There can be no question that for some high school students the idea of being forced to read Jane Eyre sends shivers down their spine. Erwin has created this new entry into the classic/paranormal mashup with one of the Victorian Era's most popular tales, and she does it well. For those less than familiar with the tale from the original novel, Jane is an orphan girl who grows up with the Reeds, an aunt and cousins. It turns out to be a horrible experience as her cousin John picks on her incessantly and her punishments include being locked up in the room in which her uncle died.

Some would think it would have been a boon to escape when she is sent to the Lowood Institute, a religious boarding school. While there, she gets all the elements of a formal education that privileged girls of the age would. This makes her a prime selection to become a governess when she turns 16.

She gains employment as such at Thornfield, a grand estate owned by the mysterious Mr. Rochester. Her student is his war Adele Varens. While Rochester is distant and aloof, he and Jane quickly find that they enjoy each other's company. They come to trust and even love each other even as rumors in the community indicate secrets surrounding Rochester. The truth is, he is holding his crazy wife upstairs. The rest of the novel goes forward in the usual romantic form.

In Erwin's presentation, the Reeds are vampires, making her childhood tortures even more extreme; the Lowood student body is made up of zombies, and Rochester's wife Bertha is a werewolf. As with previous examples of this genre of literature, the author has attempted to make use of as much of the original content and text as possible, weaving in the paranormal elements to add flare to the tale. While this does create fun for those of us who love the paranormal, it does mean the reader is confronted with the same dry, word writing style that so many kids dread while reading these works in school. That will by no means put everyone off, but I would never claim that these mashups are an easy way to get introduced to the classics.

I was probably one of those rare guys who actually liked reading Jane Eyre in school, despite the fact that my teacher seemed to want to make it as boring as possible with daily quizzes on our reading. I do think the melding of the tale was well done, and Erwin does capture Bronte's original tone and feel quite well. I always wonder if true fans of these books/authors will be insulted by what has been done to the classics.

I did enjoy it, but I don't think it is for everyone.