I have heard lots of good things about Kiersten White's books, but hadn't actually read one yet; so, I decided this would be the one. I am, of course, familiar with the story of Frankenstein; but not aware of all the details of it. I found this story to be very interesting, seeing it from the eyes of someone else in Frankenstein's life. I particularly enjoyed reading the notes afterward about how this author got their inspiration and some important details. I think my high school students would be interested in this, and it's the perfect time of year for it.

Kiersten White has taken her prowess of retelling a popular tale with a female lead and applied it to an old horror favorite. While she did that with actual historical figures in her "Conqueror's Saga" trilogy (specifically Vlad the Impaler), we are now getting a similar treatment with Elizabeth. What struck me most about this book is that the true horror is not the out of control 'monster' that may be less monster than it's creator, but the very fact of being a woman during this time period, and what they had to do to remain 'safe'. It's something that Mary Shelley knew all too well, and now we get to see it front and center. It's great seeing Elizabeth at the front of the page, and seeing how the world has molded her into someone who does whatever it takes to survive, be it manipulation or positioning herself by Victor's side no matter WHAT he does. White takes this tale and gives it some new and fresh teeth, and I was completely enthralled by it as I read, and unsettled as much as she wanted me to be. White also gives more female characters stories and voices, so Elizabeth isn't merely a token within the story. Justine the governess and Mary (ha ha!) the book seller play pivotal and important roles within the narrative as well.

Kiersten White is incredibly gifted in her story telling, and I am so pleased that we got to see a classic tale through the eyes of a woman. I think Mary Shelley would have been proud.

Oh my. This had so much promise - so much! - and, well... Elizabeth was just not the heroine this book needed. I got why she was so concerned about being kicked out of the Frankenstein home, and why she was so protective of Victor, but it just went too far. Only at the end do we get any sense of her real self, rather than the person she wants to portray (more glimpses along the way would have been great). Having the Frankenstein house be on an island in Lac de Geneve was perfect, as was setting the college in Ingolstadt, but if readers don't know the original story, they won't notice (nor will the get the adoption of Elizabeth and Justine, etc.). If this prompts them to read Shelley's story, great.

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White wins top prize for Most Disturbing Thing I’ve Read This Year.

Elizabeth Lavenza is sold (yes, SOLD) at the age of 5 or 6 to the Frankenstein family as a companion for their son, Victor, and so Elizabeth grows up spending all her time trying to learn how to keep Victor happy and seemingly normal so that she’s not kicked out onto the streets. Such a life will do dark things to a girl’s psyche, not to mention cause her to do some pretty strange things. Eventually, Victor grows old enough to be sent off to University, and Elizabeth is left at the Frankenstein Manor to run the household and hope that she’s tied Victor’s feelings to her enough that he’ll eventually come back and marry her. Unfortunately, her machinations don’t work out quite as planned, and she is forced to go in search of Victor after losing contact for nearly two years. As this is a retelling of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, I’m sure you all can guess what Victor has been up to. Unfortunately for Elizabeth, she doesn’t seem to know Victor quite as well as she thought, but her obsession with him is definitely returned in full.

What follows is a glorious story in the best gothic tradition, full of dark deeds and moments of heartstopping brutality that asks the question, “Just how far would a person go to feed their obsession?”

This has been one of my favorite books that I've read this year. It encapsulates the double standard of sexism brilliantly and complexly. While the plot loosely follows the plot of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the major conflict of the book is how Elizabeth views herself as dark and evil, while the reader can clearly see that the "evil" only stems from living to please everyone around her. It's a survival skill, and one the novel shows she desperately needs. As horrible as the "monster" may be, it is clear that White knows the scariest thing is being a woman with no power.

This book was phenomenal. I was worried at first because the story starts out quite dull and very, very slow. I was wondering to myself if I’d made a mistake, and then things picked up and kept moving and moving and next thing I knew, it was 1 in the morning and I found myself staring stunned at this book. Wow, what a ride. I found myself whispering, ‘Oh no!’ And ‘What?’ multiple times as things started picking up and raced towards the end. Definitely recommend.

The story is told by Elizabeth, who is Victor Frankenstein’s childhood companion, picked up by his family in an attempt to “tame” him. It worked well, or did it? Two years ago Victor left home and not sent word in quite awhile, and now Elizabeth has had enough. She has plans and she needs Victor to accomplish those plans. Thus starts our tale, and the dark descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein.

