Publishers Weekly
★ 12/11/2023
McKinney (the Nightmare-Verse series) critically examines Jane Eyre through a Black, sapphic lens in this incisive remix. To escape her uneasy existence as an outcast at Lowood School in Lancashire, England, 19-year-old Jane Eyre—an orphan whose only crime is to have been born with “the wrong lineage, the wrong hair, the wrong skin, the wrong features”—takes a job as governess for Edward Rochester. Within the decaying walls of broody Thornfield Hall, Jane’s fate becomes inextricably linked with that of the deceptively charming Mr. Rochester, his fearful 10-year-old daughter Adèle, and the secretly confined Bertha Mason, the New Orleans–born wife of Mr. Rochester, who tries to escape her cruel imprisonment at every turn. As Mr. Rochester’s intentions toward Jane grow murkier, her suspicions about her employer skew ever darker, and Bertha’s dire situation grows increasingly precarious. But Bertha has one daring final escape plan up her sleeve—and it involves “stunning” and enchanting Jane. McKinney’s portrayal of Rochester—as rendered via Jane and Bertha’s alternating POVs—as a handsome devil in disguise is as revolting as it is beguiling, and the author’s depiction of Thornfield culminates in a perfectly disquieting setting for the women’s journeys to freedom in this thrilling, compulsively readable novel. Ages 13–up. (Jan.)
From the Publisher
"In the immersive world of McKinney’s Thornfield Hall, Jane and Bertha are thoroughly vivid and compelling. A deeply satisfying companion and a highly accessible entry point for a contemporary audience [...] L. L. McKinney breathes new life into a well-worn tale, and the novel's originality shines brightly, yielding surprises for those familiar with Brontë’s version or not." — Booklist (starred review)
"Thrilling, compulsively readable novel." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"A sinister gothic romance revamped." — Kirkus Reviews
"A swoonworthy sapphic-tinged YA romance highlighting the beauty of women working together." — School Library Journal
"Shared narration between Jane and Bertha separates this from its inspiration, allowing Bertha to be a richly developed character, and her growing romantic relationship with Jane provides a lovely ray of light in an otherwise (appropriately) dark story. McKinney successfully deploys Gothic tropes to make Thornfield Hall utterly menacing while maximizing the tension of its oppressive atmosphere." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“McKinney breathes new life into a much-loved tale.” — Bethany C. Morrow, bestselling author of A Song Below Water
“A beautifully written, daring take on a classic. I couldn’t stop reading.” — Goldy Moldavsky, New York Times bestselling author
“A riveting and powerful read.” — Lillie Lainoff, author of One for All
“A Gothic gift of a book: eerie and romantic, bloody and blooming.” — Betsy Cornwell, New York Times bestselling author of Reader, I Murdered Him
“A winsomely crafted reimagining, full of secrets, intrigue, betrayal, and love.” — Amalie Howard, USA Today bestselling author of Queen Bee
"I raced through this clever and suspenseful retelling. It kept me guessing right up until the end!” — Allyson Dahlin, author of Cake Eater
"A thrilling, slow-burn retelling...the alternating narrations of Jane Eyre and Bertha Mason drive this well-crafted, powerful read and infuses it with the yearning and tension of forbidden love. Filled with romance and suspense, this updated classic will be hard to put down." — Krystal Marquis, New York Times best-selling author of The Daveports
School Library Journal
03/01/2024
Gr 9 Up—Superfans of Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, readers who have knit that plot into their very bones, should probably stay away from this reimagining of the classic novel. To start, both Jane and Edward are described as strikingly attractive. But for those who can separate themselves from Brontë's Jane and relax into a new world of Gothic intrigue? A romantic thriller awaits. It's told through two perspectives. There's Jane, the new governess at expansive but shabby Thornfield. And there's also Bertha, who happily married Edward Rochester, the master of Thornfield, only to be betrayed and imprisoned in the attic. Both women experience danger—overtly for Bertha, implicitly for Jane—but their reaction isn't fear. It's rage, pure and vibrating and lovely to behold. Jane is prickly and resourceful, and once she and the iron-willed Bertha make contact, magic happens. Their mutual attraction and vendettas lead to a combustible takedown of the prideful Mr. Rochester. Maneuvering against his one-note villainy perfectly showcases the power of female anger. Both Jane and Bertha are Black. VERDICT A swoonworthy sapphic-tinged YA romance highlighting the beauty of women working together.—Cat McCarrey
Kirkus Reviews
2023-10-07
Jane Eyre teams up with Bertha Mason to defeat the real enemy—Mr. Rochester.
In this retelling of Charlotte Brontë’s novel centering queer Black characters, 19-year-old Jane has left Lowood School in Lancashire, England, for Thornfield Hall, where she’ll be a “right and proper governess” to Adèle Varens, the young light-brown-skinned ward of white Englishman Edward Rochester. Jane feels a sense of freedom in pursuing her new role, leaving behind employment under a cruel headmaster—though she misses the comfort and support of her lover, Helen. The story alternates between the first-person perspectives of Jane and Bertha (Rochester’s wife), a format that gives Bertha voice and agency denied her in the original iteration. Bertha is imprisoned in the upper floors of the house; Rochester only married her for access to her family’s wealth. His debts have mounted, and he previously pursued marriage with Adèle’s late Parisian mother, who had a fortune of her own. This book nails the atmosphere of the brooding historical setting in which “punishment and pain” seem “to lurk around every corner.” The love story between Jane and Bertha, which is also developed through their secret letters, is a refreshing addition. Bertha, who is from New Orleans, shares multiple flashback scenes, adding depth to her character. Unfortunately, readers may find the culminating twist a disappointment.
A sinister gothic romance revamped with mixed results. (Historical fiction. 14-18)
