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brendalovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
This series is just entertaining and fun to me. There's nothing extraordinary here, it's just easy reading. I don't have to think to hard about what I'm reading, there's no slow spots or times when I get bored. It's great for when you just want a quick, fun read.
heroineinabook's review against another edition
4.0
The second in the Jane Fairfax series, the premise is this: Jane Fairfax (nee Austen) is a vampire living in a small New York state village where she runs a book shop. Turned by Brian (nee Lord Byron), who also lives in the same small village, they battle against Our Gloomy Friend (nee Charlotte Bronte).
In this episode, Jane's mortal fiancee's, Walter, mother is coming to town and she turns out to be a vampire hunter. On top of this, a movie is being made out of Jane's books and there is a local Austen vs Bronte festival also happening. Comedic clashes ensues.
I know the premise sounds a bit, well, daft but Ford handles the books with aplomb, well written, and believable. He seems a bit weak in the first person woman area and how to make her believable, such as leaving much of the description of her persona (clothes, hair, etc). One could argue this is to allow the reader to project themselves on to Jane, but it also could be for laziness on the author.
Nevertheless, the book series is fun and fast read. There is no indepth existential moments here, but that's not what the book is designed for. Lastly, this book sets up book 3, [b: Jane Vows Vengeance|12058660|Jane Vows Vengeance (Jane Fairfax, #3)|Michael Thomas Ford|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333577647s/12058660.jpg|16993057].
In this episode, Jane's mortal fiancee's, Walter, mother is coming to town and she turns out to be a vampire hunter. On top of this, a movie is being made out of Jane's books and there is a local Austen vs Bronte festival also happening. Comedic clashes ensues.
I know the premise sounds a bit, well, daft but Ford handles the books with aplomb, well written, and believable. He seems a bit weak in the first person woman area and how to make her believable, such as leaving much of the description of her persona (clothes, hair, etc). One could argue this is to allow the reader to project themselves on to Jane, but it also could be for laziness on the author.
Nevertheless, the book series is fun and fast read. There is no indepth existential moments here, but that's not what the book is designed for. Lastly, this book sets up book 3, [b: Jane Vows Vengeance|12058660|Jane Vows Vengeance (Jane Fairfax, #3)|Michael Thomas Ford|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333577647s/12058660.jpg|16993057].
lifeand100books's review against another edition
4.0
Michael Thomas Ford, where have you been throughout my entire life when I needed a good laugh?! Jane Goes Batty the second in the “Jane Bites” series which pegs Jane Austen as a vampire. Turned by Lord Byron over 100 years ago, Austen, now Jane Fairfax, runs a small bookstore in upstate New York. At the end of the first novel, Jane Bites Back, we see Jane finally achieving one of her dreams: having her manuscript Constance published as well as her love life blossoming with boyfriend Walter. All seemed well when we left Jane, but boy were we wrong!
Jane Goes Batty takes us deeper into what is “being a vampire.” Byron has begun giving Jane “how-to-be a vampire” lessons, which include teaching her to become invisible. Since the attack by fellow vampire Charlotte Brontë, Jane’s felt uneasy about her safety and the safety of those around her. On top of her vampire training, Jane is struggling to write the draft for her second novel, is dealing with the ”paparazzi” due to the success of her novel, and is trying to help out with the film version of Constance. Add to all of this her first meeting with boyfriend Walter’s mother, a woman who believes her son should be dating a nice Jewish woman that he can marry. (Imagine if she knew what Jane really was!!) Throw in a cast of crazy characters, romantic misunderstandings, baby vampires, and a murder and you have one hell of a storyline in Jane Goes Batty.
Michael Thomas Ford has an incredibly sharp-witted sense of humor that makes his writing a joy to read. His Jane Austen is exactly how I’d imagine her to be in real life: full of life, sometimes shy with new people, but never afraid to speak her mind through her sharp wit. I sometimes think that these traits are what draw readers, especially women, to read Jane Austen. Her strong personality shines through with her writing, and I think Ford got it completely right when he wrote Jane as she is in this book. She reminds me of Elizabeth Bennett! The “past” that Ford comes up with for Jane is side-splitting. The sheer fact that Jane was part of the original Rocky Horror Picture Show had me rolling on the floor laughing. All I could picture was a woman in a dress of Austen’s time doing the timewarp. Needless to say I laughed for a while with that image in my head!
The one weak spot of the book is the relationship between Walter and Jane. Considering Jane wrote STUNNING love stories between Lizzie and Darcy, Anne and Wentworth, etc, I would expect her to have a stunning love story. Walter seems a bit lackluster. Don’t get me wrong, he cares about Jane and loves her, but their relationship seems to be lacking the spark I’d expect Austen to want for her own love life. I mean come on, real Jane almost ran away to marry the man she loved! Walter doesn’t seem like that guy to me. Maybe this will be a plot piece down the road?
