The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White Published by Delacorte Press on September 25, 2018
Pages: 304
Format: ARC
Source: the Publisher
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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.
This past October, in conjunction with Frankenreads.org, I hosted a month of programming centered around Mary Shelley and her Frankenstein at my library. The publisher was kind enough to send us a book club kit of TDDoEF, so we featured the novel as our October Young Adult Fiction for Adults book club pick. Overall, feelings from our book club attendees were lukewarm about Kiersten White’s spin on Mary Shelley’s dark fictional world and characters. The book was much darker than everyone anticipated. Although the book was indeed sombre and intense, I think any Mary Shelley fan who is familiar with the arc of her life and the thematic elements her Frankenstein tackles will find White’s spin on the tale appropriately sinister.
It is not necessary to have read the original Frankenstein novel to understand TDDoEF, but the book will be 100% better if you have read Mary Shelley’s novel or if you are at least familiar with its thematic elements and characters. As usual, White’s writing is attention-grabbing and her characters are interesting. The pacing could have been a tick or two faster, but I enjoyed the way White breathed life into this important yet peripheral character from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Have you read Frankenstein or TDDoEF yet? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments! Make sure to ENTER TO WIN the ARC copy below!
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