Early Review – The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Length: 304 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: September 25, 2018
ISBN-13: 978-0525577942
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: ARC from Amazon Vine
Rating: 4/5 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.

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.”

I got a copy of this book from the Amazon Vine program to review. I have read, and enjoyed, many of White’s previous books so I was excited to read this one. This was a quick and easy read and was an interesting retelling of Frankenstein. I enjoyed it quite a bit; although I found the ending to be a bit rushed.

Elizabeth was saved from a life of starvation, abuse, and misery when Victor’s mother adopted her as a companion for the strange young Victor. Elizabeth’s whole life has revolved around appeasing Victor and making sure to protect his interests and thus her livelihood. It is a strange relationship and, when Victor goes missing, Elizabeth seeks to find him and draw him back from the darkness that has consumed him.

There are no good characters in this book; they are all selfish and somewhat evil (except for the nanny Elizabeth hires). This is a book that delves into madness and what people will do to survive. Elizabeth is one of the most manipulative heroines I have ever read about and she was an intriguing character.

I really enjoyed this until the last couple chapters. Things get really rushed towards the end and I didn’t like how the book was wrapped up. Elizabeth stops acting in her complexly neurotic way and starts acting more like a typical YA heroine and it seemed inconsistent with the way her character acted throughout the rest of the book.

Overall I enjoyed this and would recommend if you like creepy historical YA fantasy. It is a well done story despite the rushed, somewhat contrived ending. All in all this isn’t White’s best book, but it was decent.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– New Release Reading Challenge
– Goodreads Reading Challenge