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saurahsaurus's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I really enjoyed this book until about 4/5 of the way through, when it delved into the details of Jane’s magic rituals and mathematical theories. Until that point, the book thoroughly held my interest and the pacing felt well-suited to the plot. My interest really dipped during the 80-86% part of the book, but did gradually return after that.
The ending was layered, a bit surprising, and intriguing.It wasn’t a true happy ending, but it was mostly hopeful. I felt that the ending redeemed the book overall. The main characters and their relationship were compelling, and I found myself really rooting for them. I especially loved that Jane’s autism is portrayed so lovingly and as the superpower that it is. There isn’t nearly enough autism representation in literature, and the horror genre is no exception, so Jane is a breath of fresh air. (Jane’s autism is alluded to—and not directly described, but the author confirmed this fact!)
I may not revisit this book, but I’d happily read more work from this author!
The ending was layered, a bit surprising, and intriguing.
I may not revisit this book, but I’d happily read more work from this author!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Blood, Miscarriage, Gore, Body horror, Death, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Grief, Terminal illness, Self harm, Child death, Death of parent, and Drug use
Minor: Vomit, War, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Abandonment, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Classism, and Sexual content
simone_elizabeth's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Oh the horror of loving and being loved!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Child death, Murder, Torture, Drug use, Medical trauma, Blood, Body horror, Gore, and Miscarriage
Moderate: War, Abandonment, and Confinement
brenncocoa's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Violence, Body horror, and Death
Moderate: Gaslighting, Vomit, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal death, Death of parent, Child death, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
buildingtaste's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
From the first chapter, I always felt like this book was not quite telling me everything I needed to know. Since the setting is an alternate England, I would have expected more direct exposition about the things that make it meaningfully different, and also for these differences to have an impact on the story. As it was, we were soon locked in a country house, fundamentally indistinguishable from an English house (except of course for the haunted basement . Though having never stayed in an English country house I guess I can't be sure). Simply setting this novel in a more familiar country, even if in a fictional town or county, would have made this experience much more grounded and improved the contrast of familiar and unfamiliar once things got really weird.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Murder, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Self harm, Torture, Death, Abandonment, Mental illness, Animal death, Confinement, Death of parent, and Violence
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Sexual content and Forced institutionalization
As a gothic horror novel, Jane Lawrence comes in fast with explicit gore. Elements of the magic system involve having something affecting a person's organs/moving inside their body, whichnikogatts's review against another edition
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
Graphic: Death, Gore, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Abandonment, Vomit, and War
Minor: Abandonment
rorikae's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
'The Death of Jane Lawrence' by Caitlin Starling is a gothic novel that dabbles in some really interesting subjects but ends up being too slow at points.
Jane Shoringfield is searching for a husband so that she can stay in her small town. With few prospects, she settles on Dr. Augustine Lawrence, the town's doctor. Augustine accepts but he has a few rules that Jane must follow including that he must spend every night at his family's mansion outside of town while Jane stays in town at his surgery. Jane agrees but after unforeseen circumstances on the night of their wedding, Jane ends up at Augustine's home after dark. She finds her husband a husk of the man that he is during the day and this peaks her interest. As she begins to unravel Augustine's history and his family home, she gets pulled deeper into why the home has such sway over her husband.
There are a number of things that I really like about 'The Death of Jane Lawrence.' Starling does a great job with creating atmosphere, especially in the halls of Augustine's family home, Lindridge Hall. I felt pulled along with Jane as she grows fearful of the house and its affect on Augustine. Starling also presents engaging commentary about trauma, shame, and identity. The ending of this story is really fascinating to unpack and I think it would be a great book club book.
My issue with the story are the characters and the pacing. Jane and Augustine are relatively interesting but I never felt that I got to know them well enough that I cared about them. We see a lot of their own trauma and fear but I didn't see enough of their positive traits to fully care or sympathize with them. I also found this book really dragged in parts. In the last third of the book, the pacing gets very slow, which does match with what is happening in the story but was tedious to get through. This may have been less of a problem if I cared more for the characters.
