It annoyed me how quickly our Jane falls into standard romance cliches, from a height of strong anti-romantic principles, and thus into some clearly waiting horror movie traps. But the spooky gothic horror was very well played, and as the plot and the expectations got weirder I let go entirely of my romance expectations and got more and more interested. Maybe the weird, sort of esoteric occult/sort of sci-fi turns the book takes won't be for everyone, and maybe some of these aspects could have been integrated better so it was less of a sharp 180 from the expected gothic haunted house romance to the like, half Alistair-Crowley, half theory-of-multiple-worlds stuff, but it mostly worked and it wasn't at all boring. I think this author is one to watch.

There are books that defy the sophomore slump – and then there are books that absolutely blow it out of the water. Caitlin Starling has produced an absolute masterpiece with her second novel, and this gothic horror chills and delights.

Set in an era similar to our own Victorian time, but in a world distinctly different, The Death of Jane Lawrence begins with a bargain. A young woman seeks a husband willing to agree to a marriage framed as a business agreement; but he has requirements of his own, one of them that she never spend the night at his family’s crumbling manor, Lindridge Hall. Theirs is a world where the church is crumbling; science, mathematics and medicine replacing it in the minds of a people worn out and traumatized by war. But spiritualism and magic lurk around the edges of this newly enlightened era, and when a stormy night means their bargain must be broken, it becomes clear that the shadows are hiding more than just shabby furnishings.

Jane Lawrence is a heroine the reader will find it easy to root for – she’s a complex and brilliantly real character, one with flaws, struggles, compassion, and intelligence. There’s a genuine sweetness to the connection between herself and her new husband, and even side characters feel fully realized. It raises the stakes – when you care, as a reader, you’ve got so much more to lose when those characters are threatened.

The Death of Jane Lawrence is a book of many layers, and made up of some gorgeous writing that sucks you in right from the start – it had me gripped from the very first page, and thinking about it whenever my reading was interrupted. There’s just enough inspiration here from works like Crimson Peak and Rebecca to guide reader’s expectations, to help you settle comfortably in, before taking those expectations and ruthlessly using them against you. There are some absolutely delightful subversions of tropes – unexpected moments that nevertheless feel absolutely right – and they’ve resulted in a book that refuses to sit quietly in just one genre corner. Nor should it, as the blended elements here were balanced perfectly by the author; the resulting novel shows its genre roots, while building up to a whole that is so much greater than the sum of its parts.

With this kind of work on just her second novel, Caitlin Starling is an author to watch. By turns chilling, romantic, and always entirely enthralling, The Death of Jane Lawrence promises a lot – and delivers.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press NetGalley and Author for this crazy amazing advance ebook!
I hated to read this book so early and way before October but I couldn't wait any longer!

This is my first book by Caitlin Starling and this writing was wonderful.
I couldn't pry my eyes from my Kindle. The Death of Jane Lawrence is that dang good.
Read in one sitting, devoured it, loved it, wished I would have waited because I wished the book went on for forever!

This book has a gothic horror vibe which I absolutely loved. But also has historical fiction thrown in the mix.
While reading this book I was honestly surprised by. By how much this book goes into detail. (I enjoyed btw)
This was a stunning, beautiful, wonderful, twisted, scary, well written book!

And I can't thank you enough for this ebook copy!
Ill post to my Goodreads and bookstagram account closer to pub date!

This book is both captivating and terrifying at the same time. It is a gothic horror novel with an incredibly detailed plot and rich characters.

The main character is Jane Shoringfield, a woman who doesn’t want to be a burden on her guardians and chooses to get into a marriage of convenience to Augustine Lawrence, the only doctor in her small town of Larrenton.

Lawrence agrees on one condition, that Jane must never spend the night at his ancestral home, Lindridge Hall. However, when a mudslide destroys her carriage, Jane has to break this promise and must stay overnight at Lindridge Hall- where she comes face to face with the secrets that haunt her husband.

The novel incorporates both elements of psychological and supernatural horror before going on to full supernatural territory. There is a creeping sense of dread, which will not let you stop turning the pages until you come to the end.

The characters are finely fleshed out. You can actually see how their mind works and how complicated their lives and situations are. These are characters that you can empathize with.

