Appreciated how the author remixed the story of Frankenstein and in such a quick manner. Chicano Frankenstein takes the essential story and themes of the original and presents it in a way that is clear to understand and in a world very much like our own.

Alternatively satirical and endearing, Chicano Frankenstein is an enjoyable, short read that I highly recommend.

The audiobook was really engaging. Great voice, able to distinguish characters, entertaining.

Satire creeps in on modern politics, news channels, corrupt big pharma, and other topics. Even the phrase “Make America Safe Again” gets thrown in. All handled really well, in my opinion.

There is some good connections with the Frankenstein lore. Like in the Frankenstein movies (both in the characters in those films and the real life reactions from children) kids are not afraid of the “Stitchers,” people who died and then got reanimated to life. Like in the novel, there are some epistolary elements: transcript of political planning, of a political ad demagogue-ing against Stitchers, and of evening news interviews. This helps exposition not feel like a slog to get through.

I love when novels about “monsters” teach us more about what a human should be. Not dehumanizing others, not taking rights away, not focusing on asinine things while failing to help our communities. The book also tackles the idea of how much are we a person if we cannot remember our past, where we are from, who we are from.

Objectively a good read, although some readers may not like the lack of science in this science fiction or the low stakes conflict. I am 100% fine with that. The ending felt like it just kind of fell off, like a pause in the narrative rather than an ending.

Subjectively, this is an absolutely effing amazing read for me. Using monsters to handle the conversation on the craziness of modern humanity will get me every time. 9/10.

This was definitely an interesting retelling of a well-known story. Olivias effectively added cultural details that made Chicano Frankenstein unique!

I enjoyed this take on Frankenstein- it was the kind of classic sci-fi I like: a dystopia set in the near future with social critiques at its heart.

I especially appreciated the setting in which Chicano culture was the norm and everyone was pretty much bilingual English/Spanish.

My only complaint was that it was too short. I would have really liked to learn more about the world this book is set in, and what happens to the characters.

Over all, this was an enjoyable, thought provoking book with an excellent narrator who was able to capture the nuance and empathy of the author.

I did not love this book at all. It did not draw me in and I found it to be lacking overall. It was not engaging and I would not recommend it, unfortunately.

This is billed as a modern retelling of Frankenstein. While I don't think it's necessarily a retelling, it's more of an "inspired by" story. The story is very much a "slice of life" story where we follow an unnamed man who has been reanimated after dying in a car crash. He falls in love with his colleague and the two of them learn how to navigate their new relationship. However, mixed in with all of that are themes of latin culture, racism, "anti-", and a corrupt government.

What I found the most interesting was all of the toxic, hate-filled rhetoric of the President and her MASA (Make America Safe Again) movement. With bits of recorded conversations, emails, news interviews, etc. we got to see her true feelings towards the "reanimated" population and are left with corrupt ideas for her next few years in office.

While none of this was groundbreaking, I thought this novella was a quick and fun read that hits especially true when you put it side by side what is going with the current MAGA movement.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley, Blackstone Publishing, and Daniel A. Olivas for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.

If this book wasn’t a glaring social commentary on Trump and his MAGA-filled anti-immigrant, anti-anyone that doesn’t fit his idea of “the right kind of people” rhetoric, I don’t know what is.

You can’t help but see the similarities between what the United States had to endure during his presidency and the contents of this book. The President in Chicano Frankenstein is like Trump on steroids, but with anti-“stitcher” political views rather than anti-immigrant views. Although if you think about it, the way that the reanimated population is treated is eerily similar to immigrants. There’s this chapter towards the end of the book between the current President and her Vice-President and her VP starts formulating a plan of how to “deal” with the reanimated population and it was just… absolutely mindblowing and disgusting. And the crazy thing is, I feel like the VP was purposely saying it like that juts to get some positive feedback from the President because it didn’t even sound like he was into it. I don’t know. I feel like something may have shifted in the VP from when we first hear about him to this moment and I don’t think the President realizes it.

Unfortunately, I don’t have too much to say about this one except that it was interesting. I know when I was listening to the conversations with the President, I just kept shaking my head in disbelief because I was like wow. How can someone be so hateful and disturbing and you know, it’s not like this isn’t as far fetched as we would think since it’s prevalent in society today. I both like and don’t like the fact that the main character is never named, because I want to know who he became once he was reanimated. Who did he identify as and was it important to him or not? I guess it may not have been as important as other elements of his life but I like knowing main characters’ names. I want to say this is the second book I’ve read where the MC is not named throughout the entire book and it always throws me off, but I get the choice to make it that way.

The narrator also did a good job. He gave me this feeling like he really was a reanimated person whenever he was in the POV of the Man, and it was such a creepy and cool feeling.

Incredible take on the frankeinstein concept! I loved the narration and the writing was incredible.

Thank you for the arc .

I received a free audiobook copy of Chicano Frankenstein via NetGalley. Thank you so much NetGalley and Blackstone publishing for the free arc copy.

So I already owned a physical copy of this book so I did a tandem read with both the physical and the audiobook. I enjoyed reading it this way and I found it to be very clear narration.

This is a short Novella, about 220 pages. But it accomplishes so much in such an interesting way and in such a little book. I really enjoyed the characters within the novel as well as the very interesting way that they wove in some harder topics like big Pharma, immigration, and voting rights.

The character is absolutely shown in this novel. I felt so much emotional attachment to the main characters in this novel. Which is really hard to do sometimes in such a small book. There were definitely characters that were meant to dislike, and the dislike was definitely immense.

overall, I cannot wait to read more this author. They accomplished something very unique and I can't wait to see what else they put out.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing - Audiobooks and NetGalley for a free advanced listener’s copy. I received this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Oop, people who are different becoming a boogeyman (budum-tsh) for a political campaign!? Insane! Never heard of it! /j

In all seriousness, A whole society where reanimated people are a normal part of life and the way they would slot into social, political, and personal spaces is actually the brain food of my dreams. Daniel A. Olivas’ Chicano Frankenstein is a love letter to so much more than Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The characters of ‘The Man’ and Foustina were really interesting to read about, especially as they live their normal everyday lives against the political backdrop of a reelection campaign trying to oppress the reanimated community. I think Olivas’ use of these characters to build out what exactly this society looks like for people day to day is implemented really well. Their relationship was a great tool as well but, more than that, it was believable. It sucked me in and had me rooting for them the whole way through. I just love a ‘not actually together but into each other’ couple, it gets me every time, particularly in a story about the messiness of being a human.

Aside from Olivas’ character work, I loved the world building in this book and thought it built upon itself in a way that really sucked me in. The multimedia asides of political interviews, news reports, and transcripts from campaign offices expanded the world beyond what we saw with ‘The Man’ and Foustina. The references to the MAGA movement and the political strategy to dehumanize people based on their minority identities really hits the nail on the head. Afterall, what’s easier than making a monster out of science fiction? I’ve always loved Shelley’s monster though, and I appreciate the exploration of a reanimated person’s humanity the way Olivas expands on it: what is family, belonging, culture to a reanimated person? What does it mean to be comfortable in one’s own skin? What are the building blocks of humanity?

In other words: this is exactly what I want from my Frankenstein inspired media!
So if your favorite thing about Frankenstein was ‘the Monster’ and his struggles with his humanity or alternatively (and a bit more shallowly…which I’m also guilty of) if you’ve ever wanted to romance the monster…please pick up this book. I beg.

I’ve always had a sweet spot for Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, regardless of how many times I had to read it for course work throughout college, so this book definitely caught my attention. This book isn’t exactly the same as Shelley’s novel, but it’s amazing in its own way! I really enjoyed the world building in this novel, the parallels to the toxic MAGA movement and the concept of reanimation was a really interesting way to modernize the moral issues brought up in Shelley’s novel. This novel was really compelling and I definitely recommend it!

This was an innovative retelling of the classic Frankenstein in a progressive dystopian future where re-animation is a thing. So I thought this take was highly interesting and I was invested in the story. It was entertaining and had me thinking. I highly recommend.

