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_teoeo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved every page of this book. It truly is a little masterpiece! It's so full of feminism and science and history and love and betrayal. Oh and Mary and Masie, they are my favorites! I wish I had annotated it but guess I'll have to read it a second time now!
Graphic: Animal death, Misogyny, Blood, Sexism, Chronic illness, Grief, and Gun violence
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Death of parent
nefariousbee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I am frankly disappointed. This could have been exciting, dark, passionate... but it fell flat. Somehow it was barely dark. In my opinion this could have been a great book, but it needed to lean into the horror, and do some serious editing. As it is, it's just. Fine.
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Ableism, Chronic illness, Gore, Animal death, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief
Moderate: Murder, Animal death, Child death, Death of parent, Classism, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic, Colonisation, and Emotional abuse
rhensie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I, like the author, too disliked Frankenstein when I first read it at a similar age. As I grew older, I began to appreciate Shelley for who she was and what her art did for us, and eventually I grew to love that book too, flaws and all. And this book is all I could ever have wanted and more from a spin-off. It is gothic, feminist, queer, and angry. And honestly, I think that Shelley would enjoy this very much if she were here to read it, which I think is the greatest praise for a work like this.
This book explores many of the same themes as Frankenstein does, such as the ethics (or lack thereof) of this type of resurrection. But where it really shines are of course the feminist elements - Mary grappling with the reality of the fact that she will never be looked upon the same as her male colleagues, no matter her discoveries, and if she wishes to be taken even an inch seriously, she must conform to gender roles that simply don't describe her. The ending
So if you like her, if she strikes a chord, this one goes out to you: the angry women, the threatening women, the solitary and the abhorred; women with cold hearts and sharp tongues, who play with fire and fall in love with monsters; women who love women, women who didn't know they were women at first but know better now, those who thought they were women at first but know better now. We shall be monsters, you and I.
One other thing I simply love in this book, and didn't expect to get, is the chronic illness representation. Though done within the confides of what was realistic in this time period, the depiction is heartbreakingly believable and still relevant to those of us with chronic illness today. Though less overt, I also strongly suspect that Mary herself is autistic, considering her rejection of gender roles and her discussion of how conversation had never come easily to her, among other elements of her character. As a young autistic child who was obsessed with Mary Anning for a period, I totally felt that in Mary.
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gun violence, and Gore
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Child death
lunarmagi42's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
While the story takes some time getting into the whole "Frankenstein" aspect of the book, that time is well spent setting the stage for the fascinating tale to follow. We see how, despite being the mind more or less behind her husband Henry's scientific discoveries, Mary is only ever credited with "And many thanks to M Sutherland for the illustrations." We see how the people who should be her scientific peers look down on her for her gender. We also slowly learn of Mary's discovery of her great uncle, Victor Frankenstein, the Creature he created, and the story of that creation left behind in letters.
Mary's journey to creating her own Creature is fascinating and deeply frustrating, both for Mary herself and for the reader. Over and over she runs into the hurdle of needing a man for something, usually simply due to the fact that women are not allowed in many of the circles she needs to be in to continue her work. Due to the society she lives in, this is not simply a hurdle she can overcome, she must work with Henry and the loathsome Mr. Clarke to bring her discovery to life.
I thought the story was very well written and engaging as well as surprisingly touching at points, especially for a story with as much gore as this one has. Mary's relationship with Maisie is sweet and very natural feeling and her moments of introspection over the loss of her child a year prior are deeply touching. C.E. McGill uses very poignant and eloquent language in a way that feels smooth and nicely poetic to describe a rather gruesome thing: the creation of a Creature, stitched together from the sum of the parts of others.
Our Hideous Progeny is definitely worth a read if you like gothic horror about angry women fighting for their place in society and finding love and solace in an unexpected place. 4.5/5 Stars
Graphic: Sexism, Gore, Blood, Animal death, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Alcohol, Death, and Homophobia
Minor: Infertility, Gun violence, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, and Miscarriage
natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, and Animal death
Moderate: Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Gun violence, Gaslighting, and Child death
Minor: Colonisation, Death of parent, Racism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment