My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
Grade: B
Release date: June 26, 2018
An e-galley was provided by HarperCollins via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Summary: You may think you know the story. After a miserable childhood, penniless orphan Jane Eyre embarks on a new life as a governess at Thornfield Hall. There, she meets one dark, brooding Mr. Rochester. Despite their significant age gap (!) and his uneven temper (!!), they fall in love—and, Reader, she marries him. (!!!)
Or does she?
Prepare for an adventure of Gothic proportions, in which all is not as it seems, a certain gentleman is hiding more than skeletons in his closets, and one orphan Jane Eyre, aspiring author Charlotte Brontë, and supernatural investigator Alexander Blackwood are about to be drawn together on the most epic ghost hunt this side of Wuthering Heights.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: My Plain Jane is the follow-up to My Lady Jane, a rewrite of Lady Jane Grey's story. This time the Lady Janies are remixing Charlotte Bronte's and Jane Eyre's stories. Once again, there are three point-of-view characters: Jane, Charlotte, and Alexander Blackwood. All of their voices generally worked for me. Jane's voice was a little young at times. And, to be honest, I enjoyed Charlotte and Alexander's chapters best.
The beginning of the novel was a bit slow, and the ghost thing threw me for a loop. At first, I was unsure if I'd enjoy MPJ as well as MLJ. But I did appreciate the twists in Jane's and Charlotte's stories, especially because Jane Eyre is squicky as heck. Also, I shipped Charlotte and Alexander from very early on, haha.
I think I would've liked a little more of Charlotte's sisters in her story? But maybe the Lady Janies could give Emily and Anne the attention they deserve in a different novel after the final Lady Janies book about Calamity Jane.
Content warning: Violence is probably the worst offender. There's also spirit possession by ghosts, which got a little weird and might be scary for younger readers who like to venture into YA.
The Verdict: So much fun. (Plus there's at least one Princess Bride reference.)
Will I be adding this book to my library?: Absolutely.
I'm so excited for this book! I read My Lady Jane last year and I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did, so this is near the top of my most-anticipated list!
ReplyDelete