Reviews with content warning for Medical trauma - The Death of Jane Lawrence

A weird and very imperfect book, that despite its flaws I still really enjoyed. A 4.5 star reading experience of a 3 star book. 'Atmosphere' is probably the best quality of this book, and is indeed a very gothic environment; however, it otherwise reads far more like a fantasy or horror novel than it does that 'traditional' gothic novel. Don't come to this book because you love Jane Eyre or Dracula-- the vibes feel more akin to a classic horror video game (it reminded me a lot of the Amnesia series). I can also see why it made a lot of people think of Crimson Peaks.

So first, what I didn't like: mostly the conclusion. I found the explanation of everything pretty confusing and incoherent-- which in turn made the end fall pretty flat. And in truth, that might be enough for someone else to come out with an unfavorable opinion of the book. And I do agree that it squeezes far too many ideas into it-- the result is that a lot of elements get forgotten a few chapters after they've been introduced, the book makes a lot of twists and turns, but often not for the right reason... or any reason.

Musings for those who have read it:

The idea that the spirits are revealed as some sort of...manifestation of shame? It felt really out of place, and like a brand new idea that hadn't been previously explored with Jane-- when it should have been an 'ah-ha moment' for the reader. Also the whole thing with Elodie being gone... because Jane was Elodie, but also....noooooot? Huh? I couldn't wrap my head around the logic, and I'm not sure there was any. I honestly thought that the only way they were gonna 'save' Elodie (or rather help her 'move on') would be for someone-- probably Jane-- to put her own heart in Elodie's corpse. I thought that was what the whole bit with Renton a few chapters earlier was foreshadowing... and I think that would have been a lot cooler, lol. I mean the book just kept going on about how Augustine had REMOVED his wife's heart, and there was SOMETHING missing in the story, and here comes ghost-Renton demanding Jane REPLACE what was taken from him with something COMPARABLE. Was the whole chapter with Renton pointless?

The book is also quite gory; although I don't agree with the takes that it's gratuitous. One of the main characters is a surgeon and the surgeries he performs are extremely relevant to the plot, and add to the fear that the protagonist feels. I can't stomach gore easily myself, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be there. It fits with the general vibe and horror of the novel.

That being said, what I did like was the overall plot and story. I thought a lot of it was unexpected and interesting-- and none of the information I was given felt fluffy or irrelevant while reading the book (even if it does in hindsight). The atmosphere is, as mentioned, excellent. Caitlin Starling somehow made me root for Jane and Augustine as a couple by the end, though I highly disapproved of and hated Augustine in the earlier parts of the novel. I wasn't sure what 'role' he was going to fill in the story, but she pulled the work to humanize him. She also really did have me transfixed at several moments and "reading past my bedtime" because I couldn't stop at the cliff-hanger ends of chapters. I think she has a lot of promise as an author, and I look forward to her future books.

Content Warnings

naomi_k's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

nikogatts's review against another edition

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challenging dark hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Good things to keep in mind for undecided readers:
1. In spite of <i>Crimson Peak</i>'s ghostly influences, this book's flavor of horror is occult, specifically what happens when poorly understood magic is used in a misguided fashion.
2. The story contains a lot of graphic gore, including multiple detailed surgery scenes.
3. The ending is heavily metaphysical, dealing with paradoxes and questions surrounding the nature of reality.

Content Warnings

gayghostprince's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

orcarroll's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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