The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White

 Elizabeth Lavenza hasn’t had a proper meal in weeks. Her thin arms are covered with bruises from her “caregiver,” and she is on the verge of being thrown into the streets . . . until she is brought to the home of Victor Frankenstein, an unsmiling, solitary boy who has everything–except a friend.

Victor is her escape from misery. Elizabeth does everything she can to make herself indispensable–and it works. She is taken in by the Frankenstein family and rewarded with a warm bed, delicious food, and dresses of the finest silk. Soon she and Victor are inseparable.

But her new life comes at a price. As the years pass, Elizabeth’s survival depends on managing Victor’s dangerous temper and entertaining his every whim, no matter how depraved. Behind her blue eyes and sweet smile lies the calculating heart of a girl determined to stay alive no matter the cost . . . as the world she knows is consumed by darkness.

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White

Published: September 25, 2018

Edition: advance reader’s copy–electronic edition

Genre: YA, Gothic Horror, Frankenstein retelling

Pages: 304

Rating:

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How I Came to Read the Novel

I was given an electronic ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

My Thoughts

I have been a fan of Mary Shelley since I first read Frankenstein when I was fifteen years old. My admiration was only doubled by the fact that she created the novel on a dare and that it also helped pioneer the genre of science fiction. Kiersten White was also one of my first ever introductions into the world of fantasy and paranormal romance with her novel Paranormalcy—oddly enough, read around the same time. Now that Kiersten White has taken up the task of giving the world a Frankenstein retelling I could not be happier.

When I first read the synopsis of the book I was immediately excited and nervous. Have we all not read at least one retelling of a classic story that did not meet our expectations or do the original story justice? I was also unsure of how much Kiersten would be able to give us by using Elizabeth’s perspective seeing as she was not a prominent participant in the original novel. This thought proved how ignorant I truly was about Kiersten White’s talents and also brings up one of the main points that I think she wants to bring attention to.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a novel domineered by the men in it with the few women that do appear in it relegated into side characters that often are forgotten by both the men in the story and the readers engaging in the novel. Kiersten White brings back these forgotten women with a vengeance and makes your remember and feel for them.

Elizabeth is no longer just the female character predestined to marry Victor Frankenstein, she is the woman who had to to put on masks for different people in order to survive a world that revolved around wealth and breeding. The governess of the original story, Justine , is no longer just a woman without a will of her own ready to be disposed of the the plot to continue. She is an angelic and warm hearted individual who was the friend to the lonely Elizabeth. Kiersten White gave both of these women a backstory that I did not know I lacked when reading Shelley’s Frankenstein.

Reading this novel also brought up the Stephen King quote:

“Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes they win.”

I had this quote at the back of my mind since the true monsters in the novel is not the creature that Victor Frankenstein brings to life, but the people in the story. The monsters that men can be for women. The monsters that run the institutions of power and authority over other people’s lives, such as the criminal justice system and mental asylums. The monsters that we become as we put on different masks for others.

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein truly is one of the best retellings of any book that I have ever read. It stays true to the original novel but with new and interesting twists. And yes, there are twists. I have read and love Shelley’s Frankenstein and thought I would not be able to be surprised, but I was wrong. I was not caught off guard once but three times. Three times! I find this to be a testament to Kiersten White’s ability to write a story.

The book’s release date is September 25th and as thus is only available for pre-order at the moment. I definitely suggest you all purchase or borrow a copy if your are looking for something new and fresh to read. This would be the perfect book to kick off Fall with and to welcome the month of October.

Happy Reading!