A review by chelsloukelly
The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White

5.0

5/5: ‘The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein’ is a Young Adult, Historical Retelling of Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ by Kiersten White; Elizabeth Lavenza tries to tame two monsters: one, her lover Victor Frankenstein; and the other? Herself. White devises some shocking twists, keeping the suspense high on two different timelines. Reading the original book beforehand is recommended. The changes White makes to the story are more fascinating the more one knows where she started from. Familiar tales can sometimes be reworked into something new and compelling, and this creepy retelling of a horror classic has intelligence and inventiveness to spare. 'The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein' does justice to its source, but with a modern, feminist sensibility. This reads like a study of whom a woman would be if her whole life were carefully tailored for the needs of someone else, and then that one person left her behind. If nothing else, it is a journey of discovering her identity – and realizing that her identity exists outside of this man’s. Set in a backdrop in which women cannot even exist other than to be wives/mothers/caretakers/partners, this journey is even more significant. I absolutely loved Elizabeth’s voice – her inner turmoil and trauma were significant enough to add depth, but not to the extent that they are what define her. This was so important and makes Elizabeth’s quest to find herself better because her trauma does not define her. She defines herself. There is a part near the end where she thinks, “for the first time, I smile for myself.” It is these tiny moments that make the book. Because this isn’t a horror story, following a monster and its atrocities, but a quiet tale. It warns that men may be the monsters after all. However, this is my one complaint: I felt that the switch from Elizabeth loving Victor to Elizabeth hating Victor happened too fast, and it could’ve used more fleshing out. After 200 pages of slow buildup and flashbacks in which she is doting on him, the switch seems rather abrupt. Remembering such moments, but highlighting parts of them that she didn’t recognize at the time as being abusive or possessive, would have been better. That way, it shows how far Elizabeth has come but also proves that when you are in an abusive situation, you can overlook those moments if you love them. But everything else was so well-executed. I remember actually gasping out loud when I figured out the twist – albeit a bit too early, but it was worth it. As I said, it’s not a horror book. It’s the unravelling of Elizabeth’s love for Victor as she realizes that she does not exist to please him, nor should she please him, because he is quite terrible, actually. Throughout the book, I got the impression that Kiersten White wanted to expand on everything – she would take little detours describing Ingolstadt, the monster, Elizabeth’s past, or about Mary (all the subtext with her being Mary Shelley was so clever and wonderful to read). This was amusing at times because it was as if White was struggling to not write about every single detail from the original Frankenstein. But mostly, it proves how much respect and admiration White must have for Mary Shelley’s renowned novel, so I’m glad that it was she who got the honour of retelling this famous story. I highly recommend this! The writing is atmospheric, the characters are clever and detailed, and the dialogue is not too casual but not overly difficult to read – Captivating!