Review: A Wounded Name

“A Wounded Name,” by Dot Hutchison. The Goodreads summary:

There's a girl who could throw herself head first into life and forge an unbreakable name, an identity that stands on its own without fathers or brothers or lovers who devour and shatter.

I'VE NEVER BEEN THAT GIRL.

Sixteen-year-old Ophelia Castellan will never be just another girl at Elsinore Academy. Seeing ghosts is not a skill prized in future society wives. Even when she takes her pills, the bean sidhe beckon, reminding her of a promise to her dead mother.

Now, in the wake of the Headmaster's sudden death, the whole academy is in turmoil, and Ophelia can no longer ignore the fae. Especially once she starts seeing the Headmaster's ghosts- two of them- on the school grounds.

At the center of her crumbling world is Dane, the Headmaster's grieving son. He, too, understands the power of a promise to a parent- even a dead one. To him, Ophelia is the only person not tainted by deceit and hypocrisy, a mirror of his own broken soul. And to Ophelia, Dane quickly becomes everything. Yet even as she gives more of herself to him, Dane slips away. Consumed by suspicion, rage, and madness, he spirals towards his tragic fate- dragging Ophelia, and the rest of Elsinore, with him.

YOU KNOW HOW THIS STORY ENDS.

Yet even in the face of certain death, Ophelia has a choice to make- and a promise to keep. She is not the girl others want her to be. But in Dot Hutchison's dark and sensuous debut novel, the name "Ophelia" is as deeply, painfully, tragically real as "Hamlet".

First of all, this is a drop-dead gorgeous cover. And not only is it gorgeous, it fits the book perfectly—both in plot and tone. But beyond the cover, my feelings for this book are . . . complex, to say the least.

Dot Hutchinson can write. There is absolutely no doubt about that. She strings words together in a way that’s not only beautiful but that creates the perfect atmosphere for the story. But because the language is so lovely, I was about three-fourths of the way through the book before I realized I had some major issues with it. And to Hutchinson’s credit, I think all the issues I had with the book were deliberate on her part. Like, it didn’t seem like any of them were the result of carelessness or not developing something enough, rather they were all part of the way Hutchinson intended to tell the story, as frustrating as they may have been.

And let me tell you, this is not a Hamlet retelling where anyone is redeemed. It’s a tragedy as much as the original play is. And I was expecting that, based on a few reviews I read. But what I wasn’t expecting was for Ophelia to be such a passive character. And I like I said, I came away with the impression that Hutchinson fully intended her to be that way. But still. I wanted her to act for once, instead of always being acted upon. But she never does. She never takes her life into her own hands, always letting others shape her life for her. That was a tragedy to me as much as the deaths were. And I think what got to me the most about Ophelia’s passivity is that Dane is abusive—physically and emotionally—and she just takes it. And more than that, she wants it. She wants him to take his pain out on her, and I just really struggled with that aspect of her character.

It’s been a long time since I’ve read Hamlet, but as far as I can tell, “A Wounded Name” was a fairly close retelling. I think what I found most interesting was that rather than changing the story to make it easier to swallow, the author instead explores what kind of people and events and backstories are needed for the story of Hamlet end the way it does. And in that, she does a fantastic job. I didn’t always like the characters, but their dislikable and complicated qualities made it so obvious why the story had to end with bitterness and death and revenge.

Seriously, I could go on and on some more about this book. Like I said, my feelings are complicated. But I think the last thing I’ll mention is the supernatural element. I just really think it worked so perfectly in this book. It makes Ophelia walking into that lake so incredibly understandable, which is something you don’t get in the original.

Overall, not an easy book, but one I think is worth a read. Ophelia really got to me by then end—to the point where I started yelling at the book out loud—but I think all those complex emotions I had made this a book I’ve thought about more than most others in recent memory.

Rating: 3 / 5 

Review: Cruel Beauty

Cruel Beauty, by Rosamund Hodge. The Goodreads summary:

Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.

