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A review by chamomiledaydreams
This Monstrous Thing by Mackenzi Lee
4.0
I love Mackenzi Lee's Montague Siblings trilogy, so when I saw this novel at the library, her name alone caught my attention. Then, I started to read the story's description and only got as far as "In 1818 Geneva" when I grabbed the book and thought, "It's a 'Frankenstein' retelling. Perfect."
"Frankenstein" is very near and dear to my heart, and I've had bad experiences with retellings in the past. But I was immediately enamored with Lee's twist on it and her decision to incorporate a steampunk aesthetic in her anachronistic historical fantasy.
I was also endeared to "This Monstrous Thing" because certain details reminded me of another story I love, "Les Misérables." The back of the book explains the source material for various elements in this story, but even without it, I would have made the connection between the police officers Javert and Jiroux. I am a big fan of that sort of villain, and I love how this book positions the law as something fallible that deserves to be broken at times.
My biggest complaint isn't even that dramatic. I was slightly distracted while reading this novel, because of how often the characters Mary and Oliver were referenced in the same line. They're both great names on their own, but together, my mind would short-circuit and think, "Mary Oliver? Like the poet?" and there would be a moment of disconnect where I would fall out of the novel's world and have to take a minute to recollect myself before jumping back in.
Even so, I enjoyed the characters Mary and Oliver immensely, especially how the former was meant to represent Mary Shelley herself. The references to the original novel were satisfying and felt true to the text, while Lee's new content, setting, and characters won my heart and kept me invested in the plot. I will forever be grateful that romance wasn't the central issue in this book. The friendship between Aladsair and Clémence is everything to me.
"Frankenstein" is very near and dear to my heart, and I've had bad experiences with retellings in the past. But I was immediately enamored with Lee's twist on it and her decision to incorporate a steampunk aesthetic in her anachronistic historical fantasy.
I was also endeared to "This Monstrous Thing" because certain details reminded me of another story I love, "Les Misérables." The back of the book explains the source material for various elements in this story, but even without it, I would have made the connection between the police officers Javert and Jiroux. I am a big fan of that sort of villain, and I love how this book positions the law as something fallible that deserves to be broken at times.
My biggest complaint isn't even that dramatic. I was slightly distracted while reading this novel, because of how often the characters Mary and Oliver were referenced in the same line. They're both great names on their own, but together, my mind would short-circuit and think, "Mary Oliver? Like the poet?" and there would be a moment of disconnect where I would fall out of the novel's world and have to take a minute to recollect myself before jumping back in.
Even so, I enjoyed the characters Mary and Oliver immensely, especially how the former was meant to represent Mary Shelley herself. The references to the original novel were satisfying and felt true to the text, while Lee's new content, setting, and characters won my heart and kept me invested in the plot. I will forever be grateful that romance wasn't the central issue in this book. The friendship between Aladsair and Clémence is everything to me.