Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of “Jane, Unlimited” by Kristin Cashore. This book has an interesting premise but I am sad to report that I was not interested in the story. The characters felt two-dimensional. I was bothered by the use of the word “says”. The continual use of this word was distracting and made the book feel like a work in progress rather than close to publication. Using other descriptive words other than “says” would greatly enhance this work.

Wow, what a unique and wonderful story. Sequentially odd, weird, and completely engaging. As soon as I finished I felt like re-reading it feeling sure that I would get something new out of it after a second reading. Part philosophy, pure storytelling magic, and a mode of writing that I'd describe as an adult choose-your-own adventure where you get to read all the possible endings. Hard to define or describe, but well worth the effort to read. I definitely plan to recommend this to many people once it is published.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group, Penguin Young Readers Group, and Kathy Dawson Books for the ARC, Jane Unlimited by Kristin Cashore. Cashore’s mystery novel uses fantasy, a whodunit, and a mourning but clear-headed protagonist, Jane, as she traverses in search of answers concerning her recently deceased, beloved, Aunt Magnolia in the strange mansion, Tu Reviens, she is visiting with her friend and mentor, rich girl, Kiran. I found myself consistently uncertain as I read this book with Jane’s adventures unfolding in five separate chapters (many repetitions such as Jane seeing her Aunt Magnolia’s framed photograph of the little yellow gobi fish in the mouth of a large gray fish & then seeing the matting being uneven in the frame). I think readers will struggle too. But, that being said, I love Kristin Cashore as an author; her characters (Jane, Ivy, Patrick, Ravi, Kiran and Mr. & Mrs. Vander) are so strong, authentic and mysterious. Cashore’s world building is breathtaking with strange, creaking, groaning Tu Reviens, parallel universes, and Zorsted as a marvel, especially with the likes of Steen, the strayhound as her guide. I rooted for Jane as she stridently asked questions, uncovered answers and marched toward becoming her own umbrella building person (loved those umbrellas!!!) searching for her place in the world. Recommended for those who love mystery and fantasy, building tension, thrilling plot twists and strong characters.

This is a mind-bender of a book, and will take some time to digest. Several stories in one, the stage is set with a rather Gothic tone as Jane begins a visit at her friend's family's mansion on a remote island. The place and its inhabitants are mysterious from the beginning, and it feels almost like an interactive board game as characters and subplots are introduced. Then quite suddenly the narrative backtracks, Jane makes a different decision at a certain point, and then the story moves in an alternate direction. I was reading an e-book galley, and I think a paper book would have been easier to follow from one narrative thread to another. It seemed that characters behaved differently from one thread to another, but the mysteries and disclosures intertwine to some extent, except for the horror venture. The mansion is a richly drawn character in this novel, and leaves a strong atmospheric and visual impression. Readers should not expect a Graceling-type of book, but the plot and characters will be very appealing to those who enjoy ambiguity and puzzles.

4.5 Stars - Kristin Cashore: I'm not worthy! All I can say about this book is that I loved every minute of it not only because of how twisty and turny and odd and totally weird it is but it is also so completely different than Cashore's "Graceling" books. I love when authors show their range and take chances in order to produce work that is captivating and compelling and so very different than the work that we as readers may be most familiar. This is such an excellent example of that and while it may take a minute for readers to adjust, particularly those who may be expecting a piece similar to the fantasy world of "Graceling," they won't be disappointed as Cashore delivers a well written, totally unique, and pretty damn weird reading experience. One that you'll want to experience again and again.

If you take a spy novel, a mystery, and throw them in a blender with some quantum physics, you have this book. Interestingly written, if at first a little confusing, it all makes sense in the end. The characters Jane, Ivy and Ravi kept me reading even when it seemed a little confusing.

This was an incredibly LONG book. Amongst my high school students, onlythe most dedicated readers are going to continue to read it. The premiss is geratr, but for me it got a littletedious, and will also do the same for most students. Still, there are a few readers I will share it with.

This is just a strange, strange book. I don't really know how I feel about it. It's sort of Choose Your Own Adventure, sort of science fiction, sort of horror, sort of mystery, sort of fantasy with shades of the gothic (tons of Rebecca allusions with hints of Jane Eyre and probably other gothic books that I haven't read).

I just don't even know what to think. Imagine a story in that is set up like a Choose Your Own Adventure, but in which you read all of the possibilities instead of picking just one path through the story. With the first choice, you end up with a mystery. Art theft and spies. Then you go back and make a different choice (or rather, the protagonist, Jane, goes back and makes a different choice). And each of those choices leads to different results and all of them are happening in one universe or another (hence the science fiction aspect...multiverse with portals and stuff). One of the possibilities is a horror story with a living, creepy house. One is a fantasy with a dog who can walk through paintings.

If you are hoping for a story like Cashore's other books, you will be greatly disappointed. If you like odd stories that are their own thing, especially if you've read a lot of gothic novels, you will likely enjoy this.