Obviously, after Angie reviewed this book, I had to read it. Because ever since I first read Robin McKinley’s “Beauty” when I was 12 or so, I’ve been a sucker for Beauty and the Beast retellings. And “Cruel Beauty” is a fairly unique retelling, I think. It’s Beauty and the Beast, yes, but it also incorporates a lot of Greek mythology and other elements of ancient Greece. And I personally thought it had a bit of a Bluebeard flair as well.

On the character front, Nyx was a bit of an interesting main character. I didn’t find her all that likeable at first. I felt bad for her and her situation sure, but the malice in her heart, as Ignifex terms it, made me a little leery. But then she goes ahead and punches Ignifex about 5 seconds after meeting him, and that’s when I realized we'd be getting along just fine after all. And really, I think the fact that Ignifex sees her malice and bitterness and likes her anyway made it somehow easier for me to do the same.

And speaking of Ignifex, now there’s an enemy I can get behind. He reminded me a bit of a darker version of Howl, from “Howl’s Moving Castle,” so in other words I really adored him. The book’s atmosphere is fairly heavy and serious overall, so the occasional relief that Ignifex brings from that was much appreciated. But really, I think the thing I love most about Ignifex is that he sees all Nyx’s flaws and likes her better because of them. And I still have no idea how to pronounce his name.

Shade, I was kinda meh about. His personality was as gray as his appearance, and I spent most of the book trying to figure out if the author intended me to develop feelings for him, or if he was just a character necessary to moving the plot along. Honestly, most of the scenes between Nyx and Shade I spent wishing were with Nyx and Ignifex instead, because those two have got all kinds of chemistry going on.

Overall, I think that not only was it a pretty dang satisfying retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but the author did a good job at making the story her own as well. I could’ve used a little more time spent on relationship development (Nyx seems to have this habit of falling in love just from kissing a guy once), but other than that I don’t have many complaints.

Rating: 4 / 5

Review: Locked

Locked, by Eva Morgan. The Goodreads summary:

When eighteen-year-old Irene Adler meets her new neighbor, the gorgeous, brilliant, and arrogant Sherlock Holmes, she never expects him to be the one to make her feel like life is worth living again. Ever since her sister's death, she's been addicted to risk-taking as a way to deal with her depression, and Sherlock quickly becomes the biggest risk she's ever taken.

Locked is the story of a broken girl and the genius who gives her life back to her. It's the story of a witty asshole who's never known love, and the girl who shows him what love means. It's the story of an unexpected connection, two people who save each other, and the importance of seeing the goodness underneath.

So. Sherlock Holmes. I grew up with Sherlock Homes, mainly through the Jeremy Brett and Basil Rathbone interpretations and through the books on tape of Doyle’s original stories. Then there were the Robert Downey Jr. movies. And of course BBC’s “Sherlock,” which is, let’s face it, fantastic. So basically, I feel like good ol’ Sherlock and I are like this at this point. Which made me excited/nervous to read “Locked,” because there’s a lot for it to live up to. And it felt a bit, I don’t know, daring, I guess, for Eva Morgan to try to create a young Sherlock that would be believable as Sherlock Holmes while also being believable as a teenager.

But here’s the thing: she totally manages to do it. I was legitimately impressed with how she kept Sherlock sherlock-y while also making him her own character. I pretty much grinned my way through all the scenes with Sherlock because he’s all genius-y and fact driven and unemotional and frustrating, but at the same time unintentionally hilarious and increasingly human. And he’s a great texter. The texts he sends Irene were basically my favorite part.

Irene is likeable as well. She’s a charismatic narrator, despite the hard time she’s going through. Sometimes main characters who are depressed can be a bit hard to read for me, but Irene grabbed me from pretty much the first page. And part of that, I know, is because the book is so well written. It’s really engaging and readable, and despite there being some typos and other errors in the version I read, they didn’t put me off at all, because the storytelling was so well done (though I understand that the text has been cleaned up in more recent versions). Irene does get a little over-dramatic at the end, but not quite to the point where it was truly annoying.

Overall, I kind of adore this iteration of Sherlock Holmes. It keeps all the things that make Sherlock Sherlock while still being a unique interpretation of the story and characters. It's turned out to be one of those books that I can't help recommending to people. I’m totally up for more books in this series.