Side note, I loved Elizabeth. She scared me at the beginning and she still scared me at the end of this story but for different reasons then when the story started. It’s not until about half way through her true motives start coming out and everything about her starts making more sense and becomes clearer. She makes sense to me now, more so than at the beginning but it doesn’t make her any less scary. I still don’t want to come across her in a dark alley.

#TheDarkDescentOfElizabethFrankenstein #NetGalley

Full disclosure, I've never read Frankenstein. **GASP** I know, what kind of English major/librarian am I? That being said, if you were contemplating reading this book and wondered if maybe you needed to have read Frankenstein to appreciate it, I am happy to report that is not a prerequisite. Although come on guys, let's get real...we should read the original.

Anyway, let's get to my thoughts on the book. It started off a little slow for me. It took me a few chapters to get into it, but once I did I was into it. Don't fret if you start reading and can't decide if this book is for you...it grows on you, I promise. The last quarter or so of the book was especially excellent--I gasped multiple times, and I think at one point I said, "oh, holy crap!" out loud, further convincing my husband that I am crazy. Oooh, it was excellent. Pro-tip? This book comes out just in time to make the perfect spooky October read...grab yourself a copy and enjoy!

This was quite the gripping read once I got into the story. I don't have any strong affinity for the original text - I have never gotten around to reading Frankenstein - but I know enough to see where the nods to the original are coming in.

It was nice to get the alternate point of view and the way everything unfolds, it's almost like the reader is joining Elizabeth on the descent into madness. A very satisfying read and coming out at a nice time for Halloween season.

Posted to Goodreads: For a more in-depth review watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDErSLGITbI

Elizabeth Lavenza has spent most of her life being the companion to Vitor Frankenstein. She is the only one who can control him and this power has allowed her a comfortable existence. However, when Victor goes away to school and no longer needs her, Elizabeth finds her position in jeopardy. Elizabeth and her friend, Justine, travel to Germany to find Victor and bring him to ensure her future.

I had an odd reaction to this book. First, Kiersten White is an outstanding writer. Many of her early fantasy books are still some of all time favorite YA books. In "The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein" she wrote an interesting character study of what someone who is helpless is willing to do to survive. Elizabeth very really illustrated the precarious position that women were forced to live during this time. Her relationship with Victor is both slightly horrifying and fascinating. White truly examines how a human can do awful things if it secures their survival and she does it in a voice that feels genuine to Shelley's original novel. Yet, for some reason I found myself struggling with this book which just never grabbed me. I honestly think my issues is that Elizabeth was an interesting complex character in a story that didn't really feel all that complex. This book is being released to celebrate the 200 anniversary of the original publication of "Frankenstein" and in that manner it will be quite successful.

Elizabeth is just a child when she is rescued from poverty and brought into the Frankenstein home to be a friend to Victor. She relishes that role, yet she knows at any time Victor’s father can end this relationship. The main thing in her favor is that she is able to quell Victor’s temper and mood. She understands Victor’s darker side, but Elizabeth believes that only she can keep him from falling into utter depravity.

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein is a stand-alone retelling of the classic story. This version is told from the strong female protagonist that was just a cursory character in the original tale. White has taken a dark story and has brought it out of the shadows while still keeping the gothic mystery in the mix. Since 2018 is the 200th anniversary of this beloved horror story, readers will have another good selection to get their Frankenstein fix with a twist.

I received an electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review thanks to netgalley and Delacorte Press. All opinions are my own. This book releases Sept 18, 2018

Let me just preface this by saying - the description sucked me into this book. I just had to have it. With that being said the book itself was a little underwhelming. There were never any moments that I felt compelled to keep reading, and just couldn’t tear my eyes away from my screen. I predicted every. single. one. of the “twists” which made the mystery less mysterious and somewhat dull. Elizabeth as a main character is an awful representation of what a woman should strive to be. (I realize its historical fiction and woman weren’t “people” and all, but still) <spoiler> She was so scared of going back to being hungry, beaten and poor, that she willingly urged and soothe a psychopath. She constantly covered up for him under the guise of “protecting” him, when really all she was doing was turning the other cheek while he committed atrocities.</spoiler> She traded one abusive home for another, just in a different form of abuse. I leave this book feeling sort of lukewarm about it. I neither loved it, nor hated it.

I do think that if you are a huge fan of Frankenstein and Historical Fiction this book will be right up your alley.

Holy crap that was amazing and dark and wonderful. This is re-telling of Frankenstein I never knew I needed. Putting Elizabeth as the protagonist is a brilliant choice, and I love that she gets to be treat people not so kindly and yet I was totally rooting for her, even when she was using people because her reasons were so clear. Really, I loved pretty much everything about this, especially Victor finally getting what's owed him.

