Review: Landry Park (Bethany Hagen)

Hardcover, 374 pages
Expected publication: February 4th 2014 by Dial

ARC Provided by Publisher for Honest Review

Downton Abbey meets The Selection in this dystopian tale of love and betrayal....
In a fragmented future United States 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. 

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I'm a born and bred Kansas Citian, meaning I can tolerate jazz for brief amounts of time and I'm offended by dry rub barbecue. I grew up reading Charlotte Bronte, Jane Austen, and all things King Arthur. When I’m not working at the library or running around with the kids and the husband, I’m writing or thinking about writing.

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The first thing that caught my attention with this book was the first sentence of the synopsis:

"Downton Abbey meets The Selection in this dystopian tale of love and betrayal...."

I am completely and utterly obsessed with all things Downton Abbey so when I saw this book I knew I had to read it. This was a beautifully written debut novel that captures the time and essence of the time period that it is based on and yet places the story in the future as is with all dystopian novels.

I also absolutely loved the cover of this novel. It was a beautiful cover that displayed the estate, Landry Park, with the gorgeous Madeline Landry standing in front of the estate in a breathtaking purple gown and her long red hair blowing in the wind. 

The main character, Madeline Landry, is a young girl who is being brought up in this society and knows that her future is to marry and run her family estate. Landry Park is one of the older estates that has been in the Landry family for generations and Madeline is to continue to pass on the family inheritance. 

As Madeline begins to indulge herself in the gentry world she discovers many secrets that she never knew existed. She finds herself searching for answers and wanting to know all the secrets that her family has been hiding from her all these years. 

"And then suddenly I was in a bed, in a long nightgown, burning with fever. Father stood over me with a syringe, tsk-ing at my groans, and pushing the gleaming needle into my arm. "We have all been through it, little Madeline," he whispered as fire filled my veins. "Every Landry before you."

Madeline attends a gentry party and meets the mysteriously handsome David Dana. She finds herself drawn to this young man and she feels as though he knows more about what is going on than he is letting on. This leads her to follow David Dana and what she uncovers changes her world dramatically. 

This novel is full of twists and surprises that I never saw coming. It is full of mystery and intrigue and I loved how Bethany Hagen intertwined the past with the future to make this novel so interesting. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery with some romance mixed in. It was a very enjoyable read and I look forward to the sequel to see where David and Madeline's choices have brought them....

 

I want to say a huge THANK YOU to Dial Publishing for sending me an ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.