Strange Unearthly Things

By: Kelly Creagh

Narrated by: Carlotta Brentan

Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

A hauntingly romantic paranormal Jane Eyre reimagining, by the author of Phantom Heart!

Eighteen-year-old Jane Reye is a psychic artist. She draws what she sees, and what she sees are spirits and the supernatural. Growing up orphaned, she’s now of legal age and can no longer return to the girls' school she’s called home for most of her life. Lost and alone after the death of her lifelong friend, she receives an invitation to partake in a study at the English manor Fairfax Hall: an investigation of the property that requires her specific area of expertise. Upon arrival, Jane understands this will be no ordinary study when she meets Elias Thornfield, the elusive proprietor of the estate, a boy her age, roguishly handsome, who dons a mysterious eye patch. During the study it becomes clear that something is amiss—something having to do with Elias and the spiritual activity taking place around the manor. Turning to her art to unravel the mystery, Jane is shocked to find that her talents—and her growing affection for Elias—could be the key to saving him from a horrible fate.

©2023 Kelly Creagh (P)2023 Listening Library

Critic reviews

"Creagh solidly straddles the line between moody gothic romance and bleak work of horror in this paranormal retelling of Jane Eyre . . . The narrative’s intense and appropriately grim atmosphere is brightened by ebullient writing—Elias is described as “Mr. Darcy with a splash of Dr. Frankenstein”—and a smartly climactic resolution stays true to the inspiration material’s roots."--Publishers Weekly

So much fun!

Kelly’s books are always full of youthful energy alongside creepy villains and Victorian charm. She does a lot with only 8 characters, 3 of them dead! The heroine is snarky and very funny, and all the characters are likable in various ways. Great book for middle-grade to Young Adult, everyone will enjoy it. Wonderful performance too!

New favorite book

This book has all the feels! This is the first book I've read by Kelly Creagh and it won't be the last 😍 I loved every second of it! The narrator did a fantastic job. As soon as I finished this I immediately bought a copy! If you want a spooky yet heartfelt book I 100% recommend it. This is the perfect book to get you in the mood for spooky season 👻

Really Liked It!

Really good book. Was SO afraid it was going to end too soon. But it ended the way it should. ♥️

Oh, the betrayal!

I discovered Kelly Creagh when I was looking for Phantom of the Opera retellings/reimaginings, and I read her “Phantom Heart” practically in one sitting. Her writing was gorgeous and descriptive, and her characters were fully fleshed out and interesting. The author told the story in a fresh and unique way while keeping enough of the notes from the original to make it feel like a new, yet comfortingly familiar song. To say I loved this book is a vast understatement, so I was super excited when I learned that her next book would be a Jane Eyre reimagining.
I read Jane Eyre when I was thirteen, and it was the first book where I felt so invested in the heroine, I cried for her pain and despair. I hadn’t known until then that an author could paint such vivid word pictures, and discovering Jane remains one of my most treasured teenaged memories.
So, yeah. Back to Strange Unearthly Things.
I had high hopes, friends. Very high hopes.
And most of the book surpassed my expectations.
Once again, the author impressed me with her ability to tell us a familiar and at least for me, beloved story in a fresh and intriguing way. And it was paranormal! And there were ghosts! Her writing was lush and gothic and immersive, and I was totally invested in Jane, and her pain and loneliness and her bitter, bleak outlook. Over the course of the book, she went from being a prickly loner to a valued member of a little found family, and I was all about it.
Elias was the perfect mysterious, brooding tortured hero, and I cheered for his character growth, and the courage it took for both Elias and Jane to let down their walls enough to allow a few people into their guarded hearts.
And did I mention that I loved the heck out of the gothic creepy setting? And the beautifully bittersweet friendship between Jane and Helen?
Best of all were the bits of dialogue, recognizable from the original, that the author sprinkled throughout the book.
I stayed up late last night reading, and I was all prepared to give this book a five-star rating until it abruptly took an unexpected turn into WTF Ville. Like, a hard swerve away from the original, and I am not okay.
Spoiler alert…
Reader, she decidedly did not marry him.
Oh, the betrayal!
If you, like me, believe that romance guarantees you an HEA, give this book a hard pass.
But, if you don’t mind a bittersweet ending steeped in tragedy, you’ll love this book.