Book Review: ‘Suspicion’ by Alexandra Monir

Imogen is a young lady who loves her summer family getaways to her hometown in England to visit her cousin, the Duchess Lucia. Her love for England surpasses the weird feeling she has stirring in her gut and animating out of her hands into the grounds of Rockford this summer. Imogen is aware of the myth of Duchess Beatrice, who was able to recreate the dead land through the touch of her hands, but everybody knows that is just another family fairy tale. Imogen tries to put the weird occurrences behind her, but a few people aren’t as easily misdirected. All Imogen wants to do is try to enjoy acres upon acres of beautiful gardens and a incredible ever-magical Maze that she isn’t allowed to venture into yet because of the dangers that lay within – or so the myth proclaims. Unfortunately, on one of the summer nights Imogen’s life takes a drastic turn when the beloved Maze, which her family spends most of their summer nights in, goes up in flames, and her parents are left sharing memories in its demise.

As the unaffected sun rises in Imogen’s dark world, she decides that she needs to run and go back to New York where she feels safe. Fortunately for her, her parents appointed their best friends in New York as official guardians. She decides to leave Duchess Lucia and her grandfather behind to travel back to her life in New York. Years pass by, and instead of keeping her relationship with Lucia and her grandfather alive, she turns to her new family to overcome her tragedy. Imogen uses the distance to hide behind the shadows of her fear. She doesn’t return to Rockford, she doesn’t keep in contact with Lucia or her grandfather, and she isn’t given the choice to do so until it is too late.

Before Imogen turns 18 she is left with another burden on her young shoulders: the responsibility of being Duchess Imogen of Rockford. Her cousin Lucia and grandfather both died, and if she doesn’t return to England their home will be lost. The guilt that started to live inside Imogen finally breaks through her fear of returning to England, and she decides that she must take her rightful place as Duchess once and for all. As her guardians try to talk her out of the trip because they believe that Rockford is a dangerous place, Imogen is left unconvinced.

When Imogen returns to England, the unusual powers that lay between her fingertips all those summers ago re-appear and help her uncover the myths and secrets behind Rockford. These revelations will save her, offer her acceptance, and provide life back into the Maze of beautiful destruction.