, which is to ignore all the plot holes and enjoy the story. But it won’t be easy.
Our main heroine is Imogen Rockford – a grand-daughter of the Duke of Wickersham. It`s not her parents who will inherit Rockford and the title, but they are still pretty important. The story starts with 10-year-old Imogen coming to visit her grandfather. All the Rockford family gathers in the Manor in England, but the party is spoiled by the big tragedy: her parents and aunt with uncle die in a fire. There is no one left, except for her, her old grandfather and her cousin Lucia, with whom they were great friends in childhood. After it Imogen moves to her adopted family in NYC and decides to cut the ends with her previous family because it’s too painful to think about them.
Then we meet a 17-year-old Imogen. She’s a typical teenager thinking about graduation and her future. But all her plans collapse when she is informed about the death of the last two members of her family. Now she’s a Duchess and is supposed to move to Rockford Manor. Struggling with her new role, Imogen starts to unravel secrets about her family and herself.
Imogen is not one of those characters that seem to come to life from the pages of the book. She has no personal traits, no hobbies, nothing in particular to say about her personality. More like she was created just to tell the story. The only exception is that she can do magic, which is also not a developed topic in this book. She used it only when it was convenient to the plot, never tried to train herself, wasn’t curious about her abilities. They were based on mythology, but I still don’t understand their extension. (Like, she could control the earth, but since when this kind of power gives you the ability to project a memory on a bush?)
It was told that Imogen moved to NY because she couldn’t bear life in a place where her parents died. Okay, I can understand that. But she totally dismissed her cousin and grandfather, though they were her only remaining family. She never called or wrote to them, even on holidays! I can hardly believe that you can just cut the threads that connect you to people with whom you’ve spent your life in one day.
Still, it took her only a minute to decide to become a new Duchess. A teen who is now close to the royalties. It’s unbelievable how easy it was to set up a new heir. Imogen starts her training, visits such events like polo games and invites all the important people to a ball at her estate. It seemed like her new role came to her naturally, though she never did anything like that before.
Coming back to England, Imogen meets her childhood crush – Sebastian. That’s where all the fun stuff starts. She and Sebastian were besties before her parents died, and the girl was deeply in love with him, never mind that she was only 10-years-old. But Sebastian was with her cousin Lucia, becoming a forbidden fruit. Imogen claims that she never forgot him and didn’t pay much attention to the other guys, though she and Sebastian didn’t talk for seven years and weren’t supposed to meet again. That’s hilarious! Anyway, all those years he was Lucia’s boyfriend, and now that she’s dead, hooooraaaay, the place is available. It annoyed me so much! There was nothing to like him for. I can say nothing about his character, except that he is good at playing polo. This romance was based on nothing, just another insta-love.
Nevertheless, I’ve read this book in one sitting. The main reason I couldn’t turn my eyes away from it was a mystery behind a not-so-accidental death of Imogen`s family. There were so many suspects; I couldn’t wait to find the truth! And I liked the idea of a final twist, though that’s where the major plot holes are. I give the book three stars because, even though there are many cons, I still enjoyed it.
SPOLERS AHEAD!
Moments that made me laugh like hell:
What are your favorite parts? Leave the comment below :)
*This beautiful fan art was made by my dear friend geborn-zu-sterben
"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.
Suspicion is like a paranormal Princess diaries, only it’s also a gothic thriller. Alexandra Monir, the author of Timeless series, creates a spooky mystery surrounding the Rockford family, which, as every rich and powerful family, has a few skeletons in wardrobe. This is also a YA retelling of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, which I haven’t read, so no further comments about it. This book is either love or hate. You can do as I did, which is to ignore all the plot holes and enjoy the story. But it won’t be easy.
Our main heroine is Imogen Rockford – a grand-daughter of the Duke of Wickersham. It`s not her parents who will inherit Rockford and the title, but they are still pretty important. The story starts with 10-year-old Imogen coming to visit her grandfather. All the Rockford family gathers in the Manor in England, but the party is spoiled by the big tragedy: her parents and aunt with uncle die in a fire. There is no one left, except for her, her old grandfather and her cousin Lucia, with whom they were great friends in childhood. After it Imogen moves to her adopted family in NYC and decides to cut the ends with her previous family because it’s too painful to think about them.
Then we meet a 17-year-old Imogen. She’s a typical teenager thinking about graduation and her future. But all her plans collapse when she is informed about the death of the last two members of her family. Now she’s a Duchess and is supposed to move to Rockford Manor. Struggling with her new role, Imogen starts to unravel secrets about her family and herself.
Imogen is not one of those characters that seem to come to life from the pages of the book. She has no personal traits, no hobbies, nothing in particular to say about her personality. More like she was created just to tell the story. The only exception is that she can do magic, which is also not a developed topic in this book. She used it only when it was convenient to the plot, never tried to train herself, wasn’t curious about her abilities. They were based on mythology, but I still don’t understand their extension. (Like, she could control the earth, but since when this kind of power gives you the ability to project a memory on a bush?)
It was told that Imogen moved to NY because she couldn’t bear life in a place where her parents died. Okay, I can understand that. But she totally dismissed her cousin and grandfather, though they were her only remaining family. She never called or wrote to them, even on holidays! I can hardly believe that you can just cut the threads that connect you to people with whom you’ve spent your life in one day.
Still, it took her only a minute to decide to become a new Duchess. A teen who is now close to the royalties. It’s unbelievable how easy it was to set up a new heir. Imogen starts her training, visits such events like polo games and invites all the important people to a ball at her estate. It seemed like her new role came to her naturally, though she never did anything like that before.
Coming back to England, Imogen meets her childhood crush – Sebastian. That’s where all the fun stuff starts. She and Sebastian were besties before her parents died, and the girl was deeply in love with him, never mind that she was only 10-years-old. But Sebastian was with her cousin Lucia, becoming a forbidden fruit. Imogen claims that she never forgot him and didn’t pay much attention to the other guys, though she and Sebastian didn’t talk for seven years and weren’t supposed to meet again. That’s hilarious! Anyway, all those years he was Lucia’s boyfriend, and now that she’s dead, hooooraaaay, the place is available. It annoyed me so much! There was nothing to like him for. I can say nothing about his character, except that he is good at playing polo. This romance was based on nothing, just another insta-love.
Nevertheless, I’ve read this book in one sitting. The main reason I couldn’t turn my eyes away from it was a mystery behind a not-so-accidental death of Imogen`s family. There were so many suspects; I couldn’t wait to find the truth! And I liked the idea of a final twist, though that’s where the major plot holes are. I give the book three stars because, even though there are many cons, I still enjoyed it.
SPOLERS AHEAD!
Moments that made me laugh like hell:
What are your favorite parts? Leave the comment below :)
*This beautiful fan art was made by my dear friend geborn-zu-sterben
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