My Plain Jane

Written by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

Published by Harper Teen, June 26, 2018

My star rating: 5 stars

THE SYNOPSIS:

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. Find it on Goodreads

MY REVIEW:

Well, it’s official – I will buy anything that the Lady Janies write!! This book was everything that I expected and more! It’s hard for me not to compare this to the first one (My Lady Jane) as I read them so close together. And, if you’re wondering, these are stand alone books. So if you’re interested in this one, you do NOT need to read My Lady Jane first. The books in this “series” follow totally different characters in totally different time periods. Also, you don’t have to know anything about Jane Eyre before going into this. I’ve never read it either and it never impacted my reading of this book. In fact, I think it made it easier since I didn’t have a comparison.

What I have to mention first is the humour. These books are hilarious! Mostly because of the narrator that pops in thoughts here and there. These thoughts are kind of side notes that add little hints and explanations to the story line. I laughed out loud so many times! Also, the situations that these characters often find themselves in is outlandish and funny too. These books are meant to be historical retellings that have nothing at all to do with the original tale. In My Lady Jane there were people that could turn into animals. And in this one we have ghosts and ghost hunters. So it’s a retelling with a paranormal twist. The paranormal elements sound weird. It was hard for me to initially wrap my head around what these elements could have to do with the story. But they work – and really well! It feels so natural. Just go into this book knowing that it doesn’t take itself seriously, and neither should you!

The characters were all so wonderful! Each and every one has so much depth. There are multiple characters but none of them seem up front and centre. They’re all so well written and have many layers to the story. Even the characters that don’t get a dedicated perspective are well rounded. And since each character is so different, it made the balance of each of them work even better.

The pace was even all the way through. I read through it quite quickly and never wondered when something was going to happen next. Each chapter propelled me further into the story. The twists were constant, each one adding more depth to the plot, and made me want to know more. Some I saw coming, and others I didn’t see at all. I might actually feel like this was faster paced than My Lady Jane

Along with the humour, there were also a few other surprises! First, there was a cameo of two characters from My Lady Jane! It was quick, but enough to make me smile! And, (possibly my favourite part!), there were references to Harry Potter, The Princess Bride, and Lord of the Rings! No Joke! When I read them I laughed so hard! It was like finding a prize.

If you’ve read My Lady Jane, I know for a fact that you’ll like this one! I wish I could say more but I don’t want to spoil a single thing. Just know that there are great characters, even pace, and GHOSTS!! So good!

Until next time, happy reading!