A review by thecityofstarlight
The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

***SPOILERS AHEAD***

I had such high hopes for this book. When I read the description and it said it was inspired by Crimson Peak (one of my favorite movies), I was beyond ecstatic to start reading it. The first chunk of chapters seemed so promising but soon fell very short. I think I was expecting a lot more. I know you shouldn't compare two works from each other, but I wasn't getting any real Crimson Peak vibes and I felt that a lot of the mystery and "spookiness" was forced. I got nothing from it, and half the time, I couldn't even understand what was happening or where the plot was going. In some books, maybe that works, but in this case,

I felt like I was reading the ramblings of a delusional woman, which I thought was the whole premise of the book? The magic elements were incredibly unbelievable and were not at all convincing. I literally thought Jane was having some kind of psychological break for most of the story, but nope, the magic parts were supposed to be taken seriously.

It was all poorly executed. The biggest letdown was the ending; I felt that nothing was wholly explained or clarified. It just left me with even more confusion and frustration as to where the original plot had gone and why I forced myself to continue reading.

I don't know... maybe this is a good book and I just couldn't comprehend or appreciate it enough. I just wish it didn't confuse me more than half the time.