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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
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
lovesit1892's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This book started out strong for me with a unique take on the classic gothic horror storyline--mysterious new husband, creepy old house, etc.--but by the ending I was frustrated with the writing. I don't think I've ever read a book with such redundant writing; there was so much text on the page that was repetitive, vague, and really said nothing at all. By the last five chapters I was losing interest, to the point where I considered not even reading past Chapter Zero because it did nothing to further the storyline.
The characters were not really that engaging, and as the storyline and writing devolved that left nothing interesting for me. I would still give it 3 stars because I liked this take on gothic horror, it wasn't just the typical ghost story but it definitely could have been better fleshed out.
The characters were not really that engaging, and as the storyline and writing devolved that left nothing interesting for me. I would still give it 3 stars because I liked this take on gothic horror, it wasn't just the typical ghost story but it definitely could have been better fleshed out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Body horror, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Drug use, Gaslighting, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Drug use and Death
Minor: Vomit and Panic attacks/disorders
rtaire's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Medical content, and Body horror
Moderate: Gaslighting, Drug use, and Child death
mamaowlbear's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Gaslighting, Death, Child death, Pregnancy, Drug use, Blood, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, and Medical content
buildingtaste's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-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
2.75
From the first chapter, I always felt like this book was not quite telling me everything I needed to know. Since the setting is an alternate England, I would have expected more direct exposition about the things that make it meaningfully different, and also for these differences to have an impact on the story. As it was, we were soon locked in a country house, fundamentally indistinguishable from an English house (except of course for the haunted basement . Though having never stayed in an English country house I guess I can't be sure). Simply setting this novel in a more familiar country, even if in a fictional town or county, would have made this experience much more grounded and improved the contrast of familiar and unfamiliar once things got really weird.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Murder, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Self harm, Torture, Death, Abandonment, Mental illness, Animal death, Confinement, Death of parent, and Violence
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Sexual content and Forced institutionalization
As a gothic horror novel, Jane Lawrence comes in fast with explicit gore. Elements of the magic system involve having something affecting a person's organs/moving inside their body, whichrachaeldamms's review against another edition
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? Yes
4.25
I started out thinking this would be a 5 because I was digging the setting and atmosphere, and seeing the relationship between Jane and Augustine develop. I loved The Luminous Dead and was looking forward to more from this author. What Caitlin Starling does exceptionally well is getting into a character's head. However, the plot of this book becomes a bit slippery after Jane arrives at Lindridge Hall, and I found myself getting confused and lost at times. This may have been intentional, as the same thing is happening to Jane at this point in the book. I was hoping for a bit more lore in regard to the haunted ancestral home. Overall this was an interesting take on a classic genre. I am begging Mike Flanagan to adapt this into a miniseries.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Gore, Medical content, and Body horror
Moderate: Drug abuse and Gaslighting
mar's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
this was kinda underwhelming ngl :'( though it was neat to read a gothic horror with an autistic protagonist
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Miscarriage, Gore, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Confinement and Gaslighting
Minor: Death of parent, Sexual content, and War
illuminatedspace's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Abortion, Grief, Murder, Confinement, Death, Medical content, Pregnancy, Self harm, Torture, Medical trauma, and Violence
Moderate: War and Gaslighting
Minor: Drug use
behindpaperbacks's review against another edition
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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Death of Jane Lawrence was a captivating, atmospheric horror novel, infused with a sweeping Gothic love story.
The book follows Jane Shoringfield, who proposes a marriage of convenience to the local doctor Augustine Lawrence. By marrying him, she will be able to pursue her work as an accountant and, in return, she will do Dr. Lawrence's books. Reluctantly, he agrees, under one condition: Jane will never stay at night at his estate, Lindridge Hall. When chance does put Jane under Lindridge Hall's crumbling roof, Jane soon realizes something there is very, very wrong and her new husband might not be who she thought he was.
I had a great time reading this book. The atmosphere and themes fit nicely with other Gothic classics such as Rebecca, Jane Eyre, and The Haunting of Hill House (both the books and the Netflix show!), while still being unique. Jane, the main character, is a pragmatic and independent woman, who, at the beginning of the book, simply wants to pursue her career and be independent from her guardians. Yet, she finds herself charmed by Augustine. So much so, she ignores his strange request of her never stepping foot in his estate.