Frankenstein is such a brilliant story and this was such a smart adaptation. Oliver updates the story to modern times, tackling current issues that are current for the times. It was really interesting that the revived person didn't have a name and I thought it made it possible for him to be more flexible as far as what we could think about him.
It's even more clear in this updated version that Frankenstein is not a horror story. I also liked how there were news items interspersed throughout so you could see how these reanimated people were affecting society. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook. There were multiple narrators, and they all did a fantastic job

This will appeal to the Lisa Frankenstein and True Blood fans! This was a really awesome nod to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein! It’s not only told through the man’s viewpoint, but also Faustina, and various news broadcasts and articles as civilization grapples with the scientific discovery of reanimation! I listened to the audiobook of this short novella, and the narrator did such a great job! I only wished the book was longer, and I wanted a bit more about the man at the end (sequel maybe?!) There’s a lot of allegory between the stitchers (POCs) and society, as well as a budding romance with the two main characters, so the juxtaposition of the two narratives really drew it together. I enjoyed the Mexican heritage in the book as well, and I am so glad the horror genre is bringing Chicano authors to the forefront with their art! Thanks, NetGalley and Publisher for the ARC!

Chicano Frankenstein is a short novel filled with social commentary fitting of its title. The book examines identity in modernity through the lens of reanimation.

In spite of the fact that I was looking forward to listening to this book, I just didn't enjoy it. Don't get me wrong, it is a me thing. The book is well written and narrated - just not for me.

"Chicano Frankenstein" was a fantastic premise. It's one of my favorite ideas for a modern "Frankenstein." This novel is short, but Olivas still built a really strong sense of culture into the story. I felt immersed in this family and Latinx culture, and he created some really good visuals.

This book was influenced by the election of Trump and the racism that ran rampant during his campaign and time in office. I think that's a perfectly natural and important topic, but the parallels were a little too on the nose for my taste. I think other readers would like it though. I prefer a subtler bite in political satire, but if you like yours with a bulldozer, you'll love this.

The other issue I had was the voice of The Man. He wasn't that consistent. Sometimes he was quite emotional and relatable, and other times he was robotic and reminded me of Mr. Data. Some of that may be from the narrator.

All in all, I would recommend this book and found it unique. I don't know that I would reread it, but I will buy it for our library, recommend it for book clubs, and read the author's other works.

Chicano Frankenstein is a modern retelling of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. It is told from a Latine Chicano perspective as our man character, "The Man," is a "reanimated" being. He goes through life and the mundane daily tasks that everyone else does. He starts to have feelings for a woman and you're able to see from her point of view as well. They're living in a time where the President is an "anti-stitcher" and trying to campaign against the stitcher/reanimated community. They're trying to isolate them and make their daily lives harder and harder until they can eventually consider them "illegal."

Olivas does a great job reimagining the Frankenstein story and making it relevant to things occurring today. He goes more in depth about the comparisons between the plot and immigration in his author's note. I HIGHLY suggest that you read/listen to that portion. It was excellent!

Thank you to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing-audiobooks for this audiobook ARC! I highly enjoyed it. The narrator was excellent and I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this book.

Please do yourself a favor and read this one!

4.5/5 ⭐️
A take on the classic Frankenstein, this one takes place in an alternate but similar world where reanimation happens to otherwise perfectly healthy adults who’ve died. They are reanimated without any memories and were largely created to fill an aging workforce. The main character is just called “the man” in a nod to Shelley who didn’t name the monster. He is a reanimated paralegal who finds himself falling in love with Faustina, a lawyer. As he is trying to figure out his past, interspersed between chapters are snippets of the increasingly hateful political scene toward “stitchers” (a derogatory name for reanimated people).

I thought this was a great parallel to the immigrant scene in our country (its intention) and Olivas did a great job illustrating that. I’d highly recommend reading the author’s note at the end because he does a great job explaining the thought process, which made me appreciate the book even more. My only knock is that the plot at times felt slow. But it is more character driven I’d say than actual plot as it focuses on the man’s path to leading a more fulfilling life.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Chicano Frankenstein is a modern retelling of the classic horror novel. It mixes the original theme with today’s issues.

The cover is vibrant and I love that! Would definitely stand out on a shelf.

The narrator, Thom Rivera, was okay but his voice was a little too monotone at times. Also the dialogue was a bit unrealistic to me. I don’t think people speak like this.

I really like the concept of the novel but it fell flat for me. I don’t think I would’ve finished if not for reviewing. I enjoyed the overall message about belonging. There are many comparisons to the Trump administration and how horribly they have treated people. So if you are pro Trump, you probably won’t like this.

Thanks to NetGalley, Forest Avenue Press, Blackstone Publishing and Daniel A. Olivia’s for the opportunity to read Chicano Frankenstein. I have written this review voluntarily.