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virtualvalli's review
3.0
Like the first book(Landry Park), Jubilee Manor was a good book, but not one of my favorites. I felt that the sequal had that same problem that the first book had: The parts that were supposed to be surprising didn't do that for me. Like, when I figured out , did I see that coming? No, I did not. But did I gasp and think, "wait, what? . No. It didn't have that 'wow' factor that makes me love a book. I did enjoy the story, and I would recommend it to other readers, but this isn't a book that will be with my favorites.
Spoiler
that the killer was Madeline's cousin StuartSpoiler
He's the killer?"nataliesboooks's review
2.0
I thought if I read the sequel it would boost my rating but that wasn't the case. Was it the worst book I've ever read? Definitely not. Was it the best book ever? Nope.
I didn't mind the main character (Madeline) but I absolutely HATED her boyfriend. He seemed so wishy washy. One minute he liked Madeline, the next he was mad at her, and the next, he was all over her. All in the space of three minutes. Literally. She was constantly wondering how he felt about her. She was always fawning all over him too which I didn't really understand because he was so all over the place. I don't know how many times his "eyes as blue as the Chernkov lanterns" were referenced. Since his personality was so all over the place, I can only assume she was attracted to his looks.
My second least favorite character was Jack. God he annoyed me. He was so hypocritical.
For a book called Jubilee Manor, it was only the last 5 pages that mentioned that place at all. It was odd for it to be named after something so small. The whole book I kept wondering where/what it was.
The other thing I didn't understand was why everyone kept referring to the lower class of people as the Rootless. If people like decide and Jack and Madeline wanted to be so progressive, wouldn't they refer to them as something less demeaning? That would have been a good way of differentiating the sympathizers from the non-sympathizers.
For a book that had a backdrop of a serial killer on a murderous spree of privileged young adults, it was oddly slow moving.
Anyway, this series was okay. Good but not great.
I didn't mind the main character (Madeline) but I absolutely HATED her boyfriend. He seemed so wishy washy. One minute he liked Madeline, the next he was mad at her, and the next, he was all over her. All in the space of three minutes. Literally. She was constantly wondering how he felt about her. She was always fawning all over him too which I didn't really understand because he was so all over the place. I don't know how many times his "eyes as blue as the Chernkov lanterns" were referenced. Since his personality was so all over the place, I can only assume she was attracted to his looks.
My second least favorite character was Jack. God he annoyed me. He was so hypocritical.
For a book called Jubilee Manor, it was only the last 5 pages that mentioned that place at all. It was odd for it to be named after something so small. The whole book I kept wondering where/what it was.
The other thing I didn't understand was why everyone kept referring to the lower class of people as the Rootless. If people like decide and Jack and Madeline wanted to be so progressive, wouldn't they refer to them as something less demeaning? That would have been a good way of differentiating the sympathizers from the non-sympathizers.
For a book that had a backdrop of a serial killer on a murderous spree of privileged young adults, it was oddly slow moving.
Anyway, this series was okay. Good but not great.
bookishzelda's review
Jubilee Manor picks up right after Landry Park. We are seeing a shift in politics that trickles down to everyone quality of life and state of being. I like how we are now in the reconstruction mode and the struggles that come along with that. We also have a bit of a mystery going on as the gentry heirs are suddenly being knocked off. Madeline powers through and shows us what it really means to be a Landry.
The thing I found most interesting about Landry Park and Jubilee Manor is their take on the typical dystopian novel. Normally we would be reading in the perspective of the oppressed rather than the oppressor. Landry Park was about the Rootless finding their freedom but we saw through the eyes of someone in the gentry. I thought that was an interesting take. Also in Jubilee Manor where other dystopias often end, with and we are free and are going to start rebuilding. Jubilee Manor actually takes on the struggle of rebuilding after gaining your freedom. It takes us past that ending you often see. I think the blurb on the first book mentions Gone With the Wind and you can definitely see some of that spirit injected here as well as history of the Civil War and the Reconstruction era that happened after. Empire is kind of like the carpetbaggers. Of course I say spirit because this is it’s own story.
