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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ferociously feminist and utterly unputdownable — I literally ATE THIS UP!
Exploring the brutal (and emotionally manipulative) nature of toxic relationships, Kiste’s beautifully complex reimagining of the lives of two misunderstood (and often overlooked) characters from Jane Eyre and Dracula was phenomenal —and really had me looking at Rochester and Dracula in a newer (harsher and far more judgemental) light.
Bertha “Bee” Mason (Rochester’s attic bound first wife often dubbed “the madwoman in the attic”) and Lucy Westenra (the first of Dracula’s English victims and best friend to the much more well known Mina Harker) are always a bit of an afterthought when it comes to retellings and adaptations. So I was really intrigued to see a book told from their perspectives, and I can tell you now it definitely didn’t disappoint!
Set in 1960 California, we delve into the friendship of two morally grey (and emotionally complex) women and the lives they have ultimately made for themselves—after escaping the abusive men made famous by Bram Stoker and Charlotte Brontë.
I loved the descriptive setting and modern gothic tone with its sunny, California backdrop and Hippie aesthetics, along with the cloying and pervading spread of decay that perfectly capture an unsettling feeling of dread that doesn’t really let up until that phenomenally explosive ending.
It did give off American Horror Story vibes, especially in the Manson-esque, cult-like adoration we see for Rochester and Dracula. But it was Lucy and Bee’s reaction to their abuser’s newest victims that I enjoyed the most. Seeing them spurred into action, regaining their own agency and taking back power from the men ruined their lives was soo satisfying.
If you love feminist stories of revenge and overcoming adversity, misogyny or oppression then I highly recommend checking out this fast paced, thoroughly addictive horror.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship
Moderate: Confinement, Sexual violence, Blood
Minor: Animal cruelty, Racism, Sexual content
there were a lot of scenes in this book that showed such promise, and like i acc did love the dynamic between dracula and lucy however toxic it was, but ultimately that ending was like one of the worst endings i’ve ever read lmao, like sis what happened ???
i think it just relied way too much on a magic system that was so vaguely established that it ended up basically being like giving the characters insane plot armour and then the characters went into the plan with such empty heads im just like sir, r u stupid !?
idk it was just really fucking weird. i really hated the ending and how everything happened so quickly and how everyone got their happy ending even tho it was so fucking rushed. and like why did the wolves and the girls all help them out in the end anyways like ????
tldr: extremely unsatisfied and just a little angry 😌
i think it just relied way too much on a magic system that was so vaguely established that it ended up basically being like giving the characters insane plot armour and then the characters went into the plan with such empty heads im just like sir, r u stupid !?
idk it was just really fucking weird. i really hated the ending and how everything happened so quickly and how everyone got their happy ending even tho it was so fucking rushed. and like why did the wolves and the girls all help them out in the end anyways like ????
tldr: extremely unsatisfied and just a little angry 😌
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
SO POWERFUL I LOVE WOMEN
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
This feminist take on Lucy Westenra and Bertha Mason finds them as undead immortals living in 1960's California and while I don't think it's entirely successful, it's doing a lot of interesting things that I appreciate. I really enjoyed the visceral descriptions, 1960's atmosphere, and, of course, acknowledgement of the fact that Mr. Rochester is, in fact, the worst. Although I wanted more from Bee and her love story! The focus is very much on Lucy and I was a little bit less interested in her, perhaps because I've never read Dracula. This is also a book that really wants to make its message clear, to the point where it felt a little bit repetitive. But the sentence-level writing really packs a punch and excels at building a sense of dread. There's images and scenes that I'm still thinking about days later.
girl hell which is for girls and sun triggered ptsd are both real lore points
I did enjoy this but I think I had overhyped it in my own head so I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes