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A review by withthebanned
This Monstrous Thing by Mackenzi Lee
3.0
It should come as no surprise to any of you that I am a huge fan of gothic literature, give me Stoker over Austen any day! Therefore it was no surprise that I was completely on board with this novel as soon as I read the premise. I am happy to say that I was very pleased with the Lee's re-imagining of Frankenstein. While reading, I was reminded of my multiple reads and analyzations of Frankenstein and the question of humanity many times while reading, and I think this would make a perfect companion to the original in any classroom setting.
"When Oliver asked her how she read so quickly, she told him with a sly smile that she took books to bed like lovers."
I absolutely loved the characters of this novel, though I would have liked the secondary characters to have been fleshed out just a bit more. I do believe that my favorite parts were the parts that involved Mary, as I so enjoyed reading the slight nods to her lifestyle with Percy Shelley. I very much enjoyed the relationship between Alasdair and Oliver, I loved how despite everything, the brothers still had deep loyalties to one another. I was very surprised by how intricate and interesting the plot was. There were many layers to this novel, and it was interesting to see how they all weaved together. There were lessons to be learned, and damage done for sure throughout the novel; in the end the reader was able to see the importance of humanity, loyalty, and how our decisions shape us and the world we live in.
Shelf Talker: It turns out that This Monstrous Thing is a wonderful retelling of a classic tale. It blends gothic elements, mystery and questions of humanity together in a truly wonderful way. Definitely pick this up if you are looking for a novel that is gothic, mysterious and at its core, rather sweet.
"When Oliver asked her how she read so quickly, she told him with a sly smile that she took books to bed like lovers."
I absolutely loved the characters of this novel, though I would have liked the secondary characters to have been fleshed out just a bit more. I do believe that my favorite parts were the parts that involved Mary, as I so enjoyed reading the slight nods to her lifestyle with Percy Shelley. I very much enjoyed the relationship between Alasdair and Oliver, I loved how despite everything, the brothers still had deep loyalties to one another. I was very surprised by how intricate and interesting the plot was. There were many layers to this novel, and it was interesting to see how they all weaved together. There were lessons to be learned, and damage done for sure throughout the novel; in the end the reader was able to see the importance of humanity, loyalty, and how our decisions shape us and the world we live in.
Shelf Talker: It turns out that This Monstrous Thing is a wonderful retelling of a classic tale. It blends gothic elements, mystery and questions of humanity together in a truly wonderful way. Definitely pick this up if you are looking for a novel that is gothic, mysterious and at its core, rather sweet.