Review: Landry Park by Bethany Hagen

Landry Park (#1) by Bethany Hagen (2013)

384 pages

Genre: Young Adult/Dystopian

Publisher: Dial

Source: Ireceivedthis one for my birthday last year.

Purchase:Barnes and Noble|The Book Depository|Amazon

Goodreads Summary: Downton Abbey meets The Selection in this dystopian tale of love and betrayal.

In a fragmented future where the United States is ruled by the lavish gentry, seventeen-year-old Madeline Landry dreams of going to the university. Unfortunately, gentry decorum and her domineering father won't allow that. Madeline must marry, like a good Landry woman, and run the family estate. But her world is turned upside down when she discovers the devastating consequences her lifestyle is having on those less fortunate. As Madeline begins to question everything she has ever learned, she finds herself increasingly drawn to handsome, beguiling David Dana. Soon, rumors of war and rebellion start to spread, and Madeline finds herself and David at the center of it all. Ultimately, she must make a choice between duty - her family and the estate she loves dearly - and desire.

MY REVIEW

I have the worst time writing three star reviews. I think it is because I don't feel strongly about the book one way or another, in this instance I just thought Landry Park was pretty good.

I can see why the blurb said this is a good book for Downton Abbey fans, but only in the sense that basic things are the same, such as there being a huge class issue (although we don't get to interact much between both sides), everything seeming to be about money, and that there is a house that is precious to our main character. Yet I still really didn't get any Downton vibes while reading, and if I am being honest this was one of the main reasons I picked up Landry Park to begin with.

Now I'll shine a little light on our somewhat forgettable main characters. Madeline is smart, yet spoiled.She is hard to connect with, but she is a decent MC. David tries to be the kind of bad boy that you are supposed to want but can't have, and yet he doesn't quite pull it off for me. I did however care about the people the gentry were treating so poorly.

Although Landry Park started out with an interesting mystery, it rarely managed to hold my attention on a constant basis while reading. I tended to run out of interest here and there and although Landry Park usually pulled me back into the story, I was sad that it wasn't as interesting as I thought it would be. On the other hand, the ending was a flurry of crazy and kind of messed up stuff, so I am interested to see what is going to happen next. Sign me up to read book two.

Landry Park isn't a bad book. It just wasn't exactly what I was hoping for. I could have used a little more action and some stronger characters that I could connect with.