Take a photo of a barcode or cover
1.04k reviews by:
desiree930
I liked this book, and I thought that the message in the end was important, but I again thought that the ending tied up a little too neatly. I never felt like our main couple was in real danger, and though not everyone made it out alive, I wasn't as affected by the deaths as I could've been.
Still, this is an interesting and quick series. The world was expanded (just slightly, but at least a little) in this book, which was one of my main issues with the first book.
I listened to both audiobooks in one day while I was doing work around my house. I'm not a huge fan of the male voice actor. Callum didn't have a POV in book one, so I guess I imagined his voice sounding a certain way. The actor who voiced his chapters in this book had kind of a nasally voice that didn't fit the voice he had in my head.
Still, this is an interesting and quick series. The world was expanded (just slightly, but at least a little) in this book, which was one of my main issues with the first book.
I listened to both audiobooks in one day while I was doing work around my house. I'm not a huge fan of the male voice actor. Callum didn't have a POV in book one, so I guess I imagined his voice sounding a certain way. The actor who voiced his chapters in this book had kind of a nasally voice that didn't fit the voice he had in my head.
After reading Murder at the Vicarage a couple weeks ago and coming away underwhelmed, I was a little nervous to begin this book. I am so glad to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
It was masterfully crafted. I guessed one aspect of the answer to the mystery, but not the ultimate answer of who was responsible. I immediately had the urge to go back and reread knowing who the culprit is.
The ending is very expositional as the murderer explains how they did what they did, but it made sense that it would happen the way it did.
I'm so glad I read this book and didn't let my first experience with Agatha Christie keep me from trying again.
It was masterfully crafted. I guessed one aspect of the answer to the mystery, but not the ultimate answer of who was responsible. I immediately had the urge to go back and reread knowing who the culprit is.
The ending is very expositional as the murderer explains how they did what they did, but it made sense that it would happen the way it did.
I'm so glad I read this book and didn't let my first experience with Agatha Christie keep me from trying again.
I read this book as part of the PopSugar 2019 reading challenge. It fits the prompt: read a book that you see someone else reading on a tv show/movie.
I am not a fan of this type of romance novel. Instead of being steamy, which I like, this is more blunt and raunchy in its depiction of sex. There is a lot of crude language that doesn't seem to be designed to do anything other than mildly shock the reader. I'm not a prude by any stretch, but the writing in this book lacked subtlety.
The main characters don't actually spend much quality time together aside from the sex scenes, and most of that time entails the female protagonist being completely closed off emotionally because her father was an abusive asshole.
There was an interesting idea for a story here, but the characters lacked depth, and I never felt like the characters earned their romance. Shelby didn't stop self-sabotaging long enough for me to actually enjoy her as a character and I felt like Ty deserved better. Also, the story felt under-developed. There are a lot of plot points thrown together and none of them feel like they do more than scratch the surface.
I don't see myself picking up more from this author in the future. I get that there is definitely a market for this style of book, but I don't think it's for me.
I am not a fan of this type of romance novel. Instead of being steamy, which I like, this is more blunt and raunchy in its depiction of sex. There is a lot of crude language that doesn't seem to be designed to do anything other than mildly shock the reader. I'm not a prude by any stretch, but the writing in this book lacked subtlety.
The main characters don't actually spend much quality time together aside from the sex scenes, and most of that time entails the female protagonist being completely closed off emotionally because her father was an abusive asshole.
There was an interesting idea for a story here, but the characters lacked depth, and I never felt like the characters earned their romance. Shelby didn't stop self-sabotaging long enough for me to actually enjoy her as a character and I felt like Ty deserved better. Also, the story felt under-developed. There are a lot of plot points thrown together and none of them feel like they do more than scratch the surface.
I don't see myself picking up more from this author in the future. I get that there is definitely a market for this style of book, but I don't think it's for me.
You could honestly look at any of the other reviews I've written for any of this author's other books and apply most of it to this review. Sarah Addison Allen is so consistent in the quality of her writing and books. I love the way her books make me feel. I love that the books don't forget the 'realism' in magical realism. Too often I'll read a book that is slotted into this genre that isn't grounded in anything substantial. These books take place in towns that feel familiar to anyone who has ever lived in a small town. The characters have depth and are often very flawed. Many of them just happen to have abilities that are out of the ordinary.
