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emrodav's review
4.0
This is a really interesting re-imagining of Frankenstein. The relationship between the two brothers, which is really the crux of the story, is well-developed and interesting. The steampunk elements were interesting and well-incorporated. I give it four stars instead of five because the pacing felt off at times, and because I wish that Clémence had been a better-developed character. Overall, though, it was a good blend of the traditional story and new elements.
toboldlygowherenomanhasgone's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
joanna1905's review
3.0
*Rating a 3.5 stars*
So I wound up enjoying this far more than I had anticipated I would. The premise of this book so far out of the realm of what I usually read that typically I wouldn't even be tempted to pick this kind of book up.
However, I had the pleasure of attending an event with Mackenzi (huge fan of her Gentleman's Guide series) and decided to pick this up while I was there because why not.
And I have to say, it was a really great little read. I've never read Frankenstein so I have no context as to how it pays homage to the original (aside from the glaringly obvious), to me this is the perfect way to write a retelling.
The whole premise of this book is so incredibly clever, having Mary Shelley and the book Franksentien be canon to this fictional world too was so genius. All in all, I think this is a great little read!
So I wound up enjoying this far more than I had anticipated I would. The premise of this book so far out of the realm of what I usually read that typically I wouldn't even be tempted to pick this kind of book up.
However, I had the pleasure of attending an event with Mackenzi (huge fan of her Gentleman's Guide series) and decided to pick this up while I was there because why not.
And I have to say, it was a really great little read. I've never read Frankenstein so I have no context as to how it pays homage to the original (aside from the glaringly obvious), to me this is the perfect way to write a retelling.
The whole premise of this book is so incredibly clever, having Mary Shelley and the book Franksentien be canon to this fictional world too was so genius. All in all, I think this is a great little read!
ambeesbookishpages's review against another edition
4.0
The full review can be found at The Book Bratz
Steampunk Frankenstein. That was it for me to be like "Huh, this is something that seems good." This book was absolutely amazing. The story is set in 1818 Geneva, men can now live with clockwork parts and the people who help build them are called Shadow Boys. That's what Alasdair and his brother Oliver are. Two years ago after Oliver's death, Alasdair wracked with grief bought Oliver back from the dead using clockwork parts and Dr. Geisler's journals. Now, Oliver looks like a "monster" enough that Alsdair can no longer look him in the eye. After the publication of Frankenstein the city is in hysterics, the police are tightening control and Alasdair is forced the flee from his home and into the refuge of Geisler, who will do anything to get his hands on the miracle that he calls Oliver.
Alasdair: I really did like his character. His is the main protagonist and bought Oliver back from the dead. He is a talented Shadow boy and worked beneath his father for years. As the story goes on we learn more about Alasdair, and his grief, desperation, and horror of what his brother has now become.
Oliver: When the people start a revolt Oliver becomes Frankenstein to them. He is the clockwork man. He is no longer the boy that you see in Alaasdair's flashbacks, you can see that when he came back that something didn't fall into place properly.
Mary: Long story short? She is literally the cause of most of the problems. Frankenstein is written anonymously, but as the reader it is easy to figure out that Mary was the one to write it. No matter how she defended herself she betrayed Alasdair and Oliver both. The little bit in the end where she tried to redeem herself made me laugh. She is a coward.
Clemence: She is my favorite character, also a Clockwork man (or woman I should say) who was saved by Geisler and now practically his slave in order to work the price of him saving her life, saves and then befriends Alasdair. I wanted to know so much more about her! She reveals to Alasdair when they are talking about their first kiss that her first kiss wasn't with a boy but another girl. I wish that Mackenzi had touched upon that more. But all in all, she is by far my favorite character!
The plot and the world building in This Monstrous Thing was beautiful. It was easy to picture the time period and everything that was going on. I wish in the ending that we go a little more closure about certain things but for the most part it all wrapped up nicely and left me content enough to know that good things would probably be coming for some people and bad things for others.
Steampunk Frankenstein. That was it for me to be like "Huh, this is something that seems good." This book was absolutely amazing. The story is set in 1818 Geneva, men can now live with clockwork parts and the people who help build them are called Shadow Boys. That's what Alasdair and his brother Oliver are. Two years ago after Oliver's death, Alasdair wracked with grief bought Oliver back from the dead using clockwork parts and Dr. Geisler's journals. Now, Oliver looks like a "monster" enough that Alsdair can no longer look him in the eye. After the publication of Frankenstein the city is in hysterics, the police are tightening control and Alasdair is forced the flee from his home and into the refuge of Geisler, who will do anything to get his hands on the miracle that he calls Oliver.
Alasdair: I really did like his character. His is the main protagonist and bought Oliver back from the dead. He is a talented Shadow boy and worked beneath his father for years. As the story goes on we learn more about Alasdair, and his grief, desperation, and horror of what his brother has now become.
Oliver: When the people start a revolt Oliver becomes Frankenstein to them. He is the clockwork man. He is no longer the boy that you see in Alaasdair's flashbacks, you can see that when he came back that something didn't fall into place properly.
Mary: Long story short? She is literally the cause of most of the problems. Frankenstein is written anonymously, but as the reader it is easy to figure out that Mary was the one to write it. No matter how she defended herself she betrayed Alasdair and Oliver both. The little bit in the end where she tried to redeem herself made me laugh. She is a coward.
Clemence: She is my favorite character, also a Clockwork man (or woman I should say) who was saved by Geisler and now practically his slave in order to work the price of him saving her life, saves and then befriends Alasdair. I wanted to know so much more about her! She reveals to Alasdair when they are talking about their first kiss that her first kiss wasn't with a boy but another girl. I wish that Mackenzi had touched upon that more. But all in all, she is by far my favorite character!
The plot and the world building in This Monstrous Thing was beautiful. It was easy to picture the time period and everything that was going on. I wish in the ending that we go a little more closure about certain things but for the most part it all wrapped up nicely and left me content enough to know that good things would probably be coming for some people and bad things for others.
saschabookishowl's review
2.0
Frankly, I don't want to read more books by this author for personal reasons. But I bought this one many years ago so I decided to still read it before I unhaul it.
To me this was a very forgettable book with flat characters and a not so interesting plot. The idea behind it was interesting, but the execution not so much.
To me this was a very forgettable book with flat characters and a not so interesting plot. The idea behind it was interesting, but the execution not so much.
shalini_gunnasan's review
3.0
A quick and interesting read. I guess someone who actually read Frankenstein and knows about the author's history would have realized who Mary Godwin was even before the reveal. Wish Byron had made an appearance, now there's an interesting fellow.
I liked both the brothers, and for the younger it's really a coming of age story. Recommended.
I liked both the brothers, and for the younger it's really a coming of age story. Recommended.
amybraunauthor's review
4.0
I bought this book on a whim and it turned out to be quite different than I thought it would be. The story is much more complex, the characters darker, and has plenty of action. The story focuses on the main character, Alisdair, struggles with guilt over the monster that's become his brother.
Though Alisdair was quite dramatic and snippey more often than not, there were some great moments between him and the other characters. Drama between plenty of characters added for some interesting reading, and the steampunk world was easy to enter.
This was a fairly quick read for me and I had a great time doing so. I really enjoyed the ending and how secrets spilled out through the pages. I would recommend it for anyone looking for a gothic, dark, drama filled read with broody characters.
Though Alisdair was quite dramatic and snippey more often than not, there were some great moments between him and the other characters. Drama between plenty of characters added for some interesting reading, and the steampunk world was easy to enter.
This was a fairly quick read for me and I had a great time doing so. I really enjoyed the ending and how secrets spilled out through the pages. I would recommend it for anyone looking for a gothic, dark, drama filled read with broody characters.
gaymoonreader's review against another edition
3.75
This book was absolutely fabulous. I was entranced with this story from the first page, and it was such a good retelling of Frankenstein. Having just finished Frankenstein, the story was very fresh in my mind. I loved trying to figure out what was going to happen when trying to parallel this story with the original work, and it was just a fun time reading this.
