Title: My Plain Jane
Series: The Lady Janies #2 (but can be read as standalone)
Previous book in this series: My Lady Jane
Author: Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows
Genre: YA, historical, fantasy
Publication date: June 2018
Published by: HarperTeen
Source: Borrowed from library
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Buy it: Amazon | B&N | Book Outlet | Thrift BooksSynopsis: 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.
In my review of My Lady Jane, I mentioned how I just don’t really read historical-type books, but recently I was in the rare (and weird) mood where I was craving something a little historical. I honestly blame Chain of Thorns. Lol. I was in that world for a long time, and then I finished it and I was still wanting something historical... but with a paranormal element to it! Enter this book! My Plain Jane is a retelling of Jane Eyre... but with ghosts! It was great!
Like with historical books, classics are another genre that is not for me, so I have not read Jane Eyre. I did listen to a podcast covering the book though, in preparation for this 😆 And yeah, I don’t think I would’ve liked that book had I read it. But this book? I liked it more than I thought I would!
One of the things I liked that I thought was very interesting is that not only does it follow Jane Eyre, but also Charlotte Brontë, the author of the book! In this retelling, Jane and Charlotte are friends, and the book Jane Eyre is basically Charlotte writing about her friend’s life, but an embellished version. I really loved this! I thought it was really cool seeing a fictional character and a real person, the person who created this fictional character no less, interacting in the same book.
Oh, but let me tell you, my favorite thing about this book... the ghosts!
Adding ghosts to this classic made it that much better! I just really liked the magic system in this book... Well, it’s not really magic, but you know what I mean. Lol. I liked the ghost aspect and the way they were weaved into this world, as well as the idea of the Society, seers, and beacons. It was just all so well done!
One thing I wish though, was that there was more romance 😅 And I’m not talking about Jane’s crush on Rochester, which I was not into. It was annoying, but luckily, it was meant to be annoying. Lol. I’m talking about Alexander and Charlotte. We did get a bit more of it toward the end, which made me very happy.
But I really liked this overall! Way more than the first book, actually! It was just as fun and silly as the first book, and I really enjoyed the supernatural element to it. I enjoyed the My Lady Jane Easter egg we got there at the end, and I especially love when the narrators (or authors) would break the fourth wall. I really enjoyed the story and the banter between the characters. I’m looking forward to reading the last Jane book AND I’m excited about the Mary series as well! I just love these retellings with these fun twists!
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