ARC Review: Landry Park - Bethany Hagen

Title: Landry Park
Author: Bethany Hagen
Pub Date: February 4th, 2014
Publisher: Dial
Page Count: 384

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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My Thoughts

I really loved Madeline. Somehow, I was able to connect with Madeline in a really strange way; strange because I'm not a royal or even wealthy in the least. I was really able to connect with her "I've got ideas, but the world is trying to push me down" life. She wants to be one of those girls who wear converse instead of a dress. I really admired her character throughout the book and how brave she was. She made a life-changing decision to go against everything her gentry-making family has pumped into her since birth. As "upperclass" she really felt for the poor, instead of the other gentry, who didn't give two cents. She gave up pining over a boy to take charge of the actual problems that were going on within the society. And that was something I admired. She wasn't a lovesick girl who was spineless and superficial, despite being raised that way. (Love her!)

Gosh, the concepts in this story were glorious. I love how it zeroed in on the "Rootless" (the homeless treated like scum) in comparison to the "Gentry" (who had more money than God.) It really shows a real society now, even though the book is Dystopian. It's chock-filled with conspiracies and how one person can change the whole rule. I was so proud of how powerful the Rootless were, even though they Gentry blatantly abused them and justified their actions for things that their lineage did, not them, themselves.

I didn't really like David. He wasn't really there for me. He was kind of supporting and Madeline's wings, but aside from that, I felt like his layers weren't shown enough. He was also a major jerk to Madeline for over half of the book without good reason until the very end. I didn't get to know him like I got to know Madeline or even characters like Charlie, Jack and Cara. And for that, I kind of chucked him aside. He was the love interest, but (thank God) David and Madeline weren't "lovey-dovey."

Bethany Hagen's writing was freaking stunning. I don't want to elaborate; it just is.

The only other thing that could've been done better was the conclusion of this book. By the near-ending, I pretty much knew where things were going and how things were changing. It felt rushed and a little confusing for me because the rest of the book has slow development in a really big and effective way. The slow pacing makes for the story to be building until the turning point. So when the ending is faster and choppier (with a very open ending), it felt weird to read.

I felt for this book which affected my review a lot. I felt for Madeline when she was confused about David, scared about going against everything she's ever known and her fierce loyalty for her new-found friends. I found myself thrilled for this book and anticipating everything that this MC was doing and I could never understand what she was going to do next, until it perfectly made sense. It made me really excited to read and it was never a dull moment, despite me actually hating historical fiction. Don't be fooled by that label; this book is a lot more than historical fiction and I hope that if you have a chance to pick it up, you'll see the connection that I made with almost all the characters.

Author Info

Bethany's Goodreads | Twitter | Website |

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.