Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling

109 reviews

saurahsaurus's review

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!

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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

whimsicalish's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

I really enjoyed the first 2/3rd of the book. The gothic setting was rich with detail. Jane, our female protagonist, strong and steadfast. The premise was interesting and reminded me heavily of Rebecca until the twist. I enjoyed the romance between Jane and her husband. When the horror elements began, I was having a ton of fun reading! I don't normally read horror, but this book did it well.

The last third was less detailed. In a rush to end, it puts together a sloppy reunion. The cheerful tone does not match the majority of the story. But perhaps my main pain point: some explanations had too many pages while others are never explained at all.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Medical content

Minor: Miscarriage

kt_jams's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense slow-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, Body horror, Blood, and Miscarriage

flordemaga's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

This took me a really long time to read by no fault of the book itself, I just literally physically lost the book for like a month.

I will say: at first it felt a bit too much like Crimson Peak, which I know was intentional, but I wanted more variety. And it took a bit too long to get to the action that felt like anything.
But I like the character of Jane Lawrence herself a lot. I like that she's autistic and just is. I also really like the descriptions of the gore and medical stuff and blood. Very visceral without being excessive, self-serving, or unnecessary.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Death, Blood, and Gore

Moderate: Confinement, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, and Terminal illness

Minor: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and War

seaweed's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

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

As a gothic mystery, the book does not succeed. Neither does it succeed as a character study. But most of all, it fails as a haunted house story. The author constantly describes the house as breathing, or having impossible angles, but never mentions how it is supposed to look like, leaving the overall impression of empty plastic.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore and Medical content

catmisae's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-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

4.0

I won’t go into too much detail about the plot of this book, because I thought it was pretty typical for a gothic horror (not a detractor, just an observation). What I did really enjoy was how seamless the transition was between Jane’s repressed personality at the beginning of the story and her more erratic behavior in the last half of the story. Jane made it a point not to be an inconvenience to anybody, so nobody noticed that her perception of reality was influenced by her unaddressed trauma. Because of that contrast between her internal and external world, along with her dedication to adhering to rules in any form, her transition from being the quiet accountant/doctor’s wife to somebody who can engage somewhat successfully in the filthy and often nonsensical world of magic and ritual ended up being very believable. I’m not sure I would have felt the same way with a different protagonist.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Moderate: Medical content

elle_e_d_light's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Have you ever finished a gothic novel and thought: 'This could've have used more cocaine and body horror'? 
Yes?
Then this is the book for you!
It has all the classic gothic tropes plus the above mentioned and an extra big serving of magic—which you shouldn't use. As any character in this book will tell you, it's really bad for your health. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Death, Body horror, and Gore

Moderate: Gaslighting, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

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

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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

yellow_ylugbug's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Grief, Death, Medical content, Gore, Drug use, and Body horror

Minor: Death of parent, Child death, and Miscarriage

amandaquotidianbooks's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

I loved the neurodivergent main character and the magic system. I never connected with Augustine, so was uninvested in a main part of the story. Also not my preferred style of horror, relied a lot on body horror.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, Gore, and Medical content

Moderate: Miscarriage and Abortion

Minor: Sexual content