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A review by the_cover_contessa
Suspicion by Alexandra Monir
2.0
I want to thank Delacorte Press for providing me with a copy of this book to read and give an honest review. Receiving this book for free has in no way altered my opinion or review.
I had great hopes for this book. First I off, I had complete cover lust. I mean look at it. It's just so pretty. And I knew there was going to have to be symbolism in it. There just had to be. So that pulled me in. And then the premise reeled me in. Paranormal element, check. Takes place in England, check. Hot boy, check. And then I found out it was a retelling. And while I never read the book it's based on, I was hopeful it would play out well.
Imogen has lived the last seven years in America trying to keep herself out of any spotlight. Ever since her parents died, her guardians have made sure she has been taken care of, and that includes not having contact with her relatives in England. But her pull for Rockford Manor, the place she spent summers as a child with her cousin and best guy friend. When tragedy strikes, Imogen returns to her roots to take her place in the royal family.
My issues with Imogen started while she was still in New York. She snuck around behind her guardians' backs to find out information that was being kept from her. While I understand her curiosity, I don't agree with how she went about it. I don't think a teen would do what she did. I also felt no real connection to her. I could not sympathize with her. And I didn't feel her connection or respect for her guardians. I did see how she was very loyal and protective of her "sister." My next issue was with her love for Sebastian. I just didn't get it. She's been in love with her since she's ten, really? And even though she's been apart from him for seven years, she still feels the same, immediately upon seeing him, even though she doesn't know him? I just didn't buy it.
Sebastian was a nice enough character, but I will say I cannot picture him in my mind at all. I have no idea what he looks like. And he made me mad the way he treated Imogen and then turned around and confessed himself to her like it was there all along. I didn't feel that tension or pull that he had toward her. It just didn't feel real.
I liked Lucia's character. I liked the twist. But I wasn't convinced that they could pull it off, no matter how much Rebecca and Lucia looked alike. Given the fact that she and Imogen were so close I would have thought Imogen would have figured things out sooner than she did. Or at least have been suspicious of it.
The writing was really good. I think Monir did a great job of world building. I really liked the imagery she presented when describing NYC. Being a native there, I could really picture it in my mind. I would have liked more about the property in Rockford, though. And I didn't feel like the Maze was a necessary part of things. I mean, it had it's secrets, but I feel like it could have been the house itself, which would have really make more sense to me. But once I learned about the maze, I did understand the cover of the book.
I liked the idea of the paranormal element, but I felt like it was lacking in it's building. I knew something was off, as we kind of get a glimpse of it at the beginning of the book. But I don't really see how it fits in the story completely. Why was it important to it overall? It didn't seem to lend anything to the plot and it didn't seem to really help the main character solve the mystery.
From what I can see this is a stand alone. It started out with a big bang and pulled me in, but it didn't really follow through. And the ending certainly wrapped it up that way which is nice as I am not sure I would continue to read if it were a series. 2.5 stars.
I had great hopes for this book. First I off, I had complete cover lust. I mean look at it. It's just so pretty. And I knew there was going to have to be symbolism in it. There just had to be. So that pulled me in. And then the premise reeled me in. Paranormal element, check. Takes place in England, check. Hot boy, check. And then I found out it was a retelling. And while I never read the book it's based on, I was hopeful it would play out well.
Imogen has lived the last seven years in America trying to keep herself out of any spotlight. Ever since her parents died, her guardians have made sure she has been taken care of, and that includes not having contact with her relatives in England. But her pull for Rockford Manor, the place she spent summers as a child with her cousin and best guy friend. When tragedy strikes, Imogen returns to her roots to take her place in the royal family.
My issues with Imogen started while she was still in New York. She snuck around behind her guardians' backs to find out information that was being kept from her. While I understand her curiosity, I don't agree with how she went about it. I don't think a teen would do what she did. I also felt no real connection to her. I could not sympathize with her. And I didn't feel her connection or respect for her guardians. I did see how she was very loyal and protective of her "sister." My next issue was with her love for Sebastian. I just didn't get it. She's been in love with her since she's ten, really? And even though she's been apart from him for seven years, she still feels the same, immediately upon seeing him, even though she doesn't know him? I just didn't buy it.
Sebastian was a nice enough character, but I will say I cannot picture him in my mind at all. I have no idea what he looks like. And he made me mad the way he treated Imogen and then turned around and confessed himself to her like it was there all along. I didn't feel that tension or pull that he had toward her. It just didn't feel real.
I liked Lucia's character. I liked the twist. But I wasn't convinced that they could pull it off, no matter how much Rebecca and Lucia looked alike. Given the fact that she and Imogen were so close I would have thought Imogen would have figured things out sooner than she did. Or at least have been suspicious of it.
The writing was really good. I think Monir did a great job of world building. I really liked the imagery she presented when describing NYC. Being a native there, I could really picture it in my mind. I would have liked more about the property in Rockford, though. And I didn't feel like the Maze was a necessary part of things. I mean, it had it's secrets, but I feel like it could have been the house itself, which would have really make more sense to me. But once I learned about the maze, I did understand the cover of the book.
I liked the idea of the paranormal element, but I felt like it was lacking in it's building. I knew something was off, as we kind of get a glimpse of it at the beginning of the book. But I don't really see how it fits in the story completely. Why was it important to it overall? It didn't seem to lend anything to the plot and it didn't seem to really help the main character solve the mystery.
From what I can see this is a stand alone. It started out with a big bang and pulled me in, but it didn't really follow through. And the ending certainly wrapped it up that way which is nice as I am not sure I would continue to read if it were a series. 2.5 stars.