I really liked what we see in Jubilee Manor as far as reconstruction. Madeline trying to navigate politics with her Uncle Jack but also the the strong family theme that is represented. We see Madeline find common ground with her father. Welcome new family members and even find that Landry Park is a part of her, no matter where she goes. The murder mystery was interesting. I always like a good mystery and I thought there were plenty of viable suspects. It could be anyone which made the reveal great. Sometimes they were take one step forward and two steps back. Of course there is also Madeline and David’s relationship with it’s ups and downs. Personally I was like eh you don’t need him.
I’m not going to lie. I was kind of iffy about David at the end of Landry Park. I just felt like he was kind of a putz and not really reliable. I know that’s not nice but I was almost rooting for Jude, even though I was kind of iffy on him too. So the romance for me in Jubilee Manor was more of a side thing and I think that is how it is portrayed. Madeline is such a strong character with so much going on, I can’t imagine her spending time gushing about her love interest, which she doesn’t. There are definitely cute romantic parts too though. So don’t worry they are in there, for me it wasn’t the focus and I wasn’t worried about it.
I loved Madeline. She is such a great character because she doesn’t make decisions idly but she is also not always right. She is a young girl but she has been raised to be a leader and when push comes to shove. She really takes on the role. I think she finds she is stronger than she even realized she is. She wants to help the rootless but she also has to make her own adjustment to how life is changing. She has lived one way for almost eighteen years, she also needs to change gears. She always tries to be empathetic and compassionate.
I really liked the book and it takes a great combination of dystopia and history, fusing them together. I can’t say which book I liked more but reading them together really makes for a seamless story and since they are both out you can do just that.
The thing I found most interesting about Landry Park and Jubilee Manor is their take on the typical dystopian novel. Normally we would be reading in the perspective of the oppressed rather than the oppressor. Landry Park was about the Rootless finding their freedom but we saw through the eyes of someone in the gentry. I thought that was an interesting take. Also in Jubilee Manor where other dystopias often end, with and we are free and are going to start rebuilding. Jubilee Manor actually takes on the struggle of rebuilding after gaining your freedom. It takes us past that ending you often see. I think the blurb on the first book mentions Gone With the Wind and you can definitely see some of that spirit injected here as well as history of the Civil War and the Reconstruction era that happened after. Empire is kind of like the carpetbaggers. Of course I say spirit because this is it’s own story.
I really liked what we see in Jubilee Manor as far as reconstruction. Madeline trying to navigate politics with her Uncle Jack but also the the strong family theme that is represented. We see Madeline find common ground with her father. Welcome new family members and even find that Landry Park is a part of her, no matter where she goes. The murder mystery was interesting. I always like a good mystery and I thought there were plenty of viable suspects. It could be anyone which made the reveal great. Sometimes they were take one step forward and two steps back. Of course there is also Madeline and David’s relationship with it’s ups and downs. Personally I was like eh you don’t need him.
I’m not going to lie. I was kind of iffy about David at the end of Landry Park. I just felt like he was kind of a putz and not really reliable. I know that’s not nice but I was almost rooting for Jude, even though I was kind of iffy on him too. So the romance for me in Jubilee Manor was more of a side thing and I think that is how it is portrayed. Madeline is such a strong character with so much going on, I can’t imagine her spending time gushing about her love interest, which she doesn’t. There are definitely cute romantic parts too though. So don’t worry they are in there, for me it wasn’t the focus and I wasn’t worried about it.
I loved Madeline. She is such a great character because she doesn’t make decisions idly but she is also not always right. She is a young girl but she has been raised to be a leader and when push comes to shove. She really takes on the role. I think she finds she is stronger than she even realized she is. She wants to help the rootless but she also has to make her own adjustment to how life is changing. She has lived one way for almost eighteen years, she also needs to change gears. She always tries to be empathetic and compassionate.
