i'm so sad that this didn't do much for me! mind you, there were a few moments that were written in such an intensely captivating way that i couldn't stop myself from reading on. it's just that a lot of times i felt like the story was being dragged out and that's where i feel conflicted. i still loved the writing style & can't wait to see what kiersten white has up her sleeve next!

”While I saw the destruction of the tree as nature’s beauty, Victor saw power – power to light up the night and banish darkness, power to end a centuries-old life in a single strike – that he cannot control or access. And nothing bothers Victor more than something he cannot control.”This book was recommended to me by Mara at the beginning of October and I’m so glad I followed her recommendation! If not I would have missed out on one of the best retellings I ever read and that’s a fact. XD “The D...

I don't know how I feel yet. Going with the middle road for now Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

"Someday death will claim you. And I will not allow it. His eyes narrowed, and his voice trembled with fury and determination. You are mine, Elizabeth Lavenza, and nothing will take you from me. Not even death."I love retellings that offer a completely different perspective and Elizabeth Frankenstein was the POV I didn't know I needed. "All our rituals as humans seemed to revolve around birth and death—marriage being the exception, though my wedding had been a ritual intimately connected to deat...

This review and other non-spoilery reviews can be found @The Book Prescription “For everyone made to feel like a side character in their own story” 🌟 I like the dedication of this book very much as I always think of people as main or secondary characters. I myself am a secondary character!🌟 Some of you know that I didn’t finish the And I Darken book. But you also know that I believe in second chances. I wanted to give Kiersten her second chance, and while this was not a favorite book, not even

Elizabeth was deliciously flawed 😈. loved her character and the growth she experienced.I loved the message of this book: Be you! Be your gloriously flawed self. Do not try and change who you are for others. And last, but most importantly, create your own future. Do not let others dictate it for you. Ugh, where was this book when I was teenager! I loved Kierstan's writing! It is always so beautiful! After about page 60 the pacing and the plot really picks up. So don't give up before you get at le...

I'm super conflicted on this. I loved the characters so much. Elizabeth is one of the best protagonists I have read from. She's my slytherin queen. But this was so boring. The pacing was all over the place. There were really long stretches where nothing happened and then the action scenes went by so fast. I also fell asleep while reading it at one point which never happens so........

Sometimes we were strangers even to ourselves. For the first two thirds, I thought this book was pretty good. Frankenstein is one of my favourite books, and I like it when authors give a voice - and different perspective - to a side character. But it is in the final third when this book goes from pretty good to excellent.The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein is, essentially, a retelling of Frankenstein from the perspective of Elizabeth - an orphan taken in by the Frankenstein family and

Well that was dark and delicious.

You are mine, Elizabeth Lavenza, and nothing will take you from me. Not even death. I do not think I expected one of the best books I read this year to be a retelling of Frankenstein where it’s not just about the nature of monstrousness, but about the power of women working together and escaping an abusive relationship, with intoxicating writing and a morally grey lady as the protagonist. And yet… here we are. I don’t think you can talk about this book without talking about the charac

“Elizabeth,” he said, his tone firm and chiding. He lifted my chin and fixed my eyes with his. “You are mine. You have been since the first day we met. You will be mine forever. My absence should not have caused you to doubt the firmness and steadfastness of my attachment to you. It will never fade.” This turned out to be a pretty twisted love story. I read Frankenstein in more details than anyone should ever read a book when I was in 10th grade. I was in Academic Decathlon, and that year, fo

Closer to 4.5 stars due to pacing issues, but I enjoyed the book enough to round it up to 5 stars. This is a creepy gothic story that reframes the narrative from a woman’s perspective and a toxic relationship that she must navigate. What’s fascinating here is the dynamic of a female character who purposely pigeonholes herself to be a supporting character role that only exists to serve a man’s narrative as an act of survival and self-preservation. I love how this added so much depth to her charac...

I'm so disappointed oh myI really enjoyed the first 150 pages or so (even though most people who disliked this seem to think it was the boring part of the book lol) but it just went downhill after this..Everything happened so fast and was unnecessarily rushed. Why not write a longer book? It only had around 280 pages anyway. It read as if White just wanted to finish as quickly as possible. Because of that the story got more and more unbelievable and felt artificially constructed, forced even. I

ARC provided by Random House in exchange for an honest review. “Some nights, when even my child’s heart knew that what I had been asked to endure was too much, I would stand on the edge of the lake, lift my face to the stars, and scream. Nothing ever called back. Even among the creeping things of the lake’s night, I was alone. Until Victor.” Kiersten White wrote this book to honor the fact that 2018 is the 200th anniversary of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley! It has been ten years since I...

actual rating: 2.5 starsI just want to make a disclaimer before I start this review. I'm extremely picky about retellings and probably need to stop reading them because of it. So there's that. “You are mine, Elizabeth Lavenza, and nothing will take you from me. Not even death.” The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein is a retelling of Frankenstein, written to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Frankenstein. I read Frankenstein earlier this year, and liked it. I'm also a huge fan of White...

"I thought to puncture heaven and instead I discovered hell."Everything about this book screams READ ME. And yes, it does so in caps lock.It is so promisingly creepy and twisted, exactly what a perfect book sounds like to me. I am a big fan of Penny Dreadful (it's on Netflix and you need to watch it right now) and this book had some major PD vibes. It started out strong but the thrill of it all lost itself toward the ending. I immediately fell in love with Elizabeth, the main character. She was

“What’s disappointment?” They asked.This book apparently. “Who’s disappointed?” They also asked.Me, bitch.

This book almost doesn't deserve this rating because I should've reread Frankenstein to fully understand this, but I just didn't get what it was supposed to do. Also them naming the monster???? bye

“You are mine, Elizabeth Lavenza, and nothing will take you from me. Not even death.” I have a confession to make. Even though I'm getting an MPhil in Victorian literature, I have never read Frankenstein.gasps all aroundYeah, yeah, yeah. Get back to your hidey-holes, you ghouls.I do know that the original Elizabeth Lavenza is a classic "Angel in the House" figure. She's sweet, passive, bland. Some scholars have argued that she smoothly rotates through the three prime female paradigms of the n

this book was a Rideso creepy, so entertaining, so messed up. the characters are really deep and flawed and terrifying. and those plot twists, hashtag 👌RTC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~my brain: you're already reading a kiersten white book and it's not going so hot so why not pick up ANOTHER ONE OF HER BOOKS 🤪🤪bc...logic buddy read with claraaa 💖