TL;DR
Overall rating: 4/5
Genre: Horror & suspense
Length: 292 pages
One-sentence summary: The events of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein unfold from the perspective of Elizabeth Lavenza, who is adopted as a child by the Frankensteins as a companion for their volatile son Victor.
Tough topics: murder, gore, animal abuse, abusive relationships
Read-alikes: The Madman's Daughter, This Dark Endeavor, Sawkill Girls, The Cruel Prince, The Fall
Available formats: Print, audio, and electronic
I don't know if this a book that will stick with me for long, but reading it was certainly entertaining, assuming you like a little gore in your novels. This one is a retelling of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Although it isn't strictly necessary to have read the source material first, I think some of the book's suspense comes from the tension between what the reader who is familiar with Frankenstein knows will happen and exactly how the characters uncover and arrive at those fates. If reading one book just so you can read another book sounds like too much for you, but you want that background knowledge, you might consider one of our two graphic-novel versions of Frankenstein.
The story is told from the perspective of a conniving and manipulative girl who nevertheless manages to be sympathetic--she is clearly a product of her time. Elizabeth is a young woman alone in the 19th century, which leaves her with few options for security. She will do whatever it takes (including things that were very frustrating to me) to find that for herself. The other characters in the novel are similarly ambiguous--none of them are particularly good people, but all of them are compelling!
Elizabeth tells her story both in the present, as it is happening, and in flashbacks to the past. I didn't have trouble following this structure; it was clear what was "now" and what was "then." I also liked the way the flashbacks lead up to whatever was happening in the present. In a way, they were like a little mystery: Where will all these past events take us?
The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein will be enjoyed by fans of historical fiction and horror. It will also be enjoyed by people who like books that make them think, since it tackles topics like what makes someone monstrous and the dangers of living one's life for another person. It's really a perfect book for a chilly fall evening.
The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein is available in print, audio, and electronic formats. Reserve the print copy for pickup here, or borrow the audio and electronic versions on the Sora app or on Soraapp.com.
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