Common Sense Media Review
By Michael Berry
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Clever retelling of horror classic from female perspective.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 12+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
As THE DARK DESCENT OF ELIZABETH FRANKENSTEIN opens, Elizabeth Lavenza is on a desperate quest to find young scientist Victor Frankenstein, who has disappeared somewhere in Europe. Hired to be his friend, she believes that his presence is the only thing preventing her from being cast off, penniless, into the streets. Accompanied by the Frankenstein family's governess, she traces him to Ingolstadt, where she makes a horrifying discovery about Victor's research. A monster is in their midst, but he may not be who he seems.
Is It Any Good?
Familiar tales can sometimes be reworked into something new and compelling, and this creepy retelling of a horror classic has intelligence and inventiveness to spare. The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein does justice to its source, but with a modern, feminist sensibility. Author Kiersten White devises some shocking twists, keeping the suspense high on two different timelines. Reading the original book beforehand is recommended. The changes White makes to the story are more fascinating the more one knows where she started from.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein reimagines its source to emphasize the roles of the women. How have opinions changed over the years about how girls and young women should be portrayed in literature?
Should science be governed by morality? Are there subjects too dangerous to be explored in the name of science?
Why is Frankenstein still read centuries after its initial publication? What themes resonate with modern readers?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Science Fiction
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Book Characters
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Delacorte Press
- Publication date : September 25, 2018
- Number of pages : 304
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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