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whimsicalmeerkat's review
4.0
I am more than a tiny bit alarmed by how much I loved [b:Jane and the Damned|6493406|Jane and the Damned (Immortal Jane Austen, #1)|Janet Mullany|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1301576411s/6493406.jpg|6684844]. I almost certainly would not have read it, had it not come up on a randomly generated list created precisely for the purpose of directing me towards books I might otherwise not read. I cannot remember how it ended up on my to be read list in the beginning.
All that aside, I really enjoyed this book. It was better than [b:Pride and Prejudice and Zombies|5899779|Pride and Prejudice and Zombies|Seth Grahame-Smith|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255569929s/5899779.jpg|6072122] in that it was more than just the insertion of a set of key phrases into a pre-existing work. [a:Janet Mullany|441453|Janet Mullany|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1240751141p2/441453.jpg] took the core conceit of Jane Austen becoming a vampire and created a funny tale that appeals to every bit of my adolescent adoration of cheesy Regency romances, tales of the marauding French, and sexy vampires. In other words, it's an absurd and brainless book, but sometimes that's all we want, right?
All that aside, I really enjoyed this book. It was better than [b:Pride and Prejudice and Zombies|5899779|Pride and Prejudice and Zombies|Seth Grahame-Smith|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255569929s/5899779.jpg|6072122] in that it was more than just the insertion of a set of key phrases into a pre-existing work. [a:Janet Mullany|441453|Janet Mullany|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1240751141p2/441453.jpg] took the core conceit of Jane Austen becoming a vampire and created a funny tale that appeals to every bit of my adolescent adoration of cheesy Regency romances, tales of the marauding French, and sexy vampires. In other words, it's an absurd and brainless book, but sometimes that's all we want, right?
sandyd's review
4.0
I think this is a book that people are either going to love or hate. I liked it a lot (would give it 4.5 stars if possible), and I thought it was way better than Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, which I didn't bother to finish. This is just clever and witty and combines Regency attitudes with vampires in a very amusing way - it's just fun, if not an amazing book that garners 5 stars.
leto's review
3.0
Parts of this got a little too silly and then it would bounce back with a heart pounding battle scene. Also loved the way she ended the book. Makes total sense with everything you know of the characters but also breaks your heart just a bit.
jayvall's review
2.0
Technically, Janet Mullany’s writing is everything one has come to expect from her books. For those who haven’t read Janey Mullany before, her writing is best described as understated without being simplistic. Mullany is straightforward but manages to capture the essence of the Regency period. Her books are not filled with flowery prose; paragraph upon paragraph of detail; but just enough to give the reader a picture of the scene in her mind, and allow her to become engrossed in the relationships that are being played out on the page. All of these elements are present in JANE AND THE DAMNED, but that doesn’t mean one will automatically love this book.
I think JANE AND THE DAMNED suffers from a sense of overfamiliarity. Everyone knows Jane Austen, though how familiar you are with the particulars of her life will likely depend on how much of an Austen fangirl you are. As someone who’s read about seven pages total of Austen, I am solidly in the non-fangirl camp. Therefore, as far as I was concerned, Jane was just another heroine; she could have been named Charlotte Holbrook, for all I was attached to her. But because Austen is such a well-known figure, Mullany seems to skimp on the character development within the novel. After 300 pages, all I really know about her is that she likes to write and she has a strong sense of family. Also, JANE AND THE DAMNED is classified as a novel, and it certainly is that. There are romantic elements—I can’t even really call it a romantic subplot—but they are by no means the focus of the story. The story is about Jane learning vampire etiquette (which she doesn’t do so well), and Jane joining the rest of the Damned to fight off an invasion by the French (which she takes to like a fish). While the violent scenes aren’t terribly gory, squeamish readers may be inclined to skim these passages (though a certain level of gore is expected in a vampire novel, no?).
Fans of Jane Austen may find they are able to overlook these flaws with more ease than I was, but for me, JANE AND THE DAMNED was only an okay read. It held my attention, but I won’t be rereading it.
I think JANE AND THE DAMNED suffers from a sense of overfamiliarity. Everyone knows Jane Austen, though how familiar you are with the particulars of her life will likely depend on how much of an Austen fangirl you are. As someone who’s read about seven pages total of Austen, I am solidly in the non-fangirl camp. Therefore, as far as I was concerned, Jane was just another heroine; she could have been named Charlotte Holbrook, for all I was attached to her. But because Austen is such a well-known figure, Mullany seems to skimp on the character development within the novel. After 300 pages, all I really know about her is that she likes to write and she has a strong sense of family. Also, JANE AND THE DAMNED is classified as a novel, and it certainly is that. There are romantic elements—I can’t even really call it a romantic subplot—but they are by no means the focus of the story. The story is about Jane learning vampire etiquette (which she doesn’t do so well), and Jane joining the rest of the Damned to fight off an invasion by the French (which she takes to like a fish). While the violent scenes aren’t terribly gory, squeamish readers may be inclined to skim these passages (though a certain level of gore is expected in a vampire novel, no?).
Fans of Jane Austen may find they are able to overlook these flaws with more ease than I was, but for me, JANE AND THE DAMNED was only an okay read. It held my attention, but I won’t be rereading it.
nexttotheblues's review
5.0
I found this hysterical. I don't even like Jane Austen. I think her stories are boring and I'm solidly in camp Eyre, but taking Austen's life like this... I was thoroughly amused and engaged and loved every minute up until the ending. I suppose it ended how it should have, but I was so hoping for something else.