I am, to put it mildly, a snob about horror books. Not for any proper reason -- I just know the tropes, I can tell where a book is going long before it is even hinted toward that direction, and my threshold for disgust is significantly high. Caitlin Starling managed to subvert every expectation I had in The Death of Jane Lawrence. Though there were moments when the story lulled for me, I can appreciate that they were probably intentional (a moment of pause, as a director may provide in a movie, so the audience can settle and prepare for the next big scare). Every time I thought I had it figured out, Starling pulled the rug out from under me! Every. Single. Time! And the GORE. Ohhhh, THE GORE.in this book. I loved it. The characters are so real, too. They have such depth to them!

This is a fantastic book. It deserves every bit of praise it has received.

what the heck did i just read??

sometimes i utter this question with awe, wonder, and particular satisfaction. other times, though, it's because i'm filled with abject confusion, bafflement, and mild irritation at both.

this, unfortunately, happens to be a case of the latter.

in an alternate, post-war great britain, jane shoringfield proposes a marriage of convenience to dr. augustine lawrence, a misanthropic physician. when, to both their surprise, he agrees, jane finds herself enmeshed in the gory, dark-magic-ridden history of both augustine and his family's decrepit manor house. what ensues?

math. magic. insta-love. chaos, drugs, frenetic rituals and philosophical incantations, a random dinner party... all of it shaded in gothic horror tones and recounted by a possibly very unreliable narrator.

feeling confused yet? welcome to my experience with the death of jane lawrence! 😂

quicker than i could've expected, this story devolved into a sort of metaphysical madness that i could make neither head nor tails of. i'm not sure if there was a deeper meaning that i personally couldn't seem to grasp, or if i was simply supposed to appreciate the chaotic, nonsensical plot for what it was (all about the journey and not the destination, etc. etc.) i confess, too, that i could not for the life of me comprehend the world-building and magic system - though try i did!

either way, i did not enjoy this novel as much as i'd hoped i would. :( which is incredibly disappointing, because i was (and still am) absolutely ENAMOURED with caitlin starling's the luminous dead (or, as she describes it in the acknolwedgements of jane lawrence, “high-tech suits in far-off caves”). the luminous dead gripped me, marked my psyche, ensured that i still think about it to this day. i was hoping for a similar experience with jane lawrence, but this was not the case.

that being said, however, i still did really appreciate starling's prose in this novel; it was atmospheric and expressive and fluid. even if this wasn't the story for me, i will continue to read whatever she puts out - i am too curious to see what her brain might conjure up next!


many thanks to netgalley and st. martin's press for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Someone told me to imagine Austine as Tom Hiddleston, and it was GREAT! I WOULD RECOMMEND DOING THIS!
The gothic imagery and gory surgical information scenes were very frightening and added to this story's unsettling aesthetic as we follow Jane. In addition, Jane being autistic added to the startling effect of the story since it is told from her eyes and shows that you don't have to stereotype; Jane is autistic and an independent and regular person!

Unfortunately, I don't know why but Id get really into this book, character and plot and then something would happen and take me out; this happened multiple times in the book and messed up my enjoyment. Plus, it confused me at moments and was longer than I would like.
However, it would be a good spooky read for fall!

Sooooo fun and spooky. I loved it. LOVED IT! It's in the same realm as some other gothic stories but just in a realm of its own.


I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A case of it's not you, it's me with this one - I was expecting a gothic story with a haunted house and while I got that, the black magic cult-y stuff lost me.

Didn't capture my attention and engagement. Interested in trying it again though and hopefully it will take.

This one was a struggle for me, I have picked it up a dozen times over several months and only managed to get fifteen chapters in. I finally forced myself to push through and finish it today and I have to say, it wasn't worth it to me. Kind of a disappointment if I'm being honest.

I was invested in this gothic ghost story. With the rushed wedding, the weird marriage rules, & creepy house, I was in for the spooky ride. Then something in the storyline went left about 70% and the plot stalled and jerked its way forward to the conclusion. Still not sure how I feel about the end. I do believe that some great discussions can be derived from a book club, especially in terms of PTSD and all the varying forms of gas lighting.. Three and a half stars with a hand clap for solid effort.

I am not even quite sure how to go about reviewing this book! I enjoyed this gothic novel so much. This si definitely a book that I feel like you have to read without any expectations or even really knowing what it is about! It was a hard book to put down and I read it all over the course of a couple of days!

The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling is a gothic fantasy horror that reads like a feverish dream, with an atmosphere dripping in dark tones. There’s romance, magic, gore, and an unsettling feeling that builds until you turn the last page.

The moment Jane steps into the forbidden landscape of Lindridge Hall, Caitlin Starling begins to tightly weave a story that will have you questioning just how much is real and how much is from Jane’s possible unreliable perspective.

Readers will cheer for Jane and her independent nature as she tries to stay one step ahead while taking charge of her destiny. The terror Augustine Lawrence exhibits once Jane enters his abode becomes an increasingly dark tunnel the reader must navigate with Jane.

I was impressed with all the gothic elements, the occult and ceremonial magic, the grisly surgical moments, and the questionable reliability of the characters.

I would recommend this to readers who enjoy dark gothic reads and don’t mind a bit of gruesome horror balanced out by a touch of romance and terrific atmosphere.

