Kiersten White

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.

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein

Don't miss this monster of a New York Times bestseller, a stunning and dark reimagining of Frankenstein that internationally bestselling author Stephanie Garber raves is "exquisitely disturbing." 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. **Ebook exclusive: the full text of Mary Shelley's FRANKENSTEIN** AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR "A masterful and monstrous retelling."—STEPHANIE GARBER, #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of Caraval and Legendary "Inescapably compelling." —VICTORIA SCHWAB, #1 New York Times bestselling author of This Savage Song "An inventive, grotesque, and completely unexpected reimagining of Frankenstein. Mary Shelley would be proud."—MACKENZI LEE, New York Times bestselling author of The Gentlemen's Guide to Vice and Virtue

Amanda Autumn Berrey

AUTHOR’S NOTE Two hundred years ago, a teenage girl sat down and created science fiction. She did it on a dare. The coolest thing I ever did on a dare was ask my now-husband out. Which, granted, changed my world. Mary Shelley? Changed the whole world. Rarely does a story come along that reshapes the public imagination in such a startling and notable way. The fact that we are still talking about Frankenstein, studying it, remaking it, speaks volumes to the questions Mary Shelley asked. Because it isn’t the answers in stories that are interesting—it’s the questions. When I sat down to write a retelling of a book that has meant so much to me, I wasn’t sure where I wanted to start. I knew I wanted a female protagonist, but beyond that, I needed direction. I needed my questions. I found them in Mary Shelley’s own introduction to the book. In it, she deflects focus from herself, talking about her husband, the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, instead. “My husband,” she said, “was from the first, very anxious that I should prove myself worthy of my parentage, and enroll myself on the page of fame….At this time he desired that I should write, not so much with the idea that I could produce any thing worthy of notice, but that he might himself judge how far I possessed the promise of better things hereafter.” And then in the preface, the only part of the book written by him, Percy makes certain to note that if people knew Lord Byron was writing at the same time Frankenstein was drafted, they would certainly prefer his work. Mary Shelley adored her husband. She kept his heart wrapped in a sheet of his poetry in her desk until she died. But that passage made me want to break something. Frankenstein wouldn’t exist without Lord Byron and Percy Shelley’s challenge—or Percy Shelley’s encouragement to Mary Shelley to keep writing. But the genius was all Mary’s. Still, at publication, for decades after, even today, people gave all credit to the men around her. After all, how could a girl—a teenage girl—accomplish something so great? So my questions began to take shape. How much of who we are is shaped by those around us? What happens when everything we are depends on someone else? And, as always: Where are the girls? Even Mary’s wild and expansive imagination could not put a girl at the forefront of this story. They’re relegated to the background, mere caricatures. And that was where I found my story. With a girl given to a boy as a gift. With a girl whose whole life revolves around the brilliant boy she loves. With a girl who inadvertently helps create a monster. With a teenage girl, because, as Mary Shelley proved, nothing is more brilliant or terrifying than that.

“I have just escaped from the asylum where you trapped me, have come here with the express purpose of killing you, and you want me to change my clothes?”

My soaked skirts dripped a steady puddle of water that would damage the wood if left unmopped. As a child, I would have cleaned it immediately, wishing to leave no trace of myself and no opening for censure. I leaned over and wrung out my hair all over the floor.

“Elizabeth Lavenza.” Her black eyes narrowed with intensity. “It is time to kill your husband.”

“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.”

Besides, I already knew how to be Victor’s. I did not want to learn how to be anyone else’s.

He deserved someone who could accept a proposal with a joyful heart, not a calculating and conniving mind.

“And if you meant it, about marrying me, you will need to talk to Victor. I know his mother always treasured the thought of Victor and me marrying, but he and I have never spoken of it.

“Imagine the shore of a lake. The water crystal clear. The bottom perfectly visible. But as soon as you reach in, or stomp through, the sediment is churned up, the water muddied, all the treasures inside the once-placid water hidden from view. Perhaps something could be found by digging, but why bother, when everything is fine as it is? That is all you need to know of my origins.”

