The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein
Ratings19
Average rating3.8
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR "Inescapably compelling." —VICTORIA SCHWAB, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie Larue "A masterful and monstrous retelling." —STEPHANIE GARBER, #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of Caraval and Legendary A stunning and dark reimagining of Frankenstein told from the point-of-view of Elizabeth Lavenza, who is taken in by the Frankenstein family. Elizabeth Lavenza hasn't had a proper meal in weeks. Her thin arms are covered with bruises from her "caregiver," and she is on the verge of being thrown into the streets . . . until she is brought to the home of Victor Frankenstein, an unsmiling, solitary boy who has everything—except a friend. Victor is her escape from misery. Elizabeth does everything she can to make herself indispensable—and it works. She is taken in by the Frankenstein family and rewarded with a warm bed, delicious food, and dresses of the finest silk. Soon she and Victor are inseparable. But her new life comes at a price. As the years pass, Elizabeth's survival depends on managing Victor's dangerous temper and entertaining his every whim, no matter how depraved. Behind her blue eyes and sweet smile lies the calculating heart of a girl determined to stay alive no matter the cost . . . as the world she knows is consumed by darkness. **Ebook exclusive: the full text of Mary Shelley's FRANKENSTEIN**
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a fantastic retelling of mary shelley's frankenstein that unfortunately fell short of personal expectations
as the title would suggest, i was expecting the descent of elizabeth frankenstein. from the start, she is postured as the orphan girl who would pursue any means if that meant surviving, even covering up dastardly deeds of victor frankenstein. victor is much more terrifying, unhinged and outright bad in this retelling, and so i had expected elizabeth to descend into madness with him – again, as the title suggests. as much as i hate the harley quinn & joker dependency/toxic relationship trope, i think it would've been interesting in this context (what with the time period, elizabeth's characterization of a morally f***ed-up teen, etc.) but was not at all pursued.
in fact, i would say that elizabeth's character changes halfway through the book, and she is no longer as motivated by how badly she wants to “survive”, rather she is motivated by “love” and “friendship”. which, i guess ended up being an interesting take, but i can't say this enough: it's really not what i expected nor wanted from a book entitled “the dark descent of elizabeth frankenstein”
so while this isn't a bad book by any means and i was entertained for most of it (there were some third act pacing and plot issues that i wasn't a big fan of), the execution did not live up to the promise of the title nor the synopsis alone
[7.8/10 Rating] [Spoiler-free review]
I thought this book was great. It started off quite confusing? But oh boy it got GOOD. The author's writing style was great, and the way she wrote about Elizabeth's thoughts and motives was really well done! The descriptions were super detailed, and horrific and I loved it! I enjoyed the book alot, but I wish it was longer... The ending felt a bit rushed to me, and I wish it was developed more. Overall a great ‘creepy' read to pick up on a stormy day in your room alone, highly recommended!
Oof, wow, I definitely liked this better than the original Frankenstein!!! Highly recommend!!!
