Reviews with content warning for Gore - The Death of Jane Lawrence

Reviews tagging 'Gore'

The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling

118 reviews

raychelbennet's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I think I did this book a bit of a disservice by reading it immediately following a re-read of <i>The Luminous Dead</i>.

I wasn't sure what I thought of this book until the last 5% (which is unusual for me). I really enjoyed Jane as a character, I was interested in her experiences in Lindridge Hall, and I wanted her to get what she wanted out of life. But I couldn't bring myself to truly care about Augustine and I was confused by the pacing. Sometimes it felt meandering with no end point (conveniently like what I imagine the cellars beneath Lindridge Hall to be like) and other times it felt hasty and rapid-fire. I did feel consistently off-kilter and I was never sure where the plot was going.

Due to these concerns, I was under the impression this was going to be a solidly middle-of-the-road book. Excellent plot, inconsistent pacing, and a strong protagonist but wishy-wishy supporting characters. However, to my surprise, the last 10% of the book wrapped everything up beautifully for me. I can't say I completely understood the plot or what was happening but the ending is that kind of open-ended, not-totally-resolved denouement that I find perfect. It was resolved in what I am realizing might be a signature of Caitlin Starling.

This is somewhere between a four and a five for me, so lowered just a smidge because <i>The Luminous Dead</i> remains my favorite. All-in-all, I can't wait to see what else Caitlin Starling writes.

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writer_lian's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Soooo perfectly gothic. I love Jane, she's pretty relatable and has autistic swag to be honest. I found the beginning to be a little slow and her infatuation with Augustine to be slightly far fetched even at the end. He doesn't deserve her!! However, I think that element just didn't resonate with me and textually its well justified. The classically gothic elements are so delicious, I found myself smiling as the dread and horror mounted. It'a very rooted in the time period even as the author explores some more post modern-ish threads within the plot. Highly recommend to both well read gothic horror fans and new readers of the genre.

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aparker89's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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faerylibrary's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I enjoyed this book, although it is definitely not a book for everyone. My reason not scoring higher is that the magic system in the setting for this story felt like it could have used some more explanation. Overall, I liked the fact that magic was explored, appreciated the way in which the story unfolded, and found the Victorian surgery scenes to be perfectly eery and unsettling! The unreliable narration, especially as the book descends into madness at the end, kept me interested and engaged. Not all of my questions about the reality of events in this story were quite answered by the ending, but perhaps they didn’t need to be. I’m still grappling with the ending, but I believe it could be interpreted several different ways which I have mixed feelings about. One thing is for certain, I never quite was able to anticipate what would happen next while reading and that made this a real page turner! Lots of unexpected twists and turns occur in the latter half. Enjoy!

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caity_h's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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lionfish_22's review

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dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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maresuju's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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wild_avalon_lass's review

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dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

“I can think of little else,” he said, finally taking the ring from her and gently, so gently, slipping it onto her finger. “After just a few days, I find I’ve completely lost my mind over you.”

And so is The Death of Jane Lawrence: A mind-losing, world-tilting, reality-altering read that left my head spinning...but in a good way.

Caitlin Starling is a genius, and that mad touch of brilliance is obvious in her leading lady, Jane Shoringfield Lawrence.
It was incredibly refreshing to read a book with a leading lady who fully felt IN CHARGE of each moment, even the moments where reality was slipping from her grasp, where she was teetering on the edge of insanity, Jane felt completely whole, herself, and in control of the moment.

All Dr. Augustine Lawrence had to do was sit there and be pretty (he succeeded in that...most of the time) and let his wife save him from his own self-inflicted tragedy (....did he succeed in that? Who knows).

I saw this book advertised for "fans of Crimson Peak" (hello! That's me!) and boy, did it deliver: ghosts, curses, tragic gothic men, women walking the razor edge of brilliance or madness, lots of rain, lots of mud, and a crumbling, destructive house in the center of it all.

Absolutely worth the read...although you WILL feel (in the final few pages) as though you are not at all smart enough to keep up with how quickly revelations are coming to life and how whiplash-smart Jane's brain is. Kudos to Starling for that.

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mostlybees's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

While this book is a gothic horror novel, the pace was slower than I’d prefer for that genre. It’s a good book, but it took me a while to get through. This book has a very interesting take on what the consequences of magic are.

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peregrinwho's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

It's been a few weeks since I finished this, and I haven't stopped thinking about this book since picking it up. Immediate new favorite. The romance is instantly believable and blush-inducing, the characters are perfect manifestations/carriers of the themes, and the layers of mystery kept getting unfolded like pulling back sheets on the bed knowing you'll end up feeling cold and helpless but you have to in order to release the uncomfortable heat.
Fantastic pacing, harrowing imagery, enchanting insights, and one of the most horrifically perfect endings I've ever read.

I really saw a lot of myself in Jane, and like to think she's autistic. To see a protagonist so complex and full as her who thinks and sees the world as I do is so precious to me since it's rarely represented in a positive light (or at all). Every time she stood up for herself I was so happy. I also saw parts of myself in Augustine, and have since started a paradigm shift after reading how him blaming himself for everything was arrongance. Time to re-evaluate some things boys😅. And the way the time loop was closed??? My friend and I discussed it for hours. I'm so in love with the tragedy of the ending even though I cried and had nightmares afterwards, because I understood all the themes and elements had come together so perfectly. I now also understand body horror is the type of horror that will actually freak me out, so that's knowledge!🙃

There's more I could say but this is long enough. Suffice it to say, overall this book devestated me, and I will be recommending it to anyone who will listen to me.

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