Rating: 4 / 5

Copy received for review.

Review: Everneath

Everneath, by Brodi Ashton. The GoodReads summary:

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she's returned--to her old life, her family, her boyfriend--before she's banished back to the underworld . . . this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these precious months forgetting the Everneath and trying to reconnect with her boyfriend, Jack, the person most devastated by her disappearance--and the one person she loves more than anything. But there's just one problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who enticed her to the Everneath in the first place, has followed Nikki home. Cole wants to take over the throne in the underworld and is convinced Nikki is the key to making it happen. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back, this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time on the Surface draws to a close and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's queen.

I’m not necessarily the biggest fan of YA paranormal, but I thought “Everneath” was actually pretty decent. It’s a take on the Greek myth of Persephone, and while I had a few issues with it, I generally enjoyed it.

The thing I thought this book did best was alternating between the past and present. Sometimes that structure doesn’t work in books, as it can get confusing if not done right, but I thought Brodi Ashton did a good job at it. It heightened the tension in the story quite nicely and gave me just enough information at a time to make me want to keep reading.

Nikki was a likeable enough main character. I appreciated how she came back from the Everneath empty and broken but slowly found her footing again. But . . . she didn’t have quite enough depth for me. Like, she goes to the Everneath because she’s in so much emotional pain, but when she comes back, she doesn’t seem to really ever deal with those issues. She does make the decision not to take the easy way out again, but I wanted more from her than that. Like an actual conversation with her father, maybe. Or with her brother. Or with her former best friend. Or with anyone besides Jack and Cole.

I enjoyed Nikki and Jake’s relationship. I thought it had a really good balance of uncertainty and gratification. I especially liked that since they dated before the story starts, they have a history together, so the author could explore other aspects of their relationship rather than the usual YA “meet and fall in love.” Although, I did think Jake was a *little* on the obsessive side regarding Nikki. Not in an abusive way, but in a “you’re 17, why are you so convinced she’s the only person you’ll ever love” kind of way. I appreciated, however, that although the story skated perilously close to having a love triangle, it never actually crossed that line.

Still, I did find the story rather predictable, and I saw the ending coming a mile away. I also got a bit confused and frustrated towards the end because *spoiler* I couldn’t figure out why Nikki and Jake got so fixated on killing Cole. I mean, Nikki already knows that Cole has nothing to do with the tunnels coming for her, so I didn’t understand why they decided that would solve all their problems. *end spoiler*

Overall, there were things I liked and things I didn’t, but generally I enjoyed it. I’m not quite sold on reading the sequel, but never say never, I guess.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Review: Tiger Lily

Tiger Lily, by Jodi Lynn Anderson. The GoodReads summary:

Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair. . . .

Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell.

Peter is unlike anyone she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything—her family, her future—to be with him. When she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she's always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter.

With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it's the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who's everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Peaches comes a magical and bewitching story of the romance between a fearless heroine and the boy who wouldn't grow up.

This is a book that I contradictorily want to share with everyone and keep secret. Because it’s rather special, and so I feel protective of it in a way I don’t feel with most books. It’s like, I want people to read it, but only those people who will love it.

I think a big part of why I feel this way about the book is because it’s the way I feel about the character of Tiger Lily herself: that ugly-beautiful girl, so strong and fierce but not quite as sure of herself as she would have everyone believe—ferocious but not infallible. I loved every flawed piece of her. And her relationship with Peter was simultaneously one of the loveliest and most heartbreaking I’ve read in a long time.

I’m not usually much of one to share quotes in my reviews, but I think in this case, the book can speak better for itself than I can. So here are three quotes that capture the heart of this book for me:

From the very beginning:

Let me tell you something straight off. This is a love story, but not like any you’ve heard. The boy and the girl are far from innocent. Dear lives are lost. And good doesn’t win. In some places, there is something ultimately good about endings. In Neverland, that is not the case.