I also thought this book explored the subject of grief in a way that felt real, while also inserting some magical touches as well. The idea that Kate was 'asleep' for a year being used as a metaphor for her grief over losing a loved one really made sense and was very touching. I was happy that the book introduced a couple of romances, but they weren't the center of the story.
As is usually the case, I just wish this story had been a little longer. I would've liked an epilogue to see how they were a year, five years, ten years down the road.
I love this author's writing. I can't wait for a new book to come out. I may need to do a reread of The Girl Who Chased the Moon and Garden Spells so I don't go into withdrawal.
I also thought this book explored the subject of grief in a way that felt real, while also inserting some magical touches as well. The idea that Kate was 'asleep' for a year being used as a metaphor for her grief over losing a loved one really made sense and was very touching. I was happy that the book introduced a couple of romances, but they weren't the center of the story.
As is usually the case, I just wish this story had been a little longer. I would've liked an epilogue to see how they were a year, five years, ten years down the road.
I love this author's writing. I can't wait for a new book to come out. I may need to do a reread of The Girl Who Chased the Moon and Garden Spells so I don't go into withdrawal.
3.5 stars
This is such an interesting book. It reads almost like a memoir, if fairy tale memoirs were a thing. I kept getting hints of Forrest Gump and Big Fish which probably sounds like a strange combination, but I think it mostly works.
I was surprised when I read that this was a debut novel. I'm really interested to see how the author's style evolves in future books.
There are several different parts to this book. Each chronicles a different point in the life of Weylyn Grey, specifically his effect on the people around him. 99% of the book is from the perspective of characters other than Weylyn, but he is the thread that ties the story together. It felt very cinematic. There are scenes I wish I could've seen rather than read. I could definitely see this as a movie.
The story is very low on plot. If you are a reader who needs a strong plot taking you from one scene to another, this may not be the book for you. If you are the kind of reader who appreciates a quieter book, more focused on characters and the way they relate to each other and the world around them, this is one I would recommend.
I have one major gripe about this book. In one of the vignettes, there are two characters who are incredibly childish. They whine and throw fits about cartoons and not getting their way every second of the day. They read as maybe (MAYBE) 6 and 8 years of age. They are 12 and 14. I was shocked when the eldest brother, whose perspective we're in, says that he is 14 and about to go into high school. Fourteen-year old boys don't throw fits because they lost a pretend magic wand that they made out of a stick. Now, I know that there are kids who are immature, but that's not what this is. Now, this could have been mitigated somewhat if he had been identified as neurodiverse. I kept wondering if we were supposed to assume that this boy was on the autism spectrum. But no one in the book says anything about his behavior being anything but completely average. And that doesn't explain the fact that the younger brother, who is twelve, is throwing a temper tantrum because the power went out and he wasn't able to watch his favorite cartoon. I can't imagine I'm the only person who read this and feels this way. It was actually very distracting for me and made that section of the book a bit of a struggle for me to get through. I just found myself not enjoying it the way I'd enjoyed the rest of the book. The fact that it was close to the end of the book ended up making the book feel a little longer than it needed to be, which I don't think was actually the case.
That being said, I really thought this was a strong debut. There are moments of whimsy and lyricism that brought a big happy grin to my face and moments where I felt heartbroken for the characters even while I understood why they made the decisions they did. All in all, I was satisfied with this story and could see myself recommending it to people.
This is such an interesting book. It reads almost like a memoir, if fairy tale memoirs were a thing. I kept getting hints of Forrest Gump and Big Fish which probably sounds like a strange combination, but I think it mostly works.
I was surprised when I read that this was a debut novel. I'm really interested to see how the author's style evolves in future books.
There are several different parts to this book. Each chronicles a different point in the life of Weylyn Grey, specifically his effect on the people around him. 99% of the book is from the perspective of characters other than Weylyn, but he is the thread that ties the story together. It felt very cinematic. There are scenes I wish I could've seen rather than read. I could definitely see this as a movie.
The story is very low on plot. If you are a reader who needs a strong plot taking you from one scene to another, this may not be the book for you. If you are the kind of reader who appreciates a quieter book, more focused on characters and the way they relate to each other and the world around them, this is one I would recommend.
