Scan barcode
mibookobsession's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Wow, what did I just read?! Set in a fictional world, similar to our Victorian Era, this is Gothic horror, supernatural and strange, with just a hint of romance thrown in.
Jane Shoringfield, accountant and lover of all things numbers and math, has calculated that her best chance of survival is a marriage of convenience. She creates a list of her most eligible men, none too handsome or young so as to limit competition from other women. Bachelor #1 is Dr. Augustine Lawrence, country doctor and surgeon with a large estate in Larrenton called Lindridge Hall. At first skeptical of the match, he is soon convinced when she steps in to assist him in an emergency surgery without fainting or squeamishness. His only condition... that she stay at the surgery in town and NEVER visit his estate, where he will stay every night. But things go awry the first night when the wedding crowd delivers them to Lindridge. Are the whispers of ghosts and strange things in the house true? Why does she see the reflection of a blond-haired, red-eyed woman when she looks at a dark window pane?
I found myself deliciously scared by the strange things happening in this book. At first just seeming like a nightmare, then I thought maybe Jane was losing her sanity and these were the workings of a psychotic mind. I honestly got a bit lost for a while with all the strange things going on, but it all added to the foreboding atmosphere of the story.
I received an advance reader copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, and Gore
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Abortion
booksthatburn's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
5.0
THE DEATH OF JANE LAWRENCE is slow burn horror of the best kind, built on bridging the gaps between wishes, nightmares, and reality with fevered applications of blood and viscera.
The setting is technically-not-England, which frees it from being beholden to any exact combination of surgical sensibilities with historical accuracy while still conveying a particular feeling by the sum of its details. A surgeon might know the term “ectopic” while still practicing bloodletting and looking down on anyone so backward as to subscribe to miasma theory. Jane is an excellent narrator, highly reliable in how she conveys her thoughts and observations to the reader, but repeatedly stymied as she is less and less able to trust what she learns from other people. I didn’t much like Augustine as a person but he fits his role in the plot very well and is a great character. I love the plot, the pacing is excellent, a great book all around.
Its ending is immensely satisfying, fitting for the characters and in keeping with the horrors which transpire before. If you like surgical horror with magic and madness, don’t miss this one.
The setting is technically-not-England, which frees it from being beholden to any exact combination of surgical sensibilities with historical accuracy while still conveying a particular feeling by the sum of its details. A surgeon might know the term “ectopic” while still practicing bloodletting and looking down on anyone so backward as to subscribe to miasma theory. Jane is an excellent narrator, highly reliable in how she conveys her thoughts and observations to the reader, but repeatedly stymied as she is less and less able to trust what she learns from other people. I didn’t much like Augustine as a person but he fits his role in the plot very well and is a great character. I love the plot, the pacing is excellent, a great book all around.
Its ending is immensely satisfying, fitting for the characters and in keeping with the horrors which transpire before. If you like surgical horror with magic and madness, don’t miss this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Grief, Blood, Gore, Miscarriage, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Death
Moderate: Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Mental illness, Self harm, Child death, and Animal death
Minor: Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, and Death of parent
katiemack's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This has a lot of aspects reminiscent of House of Leaves, Rebecca, Crimson Peak, and Jane Eyre. The first half of the novel leans into historical fiction/romance, which is probably why it was easier for me to get through. I found Jane to be not only intelligent, but also charming in her quirks. As the book went on, it became more difficult for me to grasp the threads of Starling's world-building, though I'm not sure if that failing is personal or due to the writing. The ending is also difficult to follow, but the events leading up to it are horrifying and grotesque (a compliment, just to be clear).
This is a worthwhile spooky book to pick up for the season if you're looking for some historical horror with magic gone wrong.
This has a lot of aspects reminiscent of House of Leaves, Rebecca, Crimson Peak, and Jane Eyre. The first half of the novel leans into historical fiction/romance, which is probably why it was easier for me to get through. I found Jane to be not only intelligent, but also charming in her quirks. As the book went on, it became more difficult for me to grasp the threads of Starling's world-building, though I'm not sure if that failing is personal or due to the writing. The ending is also difficult to follow, but the events leading up to it are horrifying and grotesque (a compliment, just to be clear).
