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caitlinxreads's review
2.0
This was honestly such a let down. I wanted to like this, I really did. So I kept reading. It got better in the last 80ish pages and then got worse again.
My main problem with this book was that I didn't like Janie (main character). It is understandable to be upset after losing parents, but that was all she did, to the point of just whining. There was little plot, only missing mom and dad. Then there was Daniel. He came into the book in a reasonable spot, but the instalove was disappointing. There was no cute YA buildup or even real world getting to know each other build up.
The synopsis states, "Janie feels hopelessly out of place in their world of Napa weekends, fancy cotillions, and chauffeurs." There was hardly any mention of that. Janie went to maybe one event in the whole book. There was mention that the Rochesters were rich, but no writing on the actual events like I wanted. It was more like, 'Last night they went to a fancy party, I did not go. I miss you Mom.' It was boring.
The basis of the plot is set on strange things happening like screams and moving objects, but there are like 5 creepy things in the book, and they only pick up in the second half of this. In between strange moments, there are about 30 pages of boring words or Janie missing her parents. I was wanting suspense and intrigue. I didn't find that here.
Honestly, I didn't like a single character other than Nicholas and Alma. The others were all annoying or awful (some on purpose, others, not so much).
Final thoughts, I enjoyed the conclusion of the mystery, but the last 5ish pages were unsatisfying. They could have gone in a different direction or explained more about the aftermath.
Sidenote: As a dog lover, I don't think peeing on puppies is something to laugh about.
My main problem with this book was that I didn't like Janie (main character). It is understandable to be upset after losing parents, but that was all she did, to the point of just whining. There was little plot, only missing mom and dad. Then there was Daniel. He came into the book in a reasonable spot, but the instalove was disappointing. There was no cute YA buildup or even real world getting to know each other build up.
The synopsis states, "Janie feels hopelessly out of place in their world of Napa weekends, fancy cotillions, and chauffeurs." There was hardly any mention of that. Janie went to maybe one event in the whole book. There was mention that the Rochesters were rich, but no writing on the actual events like I wanted. It was more like, 'Last night they went to a fancy party, I did not go. I miss you Mom.' It was boring.
The basis of the plot is set on strange things happening like screams and moving objects, but there are like 5 creepy things in the book, and they only pick up in the second half of this. In between strange moments, there are about 30 pages of boring words or Janie missing her parents. I was wanting suspense and intrigue. I didn't find that here.
Honestly, I didn't like a single character other than Nicholas and Alma. The others were all annoying or awful (some on purpose, others, not so much).
Final thoughts, I enjoyed the conclusion of the mystery, but the last 5ish pages were unsatisfying. They could have gone in a different direction or explained more about the aftermath.
Sidenote: As a dog lover, I don't think peeing on puppies is something to laugh about.
eyreguide's review
5.0
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!
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!
ellenrebeca's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
jlwlm12's review
5.0
I totally enjoyed every minute. I listened to this book on audio and every time I got in my car, I had it on. My daughter was listening too and there were times I listened without her just to see what was going to happen. The mystery keeps your attention and you just want to keep knowing who what and why. Definitely would recommend.
lorireads2much's review
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lord_trashcan's review
Cringe. And BORING. I only listened this far because my phone was dead and I need something to listen to when I drive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Death of parent and Mental illness
Minor: Alcoholism and Addiction
I haven’t read Jane Eyre, but I don’t think I need to have bc other reviews I have read have stated that there is little to no resemblance between the two books aside from names and inspiration for the themes. (I was reading other reviews in hopes of finding the ending so I wouldn’t have to listen to the rest but of course I didn’t find any.) Some people are saying this is a horror — it is so not horror. I can see how the supernatural elements could be creepy to some, but I guess I’m too f’d up to be phased by this baby crap. MC felt very flat. Very “surfing is life,” obsessed with a boy on first sight, missing her parents (but not enough imo). Countless times I thought to myself, “teenagers don’t act like this.” Love interest was also one dimensional. Personality = former playboy-turned crazy about MC. “I’m not like other boys” kinda bs. The synopsis markets a love triangle with another boy that is in her adopted family but I haven’t seen any interest on the MC’s behalf, just the other boy being creepy and flirting with her. Maybe the relationship develops more in the last part of the book but if it does, I have a feeling it will feel forced. **Spoilers below** Honestly it was bearable until i got to the part where Janie issarahjolioli's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
usbsticky's review against another edition
4.0
Very easy to read and follow, I got into the story right away - this is a big reason why I liked the book.
Premise: Young surfer girl's parents die in accident and she goes to live with rich San Francisco family whom she's never seen before. But this family isn't what it seems to be.
There are really two parts to the book. One part is this girl's (Janie) sudden introduction to the new family and new surroundings which is really a story in itself already. The other part is the supernatural part of the story where the unearthly things happen. I actually find this second part to be underdeveloped and unnecessary. Only a small part of the book was about the supernatural and the book would have been just as good without it. OTOH if the author chose, she could have added much more supernatural stuff in. The ending was a bit rushed as well. The book is only 280 pages long and not really enough for a story with two parts. I think I would have liked this book more if it had either left out the supernatural or added a lot more of it.
Overall, a fast reading YA thriller that was enjoyable. I would read another from this author.
I got this book as a free ARC.
Premise: Young surfer girl's parents die in accident and she goes to live with rich San Francisco family whom she's never seen before. But this family isn't what it seems to be.
There are really two parts to the book. One part is this girl's (Janie) sudden introduction to the new family and new surroundings which is really a story in itself already. The other part is the supernatural part of the story where the unearthly things happen. I actually find this second part to be underdeveloped and unnecessary. Only a small part of the book was about the supernatural and the book would have been just as good without it. OTOH if the author chose, she could have added much more supernatural stuff in. The ending was a bit rushed as well. The book is only 280 pages long and not really enough for a story with two parts. I think I would have liked this book more if it had either left out the supernatural or added a lot more of it.
Overall, a fast reading YA thriller that was enjoyable. I would read another from this author.
I got this book as a free ARC.
varishaasim's review against another edition
5.0
ohmygod what??? This book completely caught me off guard. This book was completely different from what I thought it was going to be about. It took me on a roller coaster through Janie's ups and downs, ultimately emerging as heroic. Janie discovers self importance and how powerful she truly is and how her parents death doesn't have to control her. She is bombarded with secrets and revelations that keeps the book interesting and overall the story ends perfectly.
liralen's review against another edition
4.0
Nothing is ever going to beat the original (Jane Eyre is my longstanding favourite book), but I do love me a good retelling. Unearthly Things is a modern-day version with a supernatural twist. Gloomy but also not so creepy as to bother those who don't like suspense/horror/etc.
I think the first three quarters or so worked better for me than the last quarter, where a) the stakes got much more intense, and much more violent, but also b) Janie managed to squeak her way out of things like financial ruin. Not that I want financial ruin for her, of course, but I never really felt as though she was at real risk of losing everything.
But it's fun. I'd be pretty happy to read more retellings in this vein.
I think the first three quarters or so worked better for me than the last quarter, where a) the stakes got much more intense, and much more violent, but also b) Janie managed to squeak her way out of things like financial ruin. Not that I want financial ruin for her, of course, but I never really felt as though she was at real risk of losing everything.
But it's fun. I'd be pretty happy to read more retellings in this vein.