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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
2.5/5 stars
"I had accused Victor of creating a monster, but I had done the same."
A review very fitting of this great and (un)holy day, HALLOWEEN!
In this retelling of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Dr. Frankenstein's lover/wife, Elizabeth, is at the center of the story. The tale is organized around Elizabeth's relationship with Victor and all she does to help and protect him while he, mostly unknown to her, begins creating the monsters we know him for. Eventually, however, Elizabeth's imagined future with Victor crumbles as she discovers more and more about what he's really been doing.
The first half of this book was so difficult to keep myself interested in. It dragged and dragged so much that I considered not continuing, which is rare for me. It wasn't that scary or dark, the characters felt flat, and it was basically just a girl searching desperately for a man, which is certainly not my cup of tea.
The last 100 pages or so redeemed the book for me, though, and I am glad that I kept reading. The story focused less and less on Elizabeth's obsession with and devotion to her Victor, and she finally started making her own decisions and acting on her own desires. While that did provide for a much better read than I thought this would be at the beginning, it still took two thirds of the book to get to this point. Finally, there were independent female characters, monsters, and crimes committed in the dark. But at what cost?
So much of this felt like a commissioned book with a bunch of filler to make it longer, which is sad and probably not the case, but I couldn't get that thought out of my head as I read. Yes, it improved near the end and I like how everything was resolved, but it took far too long to get there. This was disappointing, but not a total loss. Those more familiar with the source material might enjoy this more than me, but it almost wasn't worth the read.
"I had accused Victor of creating a monster, but I had done the same."
A review very fitting of this great and (un)holy day, HALLOWEEN!
In this retelling of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Dr. Frankenstein's lover/wife, Elizabeth, is at the center of the story. The tale is organized around Elizabeth's relationship with Victor and all she does to help and protect him while he, mostly unknown to her, begins creating the monsters we know him for. Eventually, however, Elizabeth's imagined future with Victor crumbles as she discovers more and more about what he's really been doing.
The first half of this book was so difficult to keep myself interested in. It dragged and dragged so much that I considered not continuing, which is rare for me. It wasn't that scary or dark, the characters felt flat, and it was basically just a girl searching desperately for a man, which is certainly not my cup of tea.
The last 100 pages or so redeemed the book for me, though, and I am glad that I kept reading. The story focused less and less on Elizabeth's obsession with and devotion to her Victor, and she finally started making her own decisions and acting on her own desires. While that did provide for a much better read than I thought this would be at the beginning, it still took two thirds of the book to get to this point. Finally, there were independent female characters, monsters, and crimes committed in the dark. But at what cost?
So much of this felt like a commissioned book with a bunch of filler to make it longer, which is sad and probably not the case, but I couldn't get that thought out of my head as I read. Yes, it improved near the end and I like how everything was resolved, but it took far too long to get there. This was disappointing, but not a total loss. Those more familiar with the source material might enjoy this more than me, but it almost wasn't worth the read.
I'm hovering between a 3.5 and 4 stars for this (but leaning closer to 4) because this book was so dark and beautiful and made my heart yearn and break for a story I absolutely HATED reading in AP Lit in high school. There were so many twists and turns that took my breath away, and the ending was, in my opinion, the ending these characters actually deserved. Not to mention it humanized and demonized the REAL heroes and villains of the story.
The reasons I can't give it 4 full stars though are mainly logistical. For one, the beginning was SO slow. Granted, the slow beginning did give us time to delve back into the setting on the original novel, and that was pleasant. However, it was a story I was already familiar with, so I found myself being quite bored at some points during the first half of the book before the story picks up. And secondly, the main character (Elizabeth) conveniently figured out things throughout the story that should not have been so obvious (although I knew these things to be true because I was familiar with the og story).
For example, the monster asking Frankenstein for a mate. Somehow Elizabeth just reasoned through and KNEW that this was why the creature was stalking them and while, if you've read or watched Shelley's Frankenstein, you know this to be true, I didn't appreciate a main character who seemed to be a bit more omnipresent then what she was. There are a few more examples of Elizabeth being a bit too knowledgeable about her own plot in the book, but that was one of the main examples that urked me.
All in all, this is a fabulous, deliciously dark book and if you hated reading the original Frankenstein like I did, I'd suggest giving this a read because it made me absolutely LOVE the story!!!
The reasons I can't give it 4 full stars though are mainly logistical. For one, the beginning was SO slow. Granted, the slow beginning did give us time to delve back into the setting on the original novel, and that was pleasant. However, it was a story I was already familiar with, so I found myself being quite bored at some points during the first half of the book before the story picks up. And secondly, the main character (Elizabeth) conveniently figured out things throughout the story that should not have been so obvious (although I knew these things to be true because I was familiar with the og story).