I have one major gripe about this book. In one of the vignettes, there are two characters who are incredibly childish. They whine and throw fits about cartoons and not getting their way every second of the day. They read as maybe (MAYBE) 6 and 8 years of age. They are 12 and 14. I was shocked when the eldest brother, whose perspective we're in, says that he is 14 and about to go into high school. Fourteen-year old boys don't throw fits because they lost a pretend magic wand that they made out of a stick. Now, I know that there are kids who are immature, but that's not what this is. Now, this could have been mitigated somewhat if he had been identified as neurodiverse. I kept wondering if we were supposed to assume that this boy was on the autism spectrum. But no one in the book says anything about his behavior being anything but completely average. And that doesn't explain the fact that the younger brother, who is twelve, is throwing a temper tantrum because the power went out and he wasn't able to watch his favorite cartoon. I can't imagine I'm the only person who read this and feels this way. It was actually very distracting for me and made that section of the book a bit of a struggle for me to get through. I just found myself not enjoying it the way I'd enjoyed the rest of the book. The fact that it was close to the end of the book ended up making the book feel a little longer than it needed to be, which I don't think was actually the case.
That being said, I really thought this was a strong debut. There are moments of whimsy and lyricism that brought a big happy grin to my face and moments where I felt heartbroken for the characters even while I understood why they made the decisions they did. All in all, I was satisfied with this story and could see myself recommending it to people.
Okay, I have a confession to make. When I read a book that is set in a place or about a subject that I am familiar with, I have a tendency to be super nitpicky about things being factually accurate. That being the case, I ended up having some serious issues with this book, especially the first half.
I grew up in Alaska from the time that I was about a year old. I lived in different areas of Alaska for the next 30 years. From logging camps with less than 100 people to the largest city in the state. From the capital to a fishing village that, while technically a city, would never be referred to as such by anyone outside rural Alaska. Throw in a college town that hovers around 40 below zero in the winter as well. So when I say that I am Alaskan Grown, it's legit.
This book, while relatively entertaining, just had too many factual inaccuracies that continually took me out of the story. These are things that could've been fixed with even a mediocre attempt at research. Now, I'm sure that there are many people who had none of the issues I did. And I'm not trying to say that they are wrong in their enjoyment of the story. And I'm well aware that I'm the minority, if the rave reviews are anything to go by. But I just couldn't suspend disbelief. So for those of you who like salty, nitpicky, petty reviews, stay tuned. For those who don't, I thought the romance was okay once the story finally took off and the ending was satisfying, which is why this book gets 2.5 stars instead of one.
What I didn't like:
1. Factual Inaccuracies:
At the beginning of the book, Calla is taken to Bangor (Bethel) in a super cub airplane. For those who aren't familiar with little puddle-jumpers, this is a plane with only two seats: the pilot and a passenger sitting directly behind the pilot. Calla (our protagonist) is told by Jonah (brooding love interest) that the flight between Anchorage and Bangor (Bethel) only takes about an hour, and that it is about a 400-mile trip. That would be true, if we are talking about a jet that travels at 30,000 feet and 400ish mph. HOWEVER, a super cub only travels at about 87 mph...doing the math, that would be closer to a 5-hour flight. Even in a larger bush plane, it's still at least a couple of hours. Later in the book, one of the characters takes a small plane to Barrow. This is described as if it's no big deal, and later we're told it's a two-hour flight. Again, this might be true IN A JET. It's a 750-mile flight. That isn't exactly a quick trip. It feels like the author just went and looked up flight schedules on Alaska Airlines and used that info as if all planes are the same.
Also, one of the characters has a raccoon that he keeps as a pet. Not only is this ridiculous (We have dogs and cats in Alaska, people! Some people even own chickens and goats and whatnot. Sheesh!) but it's also really unlikely. Again, this feels like a thing where the author did a tiny bit of research without digging deeper. While it's true that raccoons were introduced into the wild in the 1930s, there is no substantive population of them today that would make me believe that you would just happen across one and make it your pet.
Oh, and there is no way that someone could mistake muskrat for beef. It's a completely different flavor profile. I'm not saying that as someone who has eaten muskrat, but as someone who took 10 flipping seconds to google it. It's described as having a flavor close to rabbit or alligator. I mean, Calla is an idiot, so I suppose she could've been fooled, but it's just one more thing that rubbed me the wrong way.
2. Calla and her mother. THE WORST. There is a scene in chapter seven where Jonah lets Calla have it and I was cheering. She is vapid, narcissistic, and materialistic. She lacks any common sense whatsoever. She is spoiled and lazy and is completely obsessed with appearances. She is 26 and lives at home rent and responsibility free. Oh, I forgot. She takes out the trash once a week. FFS. My son is 9 freaking years old and he has more responsibility.