Cris

What this was giving - a bit - was Briseis killing Agamemnon in "Troy". Like, he deserved it but you can tell the writers of the film had to try and resolve every plotline within the bounds of the film.

There was not a lot of descent involved and rather than complex, Elizabeth seemed inconsistant. So was the pacing towards the end of the novel where it seemed like White was rushing to write her key scenes without much consideration of the connective tissue of the novel.

But I knew what I was signing up for and I appreciate the effort so I am rounding this up to 3 stars.

What this was giving - a bit - was Briseis killing Agamemnon in "Troy". Like, he deserved it but you can tell the writers of the film had to try and resolve every plotline within the bounds of the film.

There was not a lot of descent involved and rather than complex, Elizabeth seemed inconsistant. So was the pacing towards the end of the novel where it seemed like White was rushing to write her key scenes without much consideration of the connective tissue of the novel.

But I knew what I was signing up for and I appreciate the effort so I am rounding this up to 3 stars.

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.

Melissa Palmer

Book #88 Read in 2018
The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White

This young adult book tells the story of Elizabeth Frankenstein and how she falls under the spell of Victor Frankenstein and is affected by his madness. It is a mix of paranormal/horror and romance. It is a quick read and I think both boy and girl readers, both high school age and adult, will enjoy this book. I received this book from Amazon Vine in exchange for a honest review. I gave it a 4 out of 5 stars.

If you read this, please read the authors note

I honestly don’t know how to feel about this book at all, it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t amazing so 3 seems about right.

I liked the characters, well Elizabeth sometimes and mostly just liked Justine and Mary but still. Victor was truly insufferable. Elizabeth was good at times but oh my god girl u blind!! She really just tuned out all of the bad stuff for like 80% of the book it was just u g h. Still it was written really beautifully I liked the writing style a lot and it was easy to get though so at least it adds to my challenge :’). I was disappointed though, idk I was expecting this book to be more than it was and it just didn’t really deliver.

Jamieson

actual rating: 2.5 stars

I 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's And I Darken series so I thought, even despite my aversion to retellings, I would like this. 

This essentially follows Elizabeth Lavenza from Frankenstein, and puts her at the centre of the story. We open with Elizabeth going to find Victor, in that time while he is away at university and hasn't written home in months. From there, the events of Frankenstein begin to occur, and mingle in with Elizabeth's story. First and foremost, this is a story about womens agency, toxic love, and banding together in solidarity against a society that casts you as an outsider. 

I am just going to say: I think there is many things many people will enjoy in this. I just didn't love the direction or choices White took to retell this story and so I automatically wasn't the hugest fan? but if you like those choices you will probably like this. 

From the beginning I found this quite slow. The first almost 150 pages move pretty slowly, especially since I've read Frankenstein and it's pretty much the exact same events. So it felt really predictable, and was kind of boring for me. The second half of this book was MUCH more interesting, and I read it really quickly. It is also at this point the events start to move away from those of the original story. 

But like I said, I didn't love some of the choices Kiersten White made with this. I feel like some of the changes kind of took away from the original themes or intent of the original? And while I don't think that is a bad thing to do in a retelling, I just thought this was so bland and predictable compared to the original even though it should have been more interesting. The monster and Victor felt so one dimensional and I just wasn't loving it? But again, I recognise this is personal preference. 

As for characters, I would say I liked the characters but didn't love them. Even though I enjoyed reading about them, I didn't really feel emotionally attached to any of them. Elizabeth definitely had an interesting character arc and I enjoyed how White made Elizabeth into a much more dynamic and interesting character than the original. But that said, I feel like she did such a predictable thing with her character, and her characterisation was written in such a way I knew what would happen and what her arc would be from the start. 

Justine and Mary were also nice, but I didn't love them. I did love the whole friendship of the three and their interactions though. I wish Mary had been in it more, I really loved her but she doesn't appear for the entire middle of the book. I also felt, again, some of the potential of Justine's character was wasted with what happens to her. 

