--- product_id: 130915033 title: "The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein" price: "121.37 DT" currency: TND in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.tn/products/130915033-the-dark-descent-of-elizabeth-frankenstein store_origin: TN region: Tunisia --- # The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein **Price:** 121.37 DT **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein - **How much does it cost?** 121.37 DT with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.tn](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/130915033-the-dark-descent-of-elizabeth-frankenstein) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR "Inescapably compelling . " — VICTORIA SCHWAB, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie Larue "A masterful and monstrous retelling." — STEPHANIE GARBER, #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of Caraval and Legendary A stunning and dark reimagining of Frankenstein told from the point-of-view of Elizabeth Lavenza, who is taken in by the Frankenstein family. 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. **Ebook exclusive: the full text of Mary Shelley's FRANKENSTEIN ** Review: I think Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley would be proud - What I’ve always found intriguing about the original was the lack of female perspective despite it’s 18-year-old author, who inserted so much of her parents, her lover, and their close friend into her works. She definitely wrote what she knew, giving personality traits to characters from her circle of family and friends. Not only was she extremely well-read and traveled, but there was tremendous inspiration in that villa in Geneva, all of which she soaked up to write Frankenstein. Although there has been debate over authorship, I believe the project was wholly her own with edits and inspiration from Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron. For this retelling, Kiersten White did a tremendous job of bulking up the characters of Elizabeth Lavenza and Justine Moritz as well as the addition of Mary Delgado, who provided a little bit of diversity, but would play a very important role - no spoilers! As we can clearly see, Justine may have been Elizabeth’s purist love - a connection that she chose rather than the relationship she had to have with Victor to ensure her safety and livelihood. It is drilled quite emphatically about the power differences between men and women and yes, there was a ton of misogyny here, but it was the 1800s, what do you expect? Elizabeth can be seen as quite manipulative, but for the time, her looks and feminine wiles were her only tools and weapons and she used them quite well. She charged forward with a clear mission to find Victor, the mystery of his Creation, and a clear solution. Even though I knew what was to come, it kept my interest and when it finally diverged from the original, I was glued and didn’t put it down. The ending is what earned that final star! I also enjoyed that it took the majority of the book before the Creation was fully revealed - White did wonders with him and the ending was very satisfying. And by placing the perspective from Elizabeth, we got to see the full extent of madness that had been developing in Victor Frankenstein, who she knew from childhood forward, as well as providing a much more emotional motive. It doesn’t excuse Victor’s behavior and experimentation but he really was doomed from the start. I also really appreciated Elizabeth’s growth and development throughout the story. Even though there were times that she seemed cold, particularly about children and motherhood, Elizabeth was clearly made for independent life of study and travel, something her creator would enjoy later in life post-Shelley. Of course, we with hindsight, can see into Victor’s childhood behavior to know that something was quite not right with him. There were more than a few times I wanted to yell at Elizabeth for how she protected and coddled him - but in her mind, he was her golden ticket, really her only lifeline.They had a very flawed, dark, and codependent relationship with much enabling from Elizabeth before she realized her own flaws and how she contributed to the destruction and chaos around her. I also liked how she finally did Henry right - for much of the book, he is the villain, deemed unfaithful, selfish having abandoned her and Victor. Oh how life would have been different if she had only accepted his proposal! It was a little slower going for me, but that was no fault of the writer. Its been awhile since I’ve read the original, so my brain was busy remembering it, while also making connections between traits and similarities to Mary, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Lord Byron. All in all, I really enjoyed this, would happily re-read this again (and annotate), and plan to pick up more from this author. Review: So dark, so delightful, & a story about what women had to do just to survive - The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White was absolutely unexpected. I had no idea I was going to love this story as much as I did. I was completely transfixed with the descriptive writing and reading about the mystery of the Frankensteins’. Seriously, there is some dark magic involved because I couldn’t put this book down! In the deepest roots of this book, there is a feminist story about what it takes for a woman to survive in society. What she is willing to do and give up just to have a safe place to live. It is terribly dark