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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
A book with these characteristics was always going to win me over:
18th Century setting
Strong, ANGRY female lead
Queer romance
Fascination with dinosaurs and fossils
Connection to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
So many ingredients I love and the resulting novel is, happily, also beautifully-written, exciting and triumphant.
I listened to the audiobook which was extremely well-narrated.
18th Century setting
Strong, ANGRY female lead
Queer romance
Fascination with dinosaurs and fossils
Connection to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
So many ingredients I love and the resulting novel is, happily, also beautifully-written, exciting and triumphant.
I listened to the audiobook which was extremely well-narrated.
Some rate this as a sapphic novel; it is not. However I did enjoy the plot in which that idea comes from. I found this book to be so different and interesting. And while it took a few chapters to get into, it was well worth it. The writing really is true to the time period and I found myself really transported into the story. Very much so adored this little Frankenstein-esce read!
for that this is, this book was oversold to me. which is fine, but also slightly disappointing.
it had such great themes and good discussions, especially around the notion of creation, grief and women's place in society - science, specifically. but it misplaces its focus. instead of developing interesting discussions, time gets wasted on developing conflict. it results in a meandering plot. the interesting parts are set adrift in a sea of boring descriptions of arguments or the characters' actions.
for what it is, it is a good book. however, i'm left wanting a narrative that explores a woman's journey with loss, womanhood, grief, and creation to a better degree.
it had such great themes and good discussions, especially around the notion of creation, grief and women's place in society - science, specifically. but it misplaces its focus. instead of developing interesting discussions, time gets wasted on developing conflict. it results in a meandering plot. the interesting parts are set adrift in a sea of boring descriptions of arguments or the characters' actions.
for what it is, it is a good book. however, i'm left wanting a narrative that explores a woman's journey with loss, womanhood, grief, and creation to a better degree.
So what if she committed the sin of blasphemy and spat in the face of god. God forbid women do anything.
4.5⭐️ I have to say I was a bit lukewarm about this until the second half. The beginning was good, but was a lot of info dumping and backstory. All of this did end up coming into play though, so that makes the beginning better in my mind.
The second half really starts to pick up with the contraction of Clark and the science experiments. I was thrilled with how this ended up. We get a decent revenge story and well as a heartfelt message with the creature. You really see the Frankenstein similarities and the classic gothic horror element coming to play. I was incredibly satisfied with it all.
I LOVED this friendship the women have. It grew beautifully and organically. They were so supportive of each other and I feel like their love for one another leapt through the page. We get some solid commentary on feminism, race, class and colonialism throughout. It weaves these topics in very seamlessly. Henry and Clark are successful villains. I truly hated them both.
The second half really starts to pick up with the contraction of Clark and the science experiments. I was thrilled with how this ended up. We get a decent revenge story and well as a heartfelt message with the creature. You really see the Frankenstein similarities and the classic gothic horror element coming to play. I was incredibly satisfied with it all.
I LOVED this friendship the women have. It grew beautifully and organically. They were so supportive of each other and I feel like their love for one another leapt through the page. We get some solid commentary on feminism, race, class and colonialism throughout. It weaves these topics in very seamlessly. Henry and Clark are successful villains. I truly hated them both.
This book was well researched and based on a very intriguing premise. I would have given it 5 stars, except it was a tad too atmospheric for me. The character/setting building was a little too thorough and it moved a bit slowly for my taste. I wished that the author would just get on with it between major plot points. Some people enjoy novels of this variety, others grow frustrated by it. But it was a beautiful first novel and I look forward to reading future novels by McGill.
I skipped like 150 pages and went straight to part 4 (?) and read until the end... and apparently i did not need anything if what i missed bc the ending made a lot of sense. Dont really know if that says more about me or the book.
This book is basically Frankensteins sequel, in all the best ways possible. Poor Mary, a woman who is thought less of because of her gender and treated as if her passion for science is mere folly, rushed into a marriage to get away from an abusive grandmother and now stuck, her husband gambling away what little they had and losing his job. Until she finds her grandfathers notes, in which she finds a letter describing what Dr Frankenstein did, although vaguely, and decides this is the thing that will save her and her husband, make them money, further science, make her a name for herself and her jobless husband. If only things were that simple. Nothing ever goes to plan, and even when it seems to be it’s one betrayal away from destroying everything, Mary’s happy ending comes in the most unsuspecting way and it couldn’t be more perfect for her
Bizarre and fantastical. Poor Mary flees from her abusive grandmother unknowingly into the arms of a gambling addict, as a woman she isn’t taken serious in her field and yet her husband is and squanders it. When she finds her deceased relatives notes, the infamous Dr Frankenstein, she sets a project for her and her husband to create the first creature resembling prehistoric findings, as always she is underestimated and when the creature is stolen she fights back with everything she has, but the happy ending isn’t what she though she wanted, it’s better and well deserved
adventurous
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Really enjoyed this read! I think the weaving together of historical science and Frankenstein into this story was really well done. Very much enjoyed the style of the prose, and the exploration of both scientific and philosophical questions.
I also appreciated the representation in this book. Victorian society is not whitewashed or straightwashed and yet the issues in society at the time are not glossed over in the style of a "colourblind" casting, nor are they played out in a way that feels as though the author is simply indulging in suffering.
I will say that the pacing felt a little inconsistent at times - slowing down for long flashbacks before coming back to the main thread, speeding up with points of rapid discovery.
I also appreciated the representation in this book. Victorian society is not whitewashed or straightwashed and yet the issues in society at the time are not glossed over in the style of a "colourblind" casting, nor are they played out in a way that feels as though the author is simply indulging in suffering.
I will say that the pacing felt a little inconsistent at times - slowing down for long flashbacks before coming back to the main thread, speeding up with points of rapid discovery.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Misogyny
Moderate: Child death, Sexual assault