User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
Happy pub day📚🥳🎈
Can you imagine the eerier and more terrifying mash up of House of Leaves- Haunting of Hill House and Rebecca?
By the way this cover deserves its own five blazing stars! This is magnificent, terrifying masterpiece!
If you like the definition of a couple who realize they start to fall for each other as both of their hands hold intestines of a man in pain, lying on operation table, they’ll love Jane and Augustine! Well, aren’t those weirdos perfect for each other?
Jane Shoringfield is extremely logical woman reminds me of combination of coolest and creepiest actress Rosamund Pike and another blood freezing blond Kim Novak: she’s logical, she plays no games, she knows what kind of struggles awaiting unmarried women so she makes list consisted ten men and Augustine Lawrence is the first name at her list.
She just proposes to the man at the beginning and she presents her offer as business arrangement that both sides can be mutually benefited. Jane is good at mathematics and she will organize his accounts as she gets Augustine’s last name. And of course Augustine will resume staying each night at Lindridge Hall-the female estate.
No romance, intimacy or consummating of marriage will be required. They keep their public faces as happily married couple as they keep their independence behind the close doors! Both Augustine and Jane are quiet quirky, awkward ! They are truly weird match made in hell.
But their well thought plans change abruptly at the wedding night because of the unexpected storm and mudslides which prevent Jane’s carriage move back to town. She returns back to Lindridge Hall where her husband dearest forbid her to stay but at the storm there’s nowhere else for her to stay!
As soon as she spends two nights at the place, Jane realizes Augustine keeps dark secrets from her.
Jane checks the accounting book and finds out a recorded large amount of balance belongs to a name called Elodie. Jane finds some entries at the previous months as well. Who the hell that woman? Is she Augustine’s estranged daughter?
And who is the red eyed woman looking at from the window?
The creepy things start to happen behind the closed and locked doors, crumbling walls of Lindridge Hall! Nothing is as it seems! And as the magic starts, everything in Jane’s life traumatically changes! She doesn’t different what is real and what is illusion anymore!
The gothic, twisty version of Rebecca with Alienist vibes and Crimson Peak push you turn the pages faster!
Especially the last third of the book is truly shocking, jaw dropping, a great kind of lunatic!
The beginning of the book was a little compelling! You just have to be patient for the upcoming juicy parts! As soon as Jane finds herself at Lindridge Hall, true magic starts to enchant you!
I only lower one star for my troubled and bumpy start of the book but overall it’s whirlwind, high tension, intense, gothic, blood freezing, WTH I just read kind of promising reading for the genre fans! I highly recommend it!
Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
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Rating: really liked it
I was hoping for a gothic ghost story but I didn't really get that.
In an effort to secure her future Jane has decided to find a husband of convenience. She isn't one for affection and intimacy she just wants a man that will allow her to do meaningful work with no strings attached. She finds that Dr. Augustine Lawrence fits the bill perfectly.
He agrees under the one condition that she never steps foot in his house, Lindridge Hall. She soon finds herself in an accident on the side of the road in a raging storm leaving her no other options than to seek shelter there. Upon arriving she finds her usually stoic husband a paranoid mess. What exactly is going on?
That's when I should have shut this book for good. Talk about boring. I, at first, admired Jane. I liked that she seemed an independent woman looking to secure her own future. That is until she became weak kneed and all hearts a flutter every time Augustine looked at her. So much for the feminist angle. Augustine is a weak willed twit that I have a hard time believing any woman would become so besotted with. Again, I was hoping for a gothic ghost story but this book decided to take a black magic route that completely lost me. I am not a fan of magic in my fiction. This also lacked atmosphere and chills both of which I was seeking to find. Both of which I was expecting to find considering the genre. So, ultimately, this was a huge let down for me. 2 stars!
Rating: really liked it
**2.5-stars rounded up**Jane Shoringfield is a practical, independent woman, but unfortunately she lives in a time when that sort of personality is frowned upon; it's expected that all women will marry and ultimately care for a home.
In order to best get by, Jane decides she does need to find a husband, yes, but she wants it to be a marriage of convenience. One where she will still be able to work and maintain a portion of her current independence.
She sets her sights on a handsome, yet reclusive, doctor, Augustine Lawrence.
Jane presents her plan to the good doctor and to her surprise, he accepts. He does have one condition, however, that she must never visit
Lindridge Hall, his decreipt manor on the outskirts of town.
Jane agrees, but when a freak accident strands her on the manor steps in the middle of night, Augustine must relent and let her in.
Jane is disturbed by the state she finds him in. He seems a different man, scared and paranoid instead of smart and strong. What is going on here?
By morning, Augustine seems to be back to his old self. Now that Jane has been introduced to the sinister mystery of
Lindridge Hall, however, she wants to know more.
What makes this place so frighteningly special to Augustine and why didn't he want her here?
As Jane goes deeper into her husband's history, as well as that of
Lindridge Hall, she is introduced to whole new worlds she never even knew existed.