This novel is a perfect blend of the gothic and the supernatural and great storytelling. I think it’s a must read for fans of horror/ supernatural literature. In some ways it reminds me of Jane Eyre with a few elements of the story.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader’s copy of the book for an honest review.

This book was twisted! The suspense was palpable, as was the atmosphere; I found myself racing to the conclusion. This is perfect for fans of gothic horror.

I really loved this gothic horror book! Jane’s husband of convenience, and in true gothic fashion the manor feels like a character also. It’s the perfect setting for the terrible things that Jane and Augustine go through, and I loved the vivid descriptions that make it feel soaked in history and fear.

It’s isolated, crumbling and atmospheric, and made me tense and anxious every time night fell. I was deeply impressed by the way that Starling built on the traditional characteristics of the genre to make the reader feel like they know exactly where it’s going, and then flipped all of those expectations. There’s a lot going on under the surface of this novel and I really enjoyed it.

I requested this one because it might be a 2021 title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book is not my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one rather than push myself to finish it only to give it a poor review.

HISTORICAL ERA GOTHIC HORROR? HELL YEAH. We need way more books, movies, ANYTHING in this genre!!!! This book had big Crimson Peak energy but with an added dose of mind fuck which made it way more fun. Unlike Crimson Peak, this book has a secret society of doctors and scientists who not only believe in magic, but conduct experiments trying to prove the existence of it. This group of people have studied any and all things strange and supernatural and even refer to themselves as magicians. For this reason, I also think that this story is reminiscent of Frankenstein as well, but instead of creating a monster, the consequences involve spirits, hauntings, and a house that gets seriously messed up at night.

“I study madness,” Dr. Nizamiev said, lips faintly curved. “And I study the practice of magic. As I said, magic is my personal curiosity. Madness is my professional one.”

I wanted to like the main character Jane, but DAMN she made every frustratingly bad decision that horror movie characters always makes which makes you want to yell at the screen. Someone offers to take her away from the creepy house so she doesn’t have to stay the night? Nope she decides to stay! Creepy cellar that she’s specifically told to not go into? Breaks padlock and goes down into cellar alone. I wanted to like Jane but she kept making a string of exceedingly stupid decisions that literally never end until the book is over so really it was hard to feel bad for her because she did it to herself by making the stupidest possible choices in every situation. It’s morbidly entertaining though.

I’m giving this book 4/5 stars because honestly it was too smart for me lol. The ending was brilliant, the writing was brilliant, and the author is brilliant. So brilliant that I did not understand the ending at all. I could use a dumbed down explanation to the ending because I BARELY understood it. I guess I’m just not smart enough to understand a book this smart? I get the gist of what happened but barely. Those of you who’ve read this, let’s discuss the ending because I need a whole lot of clarification. Guess I don’t have enough brainpower to comprehend an ending this twisted and confusing but I enjoyed the book nonetheless.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

You gotta love a ghost story smashed with a Rebecca-type tale.
Jane Lawrence is a no-nonsense woman who knew what she wanted and that was a simple, uncomplicated life, where she would happily work on her math or accounting skills. But a woman had to have some security, especially in this Victorian-type era. But she had no prospects for love, nor wanted any. She did what she did best; she made a list of eligible bachelors and all their pros and cons and found which was her best match statistically. That was Augustine Lawrence, a doctor, a man of science, and a gentleman. He agreed to her offer, willing to have a marriage of convenience. So much easier said then done, soon emotions came into play and an unscheduled visit to the house Jane agreed to never visit changed everything.
A very creepy story, with ghosts, mysteries, and magic. Caitlin Starling builds a world where magic was once accepted as real and replaced with religion as a result of a war between the two thoughts. Very reminiscent to post WWII England. But a few chapters in, and you will forget this is a parallel world and just go with it. Maybe if you’re lucky, you’ll find the secret of how to leave Lindridge Hall….maybe.
Thanks to NetGalley, and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read this galley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

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.

This novel is, at its core, the story of a haunted house -- kind of. It's also an examination of the nature of trauma, a rich tale steeped in dark magic in all its gory details. The characters are well-fleshed, interesting and troubling in so many ways. I loathed to put it down, especially in the last third or so. The ending in particular is going to sit with me for months to come -- my mind is reeling.

