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somelesbianwriter's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
the concept was amazing! the book itself felt a little slow/strangely-paced to me, but I loved the ideas and the subversion of the original book's narrative.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Sexism, Misogyny, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Ableism and Violence
Minor: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
agnela's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
There is enough emotional manipulation and abuse in this book that I felt that I cannot physically continue at around 50% mark. I needed a moment, but it was not so overpowering that I could not continue past it.
The romance was kind of rushed, I would much more prefered Jane to help Berth and then leave with the child for some new adventure.
I felt like the ending was a bit rushed for the sake of fitting in with the original ending.
Now Jane in this story is strong and feisty, and I love her, and Mr. Rochester does not get his way, and that is perfect, but I feel like I wanted him to not be an awful manipulator not to get the girl. Why cannot it just is that the girl is just not interested, why had they make him into a monster instead of just making him a regular Joe who is sexist and manipulative, but not like an abuser per se. You do not need to make a man a monster to lock a woman up, and make the other feel trapped. With another monster behind him, mind you.
This was not bad, but it could have had more depth. I feel like the author has the potential to go deeper, make it better. I am looking forward to them doing just that.
The romance was kind of rushed, I would much more prefered Jane to help Berth and then leave with the child for some new adventure.
I felt like the ending was a bit rushed for the sake of fitting in with the original ending.
Now Jane in this story is strong and feisty, and I love her, and Mr. Rochester does not get his way, and that is perfect, but I feel like I wanted him to not be an awful manipulator not to get the girl. Why cannot it just is that the girl is just not interested, why had they make him into a monster instead of just making him a regular Joe who is sexist and manipulative, but not like an abuser per se. You do not need to make a man a monster to lock a woman up, and make the other feel trapped. With another monster behind him, mind you.
This was not bad, but it could have had more depth. I feel like the author has the potential to go deeper, make it better. I am looking forward to them doing just that.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse
josieruby1's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder
guessgreenleaf's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Death, Grief, Murder, and Gun violence
Minor: Child abuse, Blood, and Violence
maddiereadswords's review
4.0
Jane Eyre is one of my favorite classics, so I'll admit I had really high hopes for this one going in, and for the most part, it really impressed me!! I will say some of the choices regarding the worldbuilding gave me pause; there's a different monarch on the British throne which is mentioned in passing once or twice, but I have no idea how the existence of Queen Amelia changes things in an otherwise Victorian England. I also don't have a great idea of how race exists in this world, which threw me off a little since I expected with two Black protagonists, that would be more of a topic of conversation. Otherwise, though, I think this was a really great remix that payed homage to the original, while also telling a really compelling story.
I think the choice to limit the story mostly to Thornfield was a really effective one, and I was pleasantly surprised by the build-up of the romance; it was fast, for sure, but it didn't feel rushed. Also the pacing of the first half was a little slow, but once things actually started moving about halfway through, I couldn't put it down. Overall, a fantastic re-imagining of a book I already loved with the ending that Edward Rochester has always deserved <3
I think the choice to limit the story mostly to Thornfield was a really effective one, and I was pleasantly surprised by the build-up of the romance; it was fast, for sure, but it didn't feel rushed. Also the pacing of the first half was a little slow, but once things actually started moving about halfway through, I couldn't put it down. Overall, a fantastic re-imagining of a book I already loved with the ending that Edward Rochester has always deserved <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Confinement, and Domestic abuse
wardenred's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I’ve learned time and again that one’s survival hinges on placating the monster when you cannot slay it.
An interesting reimagining of Jane Eyre that sticks close enough to the original to be recognizable, yet also veers far enough away to tell a new story. Obviously, the biggest difference is that it involves a romance between Jane and Bertha Mason who are both Black here, and Edward Rochester is very explicitly the villain (and a particularly vile one at that). The story takes place in an alternate history setting where there's a Queen Amelia on the British throne and it looks like women, people of color, and queer people might fare differently compared to the real world at the same time. Unfortunately, the author offers next to no details about all that, so it remains unclear how out of the ordinary some of Jane's and Bertha's circumstances, plans for the future, etc are. I would've liked to know a bit more about the world outside of Thornfield—not just the two heroines' personal memories focused on their loved ones and personal emotional experiences, but something more... objective? Concrete? I'm not sure what the right word here is, but I'd just like to get a better sense of the large-scale setting.
The small-scale setting, on the other hand, is where the author has done a great job. This version of Thornfield is appropriately gothic, gloomy, desolate, and very much in need of burning down. That oppressive atmosphere never goes away and colors all the experiences and interactions the characters have. It provides an appropriate backdrop for the themes of domestic abuse, domestic violence, and gaslighting the book is so ripe with. Speaking of that: I'm generally satisfied with how these themes were handled, although I didn't anticipate just how heavy some of the instances would hit—it was a slower read for me than I expected because I had to take mental health breaks. This is one of those situations where I just want to loudly remind the trad publishers that NA is a thing, because this is definitely a NA book in terms of how the subject matter is handled (and honestly, also in terms of the characters' age and just about everything else), not YA, even though that's of course how it's billed.
The characters feel pretty far divorced from their namesakes from the original novel, but they're all pretty interesting and fill their parts well. Normally, I prefer villains who are more complex and have some compelling reasons for what makes them this way, but in this case, well, sometimes evil is just evil, and here, it works. As for the protagonists, Jane frustrated me sometimes with just how rash she was—she kept reminding herself about the importance of caution and thinking her actions through, but she seldom practiced what she preached for more than ten minutes at a time. I kind of liked how it upped the stakes, making every complication she faced the consequence of her on actions and making me worry all the time if she would even pull through, but my, was she a nerve-wrecking protagonist to follow.