The Death of Jane Lawrence has a super intriguing premise. It's dripping in dark, gothic atmosphere and for that, I applaud it.
I appreciated the incorporation of the occult ideas explored, as well as the build-up to the craziness.
With this being said, it got a little too crazy for my tastes. It felt too addled; like a non-stop fever dream. There was almost too much going on to be able to sink in and enjoy that rich gothic atmosphere. It distracted me and lost me.
I will admit to being a bit let down by this one. I was so looking forward to it and wish I could have connected with it more.
In spite of my slight criticisms, Starling's writing style is quite pleasing. It has a nice flow and as mentioned before, it definitely delivers on atmosphere. I know a lot of Readers are really going to love this one.
Thank you so much to the publisher, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies of this to read and review.
The narrator for the audiobook is fantastic, so I definitely would recommend giving it a listen if you have that option!
Rating: really liked it
2/5stars
God this was such a let down.
This book tried to be WAY too many things - gothic, paranormal, cult, magic, existential, "Rebecca," "Jane Eyre," "Full Metal Alchemist," all on a bad cocaine trip. Nothing made sense - the magic wasn't explained, the relationship between the two main characters made no sense (why was she SO dedicated to this man she met a week ago in a marriage of convenience???), everything became so convoluted and confusing it was ridiculous. This felt both WAY too long (i stg it had 9 different times that i was like "this HAS to be the end of it") and not long enough because it was trying to do 75 different things. Also the title is a spoiler???? but also a lie???? what was this book trying to do please someone tell me.
Also I was about to give it 2.5 stars and legit had to drop it to 2 cause this entire book took place over 2 weeks and that is the stupidest thing i've ever heard in my fucking life.
Rating: really liked it
↠ 4.5 starsThe crumbling manor at Lindridge Hall hides a deadly secret, one that will be unearthed when its new mistress steps over the threshold. Jane Shoringfield is nothing short of practical, and having reached the end of her living period with her guardians, decides that the most logical way forward will be to secure herself a husband. The chosen candidate for this transaction is the reclusive, yet handsome, doctor Augustine, whose profession may provide her with the very independence that she requires. Augustine agrees to this marriage of convenience, on the agreement that Jane never set foot in Lindridge Hall, his family estate just outside of town. Nonetheless, on the night of their wedding, a chance storm leaves her stranded and Jane is forced to return to the manor. When she arrives, she finds the demeanor of her husband gone, and in its place a frightened and paranoid man unable to discern reality from fiction. Morning comes, and Augustine is himself again, but Jane knows deep within her bones that something is horribly wrong with her husband and the house she now occupies. A profound fear only magnified by her continued stay within the manor's walls.
Placed within the realm of
Crimson Peak,
Rebecca, and Shirley Jackson, The Death of Jane Lawrence is an impressive gothic horror novel that fucked with my mind in the best way possible. Set in a dark version of Post-War England, packed full of supernatural and spooky vibes, this is one of the most brilliant and unnerving books that I have read all year. Part of the journey with this novel is in just how much it upends what is understood at any given moment. I started this off scared of the
Crimson Peak comparison, and that feeling really never went away because of how often the book turned all of my expectations on their head. The first section is ominous, hung over with impending dread that is drawn out like poison from a wound upon the first occurrence with Jane and Augustine at the manor. This was reminiscent of so many Gothic novels of the past, that sudden shift in tone from an incident, that traverses through to the end of the narrative. There was an unsteady ground between Jane and Augustine present in the first half, as both characters were hiding secrets from the other. Altogether, I loved not really knowing who to put trust in, as I fell into the book's rhythm to be entirely unpredictable. Past the first half of the novel is where the atmosphere twists into something slightly enigmatic. This is where I puzzled with the text a bit more and was left completely shattered by the end results. A tangled web that I endeavored to take apart in order to make sense of it all. While I will say this section could have been pared down, at that point, it was like the top of a rollercoaster and I was just along for the rest of the ride. In every respect, Caitlin Starling has created a haunting tale, charged with callbacks to iconic gothic fiction of days past. The Death of Jane Lawrence is an eerily brilliant novel that bends reality and twists the mind towards its breaking point.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review. Trigger Warnings: blood, gore, violence, death, animal death, medical procedures
Rating: really liked it
gothic + historical + romance + ghosts + magic rituals
this was very much my kind of book
Rating: really liked it
3 starsWhen a novel's strength is also it's weakness;
The Death of Jane Lawrence is a modern take on gothic fiction, incorporating elements of mathematics and metaphysics. While the final output suffers from over-writing, and drowning in its own complicated pseudo-logic, it is still an amiable exercise at re-invigorating a familiar setting.
Caitlin Starling's detail-oriented prose shines when it comes to establishing settings and depicting surreal, grotesque supernatural incidents. But beyond these critical moments, this devotion for the minutia can be laborious to get through; the pacing never peaks because everything is dragged out by hollow textual busywork (no matter how beautifully written). You know this is an issue when chunks of paragraph can be skipped without losing the plot—the book can easily be 80+ pages shorter.
Set in a fictitious universe, this 'alternate timeline' approach allows flexibility in imagining a world that is more fantastical than our historical reality. With the female protagonist being someone who's obsessed with logic and order, the story presents memorable moments where her belief is thoroughly challenged. On the flip-side, without a grounded context (and the book never fully fleshes out its own world), and threats repeatedly resolved by fabricated conveniences, I find myself losing empathy as
The Death of Jane Lawrence becomes more and more outlandish.
The final 'revelation' (No spoiler, but to those who've read the book it should be clear which chapter I'm referring to) is beautifully complex—would've been a daring move to end the book there, as the remaining material feels anticlimactic, drawing to a conclusion very typical to stories of this genre.
Overall,
The Death of Jane Lawrence excels in conjuring the foreboding atmosphere and the supernatural, but the narrative as a whole suffers from an imbalance of homage and new ideas. Still, there is enough polish here to make it worth checking out.
***This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!***
Rating: really liked it
this was weird! and
not entirely in a good way 🤔
Rating: really liked it
Do you like your gothic horror with a big slice of mind-fuck? Do you like a cast of characters, none of which you can trust? Then boy do I have a book for you.
The Death of Jane Lawrence begins as a seemingly simple story. A marriage of convenience with a single condition. Jane is to never visit Lindridge Hall. A condition that is broken because this is a book we’re talking about and books require plots. What follows will have you questioning your own sanity and staying up late just to know more. Definitely a contender for best horror of the year.
*thank you to the publisher for sending me an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review
Rating: really liked it
This book both delighted and terrified me, in equal measure. A marriage of convenience trope? An old, crumbling and isolated manor? Yes, please.
Jane Shorefield wants to marry, and as quick as she can, in order to maintain her independence. She chooses Augustine Lawrence, the beloved and mysterious town doctor. Augustine hesitatingly agrees on the condition that Jane should never set foot in his family home. But, of course, that plan falls apart as soon as the pair wed. Jane soon discovers inexplicable horrors within the walls of Lindridge Hall and the reason why her new husband wanted to hide it from her.
I enjoyed this book thoroughly. Books don’t usually scare me, but this one definitely did. I’ve never watched Crimson Peak, so I don’t know if it compares to that, but I can say I noticed Bluebeard similarities while reading this book. I loved Jane; she’s a smart, practical woman who goes on a journey in this book, facing things that she never would have considered possible before meeting Augustine.
I will have to check out Caitlin Starling’s other works post-haste.
Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for an e-ARC of this book!
Rating: really liked it
2.5 Stars. I don’t know. I just don’t know.
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Rating: really liked it
2.5⭐
Dilapidated stone mansion, candelabra, tunnels, and dark spells. This is a gothic horror that will surely please many readers. It's a slow burn and not quite what I was looking for. The first half is good as the place, a handsome surgeon, and Jane are introduced. The second half has a lot going on and didn't hold my interest. I was hoping to love this book, but I'm not the right reader for it.
Rating: really liked it
The Death of Jane Lawrence is part love letter to classic gothic horror, part gory dive into the perilous world of Victorian surgery, and part exploration of where magic and math collide. I wrote this book after seeing Crimson Peak for the first time in theaters, which rekindled my childhood adoration of gothic romances (Jane Eyre, Beauty and the Beast, Phantom of the Opera) to a raging fire, and I used it to explore many of my weirder interests, even as I built characters that explored the best and worst of myself.
This is not a book for everybody. It is gruesome and strange, and walks an uncomfortable line between romance and horror and something... else. But if you, like me, grew up fascinated by medical procedures and the history of what it means to be a doctor; if you are at all curious about why the creators of Western calculus were more often than not alchemists and magicians in their own right; if you want a gothic horror where the heroine is entranced not just by the brooding hero, but by the possibility of making his secrets her own-
This book is for you.
Rating: really liked it
I really wanted to like this book. Usually a horror, gothic novel is right up my alley. However, Jane got on my last nerve. One minute she claims to be indifferent. The next, she is a lovesick teenager panting over the good doctor. Then the belief that someone is going to go the miles she did to save a man she knew less than a week is unbelievable. I can ignore plot holes, but give a girl a break here. The ending makes zero sense and I refuse to reread it. This book tried to be too many things at once. It is all over the place. Major disappointment for me.
Rating: really liked it
I received a copy for free in exchange for an honest review; my thanks to NetGalley and the author!
This book was so so very well done. Starling sucks you into a fictional setting that is eerily similar to an immediate post-WWI era world.
She does an excellent job of pulling you, pulling the rug out from under you, drawing you back in, then yoinking the carpet again, and then...and then I cannot say because of spoilers, but man oh man, my jaw was on the floor.
This book is an excellent Gothic Horror tale with romantic elements. Well done.
