Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye and Book Haul Time!

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself


"Reader, I murdered him."

This book was everything I was hoping for when I read the description. The heroine, Jane Steele, lives a Jane Eyre-esque life, and is also a serial killer. She does not set out to be one, but circumstances beyond her control place her in situations where she must act.

Jane Steele is a very strong character, strongly resembling Jane Eyre (the heroine of her own favorite book) if that Jane carried a knife in her skirts, and was willing and able to physically defend herself against all comers.

Sent to live a hard life at a boarding school as soon as she becomes an orphan, Jane Steele fights to escape what seems to be her destiny. Clawing her way up from circumstances that would defeat many, she applies for and gets the position of governess at her old childhood home, now under a new master.

Expecting to simply kill the new master, Mr. Thornfield, under the belief that she is the rightful heiress, Jane Steele finds that, when deep affection and love come into play, her future, and in fact her past, may not be what she believed.

This book was such a creative, well-written, enjoyable read. Faye does a fantastic job of making readers root for Jane Steele, and the characters all come to life brilliantly. There is even a well-done mystery interspersed through the latter half of the book, and multiple twists and turns surrounding misinformation and lies.

I highly recommend this book, not only for fans of Jane Eyre or crime books, but for readers who like a cleverly done novel with a strong female protagonist.

I'm on vacation visiting my brother and sister-in-law, and haven't been getting a ton of reading done because we've been gallivanting around, doing everything from seeing magic shows to going carpet skating. But today we had lunch across from a used bookstore, so of course I had to stop in, and of course I walked out with five books-I just can't resist!