It wraps up nicely, but it would awesome to get a sequel. I would all the books that follow Elizabeth and her found family.

Outstanding addition to the YA horror genre. The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein is a refreshing Frankenstein retelling told from the perspective of Elizabeth. The writing is atmospheric and really draws readers in. It's creepy with well-constructed characters. I cannot recommend this one enough! If you enjoy darker YA novels or Frankenstein retellings, be sure to pick this one up today!

Elizabeth Lavenza is obsessed with looking after the wellbeing of Victor Frankenstein. She aims to protect him from his own temper but what if he is more dangerous than she realizes? This alternate take on Frankenstein looks at things from Elizabeth Lavenza's perspective. White takes some liberties with the original tale, including de-aging many of the principal characters, for a feminist take on a classic. In Frankenstein Elizabeth was just Victor's love interest with no agency of her own but as the story's protagonist she is cast as a schemer who is fixated on Victor who she sees as a means of her survival. As indicated in the title this is a very dark book, with the Frankenstein family in particular including Elizabeth coming off as twisted individuals. As this novel spends a lot of time in Elizabeth's head she comes across as self-centered and spoiled but White provides an understanding as to why Elizabeth behaves the way she does. Women in the 19th century did not have many options to lead a life as autonomous, independent individuals. Beyond that, White is also making a comment on how women are still being treated today. The de-aging of the characters to "young adult" age (15-19) also allows White to write a message to young women about the costs of emotional abuse by a significant other. If there's one flaw in this novel it's that it does not go far enough and pulls back at points. The relationship between Elizabeth and Victor is portrayed as a codependent relationship but there are times Elizabeth's blindness to Victor's faults stretches credibility. Overall this is a compelling character study of someone who wants to maintain her place in a world where her options are limited.

Amazing and I hate horror books! This is more than horror but there are some great gory parts! This will encourage my kids to read the original.

Beautifully written and impossible to put down. Elizabeth is the brave, calculating heroine of this disquieting re-imagining of Frankenstein. She is the voice that whispers in the dark recesses of our brains, urging survival at all costs. This book will make readers think about the classic in a whole new way and urge them to re-read it.

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein is an interesting retelling of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Where instead of following Victor Frankenstein himself, we follow the story through the eyes of Elizabeth, the girl who grew up alongside of him. I was slightly hesitant when I first heard about this book. Frankenstein was not a classic I read with a lot of enjoyment though I understand that Mary Shelley has meant a lot to science-fiction and female writing in general. Even so I have always found the idea of Frankenstein intriguing. I was wrong to hesitate. Kiersten White delivered with this retelling.

As this is a Frankenstein retelling the main idea of the plot is of course not that surprising. But Kiersten White manages to make the writing very atmospheric and close to the original source material without it being a direct copy. The historical bits are mostly accurate for the time, though perhaps Elizabeth does get a bit much leeway in places when she goes out on her own.

It asks the question the original Frankenstein did in a way. Who is really the monster? The monster that was created or the man who created him. And it asks that in more ways than one. Having said that, I did feel like I was missing something from the story over all. We start when Frankenstein is already 2 years away and Elizabeth goes to collect him. We get flashbacks into their first meeting and time together, and while these are strong, I felt maybe it would have been better had we started from their childhood rather than looking back. Even so this way of writing the story is close to the way Mary Shelley wrote her story so I understand why it was done this way.

I loved that this was told from a female perspective with strong women. Elizabeth has learned how to adapt from a very young age. She had to. Perhaps at the start she feels a bit selfish to the reader, trying to manipulate things. But in this time period there is little that a woman of her status can truly control unless she manipulates a little. She needed to survive and so she did. Mary was an interesting addition. Smart, assertive. I also had a soft spot for Elizabeth’s friend who was quite a bit softer than the other two women but who clearly had endured a lot and was still standing.

All in all The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein is a great, atmospheric retelling. A great read for coming October. Be warned however for trigger warnings. Descriptive animal cruelty, murder, body parts, mutilation, on and off the page physical and emotional abuse.

A retelling if my favorite classic? From Elizabeth’s point of view? So many things could have gone wrong but this book was lush, sharp, and absolutely delicious. It’s a definite recommendation from me.

I loved it! I think those who have read Frankenstein will appreciate it the most as it fills in so much of the story. But readers new to the story will find it thrilling as well. I'll definitely be recommending it to YA readers at our FrankenThursday event in October. I can't wait to get it on our shelves!

Recommended for fans of the original story. The first half is pretty slow, but it picks up in the second half.