The Legacy by Katherine Webb

Title/Author: The Legacy by Katherine Webb
Publisher/Date published: HarperCollins, September 1st 2011
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads summary: "When they were children, Erica Calcott and her sister, Beth, spent their summer holidays at Storton Manor. Now, following the death of their grandmother, they have returned to the grand, imposing house in Wiltshire, England. Unable to stem the tide of childhood memories that arise as she sorts through her grandmother’s belongings, Erica thinks back to the summer her cousin Henry vanished mysteriously from the estate, an event that tore their family to pieces. It is time, she believes, to lay the past to rest, bring her sister some peace, and finally solve the mystery of her cousin’s disappearance.
But sifting through remnants of a bygone time is bringing a secret family history to light—one that stretches back over a century, to a beautiful society heiress in Oklahoma, a haunting, savage land across the ocean. And as past and present converge, Erica and Beth must come to terms with two shocking acts of betrayal... and the heartbreaking legacy they left behind."

I have to be honest, it took me a lot of pages to get into this book. I told myself I'd read at least 75 and if I didn't like it then, I'd pull a DNF. When I got to 75, I didn't necessarily like it, but I felt I didn't want to put it down to never be picked up again. So I decided to keep on reading and slowly, but steadily, the sotry grew on me and I ended up enjoying it.

The main reason I had troubles with this one is that I couldn't relate to the main characters. More specifically: I couldn't relate to Erica, who is the main character in the present day setting. I could more easily like Caroline somehow. I don't know if the switching POV was partly to blame for this, but somehow I never fully connected to either of them.

And seriously, mental illness seems to run in the family! That's all I'm gonna say on that account.

The romance left me going WTF?! Seriously, I'd be so ANGRY! Especially at what he did near the end. Gah! And Erica's like, oh, that's cool. No it's not cool!
And seriously, they were all pretty ready to do what was convenient instead of doing what is right. If you have read this, you know I'm talking about what happened to Henry. Seriously!

BUT: I did like the story and the whole intrigue of it was more complicated than I had thought at first. Though I did figure most of it out before it got revealed. I definitely had some major issues with the story, mostly that I felt disconnected, but there was just something about it that kept me reading..

My rating: 2,5 stars