Reviews

Reluctant Immortals by Gwendolyn Kiste

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keraashley's review

2.75

If you think babysitting the ashes of the ex boyfriend that murdered you, that still talk to you, for 70 years is a fun plot line that screams “women controlling their own destiny”, you’ll love this book.
So so much of this book/magic system makes zero sense and it never will bc there are no answers. Like yea we get it, men suck. Always. In every timeline. In every story. Got it. But the stakes just felt so low. And the plot was so slow. And Lucy, Bee, and Jane were basically boiled down to their trauma and not much else. This book is not at all what’s sold as. Its disappointing.

sammarcario's review

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

jshoss's review

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tense fast-paced

2.75

aimsmeee's review

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dark inspiring tense fast-paced

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

swampmama's review

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hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

2.5

amandadelbrocco's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

This was just a fun story that intertwined the stories of Dracula and Jane Eyre. I really liked the 60s setting and all the nods to the original books

Content Warnings

annamickreads's review

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3.0

Zoomed through this one because it was a relatively quick read!

Although the premise is definitely inspired and an interesting way of giving voices to the female characters in each classic tome who didn't get much by way of agency (Lucy Westenra and Bertha Mason from 'Dracula' and 'Jane Eyre' respectively), I had a lot of questions the story never really answered.

It's entirely understandable that two female characters who had been otherwise abused and abandoned would become friends, but the circumstances were tripping me up. Lucy is a vampire, which explains how she's lived so many years, but Bertha is...a ghost? A revenant? And while Dracula's remains are seemingly kept in urns to follow Lucy around, is Mr. Rochester...also a ghost or a revenant?

Similarly, the choice to set the story in the late 1960s Hollywood didn't make much sense to me. Typically, setting offers an extra layer of emphasis, but since both 'Dracula' and 'Jane Eyre' are set in England and other parts of Europe, I was puzzled why the author settled upon California of all places, and in the 1960s-70s.

Otherwise, it was an interesting concept about women rewriting history, although I do wish the story had been told from a dual perspective because we only see Lucy's side of things. Fun for any literary classics fan!