A description of Tiger Lily:

There was a beast in there. But there was also a girl who was afraid of being a beast, and who wondered if other people had beasts in their hearts too. There was strength, and there was also just the determination to look strong. She guarded herself like a secret.

Tiger Lily’s relationship with Peter:

An unspoken rivalry threaded their relationship, in which Tiger Lily thought that if she could keep up with him, she could hold tighter to him. It didn't occur to her there was anything in which Peter would want her to fail. But sometimes, I could see that, even for him, she was too fast, too sure-footed, and didn't seem to need him quite enough.

Overall, an exquisitely written story with characters so beautiful they make you ache. I didn’t give it a 5 star rating only because I felt there were one or two places that could’ve used a tad bit more fleshing out or development.

Rating: 4.5 / 5

Review: Catherine

Catherine, by April Lindner. The GoodReads summary:

A forbidden romance. A modern mystery. Wuthering Heights as you’ve never seen it before.

Catherine is tired of struggling musicians befriending her just so they can get a gig at her Dad’s famous Manhattan club, The Underground. Then she meets mysterious Hence, an unbelievably passionate and talented musician on the brink of success. As their relationship grows, both are swept away in a fiery romance. But when their love is tested by a cruel whim of fate, will pride keep them apart?

Chelsea has always believed that her mom died of a sudden illness, until she finds a letter her dad has kept from her for years—a letter from her mom, Catherine, who didn’t die: She disappeared. Driven by unanswered questions, Chelsea sets out to look for her—starting with the return address on the letter: The Underground.

Told in two voices, twenty years apart, Catherine interweaves a timeless forbidden romance with a compelling modern mystery.

First of all, can I just take a moment to admire how well the cover of “Catherine” matches the cover of “Jane,” Lindner’s other book? They just look so dang pretty together. But moving on, like “Jane” was a modernization of “Jane Eyre,” “Catherine” is a retelling of “Wuthering Heights.” I have a bit of a tumultuous relationship with “Wuthering Heights” in that it’s a book that I equal parts love and hate. If you haven’t read it, “Wuthering Heights” is a hot mess of jealousy, pettiness, bad decisions, and unhealthy relationships. It’s pretty much the soap opera to end all soap operas.

So I was curious how Lindner would deal with all that in a relatively short YA novel. And it turns out, she deals with it by not dealing with most of it. She took the basic elements of “Wuthering Heights”—the forbidden and doomed romance, the family relationships, the multigenerational plot—and transformed them into very much her own story. I think I’d even go so far as to say that “Catherine” is slightly less of a retelling of “Wuthering Heights” and more of a mystery as Chelsea tries to find out what really happened to her mother. And while I kinda admire that tactic, I couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed that a lot of the passion and drama that make “Wuthering Heights” what it is fell by the wayside as the author took the story in her own direction.

I think where the book ended up being weakest for me was in the characters of Catherine and Chelsea, and since they were the narrators, it proved to be a bit problematic for me. Hence (that’s his name), I thought was spot on for Heathcliff—moody, jealous, cruel, mysterious. But Catherine . . . she was a little too kind and responsible and level headed. Usually, those are the traits I like in a main character, but the Catherine of “Wuthering Heights” is so spirited, spoiled, and generally frustrating that I couldn’t help but feel like this new Catherine fell flat in comparison, even though she was more likable than her namesake. Chelsea, I just never got attached to. Like Catherine, she just came across as a bit too unmemorable. And really, I felt like neither Catherine nor Chelsea had a distinctive narrative voice and that their characters were pretty much interchangeable.

Overall, I have mixed feelings about this book. I think it was an admirable attempt, but this retelling somehow lacks the basic underlying life and passion that makes “Wuthering Heights” so emotionally powerful. But I do really recommend “Jane” by this same author—Lindner nails the retelling in that one.

Rating: 3 / 5

Review: The Flight of Gemma Hardy

The Flight of Gemma Hardy, by Margot Livesey. The GoodReads summary:

When her widower father drowns at sea, Gemma Hardy is taken from her native Iceland to Scotland to live with her kind uncle and his family. But the death of her doting guardian leaves Gemma under the care of her resentful aunt, and it soon becomes clear that she is nothing more than an unwelcome guest at Yew House. When she receives a scholarship to a private school, ten-year-old Gemma believes she's found the perfect solution and eagerly sets out again to a new home. However, at Claypoole she finds herself treated as an unpaid servant.

