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

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

5.0

I went into this book blind, and ended up scolding myself for not doing it sooner. I worked at a bookstore when this novel released and I remember the hype around it and dismissed it and now I feel like a FOOL. 

We follow a practical and clever woman, Jane, in her quest to obtain a husband, so not to burden her adoptive parents. Once she brokers a deal with an accomplished and genuine docter, she realizes that this marriage might not be simply business like she thought. He offers much more than financial security, but seems to have more skeletons in the closets than she anticipated. As clever as she is, Jane might not make it through with reason and will alone. A gothic tale that felt real and confusing and startling, almost as if the reader was the main character. Normal life gets shattered by secrets and madness and magic and death and darkness and emotion. 

The characters were perfectly flawed. They all felt like real people doing the best they could with what they had been given. I was eager to get any information I could on the confusing secrets Jane was given, making the book hard to put down. Because while they were weird, it wasn't outright suspicious, so it gave me pause and sympathy. This author did a wonderful job with the main voice and presenting us with just enough details without making it blatantly obvious or mind-bendingly confusing. I've already added her other works to my TBR pile and will definitely enjoy them. 

You HAVE to read this book. It was spooky and creepy and real and made me feel like I was losing my mind.

Jane was a brilliant main character. Yes there were times where I wanted to shove her face into her husband's and scream at them to kiss and make up, but the plot must proceed. I was rooting for her the entire time, even though it got hard to once she kinda started losing it. But I just wanted her and Augustine to be happy so badly! I didn't really see the ending coming and I'm not sure how you could, with how unique the author's magic system is. And while its definitely weird, it's not too weird. I did kind of like how confusing the magic was, because it felt like it was that way for the users too. It definitely gave the vibes of the ending of The Haunting of Hill House (Netflix Series, not the book). How Elenore was her own haunting in the end. Like Ellie was the Broken-Neck Lady and Jane was Ellidy, Augustine's dead wife's ghost.
 
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