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3.29 AVERAGE
3.29 AVERAGE
I wasn't really following the low reviews for this novel, but I suspect some of it has to do with the fact that this book was marketed in the vein of gothic romance, ala Crimson Peak. Make no mistake: this is a gothic horror novel, and it's a damn good one.
I think it's important to note that Starling's novel is gothic, but shares more in common with late Victorian gothic fiction writers like James, Fanu, Gilman, etc. and more modern gothic-ness from the likes of King, Jackson, and Gaiman. Jane Lawrence is a masterful gothic tale, with all the spirits, gore, and strange romance found in Crimson Peak, but with a dash of medical horror, psychological horror, and late-Victorian occultism. Starling knows the roots of her genre and pays them an expert tribute by bringing new life into an old genre. I do think Jane Lawrence gets a bit ambitious around its ending, leaving a few more questions than answers, but the lush writing style and well-handled horror elements make up from the few hiccups. I look forward to what Starling puts out next!
Def recommended if you liked Crimson Peak, but also in-line with your interests if you enjoyed Haunting of Hill House or The Shining.
I think it's important to note that Starling's novel is gothic, but shares more in common with late Victorian gothic fiction writers like James, Fanu, Gilman, etc. and more modern gothic-ness from the likes of King, Jackson, and Gaiman. Jane Lawrence is a masterful gothic tale, with all the spirits, gore, and strange romance found in Crimson Peak, but with a dash of medical horror, psychological horror, and late-Victorian occultism. Starling knows the roots of her genre and pays them an expert tribute by bringing new life into an old genre. I do think Jane Lawrence gets a bit ambitious around its ending, leaving a few more questions than answers, but the lush writing style and well-handled horror elements make up from the few hiccups. I look forward to what Starling puts out next!
Def recommended if you liked Crimson Peak, but also in-line with your interests if you enjoyed Haunting of Hill House or The Shining.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
I'm not sure if I even really understood everything that happened, but I enjoyed my time regardless.
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Might come back to this in the future, but putting it down for now. The pacing is a little bit slow for my taste and I'm not feeling very connected to the characters in a way that makes me want to push through and finish the story at the moment.
I honestly think I might be an idiot, because I didn't understand anything in the last 30% of this book. And I don't want to give it a low rating simply because I didn't understand it...but I didn't enjoy the experience BECAUSE I was so confused.
Basically, I really disliked this book. I loved the gothic atmosphere and the suspense that set the tone for the first half of the story. But the majority of the story involved math and numbers and a strange, overexplained magic system that did absolutely nothing to keep the suspense alive. I hate math, and I hated trying to understand the mathematical logic of the magic system that probably wouldn't have been exciting even if I was good at calculus.
I hated the characters; I thought Augustine was a ninny. He was spineless and a coward. Jane made stupid decisions, and as "logical" as she was...she didn't make logical decisions. Was Elodie even a character?? IDK!!
I hated the ending. I've tracked down so many reviews and videos hoping that someone could explain Chapter 0 because I legit didn't get it. The author has answered a spoiler question on this page that is supposed to explain the ending, but even finally knowing what happened...I STILL DON'T GET IT. It makes no gosh-dang sense. I hope there are people out there who understood everything and found this enjoyable. You can tell the author put a lot of effort into the story and the world, but it's not a book that hit the mark for me. And I feel like that's totally a personal problem.
Also, this is random, but there's a really icky moment with Jane eating a baby chicken?? Listen, IDK!!!!! I'm still questioning if that was even a thing!
But because I am still left with too many questions, and left feeling frustrated by my own smarts, I have to give this a not-so-great rating. I don't really recommend it either? Idk. Maybe I recommend it for Mensa people, they might enjoy it.
Basically, I really disliked this book. I loved the gothic atmosphere and the suspense that set the tone for the first half of the story. But the majority of the story involved math and numbers and a strange, overexplained magic system that did absolutely nothing to keep the suspense alive. I hate math, and I hated trying to understand the mathematical logic of the magic system that probably wouldn't have been exciting even if I was good at calculus.
I hated the characters; I thought Augustine was a ninny. He was spineless and a coward. Jane made stupid decisions, and as "logical" as she was...she didn't make logical decisions. Was Elodie even a character?? IDK!!
