The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein
KIERSTEN WHITE
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.
Content:
Language: A few minor swear words, as well as a few uses of strong language ("s").
Violence: If you are familiar with the original Frankenstein, you know that the mad scientist Victor Frankenstein creates a monster. Because of that, this book can get a bit dark. There is a bit of animal violence (during flashbacks a baby bird is broken from its egg and dissected, a deer is cut open), murder (though it isn't dwelt on), including the murder of a child by strangulation, mentally unstable character who is often violent against their family, and an obsessed kind of love. There are also diseases that take people, arson, manipulation, selling of bodies/body parts, mentions of child abuse, descriptions of corpses, and a few similar occurrences. There is also descriptions of some brutality at that period's insane asylums.
Sex: A few chaste kisses, mention of a boy and girl sleeping in the same bed (but it is stressed that they are just sleeping), an allusion to sex, marriage, and some "romantic" pining, but the relationships are very complicated.
LGBTQ: Not present
My Review: For starters, you do not have to read Frankenstein before reading this book. I haven't read Frankenstein yet and I was still able to follow the storyline, etc. This book is definitely on the darker side and I would recommend it for upper YA readers. I will say this: I wanted to like this book more than I actually did. It wasn't bad, it just didn't capture me in the way I had hoped. It's also important to note that the romance is not the focus of the story at all.