Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White

10 reviews

ahoyitsjoy's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• 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

Excellent "women's rights and women's wrongs" book. I loved White's version of Elizabeth. She was such an interesting and sympathetic character, compared to her existence as a stereotype in the original.

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Content Warnings

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

jomarie's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.5

This book did not deliver on the promises of the back cover blurb. I wanted to see what growing up was like for Elizabeth, wanted the tension that came with Victor being sent away for school and coming back amid tragedy that he helped cause. The flashbacks were as close as we got, but they came in only when Elizabeth was reminiscing on a specific memory. 

While Elizabeth was positioned as being a master manipulator, it had a desperate edge to it that didn’t strike the right cord for me. In the beginning, I couldn’t tell if Elizabeth truly wanted to be with Victor or if she just was compelled due to her station - and I don’t think I was supposed to question that. Victor retained his dramatic pick-me tendencies from the original story, but with a more sinister, psychotic edge which was the best combination of original text and innovation by White in the whole novel. 

In fact, the one plus this reimagining has over the original text is that it had much more of the gothic, creepy vibes I expected from a story about reanimating the dead. Although, if I hadn’t read Frankenstein right before, then I’m not sure I would have enjoyed this book since everyone’s travel across Europe would have seemed overly random. 

The final nail in the coffin for me was the ending. There was promise when the author changed Elizabeth’s end from the original text, even if I didn’t love the implication that Victor wrote a fictitious version of events that became The Modern Prometheus (put some respect on Mary Shelley’s name). Still, it was a chance for the author to get creative. Elizabeth’s final confrontation, however, felt a bit rushed and out of the blue, and then the literal last page went back on her characterization for the back half of the book. My opinion of the book plummeted from ‘fine’ to ‘annoying’. 

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein is just one of those stories where the premise is better than the actual plot. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Forced institutionalization, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Blood, Death, Mental illness, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Pregnancy and Murder

apestforwrens's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

4.25

If you want “girlboss Frankenstein” this isn’t the book you want. If you want “Rebecca and Frankenstein had a weird kid” this is that book. It’s a really interesting take on the original that pays homage to both the story and Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. Slow burn for a fascinating character journey

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Sexism

Minor: Excrement

It’s a gothic horror/thriller. This book contains genre typical violence, ethics, and actions

birtelesemann's review

dark medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Murder, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Child abuse

jaedyn's review

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse

andrikkk's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

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

raynestorm's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Body horror, Violence, and Sexism

It gets very dark very fast once the turns come.

jennymer's review

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse

Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse

lamplight's review

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

THE ENDING NAUR 😭

wow this was a crazy? kinda gross? spooky? very sad? extremely interesting ride. im shook by the ending tho skdkfkg like what

overall i really liked this interpretation tho. the author's note at the very end... much to think about... women are so amazing

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Death

Moderate: Body horror

ajn293's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement

Moderate: Emotional abuse

Minor: Body horror