and deeply disturbing, but so captivating. Without spoilers, even though this is a retelling of a classic, there is so much story in these pages. We of course are following Elizabeth while she sets out on her journey to find Victor Frankenstein. Victor has stopped contacting her or his father. Elizabeth is concerned for her place in the Frankenstein household these days since she was brought to the Frankensteins’ as a companion for Victor. She has spent her entire life sacrificing everything in order to keep Victor out of trouble, to help him learn how to be social, and make him a successful heir to the Frankenstein estate. She would do anything to maintain her status as a part of the Frankenstein household, otherwise she would have nothing. Elizabeth is smart, resourceful, and extremely likable character. You feel for her and what she’s been through. You are definitely routing for her the whole time. From Elizabeth’s perspective, Victor is a genius, and just misunderstood. As the story unfolds we realize she is an unreliable narrator as she does everything in her power to cover up his madness. What has Victor been up to? Already knowing the course of the story, didn’t take anything away from reading this version. I was riveted. Once Elizabeth starts to find Victor frightening, you know it’s real bad, and yet nothing is as horrid as being a woman in 18th century. So you know she is doing everything in her power as a lowly woman to hold onto her own life’s worth, until she realizes the moral of this story: what life is worth living, if you can’t save the ones who truly matter. The audiobook narration was wonderful, I loved the emotions and the feeling the narrator imbued upon this story. I was riveted and hooked from the first chapter, whereas if I was reading the print, I might have found the pacing slower than desirable. Would you let yourself fall into darkness in order to survive? The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein is so dark, yet delightful and such a wonderful story about what women had to do just to survive. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #58,946 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #10 in Teen & Young Adult Monster Fiction #156 in Teen & Young Adult Dark Fantasy #380 in Children's Spine-Chilling Horror | | Customer Reviews | 4.2 out of 5 stars 932 Reviews | ## Images ![The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/A1LbsEnLNtL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I think Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley would be proud *by L***Y on October 15, 2018* What I’ve always found intriguing about the original was the lack of female perspective despite it’s 18-year-old author, who inserted so much of her parents, her lover, and their close friend into her works. She definitely wrote what she knew, giving personality traits to characters from her circle of family and friends. Not only was she extremely well-read and traveled, but there was tremendous inspiration in that villa in Geneva, all of which she soaked up to write Frankenstein. Although there has been debate over authorship, I believe the project was wholly her own with edits and inspiration from Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron. For this retelling, Kiersten White did a tremendous job of bulking up the characters of Elizabeth Lavenza and Justine Moritz as well as the addition of Mary Delgado, who provided a little bit of diversity, but would play a very important role - no spoilers! As we can clearly see, Justine may have been Elizabeth’s purist love - a connection that she chose rather than the relationship she had to have with Victor to ensure her safety and livelihood. It is drilled quite emphatically about the power differences between men and women and yes, there was a ton of misogyny here, but it was the 1800s, what do you expect? Elizabeth can be seen as quite manipulative, but for the time, her looks and feminine wiles were her only tools and weapons and she used them quite well. She charged forward with a clear mission to find Victor, the mystery of his Creation, and a clear solution. Even though I knew what was to come, it kept my interest and when it finally diverged from the original, I was glued and didn’t put it down. The ending is what earned that final star! I also enjoyed that it took the majority of the book before the Creation was fully revealed - White did wonders with him and the ending was very satisfying. And by placing the perspective from Elizabeth, we got to see the full extent of madness that had been developing in Victor Frankenstein, who she knew from childhood forward, as well as providing a much more emotional motive. It doesn’t excuse Victor’s behavior and experimentation but he really was doomed from the start. I also really appreciated Elizabeth’s growth and development throughout the story. Even though there were times that she seemed cold, particularly about children and motherhood, Elizabeth was clearly made for independent life of study and travel, something her creator would enjoy later in life post-Shelley. Of course, we with hindsight, can see into Victor’s childhood behavior to know that something was quite not right with him. There were more than a few times I wanted to yell at Elizabeth for how she protected and coddled him - but in her mind, he was her golden ticket, really her only lifeline.They had a very flawed, dark, and codependent relationship with much enabling from Elizabeth before she realized her own flaws and how she contributed to the destruction and chaos around her. I also liked how she finally did Henry right - for much of the book, he is the villain, deemed unfaithful, selfish having abandoned her and Victor. Oh how life would have been different if she had only accepted his proposal! It was a little slower going for me, but that was no fault of the writer. Its been awhile since I’ve read the original, so my brain was busy remembering it, while also making connections between traits and similarities to Mary, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Lord Byron. All in all, I really enjoyed this, would happily re-read this again (and annotate), and plan to pick up more from this author. