I'm embarrassed it's taken me this long to write a review for this book, but even months later, I can't stop thinking about it. I'm utterly obsessed with Kirsten White's reinterpretation of Dracula! Lucy Westenra has always been a character that bothered me in the original novel and its film adaptations—she often comes off as a vapid innocent with little depth. But in here she FINALLT gets the agency and complexity she deserves.

The writing is nothing short of stunning, filled with incredible one-liners that I want framed in every room of my home. The way past and present intertwine is masterfully done, revealing the story in a slow, tantalizing burn that kept me hooked from start to finish. Lucy's character growth is immense, and watching her evolve is one of the many joys of this novel.

And can we talk about the queer representation? The relationship between Lucy and Iris is both intense and beautifully portrayed, adding layers to their characters and the narrative as a whole.

Lucy Undying is more than just a retelling; it's a profound exploration of identity, love, and the power to break free from one's past. If you're looking for a fresh take on a classic tale that combines gothic fantasy with modern themes, this is a must-read.

Review of Lucy Undying by Kiersten White

Lucy Undying had all the ingredients for a gripping, gothic retelling—vampires, a modern-day setting, and a reimagining of Lucy Westenra from Dracula's lore. But unfortunately, this book turned out to be one of my biggest disappointments of the year.

The premise was intriguing: Lucy, one of Dracula's first victims, spends her undead life trying to escape his control while discovering her own identity in 21st-century London. When she meets Iris, an heiress to a sinister health empire, their blossoming love seems to offer a new beginning for Lucy. But between Iris's dangerous family ties and the lurking threat of Dracula’s return, things quickly become complicated.

While the idea had so much potential, the execution fell flat. Rather than being the chilling, atmospheric horror with gothic romance vibes I had hoped for, Lucy Undying felt more like a tedious, drawn-out love story between a lovesick vampire and an insufferable, snarky heiress. Lucy’s character, who could have been a fascinating, powerful figure reclaiming her life, comes across as far too consumed by her infatuation with her childhood governess Mina, and later on Iris, a modern-day MLM heiress, who lacks any depth beyond her sarcastic quips.

The pacing was another issue—the story felt much longer than it needed to be, with not enough tension or stakes (no pun intended) to keep me engaged. There was little of the gothic atmosphere or horror elements that I expected, making the reading experience feel repetitive and unfulfilling.

Overall, Lucy Undying was a missed opportunity. The concept of retelling Lucy’s story as a powerful vampire seeking redemption had so much potential, but the overly long, romance-heavy narrative overshadowed everything else that could have made it compelling.

First off, how stunning is this cover🤩! Lucy Undying features Iris Goldaming as she’s trying to escape her family’s legacy that she doesn’t want. The other POV in this book covers Lucy Westerna with diary entries of her life when she was 19. We also get transcribed therapy sessions of her afterlife since becoming a vampire. The different POVs diving into Lucy and Iris’ life created an interesting read with different themes being explored. Lucy was an intriguing character and I enjoyed the self-discovery when it came to her in this book.

Thank you to TBR Beyond Tours for the gifted copy!

Lucy Undying has been one of this year’s biggest surprises for me. I wasn’t particularly impressed by White’s previous release, Mister Magic, so I didn’t have high expectations. However, this book exceeded them all. It’s a gripping horror story that also delivers a charming romance and showcases why the vampire genre remains vibrant. The novel follows Lucy, one of Dracula’s first victims, as she navigates her existence as a vampire and a young woman in the present dealing with her family's dark secrets. One of my favorite books this year!

The pacing was the biggest drawbacks of this book. I had to start skimming at about 60% because I couldn't keep reading it in full. It seemed a little inconsistent in the story telling and the time period this takes place in. I really wanted to love it because the cover art is AMAZING but it just felt too slow and mundane for me to get excited over.

I am an absolute sucker for a gothic retelling of Dracula and this absolutely scratches that itch! Perfect for fall and Halloween reading, lovers of gothic fantasy and horror will enjoy this story.

Kiersten White's literary retellings are always so much fun. I particularly loved Lucy's diary entries and the back-and-forth timeline describing her life before meeting Iris. I wasn't expecting the cult-like setting towards the end of the book involving Iris' family, but I enjoyed that a lot too!

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Ray for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

If you haven't read Dracula in a while I would recommend at least reading the Wiki plot synopsis of the novel before starting this one. I read about thirty percent of the book before I read the synopsis for Dracula and after all of the characters made so much more sense and I really got into the novel a lot more than I had. This is a great read for Halloween because it expands on all of the classic lore surrounding Dracula while also bringing the evil into the modern world in a way that makes so much sense.

I thought that this was a really fun retelling of the classic Dracula story that we all know and love. It's a tale spanning one hundred and thirty five years that's told from three separate perspectives: Lucy's diary set in 1890, Iris's POV in 2024 and the transcripts of the conversations that Lucy has with her therapist in 2024. This was a very fast paced novel. Most of the chapters ended on cliffhangers to keep you reading.

I thought that Lucy's character was really well developed and it was great to watch her find herself and her purpose throughout the novel. She transforms from a meek and protected girl to a strong and independent woman by the end of the novel. I also fell in love with Iris' character throughout the novel as both of the girls help to find themselves in each other.

This was my first novel by Kiersten White and I will be adding more of her novels to my TBR.

There was a lot going on at first. The jumping between POVs/journals was a bit much but once it fully grounded itself. I was hooked.
Love the liberties that were taken. Lucy and Mina were always the most interesting part of Dracula.
I spent the last quarter in awe of how the story developed. A great read. So great that its made me want to re-read Dracula lol

I was very intrigued by this book and it is very much what it says it is. I wouldn't say it was my favorite book of the year but it was pretty good.

Finally a story of Dracula where Dracula is barely a footnote. Lucy has been given her chance to shine and grow and FEEL. This book gave me all the things I wanted in Dracula and then gave me some modern euphemisms for vampirism I didn’t expect but kind of appreciated. Overall a great read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts <3

Kiersten White heard the call for more sapphic vampires and said stand aside losers because I'm going to write the best sapphic reimagining of Dracula about Lucy Westerna y'all have ever seen. I would die for this book. I want everyone to read it. The gothic, romantic, brutally bloody, dark fantasy setting swept me up in the story immediately. Multiple POVs, past/present timeline, and a bit of epistolary/journal storytelling... everything about Lucy Undying worked so well for me.

Vampires + a MLM scheme straight from the streets of Utah + a sapphic romance + a mysterious set of journals, the plot was so intriguing. I adored the romance between Lucy and Iris and nearly died when they were apart. I would honestly read a million more books about their journey to take down Dracula once and for all. Honestly, I loved everything about this!!!

Read this if you like vampires, gothic romance, sapphic romance, falling in love in two timelines, destroying abusive and powerful men, learning who you really are, and stepping out of your parents toxic expectations.

The premise of this book is interesting but I found myself not liking the writing style and partial the characters I had to soft dnf this book because I plan to finish it eventually. I know someone else will greatly enjoy this book

3⭐️

This was an enjoyable vampire story! I do think it was not quite as gothic feeling as I would like, and a little long, but I will never say no to a queer vampire story

I am soft DNF'ing at 10%.

I am having such a hard time reading this. The chapters jumping POVs and timelines just feels really disjointed and clunky to me with the way that it is written. I had to force myself to read as much of it as I did.

The writing itself doesn't seem very polished in my opinion. I don't particularly like the voices of any of the characters introduced so far.

If I end up picking this back up, I will update my review.

For both fans of Dracula and vampires in general alike, I think this book will be a hit. This was definitely a unique take on Lucy Westenros’ character from Dracula and I hope to see more modern takes on these classic characters.

thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for the arc!
sadly, dnf’ing this at 58% because it’s just very much not working for me.
this book is a Dracula retelling focusing on Lucy Westenra, and what happens to her after becoming a vampire (and shes sapphic)
i was really loving this at the beginning! White does an amazing job at creating atmosphere (especially in the sections that were of Lucy’s diary).
unfortunately, this is also possibly the slowest-paced book i have ever read, and in my opinion does not need 400 pages. at ~35 percent i was like “really? ive only gotten this far?” and at 55% i was just exhausted of this story. at the beginning it’s wonderful, but the slow pace wears out its welcome very quickly.
again, thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley! i really liked most of this book, but the pacing was incredibly slow to the point of being depressing and this story does not need 400 pages.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!

Lucy Undying is a Gothic Fantasy that reimagines the story of Dracula from a sapphic vampire’s perspective. I thought the story started off very strong with Iris and Young Lucy’s POV. The chapters told from Lucy’s interview with her therapist felt like a departure from the rest of the story. I understand that Lucy has lived for hundreds of years, but I could not wrap my mind around how unhinged she seemed to be. The dialogue also felt very cheesy and not at all how I imagine therapy sessions go. Then to throw in the weird Dracula POVs and the multiple twists- including Elle being Lucy which is definitely spoiled in the synopsis of the book. I think I would have loved this if it had been simplified and told only through Iris and Lucy.

I wanted to try, despite not being a fan of the original Dracula, having DNF'd it four times (no really). I thought maybe the feminism fanfic perspective might do something for me. It did not.

I will literally never turn down Sapphic vampires. This one reminded me so much of A Dowry of Blood in the best way.