It's difficult to put all the blame on her, however, when you meet her mother. She is just the absolute worst. She's Calla to the nth degree. We're told in the beginning of the book that Calla's stepfather (who is a psychiatrist and whose automatic retort for anything is, "And how does that make you feel?" I wish I were joking.) is basically a doormat who concedes literally everything to his wife, even though she's clearly still in love with Calla's father, who she left because she hated Alaska.
Calla spends the majority of this LONG book whining about how Alaska is awful because they don't have her preferred brand of soy milk. Seriously. It took WAY too long into the book for her to show any level of growth and by the point her character was becoming less insufferable, I just didn't care anymore.
3. Pacing.
Did I mention that this book is long. Because it is. It's WAY TOO LONG (almost as long as this review. Sorry, not sorry) It takes too long to get us from Toronto (the most unnecessary part of the entire book) to Alaska. Then it takes too long to get to the point with Calla and Wren. There is a trip to the grocery store to get her a freaking latte that felt like it lasted a hundred pages. It's TOO LONG. And really, nothing happens for about 75% of this book.
Other Odds and Ends:
1. The book takes place in the fictional town of Bangor, which would be recognizable to anyone who knows anything about Alaska as being based on Bethel, AK. It is the largest community in Western AK, it's right on the Kuskokwim river, etc. I don't understand why she didn't just use the name Bethel. She has no problem mentioning other communities in Alaska: St. Mary, Unalakleet, Russian Mission, Barrow, Seward...but for some reason she changes the name of the town where the main action takes place. It's not necessarily a complaint, but I just don't get it.
2. Many of the complaints I see about this are regarding Jonah. Readers seem to think he's a jerk for the way he treats Calla. I honestly don't get that at all. He is right in pretty much all his observations about her. She's ridiculous. I do think that a couple of the things he does are not okay, but those things lead to Calla doing something that is also NOT OKAY when he hides her luggage and she retaliates by cutting his hair and beard while he is medicated and passed out.
I'm bummed because I've been craving a good Alaska story for and I hoped this would satisfy. It didn't.
If anyone out there is looking for a good Alaska book, I'd recommend the following:
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
The Smell of Other People's Houses by Bonnie Sue Hitchcock
Bird Girl and the Man Who Followed The Sun & Two Old Women by Velma Wallis (Velma Wallis is an Alaska Native woman and these books are based on Athabascan legends.)
TL;DR - The main character sucks and there are a lot of factual inaccuracies that inhibited my enjoyment. 2.5/5 stars
I grew up in Alaska from the time that I was about a year old. I lived in different areas of Alaska for the next 30 years. From logging camps with less than 100 people to the largest city in the state. From the capital to a fishing village that, while technically a city, would never be referred to as such by anyone outside rural Alaska. Throw in a college town that hovers around 40 below zero in the winter as well. So when I say that I am Alaskan Grown, it's legit.
This book, while relatively entertaining, just had too many factual inaccuracies that continually took me out of the story. These are things that could've been fixed with even a mediocre attempt at research. Now, I'm sure that there are many people who had none of the issues I did. And I'm not trying to say that they are wrong in their enjoyment of the story. And I'm well aware that I'm the minority, if the rave reviews are anything to go by. But I just couldn't suspend disbelief. So for those of you who like salty, nitpicky, petty reviews, stay tuned. For those who don't, I thought the romance was okay once the story finally took off and the ending was satisfying, which is why this book gets 2.5 stars instead of one.
What I didn't like:
1. Factual Inaccuracies:
At the beginning of the book, Calla is taken to Bangor (Bethel) in a super cub airplane. For those who aren't familiar with little puddle-jumpers, this is a plane with only two seats: the pilot and a passenger sitting directly behind the pilot. Calla (our protagonist) is told by Jonah (brooding love interest) that the flight between Anchorage and Bangor (Bethel) only takes about an hour, and that it is about a 400-mile trip. That would be true, if we are talking about a jet that travels at 30,000 feet and 400ish mph. HOWEVER, a super cub only travels at about 87 mph...doing the math, that would be closer to a 5-hour flight. Even in a larger bush plane, it's still at least a couple of hours. Later in the book, one of the characters takes a small plane to Barrow. This is described as if it's no big deal, and later we're told it's a two-hour flight. Again, this might be true IN A JET. It's a 750-mile flight. That isn't exactly a quick trip. It feels like the author just went and looked up flight schedules on Alaska Airlines and used that info as if all planes are the same.