I really enjoyed Starling's novella 'Yellow Jessamine,' which I would also describe as a gothic horror. Because I enjoyed that novella so much, I think that that heightened my disappointment in this book. It's clear that Starling has real talent, especially when it comes to atmosphere and I had hoped for that to mesh better with plot and pacing. Though this book was a bit of a disappointment, I am still interested in Starling's work though I may stick to her shorter pieces.
Jane Shoringfield is searching for a husband so that she can stay in her small town. With few prospects, she settles on Dr. Augustine Lawrence, the town's doctor. Augustine accepts but he has a few rules that Jane must follow including that he must spend every night at his family's mansion outside of town while Jane stays in town at his surgery. Jane agrees but after unforeseen circumstances on the night of their wedding, Jane ends up at Augustine's home after dark. She finds her husband a husk of the man that he is during the day and this peaks her interest. As she begins to unravel Augustine's history and his family home, she gets pulled deeper into why the home has such sway over her husband.
There are a number of things that I really like about 'The Death of Jane Lawrence.' Starling does a great job with creating atmosphere, especially in the halls of Augustine's family home, Lindridge Hall. I felt pulled along with Jane as she grows fearful of the house and its affect on Augustine. Starling also presents engaging commentary about trauma, shame, and identity. The ending of this story is really fascinating to unpack and I think it would be a great book club book.
My issue with the story are the characters and the pacing. Jane and Augustine are relatively interesting but I never felt that I got to know them well enough that I cared about them. We see a lot of their own trauma and fear but I didn't see enough of their positive traits to fully care or sympathize with them. I also found this book really dragged in parts. In the last third of the book, the pacing gets very slow, which does match with what is happening in the story but was tedious to get through. This may have been less of a problem if I cared more for the characters.
I really enjoyed Starling's novella 'Yellow Jessamine,' which I would also describe as a gothic horror. Because I enjoyed that novella so much, I think that that heightened my disappointment in this book. It's clear that Starling has real talent, especially when it comes to atmosphere and I had hoped for that to mesh better with plot and pacing. Though this book was a bit of a disappointment, I am still interested in Starling's work though I may stick to her shorter pieces.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Drug use, Body horror, Violence, Death, Blood, Gaslighting, and Gore
Minor: Abandonment, Confinement, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
I liked the gothic horror aesthetics that it brought, but as I read further, the story felt jumbled. There were ghosts, magic, math, attempted necromancy, a dash of alchemy, and a time paradox thrown in? I could get down with a lot of the book but parts kind of felt like the author just wanted to throw some things in for the hell of it.
I would kind of agree with people saying this was all vibes and no real substance. Like if you liked Crimson Peak, this book gives a very similar feel. Yes it touches on guilt/shame, PTSD, and grief, but it was kind of sprinkled on top of a lot of nothing and a lot of everything at the same time. A slow read in many parts, where some of it dragged on and on but in the book's timeline it hadn't even been a month. Jane as the mc was interesting at first, like yes brainy independent person!, but devolved quickly into a lovestruck, dependent person in less than a week. With how she was described in some parts of the book though, it made me think she was neurodivergent/neurodiverse (super into a special interest, had difficulty in social gatherings like it mentioned she had trouble with small talk and eye contact "she had taught herself to make eye contact and to handle small talk, and how to smooth over how indelibly odd she was", she was uncomfortable among the crowd at her marriage, etc) which was cool. She had potential but in the end was lacking in a lot of aspects for me.
