REVIEW: The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White

Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Retellings

Publisher: Delacorte Press

ISBN: 0525577947

Release Date: 25th September 2018

Format: Hardback, Paperback, E-Book,
Audio-Book


Links: Goodreads, Amazon.com, Indigo,
B&N, Book Depository

Website, Twitter


Rating: 9/10


Synopsis:

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.

Review:

**Thank you to PenguinRandom House for sending me an advanced readers copy**

This book was amazing. I first heard about this book at the PenguinTeen Social and was hooked. I knew I couldn't wait until September so asked for an arc as soon as I could. I'm super happy I did as this book was everything I wanted and more.

We start of by meeting Elizabeth who has been taken in by the Frankenstein family after suffering at the hands of her 'caregiver'. She is immediately smitten and sees Victor as an escape from her misery. But Elizabeth soon realises that her new life comes at a price.

This book was dark, creepy and suspenseful. I knew this book would be dark when I went into it but it was so much more than I expected. It starts of pretty tame but gets darker and darker as you read on. 

Elizabeth was a wonderful character. Despite her troubled past she shows strength and loyalty. But she is also manipulative and cunning. Her love for Victor sometimes leads her to making some troubling decisions. It isn't until everything starts to rapidly go downhill, she realises how troubling the people around her are.

Victor was my favourite character. I loved how manipulative and terrifying he was written. Small details at the start of the book really foreshadowed how dark he truly was. In many ways Elizabeth and Victor complement one another and yet the ending seemed inevitable. Other characters—such as Justine, Henry, Judge Frankenstein, the monster, and the addition of Mary Delgado—are all well-written and each have key roles in the plot.

The way Kiersten White uses implications and details from the canon to craft these developments and plot twists is delightful to read. The course of the original story changes in the end but in a way that feels perfectly reasonable. Also, the plot twists made me gasp out loud and wonder how I didn't see them coming.  I felt the ending was a little rushed and yet worked well for the plot.

Kiersten White is an amazingly talented writer and I loved reading this book. I cannot wait for others to get the chance to read this book and I recommend adding it to your TBR.