Also: damn my favorite side character for turning out to be a baddy right when I started trusted them. I should have known!
An interesting reimagining of Jane Eyre that sticks close enough to the original to be recognizable, yet also veers far enough away to tell a new story. Obviously, the biggest difference is that it involves a romance between Jane and Bertha Mason who are both Black here, and Edward Rochester is very explicitly the villain (and a particularly vile one at that). The story takes place in an alternate history setting where there's a Queen Amelia on the British throne and it looks like women, people of color, and queer people might fare differently compared to the real world at the same time. Unfortunately, the author offers next to no details about all that, so it remains unclear how out of the ordinary some of Jane's and Bertha's circumstances, plans for the future, etc are. I would've liked to know a bit more about the world outside of Thornfield—not just the two heroines' personal memories focused on their loved ones and personal emotional experiences, but something more... objective? Concrete? I'm not sure what the right word here is, but I'd just like to get a better sense of the large-scale setting.
The small-scale setting, on the other hand, is where the author has done a great job. This version of Thornfield is appropriately gothic, gloomy, desolate, and very much in need of burning down. That oppressive atmosphere never goes away and colors all the experiences and interactions the characters have. It provides an appropriate backdrop for the themes of domestic abuse, domestic violence, and gaslighting the book is so ripe with. Speaking of that: I'm generally satisfied with how these themes were handled, although I didn't anticipate just how heavy some of the instances would hit—it was a slower read for me than I expected because I had to take mental health breaks. This is one of those situations where I just want to loudly remind the trad publishers that NA is a thing, because this is definitely a NA book in terms of how the subject matter is handled (and honestly, also in terms of the characters' age and just about everything else), not YA, even though that's of course how it's billed.
The characters feel pretty far divorced from their namesakes from the original novel, but they're all pretty interesting and fill their parts well. Normally, I prefer villains who are more complex and have some compelling reasons for what makes them this way, but in this case, well, sometimes evil is just evil, and here, it works. As for the protagonists, Jane frustrated me sometimes with just how rash she was—she kept reminding herself about the importance of caution and thinking her actions through, but she seldom practiced what she preached for more than ten minutes at a time. I kind of liked how it upped the stakes, making every complication she faced the consequence of her on actions and making me worry all the time if she would even pull through, but my, was she a nerve-wrecking protagonist to follow.
Also: damn my favorite side character for turning out to be a baddy right when I started trusted them. I should have known!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Confinement
Moderate: Death of parent and Murder
ezwolf's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
For anyone who thought Mr Rochester was just a bit too creepy in the original Jane Eyre, I present this book to you. I know that Jane Eyre was written in a different time, but I’ve never managed to get passed the fact that Rochester locked a woman in the attic! A whole person! Just locked away and written off.
I’ve had the pleasure of reading many queer and POC retellings of classic literature and this one is just as fantastic.
Jane and Adele’s relationship was my favorite part of the book I think. Adele is such a sweet kid and I would have loved to see a bit more of Jane, Bertha, and Adele living their free and best lives all together.
My only real grievance is Jane’s recklessness. The way that she just questioned almost everything suspicious without ever considering it may be better to keep it to herself was frustrating.
Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!
I’ve had the pleasure of reading many queer and POC retellings of classic literature and this one is just as fantastic.
Jane and Adele’s relationship was my favorite part of the book I think. Adele is such a sweet kid and I would have loved to see a bit more of Jane, Bertha, and Adele living their free and best lives all together.
My only real grievance is Jane’s recklessness. The way that she just questioned almost everything suspicious without ever considering it may be better to keep it to herself was frustrating.
Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny and Alcohol
Minor: Grief, Death of parent, and Blood
bookishmillennial's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
- First-person, rotating dual POVs of Jane Eyre and Bertha Mason
- Takes place mostly in Thornfield Hall, with the main characters Jane & Bertha dreaming of escaping to New Orleans with the young ward, Adele
- Tropes: reimagining, slow burn, secret letter exchanges, secret romance, period romance, shared trauma, queer awakening, romance suspense/escape!
- Representation: Black female main characters, sapphic romance
Thoughts
I really enjoyed this YA romantic suspense/thriller and felt it properly paid homage to the original, yet standing strong enough on its own. L.L. McKinney quietly built everything in this book (it seems intentionally so, as it worked for me!), with the suspense slowly building (even though we know Mr. Rochester has Bertha in the attic! But Jane doesn’t know for a bit! It’s interesting to watch her slowly question and figure him out!). I just adore that this iteration of Jane is too smart, wholly uninterested, and utter unimpressed with Mr. Rochester. She attempts to set professional boundaries with him multiple times, and she does not fall for his scam.
McKinney also does this slower building with the romance between Jane and Bertha. They actually don’t meet until about 50% in the book, but the first 50% was necessary for Jane to begin to question the strange happenings at Thornfield Hall on her own accord through her own interactions with Mr. Rochester.
I thought the letters between Jane and Bertha were especially fun and swoon-worthy. I think some people may think that this is “info dumping” but I felt it was a clever, appropriate way to learn about Bertha and Jane’s pasts, including Jane’s late girlfriend. I adore that their friendship and budding romance gives each other even more impetus and motivation to escape and live a life that they have full autonomy over.
I loved this story of young women risking it all to take their power and lives back, and as a bonus, they found true love!
cw: confinement, kidnapping, gaslighting, emotional abuse, violence, murder, toxic relationship, bribery, threats, death of parent/loved one, grief
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gaslighting, Confinement, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Toxic relationship, and Kidnapping
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