In a lot of ways, the beginning of the book reminded me of Jane Eyre and Rebecca. We have a crumbling mansion, an eerie atmosphere and a wide-eyed heroine falling for an older man she barely knows whose estate hides some dark secrets. I, for one, believe Mr. Rochester doesn't deserve shit. So naturally, I was a bit frustrated at Jane's naivete. Likewise, I found Augustine to be pathetic and Jane deserved far better than him. Thankfully, she realized that too in the course of the book. Jane's perception of Augustine changed as soon as she found out more about his past. I loved that we finally had a Gothic heroine that raged at her love interest, that was horrified at the things her husband hid from her.
Now, I'm a wimp. I get scared by horror very easily. In this instance, I was fine, however. Aspects were spooky and some parts featured a lot of gore, but I wasn't terrified. The author definitely delivered on the atmosphere of dread and the feeling of being haunted. As a Gothic fiction fan, I was having a blast. The gore-y parts during Augustine's operations added some interesting characterization for both Augustine and Jane. A comparison to both Frankenstein and Crimson Peak seems apt.
The ending of the book was where the story took a dive for me. I liked that, in contrast to Rebecca, for example, there was an actual haunting and actual magic here. But the way magic worked here honestly went over my head and I wasn't quite following the ending. With that being said, I still enjoyed the conclusion to the book and will pick up the author's other books for sure!
I gave The Death of Jane Lawrence 4/5 stars and recommend it to fans of Gothic fiction like Jane Eyre and the Netflix show The Haunting of Hill House.
Bookstagram | Twitter | Blog | Booktube
The Death of Jane Lawrence was a captivating, atmospheric horror novel, infused with a sweeping Gothic love story.
The book follows Jane Shoringfield, who proposes a marriage of convenience to the local doctor Augustine Lawrence. By marrying him, she will be able to pursue her work as an accountant and, in return, she will do Dr. Lawrence's books. Reluctantly, he agrees, under one condition: Jane will never stay at night at his estate, Lindridge Hall. When chance does put Jane under Lindridge Hall's crumbling roof, Jane soon realizes something there is very, very wrong and her new husband might not be who she thought he was.
I had a great time reading this book. The atmosphere and themes fit nicely with other Gothic classics such as Rebecca, Jane Eyre, and The Haunting of Hill House (both the books and the Netflix show!), while still being unique. Jane, the main character, is a pragmatic and independent woman, who, at the beginning of the book, simply wants to pursue her career and be independent from her guardians. Yet, she finds herself charmed by Augustine. So much so, she ignores his strange request of her never stepping foot in his estate.
In a lot of ways, the beginning of the book reminded me of Jane Eyre and Rebecca. We have a crumbling mansion, an eerie atmosphere and a wide-eyed heroine falling for an older man she barely knows whose estate hides some dark secrets. I, for one, believe Mr. Rochester doesn't deserve shit. So naturally, I was a bit frustrated at Jane's naivete. Likewise, I found Augustine to be pathetic and Jane deserved far better than him. Thankfully, she realized that too in the course of the book. Jane's perception of Augustine changed as soon as she found out more about his past. I loved that we finally had a Gothic heroine that raged at her love interest, that was horrified at the things her husband hid from her.
Now, I'm a wimp. I get scared by horror very easily. In this instance, I was fine, however. Aspects were spooky and some parts featured a lot of gore, but I wasn't terrified. The author definitely delivered on the atmosphere of dread and the feeling of being haunted. As a Gothic fiction fan, I was having a blast. The gore-y parts during Augustine's operations added some interesting characterization for both Augustine and Jane. A comparison to both Frankenstein and Crimson Peak seems apt.
The ending of the book was where the story took a dive for me. I liked that, in contrast to Rebecca, for example, there was an actual haunting and actual magic here. But the way magic worked here honestly went over my head and I wasn't quite following the ending. With that being said, I still enjoyed the conclusion to the book and will pick up the author's other books for sure!
I gave The Death of Jane Lawrence 4/5 stars and recommend it to fans of Gothic fiction like Jane Eyre and the Netflix show The Haunting of Hill House.
Bookstagram | Twitter | Blog | Booktube
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Gaslighting, Grief, and Body horror
ekmoore11's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Medical content, Blood, Medical trauma, Body horror, Drug use, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness
Moderate: Confinement, Gaslighting, and Miscarriage