To Gemma's delight, the school goes bankrupt, and she takes a job as an au pair on the Orkney Islands. The remote Blackbird Hall belongs to Mr. Sinclair, a London businessman; his eight-year-old niece is Gemma's charge. Even before their first meeting, Gemma is, like everyone on the island, intrigued by Mr. Sinclair. Rich (by Gemma's standards), single, flying in from London when he pleases, Hugh Sinclair fills the house with life. An unlikely couple, the two are drawn to each other, but Gemma's biggest trial is about to begin: a journey of passion and betrayal, redemption and discovery, that will lead her to a life of which she's never dreamed.

Set in Scotland and Iceland in the 1950s and '60s, The Flight of Gemma Hardy--a captivating homage to Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre--is a sweeping saga that resurrects the timeless themes of the original but is destined to become a classic all its own.

Being obsessed with all things Jane Eyre, as soon as I found out that this book was a modernization/retelling, I knew I had to read it. Aaaand . . . it turned out to be a bit of a mixed experience for me.

Generally, the book follows the basic storyline of Jane Eyre fairly closely, and generally I approved of the ways that Livesey made the story her own. In fact, if it wasn’t for a bit in the middle, I think I could’ve fallen in love with this book and the way Livesey stayed true to the spirit of the original plot while still developing the characters and story in ways suited to it taking place in 1960s Scotland (which setting was wonderfully well done, by the way). But I think where the book fell flat for me was in the places where the author departed drastically from Jane Eyre—namely, there is no crazy wife in the attic and there is no fire and consequently scarred Mr. Rochester (or Mr. Sinclair in this case). Livesey went with a more realistic route for those big moments, and for me, in making those aspects less dramatic, she somehow made the story less believable, because all of a sudden, without the crazy drama, the truths Gemma discovers don’t seem shocking enough to cause her to make the life-changing choices she does.

Another crucial place where the book didn’t work for me was Gemma and Mr. Sinclair’s relationship (this is the bit in the middle I mentioned earlier). I just didn’t feel the passion between them at all. In fact, it really doesn’t seem like they spend any time together or get to know each other or do any of the things that make me adore Jane and Mr. Rochester. To me, their relationship, from Gemma’s side at least, came off as unhealthy—with her falling for him because he’s the only man who’s ever paid her any real attention. She seems so desperate to be wanted that she clings to Mr. Sinclair out of gratitude and inexperience. Which was decidedly NOT the turn I wanted the relationship to take.

And honestly, Gemma is just not as likeable as Jane. Whereas I always admire Jane, Gemma tends to come off as straight-laced and sanctimonious. Plus, she makes some decisions towards the end that, while softening her holier-than-thou attitude and reconciling her to Mr. Sinclair, just didn’t seem consistent with her character.

I realize that this review is coming off more negative than I intended, so I’ll just reiterate that I did enjoy the majority of the ways the book stayed true to and departed from Jane Eyre. Not to mention the setting—from Scotland to the Orkneys to Iceland—is gorgeous. It’s just that the story didn’t come through for me in some really crucial ways. Which maybe if I didn’t love Jane Eyre so much wouldn’t have normally bothered me, but love Jane Eyre I do, so disappoint me they did. For a modernization of Jane Eyre that I endorse wholeheartedly, try "Jane," by April Lindner.

Rating: 3 / 5

Review: Epic Fail

Epic Fail, by Claire LaZebnik. The summary:

At Coral Tree Prep in Los Angeles, who your parents are can make or break you. Case in point:

As the son of Hollywood royalty, Derek Edwards is pretty much prince of the school--not that he deigns to acknowledge many of his loyal subjects.

As the daughter of the new principal, Elise Benton isn’t exactly on everyone’s must-sit-next-to-at-lunch list.

