A review by maddiereadswords
Escaping Mr. Rochester by L.L. McKinney

4.0

Jane Eyre is one of my favorite classics, so I'll admit I had really high hopes for this one going in, and for the most part, it really impressed me!! I will say some of the choices regarding the worldbuilding gave me pause; there's a different monarch on the British throne which is mentioned in passing once or twice, but I have no idea how the existence of Queen Amelia changes things in an otherwise Victorian England. I also don't have a great idea of how race exists in this world, which threw me off a little since I expected with two Black protagonists, that would be more of a topic of conversation. Otherwise, though, I think this was a really great remix that payed homage to the original, while also telling a really compelling story. 

I think the choice to limit the story mostly to Thornfield was a really effective one, and I was pleasantly surprised by the build-up of the romance; it was fast, for sure, but it didn't feel rushed. Also the pacing of the first half was a little slow, but once things actually started moving about halfway through, I couldn't put it down. Overall, a fantastic re-imagining of a book I already loved with the ending that Edward Rochester has always deserved <3
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