Review Praise for Unearthly Things“Effortlessly paced, full of heart, humor and horror, Gagnon revives the spirit of a classic while putting her own unique spin on the story. Janie is sympathetic and brave, the perfect lens for us to peer into a world of grandeur, secrets and dark lies. You can't help but lament the family Janie lost while also cheering for her to succeed in her new and strange reality. Charlotte Brontë would never have guessed that her classic fits so well with a Mean Girls twist, but the blend is addictive, fast-paced and haunting.”—Madeleine Roux, New York Times bestselling author of the Asylum series“Haunting in the best possible sense, from the first page to the very last twist.”  —Leslie Margolis, New York Times bestselling author of the Maggie Brooklyn mysteries“A page-turning ode to Jane Eyre with a ghostly twist, Michelle Gagnon’s Unearthly Things haunts and delights. Orphaned Janie Mason uncovers the awful secrets hidden behind the seemingly perfect high society life of her new guardians, the Rochesters. A deliciously terrifying read with a heroine worthy of Charlotte Brontë’s classic.”—Joy Preble, author of It Wasn't Always Like This“Inspired by Jane Eyre, Michelle Gagnon gives a new take on the classic tale. Making Janie an outcast surfer and having her explore social and cultural differences between the upbringing of her Filipina mother and white father make Unearthly Things a clever update of Brontë’s classic. The fast-paced suspense of the novel along with the depth of thecharacters makes Gagnon’s work worth reading for both mystery and Brontë fans alike.”—The Popular Culture Association  "The pace accelerates, suspense builds, and stakes mount . . . Jane Eyre has inspired retellings from literary gems to pallid retreads; Gagnon's version stands up to the competition, slyly toying with readers' expectation to surprising, entertaining effect."—Kirkus Reviews"A clever update of the Brontë classic . . . Fully rounded characters and abundant suspense help Gagnon’s novel hold its own amid other contemporary Eyre reimaginings."—Publishers Weekly“Jane Eyre fans will enjoy picking out the commonalities . . . Fate handles her roughly, but like the original Jane, our Janie discovers an inner fortitude. Hand to fans of Lois Duncan–style mysteries.”—Booklist“The pacing here is terrific . . . a thrilling climax allows all the loose ends and just desserts to snick into place.”—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books“This fast-paced retelling of Jane Eyre will appeal to fans of contemporary Gothic . . . Pair this with the classic novels Jane Eyre or Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca.”—School Library Connection"Failing family fortunes, wails in the night, bizarre dreams . . . Teens who like gothic fiction will find this enjoyable."—School Library Journal“A real treat . . . For those who aren’t too into horror, but every now and again are looking for a bit of a spooky tale without having to keep the lights on for weeks while sleeping, this is definitely a great book to pick up.” —Here’s To Happy Endings Read more About the Author Michelle Gagnon is the bestselling author of thrillers for teens and adults. Her young adult PERSEFØNE trilogy (Don’t Turn Around, Don’t Look Now, Don’t Let Go) was nominated for a Thriller Award, and was selected as a top read by Entertainment Weekly, Kirkus, Voya, and the Young Adult Library Services Association. Her standalone young adult thriller Strangelets was a Junior Library Guild pick. She lives in Los Angeles with her family. Read more See all Editorial Reviews
C**E
More Gothic than Romance
Unearthly Things was a very interesting take on Jane Eyre - the focus was much more on the Gothic aspects of the story - the mysterious house, the dark secrets, the supernatural and madness. The story used character names from Bronte’s novel, but did not always translate them to the same characters in this book. It was a very inventive retelling, with many suspenseful turns to keep the reader engaged.The story’s heroine - Janie - is a Filipina surfer girl who’s forced into living with rich socialites after the death of her parents. The dynamic with the Rochesters is tense and strange from the beginning, and the setting of a girl uncomfortable with her surroundings makes for drama that sets up the characters very quickly. It’s also shown how much Janie’s parents loved and cared for her which highlighted Janie’s loss even more, and it was very easy to empathize and become invested in Janie’s plight. The mystery surrounding the relationships in the Rochester family, and why they treat Janie with animosity at times kept me glued to the story. The character relationships were very well written, and fleshed out, and I was intrigued from the first by what secrets the characters were keeping.The author also does something interesting with the romance aspect - absolutely a major feature of the Bronte novel - but here, although it has an impact on the story, the direction it takes was unexpected for me. I loved that the mystery and the suspense featured more heavily than the romance, and it was wonderful to get more depth to the family aspect than to a romantic relationship that comes pretty quickly for Janie.There is so much that happens in this book - it moves quickly, and some of the twists it takes were completely unexpected, especially from a retelling of Jane Eyre. If you are fan of the Bronte novel, I think you will enjoy seeing all the connections to the original in a different light, and if you have not read Jane Eyre, this is a wonderful suspenseful read!
