Read and Reviewed

DISCLAIMER: This book is a retelling of Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, which I have never read. As such, this review will contain only my thoughts on Thorn Abbey itself, and no comparisons to the original work will be made.

It has now been several days since I finished Thorn Abbey, and I still am not completely sure what I thought about it. There were certainly aspects of this story that I liked, and others that I did not. Having never read Rebecca (and really knowing next to nothing about the book), I had no expectations regarding the plot or characters, and likewise didn't know anything about any aspect of the story. In some ways I feel this was a good thing, as I wasn't making constant comparisons, but on the other hand, it would be nice to know how well she stayed faithful to the original story. I suppose I shall just have to stalk the reviews of folks who have read Rebecca, or - even better - just break down and read it myself.

What struck me immediately about Thorn Abbey was the amazingly gothic and dark atmosphere. It's set at a contemporary boarding school (I initially thought this was a historical tale) somewhere in New England, but the weather, the buildings, the classes, everything just oozed mystery. The descriptions of the setting were one of my favorite parts of the story. Ms. Ohlin has a great talent for setting the mood. I also found the mystery itself to be first rate, and written in a way that was extremely compelling and engrossing, so much so that I pretty much finished this in one sitting. The book is infinitely readable, and definitely has an "it" factor when it comes to keeping the reader engaged.

But then there's Tess, our main character. Unfortunately, much of what I didn't like lies with her and her alone. I found Tess to be surprisingly stalker-like when it comes to Max, our main male character. She falls for him much too quickly and pretty much becomes consumed with thoughts of him. I found her obsession creepy and weird, and honestly didn't like reading her inner monologues. Because of this, I had an extremely hard time connecting with her. I honestly didn't care about her feelings and emotions at all. I likewise didn't connect with Max. I just don't feel like there was enough development to either of their personalities to really pull the reader in and make them care about what the characters are going through. For me, the mystery and atmosphere were what kept me reading because I just wanted to know how things would turn out. I can't say I cared what that final climax meant for the characters themselves.

Ultimately, Thorn Abbey was a bit of a disappointment. Did I like it? Yes. Could it have been better? Definitely. Would I still recommend it? I would, simply for the mystery and atmosphere, which were seriously first-rate. Of course, that could just be because I haven't read Rebecca, so your mileage may vary.

An e-galley was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

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