For example, the monster asking Frankenstein for a mate. Somehow Elizabeth just reasoned through and KNEW that this was why the creature was stalking them and while, if you've read or watched Shelley's Frankenstein, you know this to be true, I didn't appreciate a main character who seemed to be a bit more omnipresent then what she was. There are a few more examples of Elizabeth being a bit too knowledgeable about her own plot in the book, but that was one of the main examples that urked me.
All in all, this is a fabulous, deliciously dark book and if you hated reading the original Frankenstein like I did, I'd suggest giving this a read because it made me absolutely LOVE the story!!!
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Oof, swing and a miss.
"A creative retelling of "Frankenstein" from his young wife's perspective" is about the kindest summary I can muster, because the rest of this is a mess.
Let's start with the concept, shall we--
This author gives herself an incredible opportunity to give us a dynamic, brilliant female heroine here. The author's note at the end confirms that she desperately wanted to empower a teenage girl to re-tell this famous story from her point of view, because Mary Shelley as a teenager was robbed of her due as the story's creator. But then the author wastes that opportunity by making that narrator completely devoid of a personality. She is literally, as a device, an empty shell that only becomes defined by Victor. I get why, and I also get the *not super subtle* metaphor that SHE is the original Frankenstein monster, since she allowed her spirit to become this morally-bankrupt repository of Frankenstein's evil ways and sinister life. But if your whole inspiration for the story was to reclaim the monster/creator narrative and empowering a teenage girl to tell it, readers get robbed because it's NOT Elizabeth's story -- it's 95% about Victor, and she's just the sitting on the sidelines telling her own story like she's watching it.
Secondly, as far as creative retelling of famous stories from peripheral characters goes, this one doesn't exactly stir the imagination. When we ask "What was Dr. Frankenstein like as a kid?" one's immediate thought is, "Oh, probably kind of a weird kid, really into science, probably gets kind of dark sometimes, obsessed with the "miracle of life", obviously going to have power and daddy issues, and shoot maybe he's into dissection and crap."
Yeah, that's....that's the entire reveal. Like, there's no "development" in his character arc. He's a mad scientist from when we meet him to when he dies. No real surprises there.
Thirdly, if you're like me, you don't consider yourself particularly adept and spotting plot twists before they happen. I actually kind of pride myself on this simplemindedness of mine, because it means that the reveals later in the book are a genuine surprise and delight.
This book's "reveal" was so laughably obvious I figured it out about 20% of the way into the book. I won't give too much away here but the lack of subtlety surrounding Henry's disappearance and the over-the-top line observing that his hat had been left behind in Victor's lab...I mean...you don't have to be Agatha Christie to notice the clues there....
On the whole, a missed opportunity!
"A creative retelling of "Frankenstein" from his young wife's perspective" is about the kindest summary I can muster, because the rest of this is a mess.
Let's start with the concept, shall we--
This author gives herself an incredible opportunity to give us a dynamic, brilliant female heroine here. The author's note at the end confirms that she desperately wanted to empower a teenage girl to re-tell this famous story from her point of view, because Mary Shelley as a teenager was robbed of her due as the story's creator. But then the author wastes that opportunity by making that narrator completely devoid of a personality. She is literally, as a device, an empty shell that only becomes defined by Victor. I get why, and I also get the *not super subtle* metaphor that SHE is the original Frankenstein monster, since she allowed her spirit to become this morally-bankrupt repository of Frankenstein's evil ways and sinister life. But if your whole inspiration for the story was to reclaim the monster/creator narrative and empowering a teenage girl to tell it, readers get robbed because it's NOT Elizabeth's story -- it's 95% about Victor, and she's just the sitting on the sidelines telling her own story like she's watching it.
Secondly, as far as creative retelling of famous stories from peripheral characters goes, this one doesn't exactly stir the imagination. When we ask "What was Dr. Frankenstein like as a kid?" one's immediate thought is, "Oh, probably kind of a weird kid, really into science, probably gets kind of dark sometimes, obsessed with the "miracle of life", obviously going to have power and daddy issues, and shoot maybe he's into dissection and crap."
Yeah, that's....that's the entire reveal. Like, there's no "development" in his character arc. He's a mad scientist from when we meet him to when he dies. No real surprises there.
Thirdly, if you're like me, you don't consider yourself particularly adept and spotting plot twists before they happen. I actually kind of pride myself on this simplemindedness of mine, because it means that the reveals later in the book are a genuine surprise and delight.
This book's "reveal" was so laughably obvious I figured it out about 20% of the way into the book. I won't give too much away here but the lack of subtlety surrounding Henry's disappearance and the over-the-top line observing that his hat had been left behind in Victor's lab...I mean...you don't have to be Agatha Christie to notice the clues there....
On the whole, a missed opportunity!
I enjoyed this as a Halloween-month story, but Elisabeth Lavenza Frankenstein was just AWFUL. I don’t think she had any redeeming qualities other than her guilt?! Not really a fan. So by the time things started going really wrong, I didn’t have much sympathy.
