Salt & Broom

As a writer, I have to fangirl. The book is written in a way that fits the aesthetic of Gothic Victorian England. Especially the dialogue. God it was so good. I know if I was in that time period I would've died from syphilis a long time ago, but I'd give up some worldly possessions to be a cozy cottage core Victorian witch with a dramatic husband

Despite the use of familiar character names, Salt & Broom doesn't follow the classic [b:Jane Eyre 10210 Jane Eyre Charlotte Brontë https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1557343311l/10210.SY75.jpg 2977639] plotline enough to feel like a true retelling. It works moderately well as a generic historical paranormal romance; this Jane is a witch who is hired by Rochester to rid Thornfield of mysterious malevolent entities. But their limited interactions aren't enough to convince me of their undying love, and the plot goes completely off the rails by the end (Jane's mother is revealed to be a dryad fairy disguised as a white cat; her father is Lowood's superintendent Mr. Brocklehurst, who behaved uncharacteristically horny when drunk one night). YMMV if you don't care about fidelity to the original, and don't mind that the demure, humble Jane Eyre is now an ass-kicking, spell-wielding sorceress.

Let me start by saying that I've never read Jane Eyre. I do know the basic concept of the story, including the famous twist, but beyond that I wasn't starting this book with any comparison to the source material. Now, to my review:

I loved this book.

Where do I even start? The writing is beautiful and lush, the pace is slow but in a good, simmering kind of way, the romance is great, and the witchiness! Let's start with the romance. Yes, technically this was taken from a beloved novel, so it should be good, but I would still give the author credit here. The little moments between Jane and Mr. Rochester are so well done. I love me a sweet, slow-burn romance.

My next favorite thing is the magic. It's mostly village-witch type magic, with a lot of herb collecting and tincture brewing, but there are also creatures here and there, like dryads and ghosts, that those with the gift can see. The magic is subtle, but it's still present in the story, and Jane is constantly doing little magicks.

This whole book has a slow, leisurely pace, but the writing holds you and keeps you turning the pages. It's not very dark or gothic, which I appreciated. There's a curse/shadow/darkness hanging over the property and the story, but nothing too gruesome happens.