When Elise’s beautiful sister catches the eye of the prince’s best friend, Elise gets to spend a lot of time with Derek, making her the envy of every girl on campus. Except she refuses to fall for any of his rare smiles and instead warms up to his enemy, the surprisingly charming social outcast Webster Grant. But in this hilarious tale of fitting in and flirting, not all snubs are undeserved, not all celebrity brats are bratty, and pride and prejudice can get in the way of true love for only so long.

Everyone who’s read this book has been raving about how cute it is--and they’re totally right. This is the most adorable and fluffy book (sounds like a kitten…) I’ve read in a while. It’s a modernization of “Pride and Prejudice,” so of course it’s completely predictable for anyone who’s ever read the book or seen the movie. But it still manages to be a lot of fun to read. I don’t really know why that is. Usually predictable books get on my nerves after a while, but this one never did--I think it’s probably because although I knew basically WHAT would happen, I didn’t know HOW it would happen.

The characters are super likeable, if a little superficial. I love Elise (the Elizabeth equivalent). She’s sarcastic and funny and down to earth. I would totes be friends with her in real life. And I liked how close she and her sister Juliana were, although I did think they were the kind of close that can only be found in fiction. Having six sisters myself, I pretty sure it’s impossible for Elise and Juliana to go for as long as they do without fighting, no matter how close they are.

I also loved watching the development of Derek (the Darcy equivalent). He seems like a total jerk at first, but as I found out more about his life as the son of famous actors, I could get why he acted the way he did. And I liked that he and Elise actually spend some time together and get to know each other, unlike Elizabeth and Darcy in P&P. It made their relationship more believable.

Overall, this was a light and clever adaptation. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone--I mean, a 10-year-old could read this and not find anything objectionable in it. But that doesn’t mean it’s not enjoyable for those of us who enjoy a good YA romance--I mean, it’s “Pride and Prejudice” after all.

Jane

Let's face it, I LOVE "Jane Eyre." I love it in all its forms: the original book (basically, one of my favorite classics), the movies (who could decide whether Timothy Dalton or Toby Stephens makes a better Rochester?), the musical (pretty sure I could sing every song from memory). I even managed to like "The Wide Sargasso Sea" (a prequel to "Jane Eyre" by a different author) based solely on the fact that it was related to "Jane Eyre."

I just really, really, really like "Jane Eyre." It's something about the way that Jane is quiet and reserved but still unfailingly stands up for herself and what is right--something I really connected with when I read it for the first time in high school. And of course I adore Mr. Rochester--one of those literary heroes that I feel like I should hate for being such a jerk but love anyway.

Anyway, back to "Jane," by April Linder: I was basically in love with the book before I read it, based solely on the fact that it was a modernization of "Jane Eyre." So when I got it, I started reading the book as soon as I got out of work--while I was still walking to the bus stop, actually. So guess what I was doing for the next five hours?

Already knowing the story of "Jane Eyre" by heart, I obviously wasn't held in suspense by the basic storyline. Rather, I was drawn in by my curiosity to see how Lindner modernized the story. And can I just say that the book met all my expectations? I really couldn't have asked for more.

Basic storyline? Jane Moore, forced by her parents' deaths to drop out of college, becomes a nanny for the famous rock star Nico Rathburn. I was impressed over and over again at how Lindner managed to keep all the elements and characters of "Jane Eyre" that I know and love but put her own spin on them. The only transformation that I rolled my eyes at was her naming the dog Copilot (the original dog's name is Pilot).

As I was reading, I kept trying to imagine what I would think of this book if I had never read "Jane Eyre." And I honestly don't know what I would've thought. Because the main reason I love this book is that it parallels "Jane Eyre" so well without getting boring. My thoughts as I was reading it were basically always along the lines of "!!!Lindner did that part perfectly!!!" or "!!!I didn't think Lindner would be able to pull that off, but she totally did!!!" "Jane" is definitely going on my list of favorite books.

So, in case you couldn't tell, um . . . I REALLY recommend this book. Even if you’re not a huge “Jane Eyre” fan, or if you’ve never read it, give this book a shot--because I think it’s completely wonderful in its own right.