Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - The Death of Jane Lawrence

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 !

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mo345's review

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challenging dark funny mysterious sad tense fast-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

3.75

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petrolfox's review

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dark emotional 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

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booksthatburn's review against another edition

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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.

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