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awakeningbiblio's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
This books was a complexity of things and sometimes I wasn’t sure what was happening. After listening to the authors note I gain more perspective than just listening to it. However the narrator was fantastic. I’m also not sure if I would classify this as young adult or new adult.
Content Warnings
Minor: Gaslighting, Violence, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
toorsdenote's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Terminal illness, and Violence
Moderate: Rape, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Confinement, Violence, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Forced institutionalization
tlholmes's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Domestic abuse, Murder, Sexual violence, Violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Classism, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, and Incest
caidyn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Wow. I wasn't expecti this at all. I figured it would more be a retelling of Jane Eyre, but it totally went in its own direction. Queer. Murderous.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, Murder, Gaslighting, Incest, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Death of parent and Domestic abuse
Minor: Rape
avidreaderandgeekgirl'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
I haven't read any of Jane Eyre or any of those books. But I know enough from retellings to say that this was kind of a second book/retelling but from the daughter's perspective. And so I'm not sure how many elements were changed. But I did like what she did with the characters. That being said I did figure out one major "twist" pretty early, but I didn't predict everything about it, just the who. I enjoyed the feminism and the powerful women. Overall a good book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Grief, Misogyny, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Death of parent, Violence, and Vomit
emily__michelle's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, and Murder
Minor: Child abuse and Classism
loveat1stwrite's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
**An ARC of this book was provided to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**
For starters, I thought the title would be a quick homage to Jane Eyre, but this book ends up treating itself like a sequel to Charlotte Brontë’s book. As the promotional material didn’t mention anything about its heavy ties to Jane Eyre, I felt misled and left in the lurch right from the get-go.
The book follows Adele, before Jane arrives, while Jane is her governess, and primarily after Rochester and Jane get married. Pre-existing characters forced into a new dynamic can have potential, but here the source material felt like a crutch the author couldn’t let go of, even when doing so would have made for a more substantial reading experience. This would have been better off as an original new concept, with new characters that can be molded how the author sees fit.
While the sequel aspect was an early blindside, I was still excited for the historical fiction vigilante story I was promised. Unfortunately, that’s not really what I got. It was about 1/3 Jane Eyre retelling, 1/3 generic boarding school filler, 1/3 typical Victorian-novel-twists. In this last third is where we start to dabble with vigilante justice that unfortunately still left much to be desired. While there is sapphic romance from Adele’s POV, this too takes a backseat to the author trying to reference Jane as frequently as possible. Overall, it was a weird structure choice to be sure, creating an experience that can be only described as unfocused.
Simply put, the aspects that were most heavily promoted and that were getting readers excited for this release were not allowed to shine.
For starters, I thought the title would be a quick homage to Jane Eyre, but this book ends up treating itself like a sequel to Charlotte Brontë’s book. As the promotional material didn’t mention anything about its heavy ties to Jane Eyre, I felt misled and left in the lurch right from the get-go.
The book follows Adele, before Jane arrives, while Jane is her governess, and primarily after Rochester and Jane get married. Pre-existing characters forced into a new dynamic can have potential, but here the source material felt like a crutch the author couldn’t let go of, even when doing so would have made for a more substantial reading experience. This would have been better off as an original new concept, with new characters that can be molded how the author sees fit.
While the sequel aspect was an early blindside, I was still excited for the historical fiction vigilante story I was promised. Unfortunately, that’s not really what I got. It was about 1/3 Jane Eyre retelling, 1/3 generic boarding school filler, 1/3 typical Victorian-novel-twists. In this last third is where we start to dabble with vigilante justice that unfortunately still left much to be desired. While there is sapphic romance from Adele’s POV, this too takes a backseat to the author trying to reference Jane as frequently as possible. Overall, it was a weird structure choice to be sure, creating an experience that can be only described as unfocused.
Simply put, the aspects that were most heavily promoted and that were getting readers excited for this release were not allowed to shine.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Death, Domestic abuse, Murder, Sexual assault, and Rape
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Incest, Pedophilia, and Confinement
katiemack's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
What a compelling premise--a queer romance focused on a teen vigilante who also happens to be the daughter of Mr. Rochester of Jane Eyre fame? Sign me up!
Reader, I could have done without the Jane Eyre aspect. Betsy Cornwell mentions the characters so many times that it detracts from the story. I wish there had been even more focus on Adele and her experience; for a story about a "Villainess" I wanted more, well, actual revenge on terrible men besides what's briefly mentioned. I did enjoy the romance, though, and I'd love to see how Nan and Adele's adventures play out in the future.
