The Frame-Up by Gwenda Bond
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Dates Read: 1/10/24 - 1/14/24
Dani Poissant, once an accomplice to the world's most famous art thief—her mother—and a skilled forger with a magical touch, faces a dilemma. Ten years after betraying her mother to the FBI, Dani is approached by Archer, her mother's shadowy partner. He requests her help to steal a painting from the private collection of the late billionaire William Hackworth. In exchange, he promises to reconcile her with her mother and reunite her with her former gang. The challenge is immense, with only one week to plan a nearly impossible job. As Dani delves into the mission, she unravels mysteries about Archer's motives and realizes the stakes are higher than she thought.
I read Mr. & Mrs. Witch as an ARC last year, and it was one of my five-star reads of 2023. When I saw The Frame-Up on NetGalley this year, I was so intrigued. I love the cover, I recognized the author from M&MW, and the premise was so interesting. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this.
This is meant to be an art heist, but none of the events are written in a suspenseful way. They just do it, there's no worry about things going wrong aside from Dani literally saying she's worried. I also don't see how Dani is literally known to the world as an art thief, but no one suspects she's going to steal any art. Most, if not all, of the plot points felt unimportant and random.
The worldbuilding and magic system in this book are severely underdeveloped. There are only a few characters with magic, and the abilities don't even seem all that magical. One is good at finding things, one is good with electronics, and one is good at unlocking doors. There honestly isn't much need for magic at all. Dani's ability had the potential to be so cool, but all it boils down to is that she's a skilled painter. There's never any explanation of how their abilities work either; it's just "Rabbit cut the cameras off with her tech skills." or "Elliot thought for a moment and found the item."
The characters didn't draw me in, and they felt completely one dimensional. I don't understand how any of them were truly important. The relationships between everyone also made no sense. I also feel like the romance was totally unnecessary. Elliot and Dani had no chemistry, and had barely spoken before Elliot is acting like a jealous boyfriend. He hasn't seen nor talked to her in 10 years, he didn't really speak the first time he saw her again, and then out of nowhere, he's jealous of Brad. I think everyone's favorite character will ultimately be Sunflower, Dani's dog.
The idea was there, but this was not for me. I kept hoping it would get better, it didn't, and I feel like I'm almost in a slump after finishing it. I would still give the author another try, I loved the other book I read from her, but I'm a little disappointed here.
Nonetheless, thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Frame-Up publishes on February 13, 2024.
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