“You will no longer be subject to Him. I will step into that place. I will be your god Elizabeth.”
From The Beauty and the Beast to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland or The One Thousand and One Nights and everything in between, retellings have undoubtedly been a hit for the last couple of years in the field of YA. Kiersten White is no stranger to this type of novels, as you have probably guessed from her latest series based on the Arthurian legend, Camelot Rising. In this review, however, we will be diving into one of her previous works, The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, published in 2018 and based on Mary Shelley’s masterpiece.
The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein mimics the original novel to a T. It is told from the point of view of Victor Frankenstein’s sweetheart, Kiersten White shines a new light on the infamous scientist and the monster he creates in his attempt to overthrow God. The author barely diverts from the original story making only one key alteration to it, but it does not read as unoriginal or repetitive at any point. It adds a completely new narration to Mary Shelley’s original story, where neither Victor nor the monster, Adam, have a say in how the story is told. As a result, the novel is a completely straightforward explanation of what Mary Shelley was trying to convey: Adam was never the monster, it was always Victor.
Being so faithful to the original story, the reading experience will be more enjoyable if you have read the classic novel, as there are a lot of nods and key symbols that you will only understand if you’ve read Mary Shelley’s work first. In any case, having read the original may also take out some of the excitement of the most shocking parts of the story, since you will expect them if you do know what happens. Either way, as some elements of the ending do change, you will be in for a treat no matter whether you have read the original or not.
In terms of topics and themes, The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein also reflects some of the pillar ideas of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein as well as some of the most recurrent elements of the Gothic and Romantic traditions. To name a few, both narrations are driven by dark mystery, emotional turmoil, sublimity, the death of god and the attempt of humanity to become deities and its implications. However, where Mary Shelley’s novel was heavily biased by Victor’s first-person narration, The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein is straightforward and honest.
Of course, being Victor’s significant other, Elizabeth’s first impulse is to believe that Victor is a good person, because she refuses to see the evil in him for her own sake and security. Nonetheless, as the plot progresses and Elizabeth learns about Victor’s whereabouts, the reader can follow Victor’s downfall with a clear sight. In line with this change of perspective, for the most part of the novel, Kiersten White wallows on a slow pace that goes back and forth between the present and flashbacks of Elizabeth and Victor’s upbringing. Elizabeth is constantly contrasting past and present, as if to open her own eyes to Victor’s true nature. However, by the end, when Elizabeth is finally able to free herself from her own insecurities and Victor’s influence, a lot of things happen at once in very few pages. As a result, the pace and plot feel a bit unbalanced.
There is no doubt, however, that the characters are Kiersten White’s forte. Elizabeth is a fantastically complex, morally-gray character. For the most part, Elizabeth is manipulative and always wears a mask to please people at all times. Having been abandoned as a child, she is deeply scared of being alone and ending up on the streets again, so she will do anything to secure her position within the Frankenstein family. And that means overlooking Victor’s toxic personality and helping him hide his horrific experiments. On the other hand, Victor feels completely unhinged from an outside perspective. Victor is mostly made up of negative feelings (anger, apathy, numbness, and possessiveness), which clashes with the original character, who is much more nuanced. This Victor does not leave room for the reader to sympathise with him. His humanity is stripped away from him completely.
The union of this two characters results in the most compelling element in The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein: Their relationship. What in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was described as an idyllic love story where Elizabeth is mostly idolised turns out to be a completely toxic relationship. Victor is selfish and only wants Elizabeth as a pretty trophy for him to shape according to his will, while Elizabeth sacrifices everything for him because he means safety from poverty and a low social status. Where Elizabeth was seeking companionship and protection, Victor saw her as a mere possession. Something to prove that he could indeed overthrow God and become one himself. There was never a love story between Victor and Elizabeth. White strips Victor Frankenstein of the one single aspect that made him human: his ability to love Elizabeth unconditionally.
There is no doubt that The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein is a delightful addition to the tradition that Mary Shelley begun with Frankenstein. Shelley would be proud of how Elizabeth Lavenza becomes her own person and departs from the shadow of Victor Frankenstein in this retelling. Dark, rich, and complex, Kiersten White’s take on the precursor of science-fiction is a thoroughly entertaining read that will help understand better what Mary Shelley intended to portray with her battle between humanity and monstrosity.
The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
Will you be picking up The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
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.
