mslaureeslibrary 's review for:

Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye

3.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

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Brief Summary: This book is kind of a retelling of Jane Eyre. Jane Steel and Jane Eyre are both orphaned, attend a girl’s school and become governesses. Outside of that Steel and Eyre diverge quite a bit. Steel is a murderess; she says it at the very beginning. She is not shy about investigating mysteries, taking charge of her own life and speaking up. There is still love, mystery and a kind of gothic setting. 

 

Mini Review: I enjoyed the book overall but felt there were issues with the pacing, it felt like this could have been told in a more modern setting more effectively. This book was action packed and Steele was a compelling protagonist. There was also a weird dynamic between paying tribute to Indian culture and also vilifying it that was a bit of a struggle to get behind. 

 

Overall rating: 3 

Writing: 3 

Plot: 3.5 

Structure: 3 

Characters: 4 

Pacing: 4 

Emotional impact: 3