THE GILDED CAGE
Author: Lucinda GraySource: ARC via Raincoast Books
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.
Publication Date: August 2, 2016
Rating: 2/5 stars
Summary:
After growing up on a farm in Virginia, Walthingham Hall in England seems like another world to sixteen-year-old Katherine Randolph. Her new life, filled with the splendor of upper-class England in the 1820s, is shattered when her brother mysteriously drowns. Katherine is expected to observe the mourning customs and get on with her life, but she can't accept that her brother's death was an accident.
A bitter poacher prowls the estate, and strange visitors threaten the occupants of the house. There's a rumor, too, that a wild animal stalks the woods of Walthingham. Can Katherine retain her sanity long enough to find out the truth? Or will her brother's killer claim her life, too?
Purchase:
I'm SO disappointed by this one. There was such hope and promise from the first 50% and it was whittled down to JAMIE BEING REALLY DISAPPOINTED. I anticipated a creative, unique gothic novel with a excellent twist and got... this. We knew the outcome at 60% and STILL HAD SO MUCH BOOK LEFT.
Honestly, I was so disappointed by this one. I thought it would have such a great story and be more of a Gothic novel than anything. And while it did have some elements of that, it also was just very dry and boring. I thought that there was a lot of intrigue and mystery leading up to determining who killed her brother, but I was really disappointed by the conclusion. It seemed like everything came together really easily and it wasn't really that difficult for our MC to solve her problems.
I was also wishy-washy on the romance -- as was Katherine. She seemed to be so in love with one guy and then turns around and loves another. And while I am all for people loving more than one person, it seemed more out of convenience than real attraction between any of the parties involved. I didn't really feel the heat or the chemistry between either John and Catherine or Mr. What's His Face and Catherine. It was more about who does the story need to be the romantic lead at this point to move the plot along.
And the fact that she went into an asylum. What was the point of that? To show that it could happen? Great. Cool. Think of something better next time, thank you very much. I would say unless someone physically hands you a copy of this book and then forces you to read it, don't bother. And really, who would do that.
Ah, so disappointed to hear this! This one looked like it had so much promise, but it seems like where it falls short are common areas that books seem to be struggling with lately. Poorly written romances can really ruin a novel, as well random plot point or events that don't really make sense. Thanks for the review!
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