THAT Gothic Novel. You Know the One

I loved this novel. It was such a fantastic dark fantasy take on Jane Eyre that was genuinely creepy at times! Fans of the original will recognize a few beloved lines and familiar scenes, but even when paying homage to her source text, Blackwood has created something wholly original and unique. Andromeda is a debtera without a license, making her little better than an eternal apprentice in the eyes of the world. If she wants to continue to work, she’s going to need a patron. So when Magnus Rochester hires her sight unseen to cleanse his house of the Evil Eye, despite her lack of licensure, Andromeda decides to take her one chance at a future and run with it. Be she could never have predicted the degree of horror lurking inside of Magnus’ home, nor the youth and charm of her new employer. With both her life and heart in danger, Andromeda will have to work fast if she hopes to save Magnus from the curse that threatens to tear them apart.

Now, The Hacienda was clearly inspired by du Maurier’s Rebecca, which really makes it Jane Eyre’s grandchild, I guess? But it’s definitely THAT Gothic novel. Also, to be clear, any novel that mentions the love interest’s mysteriously dead wife right in the synopsis is not a novel that’s going to go well for it’s lead character. But Beatriz can’t be blamed for the choice she made. Her father was executed in the overthrow of the Mexican government and her home destroyed, so when a handsome and wealthy Don proposes, she takes her chances with financial security and an estate tucked safely away in the countryside. Of course, when is Convenient Husband’s Country Estate ever really the safe haven that a Gothic heroine expects? San Isidro, for instance, is filled with strange voices, strange goings on, and plenty of helpful, familial gaslighting. Cue the entrance of the young (and probably handsome) priest who comes to the rescue, and you’ve reached peak tropey Gothic delight.

You know, right up there with “mysteriously dead wife,” I feel like “forbids you from entering his house entirely” is probably not a good sign for the longevity or happiness of your marriage. Unless of course you’re Jane Shoringfield. As far as she’s concerned, the fact that Augustine Lawrence is wealthy, charming, and best of all, a recluse who doesn’t even want her to set foot in his house, makes him the perfect model husband. Until, that is, Jane ends up stranded on his doorstep on their wedding night. And what she finds inside Augustine’s house throws all her careful planning into disarray. So much for best laid plans, because there is something very, very wrong in Lindridge Hall.