Strange Unearthly Things

May 29, 2023
Creagh (Nevermore) solidly straddles the line between moody gothic romance and bleak work of horror in this paranormal retelling of Jane Eyre. Eighteen-year-old psychic artist Jane can detect the presence of spirits using charcoal pencils and her sketch pad. After leaving the unpleasant girls’ foster home she was raised in, she accepts a job to help expunge “oppressive forces” from Fairfax Hall in Derbyshire. Unbeknownst to Jane, she is also being stalked by a demonic horned being that follows her to Fairfax. At the eerily familiar estate, she meets two other hires: Giovanni, a flirt who perceives insights via touch, and Ingrid, a tarot card reader. When the three psychics encounter brooding teenager Elias, their eyepatch-wearing employer, Jane feels an immediate attraction to him. Meanwhile, the demon continues stalking Jane, complicating her investigation into Fairfax Hall’s evil spirits. While a love triangle between Jane, Giovanni, and Elias feels forced, the narrative’s intense and appropriately grim atmosphere is brightened by ebullient writing—Elias is described as “Mr. Darcy with a splash of Dr. Frankenstein”—and a smartly climactic resolution stays true to the inspiration material’s roots. The cast largely cues as white. Ages 12–up. Agent: Janna Bonikowski, Knight Agency.

June 15, 2023
Three teen psychics attempt to uncover the supernatural mystery of Elias Thornfield and Fairfax Hall in this modern reimagining of Jane Eyre. Jane Reye is utterly and effectively alone. Without anything--or anyone--in her life to keep her in Indiana, she accepts a job investigating the strange happenings at Fairfax Hall in Derbyshire, England. Jane is no stranger to the supernatural given her ability to use her art to see spirits. Alongside hunky telepath Giovanni and tarot reader Ingrid, Jane attempts to deal with the strange entity that Elias is desperate to be rid of. Her relationship with Elias continues to develop, and she soon realizes his entanglement with the malicious being is more complicated than he first let on. More truths are revealed even as time is running out, and as the stakes get more serious, Jane becomes willing to do anything to save Elias. Though the premise promises something new, the execution doesn't deliver. The story starts slowly and never takes off, always seemingly at the precipice of action that just fizzles into the next plot point. The pop-culture one-liners seem intended to inject a humorous undertone, but they don't ring true. Readers will long for deeper development of the relationships to make the closeness by the end feel earned. Characters are cued White. A disappointing attempt to breathe new life into a classic. (Paranormal. 14-18)

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November 10, 2023

Gr 9 Up-Creagh's latest paranormal romance novel is loosely based on the beloved classic Jane Eyre. Orphan and psychic artist Jane Reye, 18, finds herself alone and directionless in life when she ages out of the all-girls' school she's called home for the last few years. With the death of her best friend still haunting her, Jane takes a mysterious job studying a Gothic English manor, Fairfax Hall, plagued by the paranormal. There, she begins to fall for the secretive yet alluring owner, Elias Thornfield-a boy her age but seemingly from another era. Together with a ragtag group of teen psychics, they must unravel the secrets and mysteries of Fairfax Hall to save Elias's soul. Readers, especially devotees of the original classic, will likely be disappointed by everything except the stunning Gothic location of the novel. The cast of characters (all of whom are cued white) are surprisingly flat and stereotypical without much, if any, backstory. Relationships, romantic or otherwise, feel forced. The romance between Jane and Elias falls victim to the insta-love trope, which some will love and others loathe. Major plot points build well, but for all the build-up, so much of the plot fizzles out. Creagh does have a beautiful writing style and creates alluring descriptions. Dialogue between characters is witty but walks a fine line between relevant Gen-Z slang and being cringey, bringing the longevity of this title into question. VERDICT More of a reimagining than retelling, this falls tragically flat. Purchase only for collections where Creagh's other titles are well loved.-Kara Jonson

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