First thing I have to say is I was confused while reading the ebook as I felt I must be nearing the end of the story but I was only at 40 something percent. Turns out the story itself ends at 50% and then there are a ton of extras.
"It was a labyrinth of knowledge, and I had no string to mark my way. I would have to wait for this minotaur to come to me instead."
As for the story itself, I liked the concept of making Elizabeth the main character and all that she went through being Victor's. The setting was well done. While reading it felt like I had entered the 18th century. In this time, women were belongings more than people and Elizabeth was no exception. While that was appropriately shown in this story Elizabeth still manages to find ways to fight back and has strong female relationships. Elizabeth is a morally grey character and I love that she wasn't black and white, good or bad, but instead somewhere in the middle.
"You are mine, Elizabeth Lavenza, and nothing will take you from me. Not even death."
With all that positive you might be wondering why not a higher rating. Well, the problem with the story was that it was slow for most of it and mostly predictable. Honestly, parts of it were just boring even with the wonderful writing. Also it was more about a different monster than I expected. This wasn't so much about Frankenstein's monster as it was about the monster of abuse and the ability to own a person just because you are male and she a female. It was beautifully done but was not the story I was expecting to be told. I was expecting more of a creepy retelling.
All and all an alright read but not as special as I hoped.
"It was a labyrinth of knowledge, and I had no string to mark my way. I would have to wait for this minotaur to come to me instead."
As for the story itself, I liked the concept of making Elizabeth the main character and all that she went through being Victor's. The setting was well done. While reading it felt like I had entered the 18th century. In this time, women were belongings more than people and Elizabeth was no exception. While that was appropriately shown in this story Elizabeth still manages to find ways to fight back and has strong female relationships. Elizabeth is a morally grey character and I love that she wasn't black and white, good or bad, but instead somewhere in the middle.
"You are mine, Elizabeth Lavenza, and nothing will take you from me. Not even death."
With all that positive you might be wondering why not a higher rating. Well, the problem with the story was that it was slow for most of it and mostly predictable. Honestly, parts of it were just boring even with the wonderful writing. Also it was more about a different monster than I expected. This wasn't so much about Frankenstein's monster as it was about the monster of abuse and the ability to own a person just because you are male and she a female. It was beautifully done but was not the story I was expecting to be told. I was expecting more of a creepy retelling.
All and all an alright read but not as special as I hoped.
Bella lettura, anche questa perfetta per il mese di Halloween.
4 stelline e 1/2
4 stelline e 1/2
Disturbingly, unapologetically dark and I loved every second of it. Kiersten White stayed true to the themes of “Frankenstein” while spinning its characters and twisting its plot points in horrifically clever ways. I devoured the refreshingly original layer of complexity she added to characters who are only Victor’s props in “Frankenstein”; this is particularly evident in Elizabeth, whose cold conniving defies her angelic portrayal in the original text. White had a difficult line to walk with Elizabeth — maintaining sympathy for a character who, in this re-telling, is often selfish and manipulative — but she did it with significant nuance and compelling character growth. And in doing so, she raised complicated questions about the extent to which people influence each other and the amount of complicity a person is justified in having before they’re just as guilty as the perpetrator.
The writing was sharp as scalpel blades, though there were occasional spots that I didn’t agree with certain paragraph transitions or sentence structures. In at least one place, I thought it was a little too convenient that Victor didn’t press Elizabeth to answer the question she evaded. And the ending, while overall satisfying, cut off a bit abruptly. I would have liked a little more explanation on that final scene.
Overall, deliciously dark and cunningly crafted. I’ll definitely be recommending this.
The writing was sharp as scalpel blades, though there were occasional spots that I didn’t agree with certain paragraph transitions or sentence structures. In at least one place, I thought it was a little too convenient that Victor didn’t press Elizabeth to answer the question she evaded. And the ending, while overall satisfying, cut off a bit abruptly. I would have liked a little more explanation on that final scene.
Overall, deliciously dark and cunningly crafted. I’ll definitely be recommending this.
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-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
Frankenstein is one of my most favorite books of all time so it was really fun & interesting to experience the story from a different point of view. However, I thought the way White changed Victor's character from the original was a bit too melodramatic & unbelievable. I thought both his & Elizabeth's characters were inconsistent, their personalities shifting to match the needs of the plot which left me feeling very disconnected from them. Throughout a little over half of the book there are consistent flashbacks (usually one per chapter) that felt very fan-fiction to me (I don't know if this will make sense to anyone else but it felt like if someone that really hated John Winchester wrote Supernatural fan fiction about the boys as children). By the last third, though, I thought the novel really came into its own & had me on the edge of my seat. The writing is a bit too juvenile for my personal tastes but it did introduce some interesting ideas (one that has stuck with me: "Not being blameless is not the same as being guilty"). While I never really connected or related to Elizabeth, I was rooting for her by the end. I wish we had explored female rage a bit more but you do have some satisfying developments with her character. I'm not sure I'll ever revisit this one but I am happy to have read it.