I agree with you completely. I had issues with it partly because it dragged for me in the beginning and I think my age may sometimes hinder my level of enjoyment with some ya books. The main character, I think, was too green for my liking.

Manor of Secrets looks good. Is it a stand alone by any chance?

I believe it is. I don't have this confirmed. I've read many books and then discovered the author decided to make it a trilogy. It was a good read. However, I to only gave it a 3 rating due to the overly used "discovery" in Ya historical fiction/romance books