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ So dark, so delightful, & a story about what women had to do just to survive *by K**** on January 4, 2019* The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White was absolutely unexpected. I had no idea I was going to love this story as much as I did. I was completely transfixed with the descriptive writing and reading about the mystery of the Frankensteins’. Seriously, there is some dark magic involved because I couldn’t put this book down! In the deepest roots of this book, there is a feminist story about what it takes for a woman to survive in society. What she is willing to do and give up just to have a safe place to live. It is terribly dark and deeply disturbing, but so captivating. Without spoilers, even though this is a retelling of a classic, there is so much story in these pages. We of course are following Elizabeth while she sets out on her journey to find Victor Frankenstein. Victor has stopped contacting her or his father. Elizabeth is concerned for her place in the Frankenstein household these days since she was brought to the Frankensteins’ as a companion for Victor. She has spent her entire life sacrificing everything in order to keep Victor out of trouble, to help him learn how to be social, and make him a successful heir to the Frankenstein estate. She would do anything to maintain her status as a part of the Frankenstein household, otherwise she would have nothing. Elizabeth is smart, resourceful, and extremely likable character. You feel for her and what she’s been through. You are definitely routing for her the whole time. From Elizabeth’s perspective, Victor is a genius, and just misunderstood. As the story unfolds we realize she is an unreliable narrator as she does everything in her power to cover up his madness. What has Victor been up to? Already knowing the course of the story, didn’t take anything away from reading this version. I was riveted. Once Elizabeth starts to find Victor frightening, you know it’s real bad, and yet nothing is as horrid as being a woman in 18th century. So you know she is doing everything in her power as a lowly woman to hold onto her own life’s worth, until she realizes the moral of this story: what life is worth living, if you can’t save the ones who truly matter. The audiobook narration was wonderful, I loved the emotions and the feeling the narrator imbued upon this story. I was riveted and hooked from the first chapter, whereas if I was reading the print, I might have found the pacing slower than desirable. Would you let yourself fall into darkness in order to survive? The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein is so dark, yet delightful and such a wonderful story about what women had to do just to survive. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fantastically Dark Rendering ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ *by F***A on November 11, 2019* "Someday death will claim you. And I will not allow it. His eyes narrowed, and his voice trembled with fury and determination. You are mine, Elizabeth Lavenza, and nothing will take you from me. Not even death." I love retellings that offer a completely different perspective and Elizabeth Frankenstein was the POV I didn't know I needed. "All our rituals as humans seemed to revolve around birth and death—marriage being the exception, though my wedding had been a ritual intimately connected to death, given my choice of partner." Elizabeth is no wilting flower in this story. She manipulates everyone in her life in an effort to secure a future of luxury and power. To her horror she discovers that her carefully plotted influence over Victor Frankenstein has resulted in a horror that she herself no longer holds leverage over. "Perhaps that was why Victor was so desperate to imitate life with his own twisted version. He had never been able to feel things as deeply as he should; he had been raised in a home where everything was pretense and no one spoke the truth. Not even me. I had accused Victor of creating a monster, but I had done the same." It takes big ovaries to take on the beloved Frankenstein classic but Kiersten White has written a flawless gothic retelling of which Mary Shelley herself would be proud. Fantastic dark and creepy read! Highly recommend. Now I'm going to go pick out the next book I want to read from this author. ## Frequently Bought Together - The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein - Victor LaValle's Destroyer (1) - Frankenstein: The 1818 Text (Penguin Classics) --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.tn/products/130915033-the-dark-descent-of-elizabeth-frankenstein](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/130915033-the-dark-descent-of-elizabeth-frankenstein) --- *Product available on Desertcart Tunisia* *Store origin: TN* *Last updated: 2026-06-06*