Wentworth Hall by: Abby Grahame

Wentworth Hall by: Abby Grahame
Publication Date: May 1, 2012
Publisher: Simon and Schuster BFYR
Format: Nook Book
Genre: England, Contemporary, Historical Fiction
Page Count: 276 (Nook Book: 155)
Cover Rating: 7/10
Buy the Book: Amazon, Barnes and Noble

Summary from Goodreads:

The prettiest people often have the ugliest secrets…
Eighteen-year-old Maggie Darlington has turned into an entirely different person. The once spirited teen is now passive and reserved. A change Lord and Lady Darlington can’t help but be grateful for.
It’s 1912, and the Darlingtons of Wentworth Hall have more than just the extensive grounds to maintain. As one of Britain’s most elite families, they need to keep up appearances that things are as they have always been… even as their carefully constructed façade rapidly comes undone.
Maggie has a secret. And she’s not the only one… the handsome groom Michael, the beautiful new French nanny Therese, the Darlingtons’ teenage houseguests Teddy and Jessica, and even Maggie’s younger sister Lila are all hiding something. Passion, betrayal, heartache, and whispered declarations of love take place under the Darlingtons’ massive roof. And one of these secrets has the power to ruin the Darlingtons forever.
When scandalous satires start appearing in the newspaper with details that closely mirror the lives of the Darlingtons, everyone is looking over their shoulder, worrying their scandal will be next. Because at Wentworth Hall, nothing stays secret for long.

Teaser:

“  Peering into the crack of the open door, Nora saw Maggie sink into the ripped leather couch, weeping.
    Nora decided to let Maggie have her moment of grief in private. When she was sure that Teddy was gone, she scampered back down the dark, moonlit hall, to her room.”

My Review:

Whenever I hear about a book set in the Roaring 20’s or early 1900’s, I must read it. That was the main thing that made me read this book. It was also portrayed to be about a family with lots of dark, ugly secrets. I thought, what could be a better combination? It didn’t turn out to be as amazing as I hoped for, but it was still a good read and I’m glad I read it. Any brief trip to the 20’s is great to me!

Wentworth Hall is the title of the book and also the name for an enormous estate owned by the Darlington family. They are old money, but these days things aren’t looking so good for them financially. The book starts off with Maggie Darlington returning from a year long stay in France. With her new maturity and worldliness, her family notices that she has also grown uncharacteristically indifferent towards everyone. She used to be a fierce horsewoman with a no-nonsense attitude. Her sister Lila and some of the house staff grow curious as to what happened in France to change her so.

Lila, the sixteen year old sister of Maggie, is the baby of the family. While she has matured into a young woman, her parents and everyone seem to think she should still be treated like a little girl. Maggie has always had the spotlight with boys and people in general. As much as Lila tries, guys just fall head over heels in love with Maggie and leave Lila by the wayside.

Nora, the ladies maid to Lila and Maggie, is all about gossiping and learning secrets about the Darlington's and whoever else. The book switches perspectives between most of the main characters, which I didn’t particularly enjoy in this book, but it was okay. Terrible satires about the Darlington family are posted in a newspaper and it could be any one of the family or staff. This was a very mysterious element of the story that kept me guessing!

As for the secrets in Wentworth Hall, they weren’t exactly what I expected. I expected them to be darker, or something. But rest assured, they are definitely juicy and scandalous!

I’ve heard this book heavily compared to the popular British television show, Downton Abbey, and while I like the show better, this book is certainly for fans of the show. It focuses a lot on the house staff as the show does and has secrets galore!

Wentworth Hall was a rather short read. I both liked and didn’t like that. Some details could have been better explained but it ended well. It was a fun and quick read for those of you who like that sort of thing.

Official Rating:


Three Un-Birthday Cakes

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Unspoken by: Sarah Rees Brennan

Unspoken by: Sarah Rees Brennan
Publication Date: September 11, 2012
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Format: e-ARC (Thanks Netgalley & Random House!)
Genre: Mystery, England, Romance, Magic
Series: #1 in The Lynburn Legacy
Page Count: 370
Author Website: Sarah Rees Brennan
Buy the Book: Amazon, Barnes and Noble

Summary from Goodreads:

Kami Glass loves someone she’s never met . . . a boy she’s talked to in her head ever since she was born. She wasn’t silent about her imaginary friend during her childhood, and is thus a bit of an outsider in her sleepy English town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Still, Kami hasn’t suffered too much from not fitting in. She has a best friend, runs the school newspaper, and is only occasionally caught talking to herself. Her life is in order, just the way she likes it, despite the voice in her head.
But all that changes when the Lynburns return.
The Lynburn family has owned the spectacular and sinister manor that overlooks Sorry-in-the-Vale for centuries. The mysterious twin sisters who abandoned their ancestral home a generation ago are back, along with their teenage sons, Jared and Ash, one of whom is eerily familiar to Kami. Kami is not one to shy away from the unknown—in fact, she’s determined to find answers for all the questions Sorry-in-the-Vale is suddenly posing. Who is responsible for the bloody deeds in the depths of the woods? What is her own mother hiding? And now that her imaginary friend has become a real boy, does she still love him? Does she hate him? Can she trust him?

My Review:

I haven't read Sarah's Demons Lexicon Trilogy, but I might now! She writes with such wit and humor and realness. Unspoken was the best of mystery, secrets, and England, that I've seen in YA in a long time!

Unspoken hooked me from the first pages. Kami Glass has always wanted to be a reporter, revealing the juiciest stories and much as she's tried, there is nothing special to be found about her town of Sorry-in-the-Vale. Or so she thinks. Just as school begins and Kami starts the school newspaper, the town's mysterious founding family, the Lynburns, return to town. All of the townspeople are wary around them. Naturally, this sparks Kami's curiosity, especially when she meets Ash Lynburn, the new boy at school.

Ever since Kami can remember, there has been a voice in her head of a boy named Jared. She was never alone with his presence in her mind, a constant comfort, even though she knew he wasn't real. Ash Lynburn has a brother named Jared. Coincidence? I think not. When Kami discovers that the voice in her head belongs to a very real person, she is overwhelmed with an onslaught of emotions; she doesn't know how to feel about it. Neither does Jared.

Soon after the Lynburns return, strange things start happening in Sorry-in-the-Vale. Everyone, including Kami's friends and parents, are telling her to stay away from Ash and Jared, that they are bad news, without explaining why. Her curiosity peaked, Kami begins spending more time with the boys and delving into the towns uncovered secrets, all the while stepping into a world that there will be no turning back from.

Kami's friend Angela, is one of my favorite "best friend" characters. She is brutally honest all the time and never holds back how she feels about anything. Now, I've seen these traits in characters before and it has been portrayed badly, but Sarah perfected Angela, I think.

There is definitely a love triangle in Unspoken, for those of you who don't like those. Personally, I usually like them and this one especially! There is so much complexity to Jared and Kami's relationship that she doesn't really know how to deal, but she knows that whatever she feels for him, it is strong. Ash is always right there for Kami, she doesn't have to worry about his voice inside her head and he is just there, without the issues she has with Jared. I cannot wait to see how this plays out in the next book!

There is a massive cliffhanger at the end of this book, so prepare yourself! Its all quite worth it, though. I absolutely recommend this!

Other books by Sarah Rees Brennan: