Reviews

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White

quinzelle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

jess_mango's review against another edition

4.0

A retelling of the story of Shelley's Frankenstein told from the perspective of Elizabeth, who was raised as a ward by Victor Frankenstein's family. It has been a few years since I have read the original Frankenstein so it wasn't super fresh in my mind. Even so, this was an enjoyable, thrilling read. Elizabeth is not really a sympathetic character. Life has taught her to go after what is important for her best interest. For her, this is keeping Victor on the right path even if it means covering up for his horrific actions.

bluejaybooks's review against another edition

4.0

For those who can handle the slow pacing, this is a great retelling of Frankenstein from the scientist's wife's point of view. The strongest part of this novel is its character development. It makes me want to finally get around to picking up the original.

rachel_joelle's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I could hardly set this down. A great re-telling of the original Frankenstein.

tishywishy's review against another edition

No rating. Did not finish. The audio was ok but felt like it was taking too long to get into the story.

may01's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

dembury's review against another edition

5.0

Closer to a 4.5 because of a very rushed ending, but nevertheless I truly enjoyed reading this. "The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein" is visceral and doesn't shy away from the ugly parts of human nature and madness. This story does a marvelous job of bringing the OG Frankenstein story back to life (lol) but in a fresh way- I think Mary Shelley herself would love this book!

mercedes's review against another edition

dark

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

 I wasn't sure what I was going to make of this considering that it's a retelling of a classic, and a young adult retelling at that. Retellings and adaptations of Frankenstein are overdone at this point, which is understandable because it's a solid classic and one that lives in the public consciousness more than perhaps any other. But The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein was a nice surprise.

This was insanely readable. At points it was obvious that it was written by a 21st century author, but at other points I completely forgot that fact and found myself fully immersed within the early 19th century setting. The concept of retelling the story from Elizabeth's point of view was an interesting one, and I enjoyed what Kiersten White did with the characters and the story. The twists were great and certainly added to how enjoyable this book is to read.

Maybe the best thing that came out of me reading this was that it made me want to reread Frankenstein, which will likely be the next book I pick up 

goodem9199's review against another edition

5.0

Goht damn, y’all. This was flippin’ amazing. So upset I’m done with this one. Totally immersed in the story, setting, characters. Creepy, feminist, dark and ridiculously good.

chiara_campo's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75