This is a worthwhile spooky book to pick up for the season if you're looking for some historical horror with magic gone wrong.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, and Medical trauma
fictionmajorette's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Full thoughts: https://fictionmajorette.blogspot.com/2021/09/the-death-of-jane-lawrence-caitlin.html
The setting of this book was phenomenal. I love a good rundown estate on the edge of town and book really delivered. I really enjoyed the mythos and mystery surrounding Lindridge Hall and the Lawrence family. I found the descriptions of the home to be perfectly balanced between giving us the information we need and setting a really nice atmosphere. Starling does a great job of laying down the breadcrumbs and little questions that get answered later on as we peel back more and more layers to the story. I think these stories can sometimes rely too heavily on the spooky house aspect and it can come off as a bit cartoonish. In this case, however, I didn't find it to be overdone at all.
I liked the characters of Jane and Augustine and their budding relationship. I found both of them to be really set in their characteristics but still had enough room for growth. They really seemed to be a really good match and I was excited to see how they would work through this situation together. There were some romantic elements but I didn't really find the romance arc of the story to be as well developed as I would have liked. Now, this isn't a romance book and it isn't marketed as one, but in order for certain plot points to advance, Jane and Augustine need to have a certain level of feelings for each other and I just didn't feel like there was enough development for my personal liking.
I did find the third act pacing was slower than I wanted it to be. There's a certain time limit that Jane has and we go through each day of that time limit pretty in depth. The actions Jane takes during this time are pretty repetitive which further add to the pacing dragging. I think if the time frame had been a few days shorter, then it would have helped the pacing along.
The supernatural elements of the story were really well woven into the other plot points and wasn't overpowering. I really liked the way the elements were introduced to the story and how skeptical Jane was at the beginning. She's very mathematically minded and I thought the way she processed the information she was getting from these different sources. I also loved how her logical approach continued even when faced with aspects that she initially found unbelievable. I did think the story was going to be more of Jane and Augustine teaming up together but it was really Jane's journey that we were following.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The setting was exactly what I want in a gothic horror and I found the characters to be well developed. I did find the pacing to drag a bit toward the end, but overall I was really invested in the plot. I thought the supernatural elements were well developed and well integrated into the story.
Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for review.
Expected publication date is October 5, 2021.
The setting of this book was phenomenal. I love a good rundown estate on the edge of town and book really delivered. I really enjoyed the mythos and mystery surrounding Lindridge Hall and the Lawrence family. I found the descriptions of the home to be perfectly balanced between giving us the information we need and setting a really nice atmosphere. Starling does a great job of laying down the breadcrumbs and little questions that get answered later on as we peel back more and more layers to the story. I think these stories can sometimes rely too heavily on the spooky house aspect and it can come off as a bit cartoonish. In this case, however, I didn't find it to be overdone at all.
I liked the characters of Jane and Augustine and their budding relationship. I found both of them to be really set in their characteristics but still had enough room for growth. They really seemed to be a really good match and I was excited to see how they would work through this situation together. There were some romantic elements but I didn't really find the romance arc of the story to be as well developed as I would have liked. Now, this isn't a romance book and it isn't marketed as one, but in order for certain plot points to advance, Jane and Augustine need to have a certain level of feelings for each other and I just didn't feel like there was enough development for my personal liking.
I did find the third act pacing was slower than I wanted it to be. There's a certain time limit that Jane has and we go through each day of that time limit pretty in depth. The actions Jane takes during this time are pretty repetitive which further add to the pacing dragging. I think if the time frame had been a few days shorter, then it would have helped the pacing along.
The supernatural elements of the story were really well woven into the other plot points and wasn't overpowering. I really liked the way the elements were introduced to the story and how skeptical Jane was at the beginning. She's very mathematically minded and I thought the way she processed the information she was getting from these different sources. I also loved how her logical approach continued even when faced with aspects that she initially found unbelievable. I did think the story was going to be more of Jane and Augustine teaming up together but it was really Jane's journey that we were following.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The setting was exactly what I want in a gothic horror and I found the characters to be well developed. I did find the pacing to drag a bit toward the end, but overall I was really invested in the plot. I thought the supernatural elements were well developed and well integrated into the story.
Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for review.
Expected publication date is October 5, 2021.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content and Medical trauma
More...