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adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Interesting idea, sadly bogged down to a grinding halt towards the end, made unbearable to read with the on-the-nose foreshadowing that basically spoils what will happen ahead of time.
Regrettably, a five-star premise with a one-star execution. Frankenstein was devised as a brilliant novelty when it was first published, and it is a deservedly respected piece of literature given its context, so I was quite excited to finally give it a read. However, despite its far-reaching impact on western pop culture, the book hasn't aged well at all, making it a laborious read in spite of its brevity. My main complaint is with the way it was written, as especially the foreshadowing happens too explicitly and too often. The forewarning sentences are repeated verbatim and ad nauseam so often that I couldn't help but shake the feeling that the book thought I was a bit slow, and I really don't need that kind of sass from a two-hundred-years-old book. Scenes in the book are often little described, giving essentially no leeway to taste the atmosphere in any the wonderful locations across Europe that the story takes place in without visiting Lonely Planet. However, my biggest complaint lies with the characters. Each character is so irredeemably bland that it's hard to tell them apart. They have no depth to their personalities, and mostly indeed no personality at all. Having all the main characters be a ragtag band of Mary Sue's does little to connect you with them, so when tragedy befalls any of them and they start incessantly moping about it I simply couldn't bring myself to care and wanted the book to get on with the good bits already. Sadly, just like the first time I got three-quarters of a handjob in high school, those good bits I hoped for never came, leaving me sorely dissatisfied.
Regrettably, a five-star premise with a one-star execution. Frankenstein was devised as a brilliant novelty when it was first published, and it is a deservedly respected piece of literature given its context, so I was quite excited to finally give it a read. However, despite its far-reaching impact on western pop culture, the book hasn't aged well at all, making it a laborious read in spite of its brevity. My main complaint is with the way it was written, as especially the foreshadowing happens too explicitly and too often. The forewarning sentences are repeated verbatim and ad nauseam so often that I couldn't help but shake the feeling that the book thought I was a bit slow, and I really don't need that kind of sass from a two-hundred-years-old book. Scenes in the book are often little described, giving essentially no leeway to taste the atmosphere in any the wonderful locations across Europe that the story takes place in without visiting Lonely Planet. However, my biggest complaint lies with the characters. Each character is so irredeemably bland that it's hard to tell them apart. They have no depth to their personalities, and mostly indeed no personality at all. Having all the main characters be a ragtag band of Mary Sue's does little to connect you with them, so when tragedy befalls any of them and they start incessantly moping about it I simply couldn't bring myself to care and wanted the book to get on with the good bits already. Sadly, just like the first time I got three-quarters of a handjob in high school, those good bits I hoped for never came, leaving me sorely dissatisfied.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Incest, Xenophobia
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Suicide, Violence, Blood
Minor: Death of parent
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Honestly this book is gothic horror at it's best. I enjoyed it so much. The constant parallels between the beautiful descriptions of nature and the horror of the story , all brought on by the pride of man. (Most of the important events happen in the middle of the night during a storm for extra super-gothic imagery.) It's just *chef's kiss*
While Shelley often doesn't put too much detail into how the creature looked that it would make you feel afraid, I think the most horrifying part was the description of the first few days after coming to life, not understand his senses or anything around him. I'm so glad we can't remember what it is like to be a baby! It sounds so scary and stressful, no wonder babies cry all the time.
While Shelley often doesn't put too much detail into how the creature looked that it would make you feel afraid, I think the most horrifying part was the description of the first few days after coming to life, not understand his senses or anything around him. I'm so glad we can't remember what it is like to be a baby! It sounds so scary and stressful, no wonder babies cry all the time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Death of parent
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Islamophobia
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Surprisingly good. The writing and structure of the book were beautiful. You could see Romanticism in the novel as Shelley links man and his emotions to nature and its beauty. Since it was my first time encountering such a format, I'd feel bored with the long passages of nature, places, and other sceneries. But when I got to the ending, I realized that all these descriptions were vital to the overall story of Frankenstein's Monster, Victor Frankenstein, and even Robert Walton. In terms of horror, death, and despair, this book had a lot in store. We'd see Victor journey into madness and despair as his "Creation" killed all of his loved ones and hopes of a good future . At the same time, we'd see the monster deal with love and loneliness and eventually turn from good to evil. The story also had many parallelisms between the three characters mentioned above, and it was like an aha moment when I concluded reading the book. I would definitely re-read this novel.
P.S. Despite the greatness of the story, I still believe Victor Frankenstein is a selfish coward who does not own up to his creation, his actions, and his choices .
P.S. Despite the greatness of the story, I still believe Victor Frankenstein is a selfish coward
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Grief, Stalking
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Body horror, Child death, Death, Genocide, Violence, Abandonment
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Take a shot everytime she writes benevolent, hitherto, endeavour, or countenance.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Incest, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Drug use
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Grief
Moderate: Body horror, Suicide, Stalking, Death of parent
Minor: Confinement, Incest, Medical content
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Stalking, Murder