Also, one of the characters has a raccoon that he keeps as a pet. Not only is this ridiculous (We have dogs and cats in Alaska, people! Some people even own chickens and goats and whatnot. Sheesh!) but it's also really unlikely. Again, this feels like a thing where the author did a tiny bit of research without digging deeper. While it's true that raccoons were introduced into the wild in the 1930s, there is no substantive population of them today that would make me believe that you would just happen across one and make it your pet.
Oh, and there is no way that someone could mistake muskrat for beef. It's a completely different flavor profile. I'm not saying that as someone who has eaten muskrat, but as someone who took 10 flipping seconds to google it. It's described as having a flavor close to rabbit or alligator. I mean, Calla is an idiot, so I suppose she could've been fooled, but it's just one more thing that rubbed me the wrong way.
2. Calla and her mother. THE WORST. There is a scene in chapter seven where Jonah lets Calla have it and I was cheering. She is vapid, narcissistic, and materialistic. She lacks any common sense whatsoever. She is spoiled and lazy and is completely obsessed with appearances. She is 26 and lives at home rent and responsibility free. Oh, I forgot. She takes out the trash once a week. FFS. My son is 9 freaking years old and he has more responsibility.
It's difficult to put all the blame on her, however, when you meet her mother. She is just the absolute worst. She's Calla to the nth degree. We're told in the beginning of the book that Calla's stepfather (who is a psychiatrist and whose automatic retort for anything is, "And how does that make you feel?" I wish I were joking.) is basically a doormat who concedes literally everything to his wife, even though she's clearly still in love with Calla's father, who she left because she hated Alaska.
Calla spends the majority of this LONG book whining about how Alaska is awful because they don't have her preferred brand of soy milk. Seriously. It took WAY too long into the book for her to show any level of growth and by the point her character was becoming less insufferable, I just didn't care anymore.
3. Pacing.
Did I mention that this book is long. Because it is. It's WAY TOO LONG (almost as long as this review. Sorry, not sorry) It takes too long to get us from Toronto (the most unnecessary part of the entire book) to Alaska. Then it takes too long to get to the point with Calla and Wren. There is a trip to the grocery store to get her a freaking latte that felt like it lasted a hundred pages. It's TOO LONG. And really, nothing happens for about 75% of this book.
Other Odds and Ends:
1. The book takes place in the fictional town of Bangor, which would be recognizable to anyone who knows anything about Alaska as being based on Bethel, AK. It is the largest community in Western AK, it's right on the Kuskokwim river, etc. I don't understand why she didn't just use the name Bethel. She has no problem mentioning other communities in Alaska: St. Mary, Unalakleet, Russian Mission, Barrow, Seward...but for some reason she changes the name of the town where the main action takes place. It's not necessarily a complaint, but I just don't get it.
2. Many of the complaints I see about this are regarding Jonah. Readers seem to think he's a jerk for the way he treats Calla. I honestly don't get that at all. He is right in pretty much all his observations about her. She's ridiculous. I do think that a couple of the things he does are not okay, but those things lead to Calla doing something that is also NOT OKAY
I'm bummed because I've been craving a good Alaska story for and I hoped this would satisfy. It didn't.
If anyone out there is looking for a good Alaska book, I'd recommend the following:
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
The Smell of Other People's Houses by Bonnie Sue Hitchcock
Bird Girl and the Man Who Followed The Sun & Two Old Women by Velma Wallis (Velma Wallis is an Alaska Native woman and these books are based on Athabascan legends.)
TL;DR - The main character sucks and there are a lot of factual inaccuracies that inhibited my enjoyment. 2.5/5 stars
Re-read January 2019
Originally read September 2016
I love this series. I am an unapologetic sucker for romance. I know there are a lot of people who have the opposite opinion, but I don't care. This series has one of my favorite romances. Even the presence of a love triangle doesn't ruin it for me. It's better in the next two books as they are kept apart and it gets angsty, but I enjoy this book as well, watching them fall in love against their own wishes.
Upon re-read, I think it's more like a 4.5 star book, but I still absolutely love the story and it's characters. Knowing what it sets up for the rest of the series helps me forgive some of the issues others seem to have with the pacing of the book.
