The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein

"This is easily one of my favorite Frankenstein retellings!"

"At first, the story is very tamed. Everything changes when Victor gets involved, then the monster appears and things get crazy from there. I love it. After reading the original Frankenstein story I just can't see this book the same way."

""I knew what it was to be rotten in the core--to hide sharp teeth behind a serene smile."<br/><br/>I picked up The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein on a whim, and I am so glad that I did. I adored this book, and the grim and creepy storyline made me so happy. I read and loved Slayer by Kiersten White about 2 months ago, so I have become a huge fan, and I'm sold on reading anything she writes now.<br/><br/>In all honesty, I'm a judgmental asshole, and I usually assume that YA horror is going to be too light / fluffy. Kiersten White proved me wrong, and I was pleasantly surprised by the creepiness of this book. Even though there's a romantic storyline, I never felt like it was laid on too thickly, and it fit in well with the rest of the plot. Most of the focus of the book seemed to be on friendship, family, and evil, which works for me. Victor and Elizabeth's relationship is so toxic that I couldn't take my eyes off of it. I loved the drama of this story (it's not all drama, though, so don't worry). I loved seeing Elizabeth figure out who she was. <br/><br/>I liked the characters in this book, and I was intrigued by Elizabeth, Mary, Vincent, and the Frankenstein parents. This book was a good length, but I could have spent more time in this story. It was also surprisingly heartbreaking, and I got very wrapped up in this story. <br/><br/>I buddy read this one with Stephanie (@thaatswhatsheread), and we both really enjoyed it, so that gives you a good reason to pick this one up. I hope Kiersten White does more retellings, and the feminist revisionist perspective is always so much fun to read. I highly recommend The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein!"

"Great retelling of a classic story. Elizabeth was one of the most interesting characters I’ve ever read. The only critique I have is that the beginning was a little slow. The ending was abrupt but I still think it was great. It keeps you thinking about the book."

"My GOD. Easy 5 stars. Ok so the first 30 percent was dark in a mildly boring way that <i>didn't</i> really encourage me to keep reading, but the rest made up for it. The relationship between Elizabeth and Victor is central to this novel, and for better or for worse it is fascinating. There were quite a few moments where something happened or something was said and yet another level of understanding unlocked for me. This book also raises a lot of questions. I never read Frankenstein but imagine the monster-related ones that are now rolling around in my head are the product of that original premise. Others may be White's own. Ok yeah. Not much else to say except that this is really good. Kinda genuinely dark though if somehow you saw the title and thought otherwise.<br/><br/>Kiersten White's Chaos of Stars purely by chance ended up being one of the first 2 YA books I ever picked up from the library (I think I was hanging around the end of the alphabet to try to keep a distance from the other people in the room). As I Darken was not the first I read of anything but I literally brought it into grade 9 math class and read while the teacher was teaching despite sitting in the front row right next to his desk and normally being a good student because I loved that book. I can't believe it took me so long to read The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein. Don't hold me to this but this might now be my favourite of hers?"

"Oof, wow, I definitely liked this better than the original Frankenstein!!! Highly recommend!!!"

"Absolutely beautiful and tragic horror, a twisted and psychological read! "

"WHAT A TRUE MASTERPIECE!!! The beginning was a bit slow and I didn't have high hopes, but dang, those plot twists at the end shocked me into a book hangover that I'm sure is going to last quite a long time! This might be the best book I've read all year! This retelling changes the whole story of Frankenstein! It tells the real story(or what I will consider the real one) of Elizabeth and how she was witness to the madness of Victor Frankenstein. It tells of how she would do anything for him and the security he provides... until she finds out that Frankenstein truly is the monster of the story. An amazing literature teacher once taught me that "all great literature seeks to answer this question: what does it mean to be human?" The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein certainly does that! I also liked how it touched on the awfulness of the asylums where men would send their "unruly" wives. It reminded me of The Woman Who Could Not Be Silenced by Kate Moore, which is about another fiery Elizabeth who fought for her freedom. Everyone should go read The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein! It would be cool to have a copy of the original Frankenstein nearby to compare it with, and see how this novel changes the story of Frankenstein for you! This is a great read for spooky season because it has so many great spooky/dark academia vibes!! You will be blown away by this masterpiece!!!"

"Reimagining of Frankenstein as told by Elizabeth Lovenza. This is a 5"

"While I didn’t enjoy this book at first, the redemption of Elizabeth at the end made this worth pushing through. Such a great retelling of a classic. "