For me, it moved slowly because I had no clue what was going on. I spent most of the book feeling like I was missing something. I just...need more time to digest.

the book could be improved by restructuring and adding fantasy elements earlier

There is SO MUCH going on in this book--an art heist or two, a dash of romance, a mystery, and a sci-fi overlay. Rather than get all spoilery, I'll just say that I still can't make up my mind if I liked it, but it's fascinating and you should please read it so we can talk about it.

this is tough...

i received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

i saw kristin cashore had a new book and my heart went triple beat. i LOVE Graceling and Fire. (Bitterblue is my least favorite but also i have read it the least amount of times so i should probably give it another chance).

so i was very excited and not sure what to expect based on the cover and description but i really enjoyed the very particular detail of jane's umbrella making hobby. it's so specific and odd and interesting.

here's my own vague description of the book since i don't want to give any spoilers. jane is an orphan. jane is invited to a house party of rich people on an island. jane meets the residents of the island mansion and learns a lot of truths about her recently departed aunt and herself. and then a Sliding Doors moment happens and the reader goes down a multiverse rabbit hole to see the results of one decision jane makes.

i'm giving this 4 stars because it's kristin cashore and it really is quite good with the characters and strange idiosyncrasies and writing. HOWEVER. it also feels like 75% of a book. it doesn't CONCLUDE. it doesn't resolve issues. it just ends. is there going to be a sequel or a companion or something? my sense is no, but i'm not sure. i'm pretty sure when i read Graceling when it first came out i didn't know there was going to be a companion novel. i'll probably try reading it again sometime. maybe like with Fire it will take more than one reading for me to love it. but for now it's honestly a 3 star book with an extra star because i can't give kristin cashore less than 4 stars.

Jane, Unlimited is confusing and disorienting at first, but Kristin Cashore's writing is so lovely and intriguing that I stuck with it (also on the recommendation of some friends). Once certain aspects of the plot begin to click into place the novel goes from interesting to impressive. Cashore surprises with every page and leads you down a path that is exciting but never loses sight of her characters.

I began reading this title with no real idea of its story. I just knew I thoroughly enjoyed this author's previous works very much. I was a bit confused when the first adventure abruptly stopped, not really ended, and an alternative adventure began in a new section of the book. Finally, I caught on that this was an altered version of a "choose your own adventure" story with the option of a "choice" taken out of play. Because it took me 2 full versions of alternate universes/realities to understand how the author was presenting this story, I was not fully engaged in the story and felt as though the mysteries presented in the first version of Jane's Tu Reviens experiences were never solved. I wanted more character development for Jane. The alternate realities broke any connection I made with the characters as each of the realities came to an end.

I still love this author's work. This new story presents a different story-telling style which is a testament to her great skill and talent. While this was not my favorite title by this author, I am sure it will appeal to many of her loyal fans and will likely attract new members to this club.

I had such high hopes for this book. I LOVED Graceling! I wanted to love this book, too. For me, the book kept getting weirder and weirder, then it became bizarre, and then it was over. I felt like I kept getting invested in the stories and they never quite finished, which left me highly unsatisfied. Maybe I would have liked it better if it were a true Choose Your Own Adventure, where I could have chosen?

This book is surrealism defined. It's like reading a Dali painting. It's disconcertingly disorienting, but wonderful as well. I'm going to hide the next bit, because even though it ins't a plot spoiler it's a format spoiler. And if thinking about what a format spoiler could be is a little mind bending and a totally captivating idea, then you should definitely read this book.
<spoiler>
Early on in our story, Jane makes a decision. The story plays out, almost reaches a resting point, and then the reader is jerked back in time. Jane makes the same decision, differently. The story plays out again, completely differently but also recognizably. And again. And again. Jane makes each decision, and each time we learn new and different things about the mysterious goings on in Tu Riviens. It's a really cool way to tell a story with an almost god-like panoramic view, but still from the limited viewpoint of only one character moving through time.
</spoiler>

The reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is that I'm not totally sold on the way the book ends. But I still am left feeling I want to read it again, to see what else I can notice that I missed before, and if I can sell myself on the end. So I guess call this 4.3 stars and a definite re-read

Kudos to Kristin Cashore for creativity and for doing something that I've never seen done before. The format of this book, having a main storyline that branches into many different variations at one point during the book, I found intriguing but ultimately frustrating. I really wanted some cohesive ending, or at the very least a hint of it, that would tie all the knowledge gained in the different storylines together. I found the book to be well-written, but I fear that many will be discouraged by the slow pace and confused by the different storylines.

"If anyone ever invites to you to Tu Reviens, promise me that you'll go." At the time Aunt Magnolia had asked this of Jane, she thought it was an odd request but relented. Tu Reviens was one of the many places her former tutor, Kiran Thrash, called home. Now her beloved aunt was dead and Kiran has invited her to Tu Reviens. With nothing but her memories and her umbrellas, Jane accepts the invitation embarking on an adventure that only she can figure out where she wants it to end.

It has been a long wait for the next novel from Kristin Cashore and it has been well worth it. Once again Cashore's skill at world building and her ability to entwine everyday life within them shines. Her new book offers adventures for everyone, not just Jane. Is it a mystery, science fiction, fantasy, contemporary character/life story? Cashore's fans will either be completely satisfied or utterly disappointed. However, fans of true storytelling will extol the wonders of this new novel. There is something for everyone in this story and the ending is truly satisfying.

This is such an unusual book. I'd like to re-read it at some point to see what I think of it--it took me a long time to figure out what was going on, if I even did? The prose is beautiful and I loved the characters! I think I'm still mentally chewing on this for now.