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inkwellimps's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.75
I wouldn't recommend it to people who are fans of the original book. As a derivative work, I wasn't expecting to be so far astray from the original--Victor in particular I was very bothered by. To give one example early on in the novel,
I do genuinely believe there's a lot that could be said about Elizabeth, or anyone in her position, as someone taken in as a parentified only daughter (as Victor's parents seem to treat her in the original), but I don't think this book is the book to do it. I was eagerly anticipating how White would handle (spoilers for the original book)
For being billed as “The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein”, the majority of the novel portrays Elizabeth as a victim. The darkness in question is mainly Elizabeth trying to make herself appealing to Victor and ||convincing herself she is responsible for Victor’s murders via not knowing he was committing them||. She is rather hastily comforted by a side character, Mary, that she is not at fault. Shortly before this, Mary straight up tells Elizabeth that she is a victim.
I did try to give this novel a chance as its own isolated narrative after getting over that initial surprise, but beyond what it borrows from Shelley, I found it to be mediocre. There was a small moment I was genuinely invested around the 3/4 mark where it is revealed that
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexism, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Child death, Confinement, Body horror, Child abuse, and Death
Minor: Medical content
A few of the "child abuse" instances involve religious abuse.ahoyitsjoy's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Child death, Body horror, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Misogyny, Murder, Death of parent, Gun violence, Violence, Sexism, and Gore
Minor: Vomit
4m0r's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Gaslighting, Child death, Death, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Murder, Misogyny, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Gun violence, Confinement, Classism, Abandonment, and Stalking
Minor: Grief, Stalking, and Kidnapping
louisegraveyard's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Classism, Misogyny, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
andrikkk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Classism, Deadnaming, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Sexism, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Gore, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Drug use
caidyn's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Original review
This review can also be found on my blog!
DNF at 61%
I’m not listing any content warnings because I didn’t catch any. Not that I’m doubting there are some, just that I was so. bored. that I didn’t make any mental note of them like I usually do.
And, I’m not joking when I say that I was SO. BORED.
I got 15 pages away from 200 and nothing had happened. There was stuff going on, but it was just a flat retelling of Frankenstein while I thought that it was going to maybe present more to the table, especially from this new perspective.
Alas.
I love Frankenstein. It’s a great gothic story, even if it drags. But, this book felt like it was so much following the same story and hinting at something with Victor — aka, the creator of the monster — without anything going on. I started spacing out who characters were, which got me lost since the story is mainly about the characters.
And the characters weren’t interesting. I found Elizabeth boring. Justine was just one dimensional. Victor was never on the page despite the story being focused around him. Henry who? And who were the little kids they were supposedly taking care of when they were at the house?
Comparing this to And I Darken, I think that this is just White’s style as an author. A lot of exposition leading up to no real payoff. I mean, I was nearly 100 pages from the end and there was nothing interesting going on.
I guess that White isn’t my kind of author and, from now on, I’ll likely be staying far away despite the hype. Two different books had the same problem for me. Safe to say I’m off this fan train.
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship