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ladylothlorien's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
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? No
3.0
I enjoyed this book, but I think the idea of it was better than the execution. I adore Jane Eyre, so it was fun to read this YA twist on the story where Jane can talk to ghosts and Charlotte Bronte is her best (living) friend. The ways in which parts of the original story were woven in were often clever and sweet. I think what kept me from really loving this book is that it is very much a YA book written for teens and young adults. There's nothing wrong with that at all; I'm just not in the target audience. I may also not be in the best state of mind for this story at this moment in my life, especially because Jane ends up alone and the book Jane Eyre is Charlotte's way of giving her friend the happy end she didn't get. Oof that one hurts. That all being said, I think I would recommend this book, particularly if you, like me, enjoy Jane Eyre retellings of all kinds or if you like fun YA stories with ridiculous plots that know they have ridiculous plots and just go for it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gaslighting, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Sexism
Minor: Death, Murder, Child death, and Child abuse
A lot of these are issues in the original Jane Eyre story too, but all of them are called out in this retelling. They are also handled in a more YA fashion, so there isn't a lot of detail. But still, in a story about ghosts there is naturally a lot of death and murder, even of children.
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