Jane has always been ruled by logic, so it’s logic that leads her to ask Augustine Lawrence for his hand in marriage, and Dr Lawrence has one stipulation: Jane must never stay the night at Lindridge Hall. When a storm washes out the road and she gets stuck at the house after dark, things quickly take a turn for the mysterious. The house is Hungry and it becomes increasingly clear that everything is very much not as it appears. A true gothic novel in the style of Haunting of Hill House and Mexican Gothic, I spent the last hundred pages staring in horror with my mouth hanging open as things unraveled more and more.

I’m OBSESSED with this cover. I feel like it really encompasses the feeling of the story, which definitely gave off a very Mexican Gothic/Crimson Peak type of vibe. It is clear by the way this story was written that Starling has a clear understanding and grasp of what it means to be a novelist in Horror and she has done so successfully. I can’t wait to read more skin crawling fiction from this author!

4.75 Stars but rounding up!!!
I love myself a good gothic novel and this one made my heart swell! I loved it! I loved the horror and madness that lurked in the shadows, and I loved the romance that permeated the pages. I like to be slightly confused with just the right amount of adrenalin coursing through my veins while reading my gothic books and The Death of Jane Lawrence totally delivered! I had to start reading earlier than usual so I wouldn't read too close to my bedtime because it was terrifying at times!
I also loved that this was set in an alternate Great Britain, and almost wished we got a little more information about the setting, but overall I loved it! This might be my new favorite read of the year!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC to review!

This book started out really fabulous. It was a bit creepy and mysterious. Then about halfway through I started feeling like either Jane was drunk or perhaps I had been drinking. Some confusing and disoriented things transgressed, and the end left me with a few questions. I would give this book three stars.

For all you creeptastic lovers, this is for you! I loved it!!! Creepy, atmospheric and completely unputdownable! If Shirley Jackson met Rebecca, this is what you'd get. Great writing, riveting story and a terrific ending. Thank you so much!

i should probably just accept the fact that gothic literature is not my thing(unless it's a classic)

this book was good. solid. great even. but it had lots of elements that I dislike. barely any detail, and the characters kepttt getting on my nerves.

4.5 stars
TW: medical gore, gaslighting.

For fans of Rebecca, Crimson Peak, Bunny, and Jane Eyre, this gothic horror set in an alternate version of England revolves around our main character, Jane. Jane is an extremely practical young woman orphaned from war who knows what she wants - she has to get married to secure her future, but she wants to continue being independent and doing her work. She finds that Augustine Lawrence, a local surgeon, is the best fit for her, and he accepts her strange proposal, on one condition - that she never stays the night at his family estate. Jane unknowingly embarks on a journey of mysterious cults, dark magic, vengeful spirits, and tests of strength in this nightmare of a novel.

When I say I love weird books, this is exactly the type of thing I'm referring to. Too many horror books I've read recently just haven't gone far enough for me, but this got exactly where I wanted it to. As a debut horror novel, this absolutely shocked me. The atmosphere was spot-on and was extremely reminiscent of classic gothic literature. I became attached to our two main characters quickly, even if Augustine isn't the best person. I kept wanting to flip the pages to see what would happen next, but I think this book should be taken slower to absorb it all. The speculative elements were fascinating and I liked that it played into Jane's already established strengths. The tension was always kept very high; there was never a dull moment.

However, the ending got a little muddled for me; I needed to reread some. When it comes to this type of book, you're meant to be confused on some parts, but the logic near the end got a bit convoluted when it wasn't supposed to be confusing. I also thought that the main end goal Jane is pursuing was somewhat strange and I'm still unsure how to feel about it.

Overall, I was extremely impressed by this novel. I'm definitely going to pick up anything from this author in the future and will be recommending this to all my friends who like "weird" or gothic books like I do.

I enjoyed this book. The only thing I found a little jarring was the world setting. There were too many similarities (including names) of actual places, but while there were similarities to post-WW2 England, there weren't the modern conveniences of telephones and automobiles. I actually wish the author would've just stuck to a traditional English setting and lost the subplot of the cellars and Jane's parents. I kept trying to reconcile the two timelines in my head without success.

This book was really stellar. It pulled me in and disturbed me, but the more it disturbed me, the faster I read. Caitlin Starling has quickly become a one-click author for me, and this book just cemented that fact. And that ending! Whew, I'm still reeling a few days later. I loved it.