A huge thank you to the author, Netgalley, and RDS Publishing for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book took me by surprise by how much it got me. It starts slow, but then suddenly the pace picks up and then out of nowhere it grabs me by the throat and kills me by the end. I loved this. It’s unbelievable this was only 180 pages because the rollercoaster it took me on felt both much longer, and like no time passed at all. I’ll be thinking about this novel for a while after reading it.

Even knowing some background on the original novel of “Frankenstein” and what occurs during this interlude, I was SHOCKED by the turn of events in this novel. I feel like this novel would work for anyone with barely any knowledge on the source material, as well as someone well-versed in it. This book takes on a life of its own, where even seemingly to know what will happen will not prepare the reader for what DOES happen.

This book starts off slow, and it very slowly ramps up the pacing. We follow Agnes as she lives on this tiny island called Eynhallow, with her husband and four children. She’s not exactly content with her life, but it’s her life and she’s resigned to living it. When suddenly a new stranger arrives on this island - a strange recluse nobleman named Victor Frankenstein. Forced by her husband to bring him food and clean his house, they soon strike up a friendship of sorts. Victor - in complete contrast to her husband - listens to her and seems to value her company. As they grow closer together, however, something dark is lurking in the shadows of this island - and neither one is prepared for how this interlude will end.

If you like slow-building gothic horror, where the danger very slowly creeps up on you until suddenly it appears and completely changes the entire tone of the novel you are reading - I highly suggest picking up this book.