I really loved the characters. Oliver was a difficult character, but I still found him appealing. I loved how Mackenzi Lee really gave substance to his character with the plotline of him being resurrected. With the original work of Frankenstein, we just knew him as the monster. He had no name, he had no life prior to his creation, and he was more of a thing than a person. With Lee's reimagining of the original Frankenstein story, she gave us a person who is definitely more human than monster. Oliver had a life before everything happened. He was a person who was loved and who just enjoyed life. We really build on that over the course of the story and build on the relationships between him and his family and other characters. Oliver is so complex when comparing his life as Alisdair's creation to who he was before. He is just such an interesting character, and I loved learning more about him.
Alisdair was someone who we had to get to really know over the course of the entire book. We peel back all the layers of who he really is. We piece together the mystery surrounding how his brother really died, and it just made me want to keep reading, to figure it out. And we also need to figure out what went down between him and Mary, how she is connected to everything, and just the complexities of his character coupled with the complexities of who she really is because she put on an act for everyone, as to who she is.
I also really loved Clemence's character. We got some lesbian rep in this book, and it was really interesting how it was handled in this novel. While it wasn't a major element to the story, it is addressed, and I loved seeing that. I also just loved how kickass Clemence was. She was never afraid to speak her mind, and I just loved her character so much. She was easily one of my favorite characters.
I also really loved the fantasy and steampunk aspects to this story. While this is not my first steampunk novel that I've read, I did really enjoy it! I found it super interesting how Lee managed to weave all these fantasy elements into this retelling of Frankenstein, and it just made the book even better, in my opinion. I also loved how the actual book of Frankenstein was woven into this story. It isn't just quotes and nuances that are in the story. The actual book plays a major role in the plot of this story, and it was so interesting to read a retelling of Frankenstein with the actual book being in the story, and it just added something extra to the story.
Overall, I really enjoyed the characters, the world, and the writing, and I could not be happier with this retelling. I highly recommend you all check this out, and I am so excited to read more from Mackenzi Lee in the future!
I really loved the characters. Oliver was a difficult character, but I still found him appealing. I loved how Mackenzi Lee really gave substance to his character with the plotline of him being resurrected. With the original work of Frankenstein, we just knew him as the monster. He had no name, he had no life prior to his creation, and he was more of a thing than a person. With Lee's reimagining of the original Frankenstein story, she gave us a person who is definitely more human than monster. Oliver had a life before everything happened. He was a person who was loved and who just enjoyed life. We really build on that over the course of the story and build on the relationships between him and his family and other characters. Oliver is so complex when comparing his life as Alisdair's creation to who he was before. He is just such an interesting character, and I loved learning more about him.
Alisdair was someone who we had to get to really know over the course of the entire book. We peel back all the layers of who he really is. We piece together the mystery surrounding how his brother really died, and it just made me want to keep reading, to figure it out. And we also need to figure out what went down between him and Mary, how she is connected to everything, and just the complexities of his character coupled with the complexities of who she really is because she put on an act for everyone, as to who she is.
I also really loved Clemence's character. We got some lesbian rep in this book, and it was really interesting how it was handled in this novel. While it wasn't a major element to the story, it is addressed, and I loved seeing that. I also just loved how kickass Clemence was. She was never afraid to speak her mind, and I just loved her character so much. She was easily one of my favorite characters.
I also really loved the fantasy and steampunk aspects to this story. While this is not my first steampunk novel that I've read, I did really enjoy it! I found it super interesting how Lee managed to weave all these fantasy elements into this retelling of Frankenstein, and it just made the book even better, in my opinion. I also loved how the actual book of Frankenstein was woven into this story. It isn't just quotes and nuances that are in the story. The actual book plays a major role in the plot of this story, and it was so interesting to read a retelling of Frankenstein with the actual book being in the story, and it just added something extra to the story.
Overall, I really enjoyed the characters, the world, and the writing, and I could not be happier with this retelling. I highly recommend you all check this out, and I am so excited to read more from Mackenzi Lee in the future!
hiveretcafe's review against another edition
4.0
This review was originally posted on my blog, Hiver et Cafe
I received an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion whatsoever nor was I compensated in any shape or form in exchange for this review.
