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A review by dontstopreadin
Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye
2.0
Honestly, I don’t even know what to say about this book. In truth, it wasn’t horrible, but it was overhyped for me. I expected a lot out of it for the sole reason that people whose opinions I highly value adored it.
For a lot of the books I haven’t enjoyed recently, the “why” comes down to characters and my entertainment/engagement throughout the story. Jane Steele is no exception.
I adored the beginning of the book when Jane is in school. As soon as she leaves that environment, the novel falls apart for me. I was fascinated by what Jane and her classmates had to do in order to survive this horrid place filled with drastically strict and cruel people. I was invested in the relationships she formed with her classmates—especially one in particular. When these intricacies of the plot are cut off, I quickly became bored and reading this book became a chore.
This book is a “retelling” of sorts of Jane Erye. I say of sorts because Jane Erye does exist in this world, Jane Steele is obsessed with it; however, the story also follows a similar and purposeful trajectory. I haven’t read Jane Erye but I am familiar with the story. I understand why Steele had to leave the school for the story to continue the way it needed to. It just took away the aspect of the story I was personally enjoying.
I liked that there was some sexuality representation in the story, though it wasn’t really discussed too much. I didn’t like how race was depicted in this story. The characters felt forced and the way a particular character was depicted in the end actually upset me. For these reasons, I am lowering my original rating from a 3 stars to a 2 stars.
I liked that Jane was a strong character, but I didn’t see a lot of that strength. I didn’t like her killing streak or how it made her feel. I just didn’t like her. Which makes liking her story much harder. I didn’t like any other characters either. I didn’t like the romance. I didn’t like the setting. I didn’t gel with the writing. Unfortunately, this story was just NOT for me.
For a lot of the books I haven’t enjoyed recently, the “why” comes down to characters and my entertainment/engagement throughout the story. Jane Steele is no exception.
I adored the beginning of the book when Jane is in school. As soon as she leaves that environment, the novel falls apart for me. I was fascinated by what Jane and her classmates had to do in order to survive this horrid place filled with drastically strict and cruel people. I was invested in the relationships she formed with her classmates—especially one in particular. When these intricacies of the plot are cut off, I quickly became bored and reading this book became a chore.
This book is a “retelling” of sorts of Jane Erye. I say of sorts because Jane Erye does exist in this world, Jane Steele is obsessed with it; however, the story also follows a similar and purposeful trajectory. I haven’t read Jane Erye but I am familiar with the story. I understand why Steele had to leave the school for the story to continue the way it needed to. It just took away the aspect of the story I was personally enjoying.
I liked that there was some sexuality representation in the story, though it wasn’t really discussed too much. I didn’t like how race was depicted in this story. The characters felt forced and the way a particular character was depicted in the end actually upset me. For these reasons, I am lowering my original rating from a 3 stars to a 2 stars.
I liked that Jane was a strong character, but I didn’t see a lot of that strength. I didn’t like her killing streak or how it made her feel. I just didn’t like her. Which makes liking her story much harder. I didn’t like any other characters either. I didn’t like the romance. I didn’t like the setting. I didn’t gel with the writing. Unfortunately, this story was just NOT for me.