The East Wing is a modern gothic style novel by Danielle M Wong, and I was looking forward to this one when I read the description. Unfortunately it fell short of the mark for me.
Wren Lee is a young woman living in Boston and dealing with a traumatic experience that she is not able to recall, which has resulted in her having insomnia and bouts of sleep walking. She heads to Virginia after she receives an unexpected call revealing she has inherited a house there after the death of her grandfather, a man she never knew. When she arrives, rather than the relaxing break she was hoping for, she finds a creepy mansion, with an even creepier housekeeper.
I enjoyed the start of the book, although at times I felt like she was a bit whiny and uncooperative, especially when it came to treating her insomnia. She stated that she was desperate for rest, yet she resisted following her doctor’s advice or take the medication he prescribed, even after months of dealing with symptoms.
I found the setting to be perfect for a gothic thriller, unfortunately it felt like the author didn’t take full advantage of it. Instead the story relied heavily on Wren’s flashbacks and dreams, and for some reason they always seemed to happen just when the suspense was starting to build, causing it to fizzle out.
I also found one of the plot lines to be quite predictable. I guessed the twist from the very beginning, and unfortunately the story didn’t get much better for me from there.
The East Wing had so much potential, but it turned out to be just an average read.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Life, Tea, and Everything 