This Monstrous Thing is a steam punk retelling of Frankenstein that follows Alisdair Finch. He is a Shadow Boy, like his father, which means that he is able to create and maintain clockwork body parts for those who have lost their original body parts to disease or war. However, clockwork people are looked down upon by society since they “are not in the image of God” and thusly an abomination. The novel enters on the consequences of Alisdair having brought his brother, Oliver, back to life with clockwork.
Mackenzi Lee’s writing is great and there were some really gorgeous lines sprinkled throughout and there were some really vivid scenes that she painted with her writing that had me just kind of shocked and also captivated by the writing.
We read the novel from Alisdair’s point of view and we’re able to see his point of view and his thoughts as he endures the roller coaster of consequences. And despite me not agreeing with his actions, I like that I was able to understand his motives and the reasoning behind his actions. I didn’t like Alisdair, but I was rooting for him through the novel and for things to turn out okay for him.
Oliver is Alisdair’s brother that was killed after being pushed out of the clocktower window. Devastated, Alisdair revives him with his own improved version of Dr. Geisler’s theory. When the novel first begins, it is two years after Oliver has returned to the living and I really found myself empathizing with him despite him not being present for large swathes of the novel. I love the way Mackenzie Lee wrote him and I really kind of just wanted to give him a hug, despite his very sharp edges.
I love how the original novel of Frankenstein and Mary Shelley was incorporated into the novel! It’s kind of meta in that sense and it was really interesting how the Frankenstein novel really created a lot of problems for Oliver and Alisdair. It was really interesting for me in how the original book and Mary were weaved into the novel as well, since I never really read Frankenstein or knew too much about Mary Shelley’s life.
This Monstrous Thing is a great steampunk retelling of Frankenstein that had me captivated by her writing and also left me thinking about it afterwards, with the vivid scenes she paints in her novel and the real and relatable characters .
I received an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion whatsoever nor was I compensated in any shape or form in exchange for this review.
This Monstrous Thing is a steam punk retelling of Frankenstein that follows Alisdair Finch. He is a Shadow Boy, like his father, which means that he is able to create and maintain clockwork body parts for those who have lost their original body parts to disease or war. However, clockwork people are looked down upon by society since they “are not in the image of God” and thusly an abomination. The novel enters on the consequences of Alisdair having brought his brother, Oliver, back to life with clockwork.
Mackenzi Lee’s writing is great and there were some really gorgeous lines sprinkled throughout and there were some really vivid scenes that she painted with her writing that had me just kind of shocked and also captivated by the writing.
We read the novel from Alisdair’s point of view and we’re able to see his point of view and his thoughts as he endures the roller coaster of consequences. And despite me not agreeing with his actions, I like that I was able to understand his motives and the reasoning behind his actions. I didn’t like Alisdair, but I was rooting for him through the novel and for things to turn out okay for him.
Oliver is Alisdair’s brother that was killed after being pushed out of the clocktower window. Devastated, Alisdair revives him with his own improved version of Dr. Geisler’s theory. When the novel first begins, it is two years after Oliver has returned to the living and I really found myself empathizing with him despite him not being present for large swathes of the novel. I love the way Mackenzie Lee wrote him and I really kind of just wanted to give him a hug, despite his very sharp edges.
I love how the original novel of Frankenstein and Mary Shelley was incorporated into the novel! It’s kind of meta in that sense and it was really interesting how the Frankenstein novel really created a lot of problems for Oliver and Alisdair. It was really interesting for me in how the original book and Mary were weaved into the novel as well, since I never really read Frankenstein or knew too much about Mary Shelley’s life.
This Monstrous Thing is a great steampunk retelling of Frankenstein that had me captivated by her writing and also left me thinking about it afterwards, with the vivid scenes she paints in her novel and the real and relatable characters .
im211's review against another edition
3.0
Emotional. Nod to the original Frankenstein.
Felt like it could've been more story wise.
Historical-modernism
LGBTQ
Retelling with a twist.
Felt like it could've been more story wise.
Historical-modernism
LGBTQ
Retelling with a twist.