If you love revenge stories and alternative classics, give this a try.
What a compelling premise--a queer romance focused on a teen vigilante who also happens to be the daughter of Mr. Rochester of Jane Eyre fame? Sign me up!
Reader, I could have done without the Jane Eyre aspect. Betsy Cornwell mentions the characters so many times that it detracts from the story. I wish there had been even more focus on Adele and her experience; for a story about a "Villainess" I wanted more, well, actual revenge on terrible men besides what's briefly mentioned. I did enjoy the romance, though, and I'd love to see how Nan and Adele's adventures play out in the future.
If you love revenge stories and alternative classics, give this a try.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Murder
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-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
4.5
Being sent to boarding school is a dream come true for Adele. She’s always felt like she was in the background. Her father’s manor never really felt like home to her, especially after having to leave their original home. Boarding school in London seems like the perfect place for a fresh start.
But Adele can’t escape the shadows when she’s in London. Adele realizes that a lot of the men looking for favors from her friends don’t have the best of intentions. After a particularly violent assault, she teams up with another woman to extract revenge. Adele is determined to save her friends from a dark fate. But will she have the courage to save herself?
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advanced copy of Reader, I Murdered Him by Betsy Cornwell to review! I knew from the title that this would have some hints towards Jane Eyre; I didn’t realize how much it was going to be inspired by it! Told from Rochester’s adopted daughter’s eyes, we also get a glimpse into what happened after Jane Eyre. Since it’s one of my favorite classics, I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Not only do the events align with the classic, the overall tone and voice also mimics Jane Eyre. We all know that Rochester was…not the greatest man, and this book just really confirms it. So often throughout the book, Adele mentions how much of a prison marriage was for women at the time. I loved that she got to work outside those confines, as a sort of vigilante. It’s such a great twist on the classic we all know.
And the characters! Adele has a strong voice from the get go; and she isn’t afriad to tell it like it is. The group of friends she makes at the boarding school were also well fleshed out; we get to see how society is affecting all of them differently. And the romance! Adele pairs up with a girl to get justice, and they fall in love. Honestly, it’s beautiful.
The only reason this isn’t getting five stars is that I do wish there was a bit more vigilantism. It’s pitched as a large part of the book, but it doesn’t really come in until later in the narrative. Expanding that would have pushed it over the edge for me.
All in all, if you love interesting twists on classics, you’ll love this book!
-----
Oh, I really enjoyed this! Didn't realize it was actually going to be so connected to Jane Eyre, but I loved that. Stay tuned for a full review to come next week!
But Adele can’t escape the shadows when she’s in London. Adele realizes that a lot of the men looking for favors from her friends don’t have the best of intentions. After a particularly violent assault, she teams up with another woman to extract revenge. Adele is determined to save her friends from a dark fate. But will she have the courage to save herself?
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advanced copy of Reader, I Murdered Him by Betsy Cornwell to review! I knew from the title that this would have some hints towards Jane Eyre; I didn’t realize how much it was going to be inspired by it! Told from Rochester’s adopted daughter’s eyes, we also get a glimpse into what happened after Jane Eyre. Since it’s one of my favorite classics, I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Not only do the events align with the classic, the overall tone and voice also mimics Jane Eyre. We all know that Rochester was…not the greatest man, and this book just really confirms it. So often throughout the book, Adele mentions how much of a prison marriage was for women at the time. I loved that she got to work outside those confines, as a sort of vigilante. It’s such a great twist on the classic we all know.
And the characters! Adele has a strong voice from the get go; and she isn’t afriad to tell it like it is. The group of friends she makes at the boarding school were also well fleshed out; we get to see how society is affecting all of them differently. And the romance! Adele pairs up with a girl to get justice, and they fall in love. Honestly, it’s beautiful.
The only reason this isn’t getting five stars is that I do wish there was a bit more vigilantism. It’s pitched as a large part of the book, but it doesn’t really come in until later in the narrative. Expanding that would have pushed it over the edge for me.
All in all, if you love interesting twists on classics, you’ll love this book!
-----
Oh, I really enjoyed this! Didn't realize it was actually going to be so connected to Jane Eyre, but I loved that. Stay tuned for a full review to come next week!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Sexual assault
Minor: Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence
alannadoucette8's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Death of parent, Grief, Child abuse, Classism, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Pedophilia, and Sexism