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3.29 AVERAGE
3.29 AVERAGE
2.5/5
This lost the plot, literally. I had been warned that this was a disappointment but I went in optimistically. The first bit was quite good and gave me a bit of Jane Eyre vibes but with the promise of some dark magic fun stuff. I was willing to overlook some of the plot holes of the premise (she doesn’t want to move with her family so she has to get married to a stranger?), but then those became the least of the worries. The middle was boring and then the ending was wild and not in a fun way. I was just like ??? What’s happening. I’d watched people vlog about this book and said they had no idea what was happening at the end, but I thought maybe I. would understand…nope! No idea! Numbers! Black magic! Unclear. Definitely a disappointment. Only saving grace was the atmospheric beginning.
This lost the plot, literally. I had been warned that this was a disappointment but I went in optimistically. The first bit was quite good and gave me a bit of Jane Eyre vibes but with the promise of some dark magic fun stuff. I was willing to overlook some of the plot holes of the premise (she doesn’t want to move with her family so she has to get married to a stranger?), but then those became the least of the worries. The middle was boring and then the ending was wild and not in a fun way. I was just like ??? What’s happening. I’d watched people vlog about this book and said they had no idea what was happening at the end, but I thought maybe I. would understand…nope! No idea! Numbers! Black magic! Unclear. Definitely a disappointment. Only saving grace was the atmospheric beginning.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5⭐️ because I need a liiiiiittle bit more from the ending.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
my new favorite book. Wow. I just. I mean. Wow dude
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Self harm, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use, Misogyny, Vomit, Death of parent, Classism
Minor: War
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
-another perfect gothic horror!!!
-may not be for everyone with the creeping slower pace but it was absolutely for me. the rising dread was a+
-some hardcore gothic imagery with creepy victorian medical devices/practices and the comparison of magical rituals and conceptual mathematics
-we love caitlin starling's iconic women in stem protagonists
-the horrors of Being Known in a new marriage
-may not be for everyone with the creeping slower pace but it was absolutely for me. the rising dread was a+
-some hardcore gothic imagery with creepy victorian medical devices/practices and the comparison of magical rituals and conceptual mathematics
-we love caitlin starling's iconic women in stem protagonists
-the horrors of Being Known in a new marriage
• NetGalley Shelf audiobook ARC
• Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing this Advance Reading Copy. Expected publication date is October 5, 2021.
Strong Jane Eyre vibes! In order to secure her independence and employment in the early 1900s, Jane Shoringfield proposes a “marriage of convenience” to the handsome but reclusive doctor Augustine Lawrence. On their wedding night, the fearless surgeon becomes troubled and paranoid - haunted by nightmares. Yep, some Jekyll and Hyde vibes too! This novel is written in a classic gothic horror style - Unsettling, disturbing, forbidding and full of malevolent spirits. If you’re in for some page-turning Halloween creepiness, this is your book.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing this Advance Reading Copy. Expected publication date is October 5, 2021.
Strong Jane Eyre vibes! In order to secure her independence and employment in the early 1900s, Jane Shoringfield proposes a “marriage of convenience” to the handsome but reclusive doctor Augustine Lawrence. On their wedding night, the fearless surgeon becomes troubled and paranoid - haunted by nightmares. Yep, some Jekyll and Hyde vibes too! This novel is written in a classic gothic horror style - Unsettling, disturbing, forbidding and full of malevolent spirits. If you’re in for some page-turning Halloween creepiness, this is your book.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Death of Jane Lawrence is a psychological thriller that, for me, was a let down. I spent approximately 1/3 of the book feeling disoriented. Given the plot, I'm sure that Starling intended this effect. Regardless, I didn't find the writing overly engaging, so I struggled at getting to the end of the book. The ending wasn't redeeming, but I felt that it had nuance and something original about it. There were things both said and unsaid that made the final twists more satisfying than the second second half of the book.
I'm sorry that anyone compares this title to Mexican Gothic. There are some shallow comparisons to be made, but otherwise, they are two entirely different stories.
I'm sorry that anyone compares this title to Mexican Gothic. There are some shallow comparisons to be made, but otherwise, they are two entirely different stories.
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked this book and then it kind of totally stopped making sense which was unfortunate. i still really enjoy caitlin starling's writing style and will read more books! I just feel like i didn't really understand what she was trying to do here or say