I can’t say enough how much fun I am having with all the classic mash-ups that have been coming out. I’ve read a bunch of them, including Little Vampire Women (reviewed in an earlier post) as well as Pride & Prejudice & Zombies (the book that, I feel, started the genre on its successful spiral). So when I saw Jane Slayre at a bookstore, I knew I had to have it.
Summary: As in the original Jane Eyre, Jane is an orphan being raised by her wealthy but cruel aunt Mrs. Reed. However, Mrs. Reed, in Jane Slayre, is a vampire – as are her spoiled children. Jane is forced to keep their hours, sleeping during the daylight hours and rising only after dark. After a punishment for a “misdeed” almost results in her death, Jane is relieved to be sent away to school where she will no longer have to worry about being consumed by one of her cousins as a midnight snack.
At Lowood, the school to which Jane is sent, all seems better at first. Granted, the food is not much and the conditions aren’t first rate, but it is a charity school. Jane is simply glad to be away from her family’s cruelty; even more so when she makes her first real friend, Helen. Unfortunately, not all is well at Lowood and Jane finds herself being trained in the art of zombie slaying by Miss Temple, her mentor. The man who runs the school, besides being very stingy with funds for food and clothing, is reanimating girls who die and turning them into zombie servants (An idea Jane was already familiar with, as her Aunt Reed had one, and now Jane knows from whence she came). Jane & Miss Temple work together to free the corpses of these girls from their slavery and to end these horrible experiments.
The mash-up continues to follow the original plot through the remainder of the story, with the addition of vampires to fight and an additional affliction for Mr. Rochester’s first wife, Blanche. If you were a fan of the original (but not a purist) you will enjoy Jane Slayre. If you didn’t enjoy the original, but you like a good monster tale, then I also suggest you give Jane Slayre a try.
Themes:
Personal Courage
Love
Independence
Age Appropriateness:
Grades 7 & up
Areas of concern (content):
Foul Language: none
Nudity/Adult Content: none
Violence: Mild
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I'm a JE purist and I really enjoyed Jane Slayre. I thought it was good fun. Perhaps because it's not trying too hard to be serious, for instance. It's basically CB's own words but a bit modernised, shortened and with added monsters. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment! I agree that one of the things that appealed to me about the book was thatit didn't try to be serious.
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