**I received an ARC thanks to Shenwei (@theshenners), thank you again!! This review is my own opinion, and I was not compensated in any way for it.
Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore
Release Date: September 19, 2017
My Rating: 4.25 stars
Summary: If you could change your story, would you?
Jane has lived a mostly ordinary life, raised by her recently deceased aunt Magnolia, whom she counted on to turn life into an adventure. Without Aunt Magnolia, Jane is directionless. Then an old acquaintance, the glamorous and capricious Kiran Thrash, blows back into Jane’s life and invites her to a gala at the Thrashes’ extravagant island mansion called Tu Reviens. Jane remembers her aunt telling her: “If anyone ever invites you to Tu Reviens, promise me that you’ll go.”
What Jane doesn’t know is that at Tu Reviens her story will change; the house will offer her five choices that could ultimately determine the course of her untethered life. But every choice comes with a price. She might fall in love, she might lose her life, she might come face-to-face with herself. At Tu Reviens, anything is possible.
As soon as I heard that Kristin Cashore was releasing a new book, I couldn't wait! I was excited to see her branch out into other genres, but I didn't realize to what extent she would do exactly that. I loved the first half of the book enough to give it 5 stars, but the second half kind of fell flat to me, though that was mostly because of the turns the story took. This will make more sense later.
After reading the sample of Jane, Unlimited, I went on goodreads to read a bunch of reviews because I wanted to see if there was a wlw story line (and there is! but more on that later). This is how I found out that this book was a choose-your-own-adventure type, which honestly I did not know beforehand. I was already going to read it, but that made me more intrigued.
So, to summarize the book: Jane has just suffered a horrible loss after losing her aunt who was also her guardian to a blizzard in Antarctica. Before she left, she made Jane promise to go to her friend Kiran's estate, Tu Reviens, if she were ever invited. And one day Kiran invites her, so Jane goes. Tu Reviens is unlike anything she ever imagined; it's filled with mysterious people doing strange things. It makes weird noises, almost like a child screaming. The dog won't stop headbutting Jane. All these things and more give Jane a weird feeling, but she loves the house. At one point at the story, she comes face to face with a choice: who to seek out to talk to. The introduction sets up five different plotlines, and Jane has to choose. So she decides.
Each decision is its own story, and each story is set up by itself. They're all different genres; each stand alone, but they're still connected. If something is answered in one story but brings up more questions? Those are answered later in another story. I'll do a list of each story, its genre, and my rating with a short review.
Intro: Tu ReviensWe meet all the characters (and I'm in love with all of them) and the house. The story is set up with the central point of two important pieces of art going missing.
1. The Missing Masterpiece: contemporary, 4.5 starsThis and the second story were my absolute favorites! We discover the art thieves, and Jane talks about how she's bi/pan! (also she likes Ivy, so wlw relationship ftw!!)
2. Lies Without Borders: mystery, 4.5 starsThis was my other fave story, especially because we find out more about the mysteries of the house. Also? Kiran is a lovely character, and I want more of her.
3. In Which Someone Loses a Soul and Charlotte Finds One: horror, 3.5 starsThis one...was a weird one. I think it's supposed to be horror gothic, which is really not my genre, so that's probably why I didn't like it very much.
4. Jane, Unlimited: sci-fi, 3.75 starsMultiple universes! I actually understood this, and I don't usually understand sci-fi tbh. We learn more about Ravi, Kiran's twin brother, and Kiran. (Again! I want another story with Kiran, I just love her so much.)
5. The Strayhound, the Girl, and the Painting: fantasy, 4.25 starsThis one was cute because of the dog, Jasper. It didn't have as much happening in it though, but I liked it, especially the ending!
I think I really liked the first two stories the most because they had most of the plot in it. Things are repeated throughout the story, but it wasn't repetitive to me. It felt more like it was reinforcing the previous information to remind you about what was going on, which helps especially because the book does get really confusing. I think the summary shows the beauty of having the different plotlines so I'll quote it: "At Tu Reviens, Jane will have five choices that could ultimately determine the course of her newly untethered life. And every choice comes with a price. She might fall in love, she might lose her life, she might solve a mystery, she might find her calling, she might come face-to-face with herself. At Tu Reviens, anything is possible."
I loved all of the characters so much!! Even the ones that turn out to be evil; they were all fleshed out so well in such a short amount of time. And the ROMANCE. So yes, Jane is bi or pan (really wish that was specified in the book :/ ); and YES, she's in a wlw relationship. Unfortunately there wasn't as much romance as I'd like, but I would say you won't be disappointed with Jane and Ivy. (Kinda spoilers, but I'll say that that popular f/f episode of the show Black Mirror? Yeah this reminded me of it ;)))) )
Jane, Unlimited was such a wild ride; if I had to compare it to her other books, I'd say it's Bitterblue on crack. But in a good way! It has so many twists and turns and will leave you wanting more. I loved it so much, and I can't wait to see the finished copy with the art because the art in Bitterblue was so pretty. Pick this choose-your-own-adventure book up on September 19!
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