John Eyre

A Tale of Darkness and Shadow

By: Mimi Matthews

Narrated by: Justine Eyre, Nicholas Boulton

One of BookBub's "25 of the Best Books Arriving in 2021"

From USA Today best-selling author Mimi Matthews comes a supernatural Victorian gothic retelling of Charlotte Brontë's timeless classic.

Yorkshire, 1843. When disgraced former schoolmaster John Eyre arrives at Thornfield Hall to take up a position as tutor to two peculiar young boys, he enters a world unlike any he's ever known. Darkness abounds, punctuated by odd bumps in the night, strange creatures on the moor, and a sinister silver mist that never seems to dissipate. And at the center of it all, John's new employer - a widow as alluring as she is mysterious.

Sixteen months earlier, heiress Bertha Mason embarked on the journey of a lifetime. Marriage wasn't on her itinerary, but on meeting the enigmatic Edward Rochester, she's powerless to resist his preternatural charm. In letters and journal entries, she records the story of their rapidly disintegrating life together, and of her gradual realization that Mr. Rochester isn't quite the man he appears to be. In fact, he may not be a man at all.

From a cliff-top fortress on the Black Sea coast to an isolated estate in rural England, John and Bertha contend with secrets, danger, and the eternal struggle between light and darkness. Can they help each other vanquish the demons of the past? Or are some evils simply too powerful to conquer?

©2021 Mimi Matthews (P)2021 Audible, Inc.

creepy and gothic

I discovered Jane Eyre in high school and it quickly became one of my favorite novels ever. I'm a big fan of Mimi Matthews and decided her gender flipped gothic tale would be the perfect read for spooky season. Not only is this a slight retelling of a beloved classic, but it has another dark tale retelling woven in that gave it a deliciously chilling twist.

I appreciated the dual timelines, even though they were such a short time apart. The reader is treating to a slowly unraveling mystery involving a former school master (who has found himself disgraced), two odd and quiet young boys, and a beautiful and mysterious widow. I couldn't wait to discover the twists and turns I knew I was in store for and I wasn't disappointed. I don't want to give anything away, but I was completely captivated by all of it.

This is the perfect read to satisfy a creepy need, especially in the month of October.

Content: mild romance; mild creep factors (nothing too gory or scary)

Very like Jane Eyre

I very nearly gave this four stars because it is so very similar in how it tracks with the story of Jane Eyre. This makes it slightly boring since you know exactly where it’s going. At the same time, it’s very clever and, typical of Mimi Matthews, very well written, so that I can’t justify only four stars. It doesn’t deviate much from Brontë’s story arc. In fact, there are lots of lines drawn, both directly and indirectly, from the original Jane Eyre. At the same time, the vampire element fits very cleverly into that Gothic tale. Thankfully, she shortened the end of the story and gave it a slight twist. I guess I wasn’t prepared for the direct similarity to Jane Eyre. I was hoping for a few more deviations and twists. However, if you don’t know Jane Eyre well I am sure you will find this a fabulous read. And if you do know Jane Eyre, it might be interesting for you to see how Matthews plays off the novel.

Unexpected paranormal romance from Ms Matthews

This was quite unexpected from one of my favorite authors, I had not read any reviews or even the summary (to avoid being spoiled) so I was surprised to see the plot twists. I love Mimi Matthews, she can do no wrong in my book, and this was great as usual.
Wonderful narrators, happy to see dual narration! Looking forward to her next book.

Interesting

I enjoyed listening to this story. It was an interesting tale. Having read Dracula and Jane Eyre, I will say this was a good mix with plenty of extra originality throughout. Also, having two narrators was a nice touch.

*Shivers*

WHAT IT'S ABOUT
Yorkshire, 1843. When disgraced former schoolmaster John Eyre arrives at Thornfield Hall to take up a position as tutor to two peculiar young boys, he enters a world unlike any he’s ever known. Darkness abounds, punctuated by odd bumps in the night, strange creatures on the moor, and a sinister silver mist that never seems to dissipate. And at the center of it all, John’s new employer—a widow as alluring as she is mysterious.

Sixteen months earlier, heiress Bertha Mason embarked on the journey of a lifetime. Marriage wasn’t on her itinerary, but on meeting the enigmatic Edward Rochester, she’s powerless to resist his preternatural charm. In letters and journal entries, she records the story of their rapidly-disintegrating life together, and of her gradual realization that Mr. Rochester isn’t quite the man he appears to be. In fact, he may not be a man at all.

From a cliff-top fortress on the Black Sea coast to an isolated estate in rural England, John and Bertha contend with secrets, danger, and the eternal struggle between light and darkness. Can they help each other vanquish the demons of the past? Or are some evils simply too powerful to conquer?

MY TAKE
This was SO good! A wonderfully gothic mash up of two classics. I haven't read Dracula, so I can't say what was included from that story, but I've read Jane Eyre many times. Matthews kept the best parts of that book, leaving the most interesting parts. Mixing those with the paranormal bits makes it a delicious scary story. Not too scary, but just enough to make me shiver a little.

The romance was sweet, building from friendship to love. I loved how important the boys became to John and how he began to view them as his family.

The double narrations was a great choice and both Justine Eyre and Nicholas Boulton did wonderful jobs!