"The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein" by Kiersten White

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein (Sept. 25, 2018) by Kiersten White.

An orphan, unloved, malnourished and abused by her “caregiver,” Elizabeth Lavenza snags the opportunity to befriend Victor Frankenstein. An odd boy with a dangerous temper and an increasingly depraved mind, Elizabeth is determined to keep him. Because if Victor keeps her, she is saved from the caregiver. In survival mode, a calculating soul lies behind Elizabeth’s blue eyes, sweet smile and pretty face, but it grants her a warm bed, no lack of food, the finest dresses and a place to call home. But life with the Frankenstein family comes at a hefty price. She must go along with everything Victor does in the name of his experiments, no matter how destructive or disturbing. And when he leaves for school but then ceases writing to her, she must find him for fear that Judge Frankenstein will toss her out, thus subtracting her as an unnecessary expense. Locating Victor is not easy, and they’ve heard nothing from Henry Clerval, either. At least, not since he apparently abandoned Victor. Where is Henry, truly? How determined is Elizabeth to stay with the Frankenstein family, even when all of Victor’s experiments point to consuming madness, darkness and death? Does Victor’s madness know any bounds?

            Purposely timed with the 200^th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s FRANKENSTEIN, White’s YA novel is a disturbingly elegant retelling of the birth of a monster in this Gothic tale. White has stitched together a masterpiece of darkness, horror and obsession backed with immersive worldbuilding, a heavy plot and a suspenseful climax. White respects feminist sensitivity in a time when women were totally dependent on men and shows Elizabeth playing whichever role will allow her to keep Victor and a roof over head, no matter how unstable those around her are. She isn’t without her flaws, based out of desperation not to be thrown out with nothing and no one but herself, but she remains a strong female lead. With an overall dark and ominous tone in this gothic and, at times, gory horror, this clever retelling should appeal to anyone with a dark side!

            Who makes a monster? Is it something you can see, the physical aspect? Or is it within one’s soul … or lack thereof?