My God, this was… A LOT. Way TOO much, ultimately- for me, at least. I was expecting something in the Gothic line, and this was… not what I expected. I stuck with the book after it started venturing into areas that didn’t interest me because I thought the premise, characters, and writing had potential. But about halfway through, the whole story just fell off a cliff. Not sure if it was me or the book, but I had very little idea what was going on for most of the second half of the story, and I frankly didn’t care.

This is a busy and ambitious book that tries to do a little bit of everything. Some works, some doesn't, and we occasionally wander off the path into the shrubbery. That said, the book is always interesting. It doesn't fit into any tidy category, which means you never know what might be around the next narrative corner. If you've tired of traditional gothic novels, and want to shake things up a bit, this book, (while a bit overwritten), could be just what you need.

I could not get into the book at all - this could work for someone else, maybe, but it left me feeling confused about what I just read - not because it was complicated, but instead the plot did not make sense.

I want a second book. Magic is going to come back into Jane’s life.

This book was definitely a favorite of the year. I’m giving it 4 stars.

It was a perfect blend of Gothic Novel with creepy horror. It was twisty and unexpected and absolutely original.

Starling did a great job of using Gothic Tropes (like the weird out of place, unrealistic romance, the creepy house, the “damsel”, the macabre and sublime) and adding her own modern twist.

The magic was where I got confused. I don’t really understand how it worked and I think a background in extreme off-path math knowledge is needed. Those were the parts that tripped me up.

All in all, I want to read more from this author and this one needs a sequel!

I love a gothic horror and was really looking forward to this book, but unfortunately it was just ok. The first third of the book was gripping, but then it started to lag. The book leaves a lot up to interpretation and the ending is especially very open which may intrigue a lot of readers. I would check out other books from this author and would still recommend this book to lovers of gothic horror, magic, and supernatural stories.

At first, The Death of Jane Lawrence seems really great, with our likable heroine Jane Shoringfield. But after proposing marriage in convenience with Augustine Lawrence, a handsome yet mysterious doctor, suddenly she lost herself and became too dedicated to him. I don't know. I don't have a problem with Starling's writing, it's not my favorite but it flows nicely. The problem more like with the story. It blends several media like Crimson Peak, Rebecca, and FMA. And not in a good way. It lacked of the supposedly gothic atmosphere, and this book more like the weird combination of those medias I mentioned before. So yeah, 2 out of 5 stars.

The Death of Jane Lawrence is a chilling piece of gothic fiction. Jane secures a husband in a marriage of convenience to Augustine Lawrence, who accepts the proposal on one condition: that she never set foot inside Lindridge Hall. But one dark and stormy night Jane does exactly that.

Really enjoyed this gothic horror! I always love to read a victorian themed book every once in a while that has some sort of paranormal aspect. This kind of reminded me of Crimson Peak. A brave man turned cowardly by a foreboding dark house. Our lead, Jane, is very rational and it cracks me up how much research she did in the beginning of the novel to find the man she would most benefit from marrying. Thought this might have been a tad too long but still worth the read.

I loved the first 2/3 of this book, but the last 1/3 kind of ruined the rest for me. Maybe I am just stupid but I had a really hard time following what was going on with all the magic at the end and whether or not Jane or Augustine were alive. Also not sure why the author made the choice to use thinly-veiled versions of Russia and Britain (Ruszka and Breltain) rather than just calling them what they obviously were. I dunno, this felt unfinished and perhaps more importantly, unedited. Weird book.

The Gothic genre has been around for a long time. Horace Walpole published The Castle of Otranto in 1764. Even then, we can see the inklings of the genre as we know it now. A castle haunted by the supernatural, rampant romanticism, and a horrific undercurrent beneath it all. It finds an immediate connection to class and violence, of death and the men (usually) that seek to control it. It is a cob-webbed Rosetta Stone and works within the genre that have come after generally follow its sinister guidance. Still, truly great Gothic works find ways to bend and break the familiar. They dust off the tropes so that they may see the cold light of the morning.

The Death of Jane Lawrence is a perfect example of the Gothic done well. It centers on Jane Shoringfield, a logical woman who is trying to find a way to keep her independence. She wishes to find a husband who will see marriage in the same way that she does; a business arrangement, a means to a happy end. Jane is a fascinating character. She is fully featured and cast wonderfully by Caitlin Starling’s purposeful prose. Her anxieties feel relatable, even though this novel is set in post-war England. Jane is rarely a passive character, which is a refreshing take from so many stories within this vein.

After much research, Jane thinks she may have found the perfect match in Augustine Lawrence. Augustine serves as her town’s doctor. He is work obsessed and brooding, reluctant to accept Jane’s offer. The good doctor spends his nights at a crumbling manor (!) outside city limits. The two characters bond quickly, and it doesn’t take long for fate to push Jane through the manor’s doorway and for the true terror to begin. If that all sounds familiar, have no worries. Augustine and the manor both have plenty of secrets to share, and I found myself astonished at the ingenuity of Caitlin’s plot.

Though it is rightfully advertised as a Romantic Gothic, The Death of Jane Lawrence has its terrifying moments. The apparitions are woven from the past and provide multiple set pieces that readers may not ever forget. I was entranced by Starling’s ability to meld gore and manners throughout. The horror within these pages hits hard, but never loses sight of the story or the characters.

This is a glorious new horror novel, written by the supremely talented Caitlin Starling. Caitlin’s book features these tropes, but she has found new ways to express them. In a genre that dates back 257 years, (visit Otranto’s castle on your next holiday!) creative execution is vital. If you’re looking for a modern feeling horror novel in a Gothic wrapping, this is the perfect book.