2.5 stars

***POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR JANE EYRE AHEAD.***

Full Discloure: I wasn't planning on reading this book. I love Jane Eyre, and I love re-tellings, but something about this book just didn't intrigue me. Then it came in an OwlCrate. That is probably the only reason I ended up picking it up. At the end of the day, there were some enjoyable moments and characters, but I don't think it reached its potential.

Premise: 3/5 stars
This had promise. The idea is that people who have had near-death experiences can see and communicate with ghosts in this world. Jane Eyre is one such person. There is also a Society to get rid of ghosts made up of more people who have the ability to communicate with them. They are trying to recruit Jane, but she doesn't want to take the chance that they will take away her best friend Helen, who happens to be a ghost. So she takes a job as a governess at Thornfield Hall and runs off. I thought it was clever at the beginning of the book how this Society was actually what motivated her to leave her teaching position and go to Thornfield. It was a unique take on a Jane Eyre re-telling, but also made complete sense based on the gothic nature of the original novel.

Characters: 2/5 stars
Both stars are for Helen. I'm only half-joking. So, one of the ways this book breaks the fourth wall (which they do A LOT.) is to have Charlotte Bronte herself as one of the main characters. I didn't feel like it was wholly necessary. Granted, it was because of her that the plot was allowed to move on, since she told the Society men where Jane was, but I don't know that that actually makes her a good character. Actually, telling a couple of veritable strangers where your supposed best friend is when it was obvious that she didn't want them to know where she'd gone just for her own personal gain doesn't exactly strike me as the pinnacle of friendship.
Also, the fact that Charlotte spends so much time during this book fangirling Jane Austen is just...no. Charlotte Bronte was not a fan of Jane Austen. She was specifically not a fan of Pride and Prejudice. So her obsession with Mr. Darcy in this book just makes no sense. I get that this is supposed to be a tongue-in-cheek kind of novel, but it kept taking me out of the novel every time Charlotte would compare a man to Mr. Darcy or extol the literary virtues of Jane Austen.

"Jane Austen was a complete and most sensible lady, but a very incomplete and rather insensible (not senseless) woman.” --Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre is the other main female protagonist, and I wasn't impressed. My biggest problem with her is that she doesn't embody the spirit of the source material. Jane Eyre (as written by Charlotte Bronte) had a quiet strength of character brought on from the awful things that happened to her in her childhood. She was solemn, but sturdy. She stood up for herself, and navigated Thornfield Hall and Mr. Rochester all on her own. The Jane Eyre is this book feels very passive to me. The book is happening around her and she may as well be a piece of furniture in the scene for how much she impacts it.
Both of these characters just fall very flat to me, as does the character of Blackwell (? Is that his name? I think so. The book is upstairs and I don't have the inclination to check). None of them jump off the page for me in any way. Bran Bronte almost works for me. At least he has a personality.
The only saving grace for me is Helen, Jane Eyre's ghostly companion. She is amazing. In my mind, she represents any reader who has ever criticized Jane Eyre. She calls out all of the weird behavior by Mr. Rochester. She tries to talk sense into Jane, who fancies herself in love with Rochester despite the fact that she barely knows him and the times they have been together he hasn't exactly been sweet and kind. I truly loved her character and how she was crafted.

That brings us to the next subject.

Humor: 2/5 stars
Again, this is mostly due to Helen, who had me literally laughing out loud in some parts. The thing I keep hearing about this companion series is how hilarious the books are. I haven't read My Lady Jane, so I have no basis for comparison, but I found the humor in this book very hit and miss. Helen? HIT. Everything else? Eh, not so much.
I found that the authors really like their pop culture references. There were many. It's been a couple of weeks since I read this, but off the top of my head I recall several Princess Bride references, as well as several others.
My main problem with this is that there were times it felt like the narrative was being designed around being able to insert certain references, and that just feels lazy and clunky to me. It didn't feel organic. When a huge chunk of the 'humor' is relying on these references, it doesn't actually strike me as funny. They're trying to get laughs for other people's jokes.
I also wasn't the biggest fan of the breaking of the fourth wall. Now, when this is done right, it can be really funny. In this book, it felt very self-serving to me, although I'm not sure I can adequately explain that feeling.

Plot: 2/5 stars
During the first 2/3 of the novel, when we were still loosely following the Jane Eyre story, I wasn't loving it, but I was engaged to a certain extent. I was interested in how the authors were going to twist the source material. However, after Jane leaves Thornfield, I felt like the story just got messier and messier. I did not care at all about the

corruption-within-the-Society

subplot. I completely lost interest. The flat characters were not enough to keep me invested in a paper-thin plot full of conveniences and contrivances.

I didn't have very high expectations for this book, but I did go in with an open mind. For awhile, I was able to convince myself that I was enjoying it, but after completing the book I can't say I would read this book again.