One thing I did love though - White's dedication to modernising the story and incorporating strong female characters as the central focal point. All the women in the original who we don't get to see much of get their proper attention here which was a highlight. I especially liked Justine and Elizabeths friendship - and how Elizabeth avenges Justine and the general outrage over their treatment which is never in the original we finally get to see. 

I also think the discussions around toxic love and abuse were well done too. And this is very much about reclaiming agency, which I enjoyed a lot. 

Like, overall I really get (and appreciate) what White was trying to do here. I think she just didn't nail it all for me, or present her themes in a way that wasn't extremely obtuse. I get what she was doing - but I wish the themes had been explored in a more nuanced and subtle way? Instead of the characters saying them in dialogue half the time? (DOES THIS EVEN MAKE SENSE?!?) Urgh. 



  “I am not saying you should not feel remorse or sadness. But if nothing else, your past should teach you the value of life. The wild and precious joy of it. Do not let Victor steal that, too. He has already taken enough.”




Overall, a lot of the elements of this story didn't necessarily gel with me though I recognise there is still a lot of things people could like here. Although I do think the first half of the story is legitimately slow - I think that is my only complaint that is not just personal preference. If you want a story that really plays with Frankenstein, and puts Elizabeth at the forefront - you should try this. If you like what Kiersten White does with this retelling more than I did, you will probably like it. For me though, the plot wasn't all there, and the characters, while well written, never really grabbed me in a big way. 

thankyou to Penguin for sending me an arc of this book in exchange for my review

Ana Hein

3.5 had a lot of fun even though I can see the seams as it were, and some of the structural problems (ie, it's very slow and repetitive of Elizabeth's internal monolgue; I swear, girl has about 4 thoughts circulating her brain when she isn't being very clever with minimal information)

Savannah Winchell

Lauren Tabor

Caitlin Scott

Wow, honestly just wow. I kind of wanted to give this 5 stars just because of how brilliant i know it is, but i have restrained myself. It is another book that I think could perhaps be a 5 star in quality but was just isn't according to my personal taste. 
Firstly I shall start at the end, while the author's note is not a part of the book, it just made me feel even more connected to the author and the story. It was also just very interesting. It fit so well with my own interpretation of the novel, and the wonderful representation of women in that time period and the way they where treated. 
The following may contain spoilers:
Speaking of which, all the main characters where incredible!! Elizabeth was such a well crafted and surprisingly lovable character. Despite the fact that she was clearly blinded by certain things into not seeing the, sometimes very obvious, truth White somehow managed to do this in a way that didn't annoy and just made me feel sympathetic towards Elizabeth. I also love the way she wasn't perfect, it was very refreshing.I also loved Mary! She was everything I felt I needed in a strong female character but I also liked that all three main women in the story where very different and individual yet also completely amazing.
And Victor, he was an incredible villain, i absolutely despised him, was repulsed by him, I legitimately felt scared of him. Not only this but the novel showed his transition into the villainous character he became which I thought was wonderful! 
The ending was also absolutely perfect! Elizabeth's character development was also just astounding and it was so nice to see this at the end. 
I also have never read Shelley's Frankenstein, though i know the basic story, i don't think this negatively effected my reading, perhaps it would have been harder to get into if i had read it but honestly this interpretation is so fresh and new that i don't think it would have. I loved reading from Elizabeth's perspective.
Overall, it was a wonderful book and it's made me really excited to read some of Kiersten White's other books! 
"It isn't the answers in stories that are interesting, it's the questions."

