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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A continuation (not quite a retelling?) of Frankenstein from a queer woman's perspective. The fact that the author was only 23 when she came up with this... amazing!
A clever, heartfelt and gripping sequel to Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" focusing on the niece of Victor Frankenstein.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book is smart. Not clever, not pretentious, just very smart. Sharp. Focused. Effortlessly aimed towards a goal that I think it achieves.
CONTENT WARNING:
Things to love:
-Feminine Dr. Frankenstein. One of the things I thought was so smart about this book is how it plays with the horror of being Mary Shelley and also the horror you find in her works. It's not quite what I'd call feminine horror a la the works of Angela Carter, but it's certainly not not feminine horror, either.
-Navigating the horror. The realism of the situation (with one caveat I'll get to) makes this both riveting and horrific. Not necessarily in a gory way or in a Stephen King way, but a sort of atmospheric / clinical feeling of being trapped, of history repeating itself.
-The writing. Very fluid and inviting.
What didn't quite work for me:
-Too moustache twirly. The terrifying thing about patriarchy, especially in the late 1800s early 1900s is the sort of backlash to freedoms that women, racial minorities and the poor were starting to get from moving to cities, having access to modern equipment and the new focus on education. We like to think of progress as a straight line, but it's really more a series of circles moving slowly in an upward spiral. This time period is brilliant for how tumultuous social standing was. But the men we see are fairly flat. They just hate women. And yes, there are lots of those, but you can usually smell them and everyone around them knows about it and accounts for that in their dealings with that person. I wanted a bit more nuance here.
That's it, really. If the dudes had been a bit less "shut up, woman!" and a bit more "I agree, but you can't say it like that," this would have been *chef's kiss*. Definitely one to check out if you're a Mary Shelley fan or interested in the evolution of feminism in speculative fiction.
CONTENT WARNING:
Spoiler
misogyny, loss of a parent, gaslighting, ableism, miscarriage/stillbirth, harm to animals/medical experimentation, racism/xenophobia.Things to love:
-Feminine Dr. Frankenstein. One of the things I thought was so smart about this book is how it plays with the horror of being Mary Shelley and also the horror you find in her works. It's not quite what I'd call feminine horror a la the works of Angela Carter, but it's certainly not not feminine horror, either.
-Navigating the horror. The realism of the situation (with one caveat I'll get to) makes this both riveting and horrific. Not necessarily in a gory way or in a Stephen King way, but a sort of atmospheric / clinical feeling of being trapped, of history repeating itself.
-The writing. Very fluid and inviting.
What didn't quite work for me:
-Too moustache twirly. The terrifying thing about patriarchy, especially in the late 1800s early 1900s is the sort of backlash to freedoms that women, racial minorities and the poor were starting to get from moving to cities, having access to modern equipment and the new focus on education. We like to think of progress as a straight line, but it's really more a series of circles moving slowly in an upward spiral. This time period is brilliant for how tumultuous social standing was. But the men we see are fairly flat. They just hate women. And yes, there are lots of those, but you can usually smell them and everyone around them knows about it and accounts for that in their dealings with that person. I wanted a bit more nuance here.
That's it, really. If the dudes had been a bit less "shut up, woman!" and a bit more "I agree, but you can't say it like that," this would have been *chef's kiss*. Definitely one to check out if you're a Mary Shelley fan or interested in the evolution of feminism in speculative fiction.
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a very cool premise, but the execution fell short for me. The writing was beautiful, the audio book narrator was incredible, but it didn’t get interesting until the 70% mark.
My biggest issue with this book, and many other modern fictions set in the Victorian era, is the homophobia, sexism, and racism. The historically accurate argument is bullshit, especially when applied to fiction. As this was Frankenstein fanfiction, there was no need for the women in the book to be treated as horrendously as they were.
This also should have been wayyyyyyyyy gayer. There is queer subtext, but no outright queerness. Grow up and let Mary be a lesbian. I have such a disdain for books that are marketed as queer and then have only a hint of gayness.
My biggest issue with this book, and many other modern fictions set in the Victorian era, is the homophobia, sexism, and racism. The historically accurate argument is bullshit, especially when applied to fiction. As this was Frankenstein fanfiction, there was no need for the women in the book to be treated as horrendously as they were.
This also should have been wayyyyyyyyy gayer. There is queer subtext, but no outright queerness. Grow up and let Mary be a lesbian. I have such a disdain for books that are marketed as queer and then have only a hint of gayness.
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced