Sapphic vampires, intricate characters, vampiric tropes with a modern twist.
We follow Iris and Elle as they form an unbeatable bond that transcends everything. Iris is trying to get away from her mother and her huge MLM scheme, and Elle is trying to find herself.
Twists, turns, Dracula!!! I must say, I figured out a majority of the surprises before they happened, but I was satisfied and wanting more despite it.
I absolutely loved the historical fiction aspect of getting to read through Lucy’s diaries, and also the modern day talks with her endearing therapist, Vanessa. Lucy (Elle, hehe) and Iris deserved the ending they got, and I will think about them often.
Now, you know what, I’m going to be a little selfish here… can we have more, please? Maybe some extra stories pertaining to the three other badass women : The Lover, The Queen, and The Doctor?! They were whimsical perfection and I adored hearing about them - maybe even more than the actual storyline.
Ahem, read this if you enjoy a good vampire story with grit, longing, humor, and heart.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All of these thoughts and opinions are my own.

Lucy Undying is a continuation/reimagining of the novel Dracula. This novel has several different points of view but mainly follows Lucy, Dracula's first victim and Mina Murray's best friend. Her story doesn't end with Dracula, it really only begins. The story also follows Iris, a human in the current timeline, and her quest to break free of her controlling family and live the way she wants.
I was so engrossed in Lucy's story, I always felt she got an unfair bad ending in Bram's original, that I did a lot of skimming over Iris's parts. I still found Lucy Undying to be such a good book. I really couldn't put it down and enjoyed the multimedia aspects of journals, conversations and doctor's papers and the like. Really well done. I did feel like the story drug on a bit long, but that's not really a negative. I am so pleased to get more of Lucy's story and the cover of the book should win an award all its own. that artwork is gorgeous! I will recommend this novel to all of my spooky genre readers.

The most atmospheric read that I have experienced this year. Captivating, lush, romantic - nothing quite like it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Selling Pitch:
Performatively woke Dracula retelling where Lucy and Mina are not like other girls lesbians and all straight men are evil on account of them being straight men.

So firmly on my do not read list.

Pre-reading:
One of the best covers I've seen this year.

Thick of it:
What a banger opener.

It reminds me of Maeve a bit. (If this isn’t proof I went in with a good attitude-)

It's a little performative edgy rn.

Boston, baby!

No babe, you're just dead, and they're not into necrophilia.

Somehow I think Rahul would still take a free mansion.

I liked chapter one and the rest of this is just giving YA performative woke cringe.

If she's some vampire hybrid and that’s why her blood’s special I’m gonna be so bored. (SO BORED.)

You google. What do you mean how do you figure out if something is valuable?

Detritus sin

Would dnf. It’s reading extremely YA.

I feel like Lucy fake works for the museum and I feel like girlypop might be a descendent of Mina and she’s like wow, my girlfriend rejected me but maybe her great great great granddaughter will lick me. (Fuckin’ nailed this book.)

This book sucks. Pun not intended.

I’m ready to be done with this book

Mommy issues lead to gayness is so fucking tired.

Do not make me reread journal entries I’ve already read. What the fuck.

I’m so tired of the virtue signaling.

Imagine writing a pick me girl vampire.

Imagine writing that your Mary Sue single-handedly stops World War I.

Hate pugs, not a cat person.

It’s a bit Addie LaRue-the same empty history.

The vampires are at a silent disco, so I officially wanna die.

Take a shot every time this book mentions Emily D.

This butter chicken shit made me say ew out loud.

I feel like this is supposed to be a huge plot twist, and I’m like I opened the book.

Dude, the woke signaling in this is unreal.

I hate it here.

I wish y’all could see my face of disgust reading this.

It’s the way another publisher read gay vampire starts a beauty MLM and was like publish it.

Have I mentioned I hate it here?

The Dracula chapters are so much better than the rest of this book.

How you gonna make me root for Dracula over these insufferable bitches when you’re literally writing him as rape symbolism. Get me out of here.