The book is incredibly fast paced and written to keep your attention from start to finish. The humor of the book is tounge-in-cheek with tons of witticisms being made about the Jane Austen fan fiction industry (just as in the first book). Keep your eyes open for the pact that Jane makes with Walter’s mother. It’s sure to have you cracking up and waiting with bated breath for the next book in the series Jane Vows Vengeance. The pieces all fit to make this book a must read for Austen fans everywhere!!
Kimberly (Reflections of a Book Addict)
http://wp.me/p18lIL-jQ
Jane Goes Batty takes us deeper into what is “being a vampire.” Byron has begun giving Jane “how-to-be a vampire” lessons, which include teaching her to become invisible. Since the attack by fellow vampire Charlotte Brontë, Jane’s felt uneasy about her safety and the safety of those around her. On top of her vampire training, Jane is struggling to write the draft for her second novel, is dealing with the ”paparazzi” due to the success of her novel, and is trying to help out with the film version of Constance. Add to all of this her first meeting with boyfriend Walter’s mother, a woman who believes her son should be dating a nice Jewish woman that he can marry. (Imagine if she knew what Jane really was!!) Throw in a cast of crazy characters, romantic misunderstandings, baby vampires, and a murder and you have one hell of a storyline in Jane Goes Batty.
Michael Thomas Ford has an incredibly sharp-witted sense of humor that makes his writing a joy to read. His Jane Austen is exactly how I’d imagine her to be in real life: full of life, sometimes shy with new people, but never afraid to speak her mind through her sharp wit. I sometimes think that these traits are what draw readers, especially women, to read Jane Austen. Her strong personality shines through with her writing, and I think Ford got it completely right when he wrote Jane as she is in this book. She reminds me of Elizabeth Bennett! The “past” that Ford comes up with for Jane is side-splitting. The sheer fact that Jane was part of the original Rocky Horror Picture Show had me rolling on the floor laughing. All I could picture was a woman in a dress of Austen’s time doing the timewarp. Needless to say I laughed for a while with that image in my head!
The one weak spot of the book is the relationship between Walter and Jane. Considering Jane wrote STUNNING love stories between Lizzie and Darcy, Anne and Wentworth, etc, I would expect her to have a stunning love story. Walter seems a bit lackluster. Don’t get me wrong, he cares about Jane and loves her, but their relationship seems to be lacking the spark I’d expect Austen to want for her own love life. I mean come on, real Jane almost ran away to marry the man she loved! Walter doesn’t seem like that guy to me. Maybe this will be a plot piece down the road?
The book is incredibly fast paced and written to keep your attention from start to finish. The humor of the book is tounge-in-cheek with tons of witticisms being made about the Jane Austen fan fiction industry (just as in the first book). Keep your eyes open for the pact that Jane makes with Walter’s mother. It’s sure to have you cracking up and waiting with bated breath for the next book in the series Jane Vows Vengeance. The pieces all fit to make this book a must read for Austen fans everywhere!!
Kimberly (Reflections of a Book Addict)
http://wp.me/p18lIL-jQ
garnetofeden's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't find it quite as good as the first one, but it was still fun to read. The author was poking fun at how books get mangled when they're made into movies. Since that is a topic I take very seriously, it was frustrating for me to even read, haha! Several new characters were introduced that I just didn't feel like I got to know quite yet.
Rating reviewed 1/20/2023.
Rating reviewed 1/20/2023.
ecs_etera's review against another edition
1.0
One of the worst things I have ever read. I see now why it was in one of those "$3 for 24 books" boxes at the library book sale. Do not bother with this book, you will hate yourself for losing the time you can never get back.
gothamballer39's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
flappermyrtle's review against another edition
4.0
Well this was just enormous fun to read. Jane Austen as a vampire? Lord Byron as a vampire? Charlotte Brontë as a vampire? It is not high literature, but it's a fantastic read. Really. I am definitely going to read the prequel to this, Jane Bites Back, and the sequel when it comes out.
lynneelue's review against another edition
3.0
The writing style is so crisp and full of dry wit, similar but much less formal to Jane Austen's wit. After buying this, I found this was the sequel to Jane Bites Back, in which I assume Jane Austen has been turned into a vampire and fights the also-turned vampire Charlotte Bronte. In this sequel, Jane develops her vampiric skills, meets her boyfriend's mother (who is a vampire hunter), deals with the movie adaptation of her famous novel, and has writer's block. I was enjoying reading it until I realized how close I was to the end and didn't know what the point of the story was besides these lovely daily struggles. Perhaps the author realized this, as well, for jammed into the last 20 pages is a murder mystery and revelation. Consequently the end seemed rushed and disappointing, but overall, I enjoyed the cleverness of the story and the humorous activities that Jane Austen was getting into.