Synopsis
Kiersten White meets Tomi Adeyemi in this Ethiopian-inspired debut fantasy retelling of Jane Eyre.
Andromeda is a debtera—an exorcist hired to cleanse households of the Evil Eye. When a handsome young heir named Magnus Rochester reaches out to hire her, Andromeda quickly realizes this is a job like no other, with horrifying manifestations at every turn, and that Magnus is hiding far more than she has been trained for. Death is the most likely outcome if she stays, but leaving Magnus to live out his curse alone isn’t an option. Evil may roam the castle’s halls, but so does a burning desire.
The Good
I. I think you can read and enjoy this if:
A. you have read Jane Eyre
I was obsessed with the choices and themes: how will the author translate (if they do) x theme/element from Jane Eyre?
B. you have not read Jane Eyre
It is not such a close reimagining you have to read Jane Eyre to understand it. Honestly, it is very much its own thing so I can see other Jane Eyre readers not liking how loose it is with the reimagining.
C. you like Jane Eyre
You can enjoy the story but also look at the subtle themes and elements that story reimagined.
D. you do not like Jane Eyre
It is it’s own story thus is not a paint by numbers rehash of Jane Eyre.
II. Themes
A. As a person who read and liked Jane Eyre it was interesting comparing and contrasting the themes between two stories.
B. The treatment of themes never felt heavy or heavy-handed.
III. Horror
A. It was more House on Haunted Hill than ghost infested which was refreshing.
B. It has actual magic, fantasy, horror, and a unique setting.
C. I think the story being based on Jane Eyre helped it to avoid some pitfalls other Black ya fantasies have fallen into. At the same time I think that the creativity of the author really did work too because at the end of the day so much of the world is unique and its own.
IV. Romance
It got on my nerves at times but at a certain point I was like the author has that gothic romance 19th century classic literature emo angst downpack (there is a interesting intersection overall in literature between ya and classic lit angst).
Thoughts
I. I want to see horror explored beyond the settings and conversations that it feels Black people are pigeonholed to.
II. There are benefits to being a standalone /non-epic fantasy.
I think it creates a tighter well constructed story because the story is going to end with one book. Also, this story is gothic fantasy/horror/romance which are generally not heavy epic fantasy world building subgenres .
III. I would so much like to see more classics be reimagined in fantasy by Black authors.
I want Black authors to take these stories in interesting directions.
IV. An interesting element was England being subtlety represented as an outside culture.
V. This would be a good book to study and be part of a book club.
I won this in a goodreads giveaway by St. Martin’s Press.
(cover image and synopsis are from goodreads, blood filling room is from tenor.com)
themollyweather 