I hated the ending. I've tracked down so many reviews and videos hoping that someone could explain Chapter 0 because I legit didn't get it. The author has answered a spoiler question on this page that is supposed to explain the ending, but even finally knowing what happened...I STILL DON'T GET IT. It makes no gosh-dang sense. I hope there are people out there who understood everything and found this enjoyable. You can tell the author put a lot of effort into the story and the world, but it's not a book that hit the mark for me. And I feel like that's totally a personal problem.
Also, this is random, but there's a really icky moment with Jane eating a baby chicken?? Listen, IDK!!!!! I'm still questioning if that was even a thing!
But because I am still left with too many questions, and left feeling frustrated by my own smarts, I have to give this a not-so-great rating. I don't really recommend it either? Idk. Maybe I recommend it for Mensa people, they might enjoy it.
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
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:
Yes
dark
tense
A bit too esoteric in parts for my liking. I enjoyed all of the synchronicity and full-rounded logic of time and space, but it got a bit convoluted by pages of musings on circles, the concept of zero, and infinity. Definitely not a straightforward haunting.
3.5 stars
Modern twist to the traditional gothic novel. Over all I enjoyed this book. It had really beautiful prose and was so well written. It was very detailed and although I usually love that sometimes the details got a little too much and confusing. I think the first half is what sucked me in but then it dragged and I was finding it hard to keep going. It picked back up every now and then and it had some interesting turns towards the end. I think it might have had too many details which made it difficult to follow.
I loved the beginning where Jane and Dr. Lawrence were first meeting there was a sort of flirty coy chemistry. I normally don’t like romance but I was really into it. The way it was written had some mystery to it. I was trying to figure out what was up with Dr. Lawrence. Is he a murderer in secret? Is he like a Jeckle & Hyde? Is he gay? There was a secret there and I was dying to find out. *spoiler alert kind of* turns out his house is kinda haunted and Jane has to figure out what is happening and how to fix it.
I enjoyed how they explained the house. It was kind of haunted but kind of like it’s own monster playing tricks on Jane. Jane is going mad trying to fight it and save Dr. Lawrence, it reminded me of the haunting of hill house especially with the ending. I did not see that coming at all. I like how they were trying to explain the magic using math. I think that’s a cool logical way to do it but it started getting confusing. Like the details were not adding up.
I did think there was a lot going on. There’s the haunted house, then it’s not haunted in the way you think it’s haunted, then there’s a magical cult, then there’s math and there’s actually no magic, then there’s time travel. It was a lot and I think if it was explained better it would’ve made more sense but it was kind of all over the place.
If you like gothic stories with haunted house but want something different, then I think it’s worth giving it a read.
Modern twist to the traditional gothic novel. Over all I enjoyed this book. It had really beautiful prose and was so well written. It was very detailed and although I usually love that sometimes the details got a little too much and confusing. I think the first half is what sucked me in but then it dragged and I was finding it hard to keep going. It picked back up every now and then and it had some interesting turns towards the end. I think it might have had too many details which made it difficult to follow.
I loved the beginning where Jane and Dr. Lawrence were first meeting there was a sort of flirty coy chemistry. I normally don’t like romance but I was really into it. The way it was written had some mystery to it. I was trying to figure out what was up with Dr. Lawrence. Is he a murderer in secret? Is he like a Jeckle & Hyde? Is he gay? There was a secret there and I was dying to find out. *spoiler alert kind of* turns out his house is kinda haunted and Jane has to figure out what is happening and how to fix it.
I enjoyed how they explained the house. It was kind of haunted but kind of like it’s own monster playing tricks on Jane. Jane is going mad trying to fight it and save Dr. Lawrence, it reminded me of the haunting of hill house especially with the ending. I did not see that coming at all. I like how they were trying to explain the magic using math. I think that’s a cool logical way to do it but it started getting confusing. Like the details were not adding up.
I did think there was a lot going on. There’s the haunted house, then it’s not haunted in the way you think it’s haunted, then there’s a magical cult, then there’s math and there’s actually no magic, then there’s time travel. It was a lot and I think if it was explained better it would’ve made more sense but it was kind of all over the place.
If you like gothic stories with haunted house but want something different, then I think it’s worth giving it a read.
dark
emotional
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
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (via Netgalley)
I'll be honest. I don't really know what to think of this book. I was intrigued by the premise of this story and really enjoyed the beginning but after a certain point I was just confused. It's not the the author writes well from a technical standpoint but the plot just confused me.
I'll be honest. I don't really know what to think of this book. I was intrigued by the premise of this story and really enjoyed the beginning but after a certain point I was just confused. It's not the the author writes well from a technical standpoint but the plot just confused me.