Fuck your religious agenda very much.

This book is such a goddamn repetitive slog.

How does it keep getting WORSE.

Burn it.

Post-reading:
Girl. Giiiiiiirl. How you gonna waste a cover like THAT.

This book is why people hate woke authors. It’s so incredibly tone-deaf. Imagine writing that your Mary Sue very special girl who’s a butchering of a classic literature figure single-handedly stops World War One and thinking you’re cooking. Sit downnnn.

This is the third vampire historical retelling I’ve picked up this year, and it’s got the same issues as the others. They’re just so unbelievably bad. The characters are flat. The romance is codependent instalove. The plot is painfully obvious from the jump. The pacing is a repetitive, punishing slog. The book has no valuable messaging despite the author clearly thinking she’s schooling her audience on how to be #diverse and #inclusive. I’m just so fucking tired. I don’t even know how much brain power to dignify this book with. I feel like I’ve said it all already.

I want rape culture commentary and feminist hot takes and sex and horror. I am the audience for these books. They never deliver. They never have anything to say. Don’t waste your time.

Also, I didn’t know this going in but other Goodreads reviews did take the time to educate me that Miss Thang misspells the character’s last name for the entirety of her Dracula retelling, and I feel like that tells you everything you need to know about this book.

Who should read this:
No one
Dracula die hards

Do I want to reread this:
Fuck no

Similar books:
* Immortal Pleasures by V. Castro-different book, same shitty execution, historical retelling, insufferable virtue signaling
* The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab-historical retelling, magical realism
* Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk-historical retelling, vampires, gay
* The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo-historical retelling, magical realism, vaguely vampires
* Bride by Ali Hazelwood-paranormal romance, urban fantasy
* The Witch and the Vampire by Francesca Flores-insta love, YA fantasy romance, gay
* Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid-historical retelling, virtue signaling
* Grey Dog by Elliot Gish-historical gothic, virtue signaling, gay
* Rouge by Mona Awad-mommy issues, vaguely vampires, horror
* Night’s Edge by Liz Kerin-mommy issues, vampires, horror, gay

First, I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an ARC reader and a profound apology for the review coming a bit late (my car got totaled, so it's been a month).

I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this book, even those I didn't love. Being a lover of the original Dracula by Bram Stoker, I always thought the character of Lucy was severely underdeveloped and could have added so much to the story than just being the sexuality aspect of the story. She was always the spoiled and petulant child, and I wanted to see her through a different lens; here, Kiersten White gives us that chance, and she does NOT disappoint. We follow a cycle of POV, including the present day, Lucy's diaries, Lucy's therapy sessions, and later on, some side characters POV's as world-building, but we also glimpse Mina and Dracula POV's. We follow primarily Iris, the heir to an MLM scheme in the United States, who is in England trying to escape the cult-like industry her mother left for her. Compared to most MLMs, this one runs on the life-enhancing and life-saving blood of the Goldaming family Iris was born into. Iris is saved by a lovely girl named Elle, who just so happens to work at a museum and can tell Iris what the home and old belongings are worth (or at least, Iris *assumes* that Elle works for the museum she called). Iris finds the diaries from Lucy and learns about her life, love for Mina, hatred of her overbearing mother, and the three suitors that her mother keeps throwing at her. She finally agrees to marry one of them, and the diaries follow the plot of the Dracula story, which I won't spoil for those who have yet to read the book.

The diary entries and therapy sessions give us a glimpse into Lucy's solitary and heartbreaking life and the undead story of her teenage years and her time before meeting Iris. The book's second half focuses on Lucy teaming up with two of the three leading figures in her life after death, trying to track down Dracula, who remains mostly a figure in the background until closer to the end of the book. While Lucy does that, Iris makes the people involved in the MLM think she is giving in to everything while giving Lucy more time. The last few chapters focus on the book's most complicated aspect and theme: what would you do for someone you love, and what would they do for you if they truly loved you back? In the acknowledgments, White writes that Lucy deserved a girlfriend, and she's right. I always agreed that Lucy fit the characteristics of similar characters like her that were written at the time for many queer characters that were essentially forced or coerced into these straight romances and straight lives. In this story, Lucy, rightly so, finally gets the girl.

Lucy Undying by Kiersten White is a unique retelling of the classic tale of Dracula that casts Lucy Westenra in a completely new light. White approaches Lucy's tale through three perspectives: that of Lucy herself, chronicling her life in the 1800's, that of a vampiric Lucy telling the story of her undead afterlife, and that of Iris, a young woman reckoning with the dangers of her family's wealth and influence.

I really enjoyed the approach that Lucy Undying took to the story of Lucy Westenra! It was very cool to see a character who doesn't get much page-time in Dracula become the central focus of the story and shed new light on the consequences of the classic narrative. White's theory about the other characters plotting to steal Lucy's fortunate was completely fascinating! I also thought that the sections with Iris and Lucy coming to know one another, and all of the intrigue surrounding the Goldaming family, were so interesting!

With that being said, I did struggle at times with the division of perspective in the book. This story is being told in so many different time periods, detailing very different circumstances, that I found the narrative a bit difficult to parse at points. It was hard to feel commonalities across what felt like very disparate parts of the story.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Del Rey for allowing me to read an ARC of this book.

I have been a fan of Kiersten White since discovering 'Hide' and 'The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein' and being a fan of horror and feminist retellings, I was excited to get my hands on this book.

Lucy Undying, is a Dracula novel, but is primarily about Dracula's main victim, Lucy. Straddling the past (original Dracula era) and present, we are also introduced to 25-year-old Iris, the heiress to a multi-billion-dollar company. How their stories come together is interesting and touching, a powerful coming-of-age tale as both women ultimately search for true love.

This book is a sapphic work of gothic horror that doesn't shy away from violence or queerness. The characters are powerful and full of potential and makes the story have a modern feel while paying homage to the original source. I think it's brilliant and a masterpiece! Fans of White's other work, particularly The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein (as I would consider them in a similar vein) will LOVE Lucy Undying.

I will definitely be recommending this one to my October book clubs and Horror friends! Go check it out! You won't be disappointed! It's TO DIE FOR!

This was one of my most anticipated fall reads for this year, but sadly it was nearly a miss for me. While I love this author’s books normally, this one was just ok. Actually, that’s not entirely true, as I really loved the first 60% or so before the story line changed somewhat and new POVs were introduced.

I LOVED that Lucy Westenra got her own story! Her character development was superb and I loved that she gets to discover what real love is. Iris’ character is also very well done and I adored her rebellious nature. The portion of this book that develops these characters and their love story was close to perfection and I was fully engaged with that story.

But then the narrative shifts and other POVs are brought in to delve into the mystery of Goldaming Life and that is where I started to struggle with finishing this book. I was not invested in that story line and honestly had to force myself to finish the book.

I didn't care about any of the characters. Iris is such a frustrating character. Nothing that she does makes any sense; it is just convenient for the plot for the things to happen, And that meet cute was just so contrived.

I hated the writing style as well. I couldn't the characters's voices.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey for the e-arc!
Sapphic vampires??? Sign me right up! Not only is this a Dracula retailing, but it is also a Dracula retelling focused on his most famous victim, Lucy, and her escape from Dracula and current life. I immediately knew I was going to love this book; with a Gothic atmosphere in a retelling focused on an untold perspective, this book bring so much to the table. We follow Lucy in the present day as she meets Iris and immediately feels a connection. We get to see her struggle and exploration into immortal life as well as her journey to be truly free from Dracula. Full of twists and turns, this is an unbelievable read for the fall season.

This book started out slow for me in the beginning but quickly picked up. I absolutely adored every aspect of it and was constantly thinking about it even when I wasn’t reading it.
The detail within this book was amazing and the writing style flowed beautifully.
I loved how many twists and turns there were throughout the book and I never guessed any of them!
The story of Lucy is a sad one, but also empowering and beautiful. The ending was amazing and I was so happy with it.
I definitely want to read more of Kiersten’s work after this!

This is hard one to review since I've absolutely adored all of Kiersten White's other books and this one just didn't blow me away to the same degree. However, this IS the Lucy-centric novel I've always wanted (and that she deserved), and that counts for a good deal. Iris was unfortunately pretty immature and annoying, and I didn't really understand the appeal. I loved the historical vampire friendship (?) segments and wish they'd been more of the focus.

⋆⋆⋆¾ — i don't really have a lot to say about this. not one of my favorite reads, but not too bad either. i really liked lucy's character in the therapist tapes. lucy of the diary was whatever, until iris's analysis of it. although i never truly connected with iris, through her, it was easy to understand all of lucy's layers, quite surprisingly.

the pacing prevented me from actually enjoying the concept, which was very unique (pyramid scheme where everyone at the top gets turned into a vampire. brilliant). the first half of the book was just establishing the setting and the characters' circumstances with no action whatsoever (except for lucy's spy arc). the chapter lengths, also, were atrocious. (all of them are like 2-5 pages? why?) and the writing was underwhelming for something that's trying to be a gothic book (i think). instead of being eerie and atmospheric, it's your run of the mill mystery writing.

i'd say this is fun if you don't go in with high expectations (or try to read it in one sitting. because then it gets very annoying.) thank you to netgalley for the advanced copy.

I have to say that I was not a fan of this story loosely based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula. I felt it was too disjointed with the multiple point of views and didn’t really want the reader to go anywhere very quickly. It seemed to try and hit all the vampiric tropes and not successfully. Strangely disappointed, as I really love a good bloodsucking novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and for Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey for the digital copy in exchange for my review.

This really should've been a series... at least 2 books but could easily turn into 3. This book was sooooo long!! I don't know what it was because I actually enjoyed the story and the characters, but it took me buying the audiobook to help me get through it.

I think what made it seem longer was that at chapter 72 (or thereabouts), it felt like a clear cut ending. But then it continued with the same characters but in a different direction. It really should've gone into book 2 at that point.

Ok, so beyond the length and the need for making into a series of books instead of cramming 3 books into 1... I really liked it!

Dark humor, fantasy, horror, suspense,queer romance,vampires,family drama , a taste of the original Dracula thrown in, excellent character, and world building, and honestly, so much more! This really is worth the read, and once you've finished, you will appreciate what you've read even more.
4⭐️

As always, I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to have an advanced ebook copy (even if it did take me until the book was released to finish lol) in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this because I love Kiersten White, and also I love gothic fiction. Dracula doesn’t hold quite the same place in my heart as Frankenstein, but it’s close. (I can’t remember if I read it in undergrad for British lit, or in grad school for gothic fiction…maybe both?) It’s been a while since I read it, and I confess that Lucy didn’t make much of an impression on me (although I do remember Mina). Here it seems as though she sacrifices herself to Dracula to save Mina, but in the book it’s more like Dracula stalks her on purpose, and then she dies, returns as a vampire and gets killed for good by her fiance and all of her other suitors. Mina and company kill Dracula for good (he did bite her and she was cursed to become a vampire after her death…unless they killed Dracula first), and she and Harker sail off into the sunset. According to the author’s note, White always thought that ending was garbage (I’m paraphrasing), so she envisioned a better one for Lucy. Particularly one where she gets a girlfriend.

Here, Lucy’s in love with Mina, and she’s also still alive in the present day. We start off following three different narratives - Lucy’s journal from the 1890s, Lucy’s present day therapy session (where she’s basically just narrating what happened to her after her first death), and a seemingly unconnected woman named Iris. Iris is the heir to something called Goldamning Life, which sounds like a pyramid scheme because it is. Her mother recently died, and far from being eager for her inheritance, Iris wants nothing more than to give it all away. She’s inherited an old fancy house, and she’s mostly just hoping she can strip it for parts and sell anything of value. She enlists the help of a woman named Elle, whom she meets at the train station, who just happens to work for the history museum, to help her determine if there’s anything valuable. Iris eventually finds Lucy’s diary and feels an immediate connection with the poor girl. She also starts falling for Elle, which is complicated because Iris needs to disappear. Her family has ruined every relationship she’s ever had, and because she really likes Elle, she wants to keep her awful family as far away from this girl as possible.

I enjoyed this ultimately, but it is a tad meandering. As much as I liked all three characters (I’m counting mortal Lucy as separate from vampire Lucy), I wasn’t sure where we were going with all of it. Vampire Lucy is telling her therapist about her quest to find Dracula again, along with all of the other vampires she met who shaped her along the way. Mortal Lucy is just clueless and you kind of want to give her a hug. And Iris is a bit of a mess, but I was fascinated by her awful family and how they connected to all of this. It takes a little too long to get to the point, and then once it does get to the point, it’s a bit of a shrug. Much as I liked Iris and found her story interesting, I think I might have preferred Lucy to take center stage. The stories she tells the therapist are fascinating, and I wish they could have been fleshed out a little more. As it is, they make the plot feel shaggier than it needs to be (but since we do eventually meet all of those characters again once the storylines all converge, we need the background for it to have more impact).

Basically, it’s a lot of fun after a bit of a slow start. If you love gothic horror and queer romance - this will totally be your jam!

Thank you PRH Audio and Bibliolyfestyle for my gifted review copy.

This was a very slow burn. I think the first half, if I didn't listen to it, would have made me DNF the book. There's just a lot of character build, history and telling the story of Lucy. Then we get to the good part. Once the big twist happens, things start moving fast. The story turns dark, and exactly what I wanted from a vampire story - bloody. It is a perfect Dracula story, where Dracula isn't the star, but the dark monster that haunts your dreams. I loved that Dracula wasn't the one being romanticized, but the poor girl Lucy, giving her a different story. Something that she deserved.

This is the year of the Vampires! Lucy undying is gripping and beautifully written. This is a dark gothic romance about Lucy who was one of Draculas first victims who learn her story before she was a vampire and after and than theres Iris who wants nothing to do with her family’s company and her late mothers cult. I love the different POV and this story just kept me so Intrigued. If you’re looking for a Sapphic vampire romance or something to read this witchy season this is definitely for you.

I very much enjoyed this sapphic Dracula retelling. I think my favorite part has to be that at the center of it all is this evil empire that takes the form of an MLM. That was truly the icing on the cake. The last few chapters were absolutely bonkers and I love that in the end, Lucy does find love. The characters that are woven throughout the story also provide a lot of intrigue. Lucy, Iris, The Lover, The Queen and Rahoul were among my favorites. I found myself holding my breath, feeling despair and also laughing at multiple points. This is definitely a book I’d recommend to those who love sapphic, vampires, and modern Dracula reimagining.

I don't know quite what I expected from Lucy Undying, but I feel like this book took some turns I wasn't expecting, but in a good way! First of all, I am a huge fan of mixed media in stories, and I really liked the way it was done here. Iris is living in more contemporary times, but she stumbles upon the titular Lucy's diary in the English house she's just inherited. Seeing the juxtaposition of past and present was great, and I enjoyed the perspective of both characters.

I also was definitely invested in where the story was going, and waiting for the inevitable collision between past and present. The book took some turns that I kind of expected, then it took some turns that I definitely did not see coming, so that was fun! There were some points that the book felt a wee bit longer than perhaps was necessary? But that is a minor gripe, because overall it was really solid. There's great commentary, intense twists, and tons of secrets to unearth. I also loved the therapy rep, definitely didn't expect that in a book about old timey vampires, but I will absolutely take it!

Bottom Line: Really enjoyed the characters and the twists in this unique take on the Dracula tale!