I would kind of agree with people saying this was all vibes and no real substance. Like if you liked Crimson Peak, this book gives a very similar feel. Yes it touches on guilt/shame, PTSD, and grief, but it was kind of sprinkled on top of a lot of nothing and a lot of everything at the same time. A slow read in many parts, where some of it dragged on and on but in the book's timeline it hadn't even been a month. Jane as the mc was interesting at first, like yes brainy independent person!, but devolved quickly into a lovestruck, dependent person in less than a week. With how she was described in some parts of the book though, it made me think she was neurodivergent/neurodiverse (super into a special interest, had difficulty in social gatherings like it mentioned she had trouble with small talk and eye contact "she had taught herself to make eye contact and to handle small talk, and how to smooth over how indelibly odd she was", she was uncomfortable among the crowd at her marriage, etc) which was cool. She had potential but in the end was lacking in a lot of aspects for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Medical content, Confinement, Death, Vomit, Drug use, Blood, Chronic illness, Gore, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Mental illness
Moderate: Abandonment, Forced institutionalization, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, War, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual content
aardwyrm'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The secondary world element elevates the thing and frees up the story to play with all kinds of spooky occultist stuff without any concern for history (though some of that constructed history is... questionable, and doesn't serve much purpose; everyone deciding to collectively be atheist after a world war is a jarring note that fades into the background as the story goes on). The gothic mystery and tension building and inevitable descent into chaos are all well handled, though honestly I could never care all that much about Augustine, who comes across as a tedious drip at best. Scary and tight enough to be riveting while you read it, though, and the flaws come clear only on reflection. What more can you ask?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Self harm, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Death, Medical trauma, Animal death, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Chronic illness, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Medical content, Miscarriage, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Violence, and Suicidal thoughts
house_of_hannah's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What a fresh take on the gothic horror genre. This book is definitely longer than it needs to be, as it does drag in the last 150 pages, but it is quite interesting, and left me guessing through the whole story. The summary gives nothing away, so I was surprised at some of the elements included.
One of the things I found odd about the book though, is that it doesn't take place in our world for some reason. The name of the country is Great Breltain, with very English sounding town names, so it was obvious what the area was based on. Just seemed like an uneeded change that actually took me out of the story whenever the country was mentioned.
This also isn't a book that you can just casually read and expect to understand everything. This thing is going to take some thought. There is even a chapter that is written in a purposefully confusing way, which I understand the intention behind it, but man did my head hurt a bit. I'm still not sure if I understand everything correctly.
This was close to being a five star read, but the things I've mentioned previously, plus some little things throughout the story, brought it down to a four for me. For example, I have never seen so many perfectly timed rain storms before in my life. There were just too many perfect coincidences for my taste.
However, I really enjoyed the writing, and I thought it brought to life the imagery so well. I feel like all the characters had value, and no one was a throw-away. The plot is well thought out, which I appreciate so freaking much. Jane is also a fantastic character, and if you're looking for a strong female protagonist who does not scream, "I'm not like other girls", then this book is for you !
One of the things I found odd about the book though, is that it doesn't take place in our world for some reason. The name of the country is Great Breltain, with very English sounding town names, so it was obvious what the area was based on. Just seemed like an uneeded change that actually took me out of the story whenever the country was mentioned.
This also isn't a book that you can just casually read and expect to understand everything. This thing is going to take some thought. There is even a chapter that is written in a purposefully confusing way, which I understand the intention behind it, but man did my head hurt a bit. I'm still not sure if I understand everything correctly.
This was close to being a five star read, but the things I've mentioned previously, plus some little things throughout the story, brought it down to a four for me. For example, I have never seen so many perfectly timed rain storms before in my life. There were just too many perfect coincidences for my taste.
However, I really enjoyed the writing, and I thought it brought to life the imagery so well. I feel like all the characters had value, and no one was a throw-away. The plot is well thought out, which I appreciate so freaking much. Jane is also a fantastic character, and if you're looking for a strong female protagonist who does not scream, "I'm not like other girls", then this book is for you !
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Confinement, Blood, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Child death and Drug use
Minor: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Vomit, Abandonment, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Self harm, and War
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