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.
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[LIGHTNING CLAWED ACROSS THE sky, tracing veins through the clouds and marking the pulse of the universe itself] ***(Delacorte Press, 25 September 2018, paperback, 304 pages, copy from the publisher and voluntarily reviewed)
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I must be one of the only few people who've read Frankenstein but really didn't enjoy it. I loved the concept but somehow the book didn't gel for me. I've read and enjoyed alternative versions of the classic novel but could never warm to Mary Shelley's book. The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein sounded amazing and I'm glad the publisher sent me a copy. I utterly adored this book. It completely floored me. I feel shaken and in need of a blanket and some hot chocolate and maybe a hug. This is a pretty dark book. The story is narrated by Elizabeth and this works fantastically, I loved her voice, her struggle as she tries to hold onto the lift she created while calculating the awful costs. Victor is completely mad and a fantastically written character. The last few chapters were almost painful to read as Victor's madness comes full circle. One of the best books I've read this year.