E**G
:: 4 Pretty Little Stars ::
I really liked this book! It's a retelling of Jane Eyre (which is pretty cool) with a hint of paranormal. Admittedly, I haven't read Jane Eyre (i'll go hide in the corner now) but if it's anything like this then I may dive into the classic and check it out. With that, this is a suspenseful and addicting read. I read it fairly quickly even though I have been extremely busy, and didn't want to put it down even when I had to. The plot will hook you the minute you start it. The story-line is very engrossing as well. It's about a teenager named Janie who is forced to live with the Rochester's following her parent's death. And it this isn't hard enough, some sinister things are going on within the house she lives in that question Janie's sanity. Sounds good, right? Well, it is!Normally, this isn't the type of book I read. I tend to stay away from retelling's because they are (normally) nothing like the original. Also, I don't find many that are good enough to hold my attention for long. This certainly changed after I read this novel though. At first, I picked up the book based on the cover (it's really cool) and then when I read the blurb I thought to myself "okay, this could be really interesting", and I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. I hope the author continues with these retelling's because I will devour them every time based on reading this one!This Book Would Be Perfect For+ Fans of Young Adult Fiction (mystery and paranormal)+ Fans of retelling's (and maybe even modern fairy tales)+ Fans of the authors work
J**Y
Enjoyable read!
I never bothered to read Jane Eyre but I am so happy I read this! Never a dull moment and so many twists and turns along the way! What a great story. Worth reading again.
K**R
Four Stars
Anxious to read this book. Thanks
M**U
Who's in the Attic?
Ms. Gagnon has given us a contemporary slant on an age-old classic of Victorian literature. However, she doesn’t simply retell “Jane Eyre”—she re-orders it into something completely new. The familiar characters are there but changed around and refitted into a contemporary tale of a young orphaned girl finding her way in treacherous and unfamiliar surroundings.This novel conflates Jane’s journey—her stay with her forbidding aunt and nasty cousins Georgianna, John and Eliza; her time at Lowood School run by the tyrannical Mr. Brocklehurst; her stay at Thorndale and her subsequent discovery of her other cousins Diana, Mary and St. John—into the same milieu and time period. This gives the novel a compact feel and swifter pacing than Charlotte Brontë’s seminal work, thus making it more accessible to today’s adolescents.The story is so original that it resonates powerfully on its own, especially in Jane’s yawing emotions. She comes off as a typical teenager, at the mercy of her fluctuating feelings. She’s so stricken with grief after her parents die that she initially fails to ask pertinent questions about the sudden shift in her life and fortunes. She makes impulsive decisions that have disastrous consequences, panics in tense circumstances and makes rash moves.However, Janie Mason is as redoubtable a heroine as Jane Eyre was. She has to deal with dangerous, psychotic and possibly murderous guardians, an unfamiliar school, scurrilous gossip from her peers and what may be ghostly hauntings. Throughout it all, she struggles to hold on to her identity, self-worth and sanity and succeeds admirably.There’s no expected happily-ever-after ending with a guy (she’s only 17, for goodness sakes). I rather liked that. (I always felt the romance and marriage in the original classic felt rather tacked-on and forced) Janie Mason needs to figure out life on her own and you are left in no doubt that she’ll succeed. Reader, she persevered.
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