Sarahi Flores

I love the idea of having to Hear Elizabeth's perspective about Victor. I never knew much of her was depending to keep Victor happy and to actually depend on him for if she cannot keep him happy why else would the Frankenstein family keep her?     Her characters seems two sided. She appears as someone who is fragile looking but of course with beauty. She plays her majority of her role with what she got, her looks, but of course she is also plotter. She has to be a few steps ahead of everyone in order to survive. She is after all a goal digger. She does what she has to do in order to secure her place, besides victor. She does refer to him her only hope.     The structure of this book is so accurate to Mary Shelly's, Frankenstein, that is feel as if its just a continuation of her book. You can detect the old English, yet you know it's somewhat of a contemporary.     To be honest, I did not seem so keen with Elizabeth at the beginning. She seemed cold and ruthless into making sure she gets what she needs. Her true intensions are always hidden from sight but reading her thoughts is in a way egotistic since she is confident she can get her way with Victor or Henry, or with any other guy in the matter with just her looks. She wasn't ashamed but of course she was careful to not show much of her true emotions. I was mostly warming up to her once she kept describing about her past and how she had to learn at very early age that Victor is her ticket out of the hell hole she was in.     This was a great audiobook I listened to and it's something for Frankenstein fans to read! I give this 4 stars

Everything about this book was deliciously creepy and thought-provoking in the inestimable tradition of Mary Shelley. This reimagining of Elizabeth Lavenza further explores Shelley's questions of what makes a monster by looking at Victor's machinations from the point of view of his childhood love and quickly murdered wife, Elizabeth. 

After being bought by the Frankensteins, Elizabeth spent her entire life trying to prove how indispensable she is to Victor. She wields her beauty and her smile like weapons in a campaign to ensure continued stability in her life. She kept Victor calm, ensured that he presented the best face to the world. But when he's been in Ingolstadt without her for two years, and with no word for the last eighteen months, she worries both for her position in the Frankenstein family, and for what Victor has done without her mitigating influence. As she delves into the mystery of Victor's time in Ingolstadt and the continuing fallout of his studies, difficult questions are invariably raised: what makes a monster? Who is responsible for the relentless decline of this genius's fascination with life and death? How much blame must be placed on the shoulders of those who knew of Victor's predilections and didn't fully curb them? 

Everything about this book was satisfying (except maybe that scene with the hatpin in the creep's wrist that is going to straight up haunt me; my wrists itch just thinking about it). White took a flat caricature of womanhood and fleshed her out gorgeously, in all her unflattering glory. Rather than being a loving, simple, and angelic figure with no conception of what Victor is capable of, Elizabeth is a traumatized, cunning, and desperate young woman, determined to prevent herself from being turned out of the only security she has ever known. As White described her at a book signing, "She is the most Slytherin Slytherin to ever Slytherin." And I absolutely adore her for it. Whether you loved Frankenstein or not, The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein is a must-read examination of the tortuous positions women have been placed in to maintain basic security in a world ruled by careless men.

Ambreen Hasan

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is one of my all-time favorite novels. I was really excited when I learned that Kiersten White would be writing the story of Frankenstein from the perspective of Elizabeth. And this book did not disappoint. 

White is a great storyteller and builds her characters throughout her stories really well. There were twists and turns you saw coming, but it still surprised you. 

I recommend this to anyone looking for a dark, winter-ish read for this month.

Alaia

After reading this, I have confirmed in my mind that Kiersten White is one of the only YA authors capable of promising ‘dark YA’ and actually delivering on it. 

Her ability to write strong female characters that are not irritating YA cookie cutter badasses is no small feat. Elizabeth Frankenstein was cunning and manipulative and used others for her own gain and I loved it. 

Victor Frankenstein was the epitome of a crazed genius, so unaware of how insane his own actions were — normal is subjective, right?

I love that White has no qualms about killing certain characters or having them experience sad/unfortunate happenings. It is so exhausting constantly reading audience pandering happily ever after in YA, and let’s be real! Tragedy makes a far better story. 

It took a while for me to get into it, but once I did I was hooked onto every word. Those books that have you gasping at the revelations, feeling the same pain and outrage as the characters on the page? Oh yeah. 

5 stars.

Sophia De La Garza

This book is a fun Frankenstein retelling from the point of view of Elizabeth. I think I would have enjoyed this book more if I wasn't so familiar with the original text but I still found this enjoyable and I loved getting a different perspective on the events that occur in this book and the original.