I really liked the book and it takes a great combination of dystopia and history, fusing them together. I can’t say which book I liked more but reading them together really makes for a seamless story and since they are both out you can do just that.
tesserjac's review
4.0
I went into this with pretty low expectations, but I actually really enjoyed it. It was an easy read, and I felt like the writing flowed much better for me in this book compared to Landry Park.
reader_fictions's review
3.0
In Landry Park, Madeline was confronted with her own privilege. She realized how horrible and unfair the current governmental system was, but that didn’t magically resolve the political situation. People in power don’t want to relinquish that power, nor do the Rootless want to allow their station to remain as it was now that Madeline has outed the truth. In Jubilee Manor, the question is whether Madeline cares enough to risk her own status and comfortable life. Jubilee Manor is a follow-up that will please fans of Landry Park.
One thing I actually appreciate about Jubilee Park a lot is that Madeline does really struggle with her choices. She wants to help the Rootless, but she doesn’t want to give up Landry Park. It’s her home and means so much to her. When a gentry girl is murdered, Madeline suspects a Rootless man named Smith, and David accuses her of being just like everyone else. Still, Smith is suspicious, and she’s sure he’s been up to something. I don’t think it would have been remotely realistic for Madeline to get rid of the prejudices she grew up with so easily. She helps a lot, but she has to remind herself sometimes to fight against her natural responses.
I also very much appreciate how much of a power player Madeline is. That may be a bit unbelievable given her youth and the fact that she had not yet inherited her estate, but you guys know how much I love getting to see women in positions of power. After the events of Landry Park, she’s come to be respected, both by the Gentry and the Rootless, making her a very important political player. David has to look to her now. Even her father has to rely on her, having lost his credibility. His change did come a too quickly, but it was still nice to see.
The plot resolved rather neatly. There was a lot of stuff going on, like the murder mystery and oh you know the need to completely revamp a political system and the potential invasion by a much stronger nation. NBD. Hagen dealt with everything; no threads were dropped. I just wish that, some dead Gentry folks aside, that there had been more pain along the way and that everything hadn’t been resolved so perfectly. Real life and politics never tie into a bow like that.
Unsurprisingly, I do still struggle with the romance. David Dana has just never done it for me, and he and Madeline instaloved all over one another. I don’t totally hate them, but I just don’t care about their romance. That said, the resolution of the romantic plot was most excellent.I’m very glad that Madeline decided to put marriage on hold while she finally gets to go to university. Hopefully she’ll meet someone better there. *cough* headcanon *cough* It’s nice to see her putting herself first and not following the antiquated marriage traditions. Another thing I’ve appreciated about this series is that the Gentry actually seem pretty relaxed about sex, one of the key differences between the society and the novel and the historical ideals it was based on.
Fans of Landry Park will be satisfied with the series conclusion, Landry Park.
One thing I actually appreciate about Jubilee Park a lot is that Madeline does really struggle with her choices. She wants to help the Rootless, but she doesn’t want to give up Landry Park. It’s her home and means so much to her. When a gentry girl is murdered, Madeline suspects a Rootless man named Smith, and David accuses her of being just like everyone else. Still, Smith is suspicious, and she’s sure he’s been up to something. I don’t think it would have been remotely realistic for Madeline to get rid of the prejudices she grew up with so easily. She helps a lot, but she has to remind herself sometimes to fight against her natural responses.
I also very much appreciate how much of a power player Madeline is. That may be a bit unbelievable given her youth and the fact that she had not yet inherited her estate, but you guys know how much I love getting to see women in positions of power. After the events of Landry Park, she’s come to be respected, both by the Gentry and the Rootless, making her a very important political player. David has to look to her now. Even her father has to rely on her, having lost his credibility. His change did come a too quickly, but it was still nice to see.
The plot resolved rather neatly. There was a lot of stuff going on, like the murder mystery and oh you know the need to completely revamp a political system and the potential invasion by a much stronger nation. NBD. Hagen dealt with everything; no threads were dropped. I just wish that, some dead Gentry folks aside, that there had been more pain along the way and that everything hadn’t been resolved so perfectly. Real life and politics never tie into a bow like that.
Unsurprisingly, I do still struggle with the romance. David Dana has just never done it for me, and he and Madeline instaloved all over one another. I don’t totally hate them, but I just don’t care about their romance. That said, the resolution of the romantic plot was most excellent.
Fans of Landry Park will be satisfied with the series conclusion, Landry Park.
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