Landry Park: In Geek-Gown Heaven

I am so excited about the release of Landry Park this week! For two reasons.

1. I love, love, love 19th century English literature, as in all things Austen and Brontë.
2. Radiation.

That's right.

Bethany Hagen wove two things together — the formal, unforgiving structure of the society from years gone past, along with the glowing blue light of radiation that marked the transformation of a chaotic country into one filled with order and an unbreachable class system.

I've been fascinated and entranced by life in the 1900s. How making a match in upper class families was a careful dance of rank and money. How they dressed! And how women would find their strength within a society that kept them confined and often powerless.

Mixing that with a futuristic sci-fi thriller is a corseted dream come true. Now...onto the radiation!

The Cherenkov Lantern is mentioned throughout Hagen's book, and I won't spoil much except to say that Cherenkov radiation is a real thing. See the pretty blue on Landry Park's cover? It's the same blue that glows from real Cherenkov radiation:

Blue light from the radioactive core of a nuclear reactor.
Source: Wikipedia

So pretty! And so...radioactive. It's a very key piece to the evolution of this story and Madeline's struggle within it.

If you'd like to read a book that ties together the fascinating bindings of a class society, along with intrigue, a solid dystopian world, romance, and a smart heroine struggling with her own duties to her family, you are going to adore this book. I did!

About LANDRY PARK:

Sixteen-year-old Madeline Landry is practically Gentry royalty. Her ancestor developed the nuclear energy that has replaced electricity, and her parents exemplify the glamour of the upper class. As for Madeline, she would much rather read a book than attend yet another debutante ball. But when she learns about the devastating impact the Gentry lifestyle—her lifestyle—is having on those less fortunate, her whole world is turned upside down.  As Madeline begins to question everything she has been told, she finds herself increasingly drawn to handsome, beguiling David Dana, who seems to be hiding secrets of his own. Soon, rumors of war and rebellion start to spread, and Madeline finds herself at the center of it all. Ultimately, she must make a choice between duty—her family and the estate she loves dearly—and desire.

Fans of Ally Condie, Kiera Cass, Veronica Roth, and even Jane Austen will be enthralled by this breathtaking read.

Buy now at:

Amazon - IndieBound - Barnes & Noble - Books-A-Million - Book Depository