Review; The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White

Title: The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein
Author: Kiersten White
Publication: September 25th 2018 by Delacorte Press
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Horror
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Rating: 3/5★

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.

I'm not gonna lie and say I'm not a little disappointed with The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein. I did enjoy it for the most part but it's rare for me to rate a Kiersten White book with only three stars. Of course this isn't a bad rating but with her I'm used to four and five star worthy books and this one just wasn't, unfortunately. I also feel like I should say that I'm also not a big fan of the original Frankenstein book. It's just not a favorite classic of mine.

My favorite thing about this book was the beautiful writing. If I had to rate it for the prose alone I probably would've given it five stars because it really was amazing and I literally have nothing negative to say about it. I could've read the gorgeous descriptions over and over again. Another thing I liked were the flashbacks. You either love those or you don't but I always enjoy flashbacks in books for some reason. I thought it was nice to see some of Elizabeth and Victor's past as they grew up together and their dynamic. 

But I have to be fair because a book isn't just about the writing no matter how beautiful it is. Most of my issues were about the characters and the story itself. I just didn't like any of the characters, even the nice ones. I don't think they were writting to be liked exactly, especially Elizabeth, but personally I have to like the characters I read about at least a little bit. And other than that I didn't think the story was the best. I liked the first part the best and the second also but the third part was a little messy in my opinion and of course I had guessed some plot twists very early on which also caused me to enjoy it all less, sadly enough.

Another possitive thing about this book was that it's a really fast read. It only took me a little over a day, which is super fast but it also isn't a very long book so it makes sense. I was definitely hooked with the story and the ending was pretty good I have to admit but it just wasn't that good, you know? For me it was a nice book to read once because I'm a fan of the author but it definitely isn't re-read worthy in my opinion. It had good qualities for sure but in the end I had expected a little more.

About the author:
Kiersten White is the New York Times bestselling author of the And I Darken trilogy, the Paranormalcy trilogy, Beanstalker and Other Hilarious Scarytales, The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, Slayer, and many other novels. Kiersten lives with her family in San Diego, California. Visit her at www.kierstenwhite.com.
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