SHORT REVIEW: The dark descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, by Kiersten White.

SHORT REVIEW: The dark descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, by Kiersten White. I have said several times that Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, is my favorite book. Everything about Frankenstein is incredible to me, and when I finished reading it, I had an immense desire to read more books within this universe. Some weeks ago I ended up reading a review about “The dark descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein”, and when I read the synopsis I immediately knew I had to read it.

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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.

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I read the book in two days and it immediately became one of my favorites. In this retelling we can explore the story from Elizabeth’s point of view, a character little explored by Shelley in the original work, but which is much more complex than we can imagine. We have lots of surprises, but the most impressive is when we discover Victor’s true personality.



I had lived my whole life like this: ignoring and erasing, willingly, truths around me.

The author alternates between moments in the present and some reveries of Elizabeth in the past. We discover with the passing of the chapters, a strong character who was raised to “belong” to Victor. As we learn more about the characters’ lives and stories, we discover how complex the relationship between them is.



To what extent are we shaped by those around us? What happens when everything we are depends on someone else?

And at the end of the book, we are surprised to discover that the real monster is not who we think we are.



I had accused Victor of creating a monster. But I had done the same.

If you like Frankenstein, add this book to your TBR.

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Thanks for reading this review!

Lost in planet number 5