Giulia Pianta

This was a very hard book to read for me. I started it just before Halloween because I was looking for a spooky atmospheric read, and it was quite good for that purpose. But I really was not in the mood, I don't know whether this book put me in a slump or if my mood was just weird at the time.

So I put it on hold and read many other things. After one month I finally resolved to be done with this. While I was enjoying the story, my reading time was a bit ruined by my Kindle. To be more clear, I read and read and read, and after hours I could feel I had done a big progress and the story felt like it was in the middle more or less, but my Kindle showed I was at 31% and I still had 8 hours to finish the book. I was so confused because I knew this was a 300 pages book and I couldn't figure out why the progress was so slow. Just at the end of the book I realised that my copy had the actual Frankenstein: The 1818 Text at the end, so it was like 2 books in one and I had NO IDEA .

I felt absolutely stupid lol and I wish I had realised this earlier because my enjoyment was a bit spoiled, but I can say that the book was good. It was a very faithful retelling of Frankenstein, but at the same time it did have its own spin which I really like and I think makes a lot of sense. I also enjoyed the flashbacks of Elizabeth and Victor when they were young, it helped give depth to the characters.

I am glad I read this and I wish I was in a state of mind where I could enjoy it more.

Tiffany Robinson

I really enjoyed this retelling and liked that it was told through Elizabeth's point of view. I would have liked to see more of Mary because I really liked her character.

Before meeting the Frankensteins, Elizabeth Lavenza was starving, mistreated, and one step away from living on the streets. They give her a place to live in exchange for being their strange son Victor's best friend. Elizabeth becomes a master manipulator, willing to do anything to survive. This includes covering for Victor no matter what he does.

El oscuro descenso de Elizabeth Frankenstein / The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein

Alex Najera 

This retelling was very well done! I thought the plot was pretty interesting. I didn't devour the book, but I was interested enough to keep going, even though it felt kind of aimless for a bit. The last 1/3 or so was excellent though, even if the last chapter and epilogue felt rushed.

Getting in the minds of the characters was very unsettling. (view spoiler)[I felt so bad for Elizabeth because it was clear she was totally under Victor's control, and he was creepy as shit. I just wanted to shake her and tell her to WAKE UP! Of course she did finally, and that's when the book got great imo. (hide spoiler)]

Definitely worth the read!

Viry

”I was both bait and poison.”
  
 I was sooooo bored throughout most of this book, I’m assuming I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I had more knowledge on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Alas, i got through it and the end made me get teary eyes so it gained another star for making me cry.

Neva Davies

I wanted to like The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, especially since I love Frankenstein. But The Dark Descent was so slow, it was almost boring. I didn't actually understand why we are supposed to be interested in Elizabeth as a character. I also didn't fully understand the connection between Frankenstein (Mary Shelley's book) and The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein (Kiersten White's novel) because while they contain similar characters, the story was convoluted. 

3.5/5 stars

I loved this so much more than I expected I would

Alexis 

Honestly this was a lot darker and much more twisted than I anticipated. I would say that if you liked the original book, you might also like this book. I unfortunately wasn't a major fan as it has a lot of thriller/ horror feel to it. I would recommend to read during October.

celeste

2.5 stars. i honestly cannot understand how a frankenstein retelling managed to be this dull. i went into this book with high expectations and they were not met. the writing was beautiful, which was the main reason why i kept reading it instead of dnfing it, but the storyline dragged so much smh. it was cool to think of writing a retelling of frankenstein from a female perspective and i get why the author did what she did, but damn was this book boring! it could have been so much more interesting and engaging but instead nothing seemed to ever happen in every single chapter. only by the end did things start to pick up. i don't think this was my type of book, which is surprising based on its synopsis, but i cannot deny that white's writing was anything other than absolutely beautiful. the whole time i felt like i was immersed in the victorian age. unfortunately, the storyline was a disappointment.

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein

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