I wouldn't recommend this for anyone who doesn't like a healthy dose of romance and swooniness. I am so happy I decided to revisit this series.
Originally read September 2016
I love this series. I am an unapologetic sucker for romance. I know there are a lot of people who have the opposite opinion, but I don't care. This series has one of my favorite romances. Even the presence of a love triangle doesn't ruin it for me. It's better in the next two books as they are kept apart and it gets angsty, but I enjoy this book as well, watching them fall in love against their own wishes.
Upon re-read, I think it's more like a 4.5 star book, but I still absolutely love the story and it's characters. Knowing what it sets up for the rest of the series helps me forgive some of the issues others seem to have with the pacing of the book.
I wouldn't recommend this for anyone who doesn't like a healthy dose of romance and swooniness. I am so happy I decided to revisit this series.
This novella is a prequel of sorts to Lost Lake, a book I read earlier this month. I enjoyed it, although I wish it was longer. That being said, even the short length doesn’t take away the hint of magic and whimsy present in all Sarah Addison Allen books. The last couple paragraphs make the novella worth the read, especially if you’ve read Lost Lake.
re-read January 30-31, 2019
I still love this story, although I don’t recommend the audiobook at all. The voice actor did next to nothing to differentiate the characters. It made the story confusing at times.
Original review: 9/24/2016
This is one of my favorite books I've read this year (so far). I love that it's a re-imagining of 1,001 nights.
Characters: I love Shahrzad. She's smart, courageous, and feisty. Khalid is a great character as well. I also love all the side characters, and the relationships and friendships in this story are great also. I wish we'd gotten a bit more of the Jalal/Despina relationship...maybe in the next book...
The world building was phenomenal. I could picture everything so clearly in my mind. When she described food my mouth actually watered...
I thought the writing in this book was excellent. There are so many beautiful lines throughout the pages of this book.
I can't wait to read the sequel. Luckily it's sitting on my TBR shelf so I don't have to wait!
I still love this story, although I don’t recommend the audiobook at all. The voice actor did next to nothing to differentiate the characters. It made the story confusing at times.
Original review: 9/24/2016
This is one of my favorite books I've read this year (so far). I love that it's a re-imagining of 1,001 nights.
Characters: I love Shahrzad. She's smart, courageous, and feisty. Khalid is a great character as well. I also love all the side characters, and the relationships and friendships in this story are great also. I wish we'd gotten a bit more of the Jalal/Despina relationship...maybe in the next book...
The world building was phenomenal. I could picture everything so clearly in my mind. When she described food my mouth actually watered...
I thought the writing in this book was excellent. There are so many beautiful lines throughout the pages of this book.
I can't wait to read the sequel. Luckily it's sitting on my TBR shelf so I don't have to wait!
This was such an interesting premise, and I've been craving a P&P re-telling/sequel, but this didn't work for me. It's not poorly written, but it felt more like a Frankenstein re-telling where the author just inserted a few P&P characters because he thought of a clever title that he wanted to use. As a Frankenstein re-telling it works okay, but I just don't think it's realistic that Mary would behave the way she does in this book.
As far as the Frankenstein aspects go...it's pretty close to the source material, with exception to the insertion of the Bennetts. Which begs the question, what is the point? I like re-tellings and sequels to classic novels because it's interesting to see how they are adapted. If you are looking for an interesting Frankenstein re-telling, The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein is really creepy and while many of the same events occur, character motivations and personalities are tweaked to make the story feel like its own thing.
Also, what is the point of Kitty having an intimate relationship with an old suitor just to kill her off immediately after it's revealed? There are no repercussions of this at all. If she'd died a virgin it would've been the same story. At first I wondered if the author was going to have her reanimated corpse somehow give birth to a reanimated corpse baby (if Bella Swan can become impregnated with the sperm of a vampire who has been dead over a hundred years, the possibilities are endless) but that was not the case. We do learn that she was pregnant, but no one other than Victor ever knows about it and there are never any ramifications to it so...why?
Lastly, Mary was a boring character. I've read books featuring the middle Bennett child on a couple of other occasions and liked them well enough. I always felt like Mary had potential to be an interesting protagonist. And there was potential in this book. But it just didn't manifest. And Mary seemed completely unfazed by the craziness going on around her. the way she pretty much accepts that Victor is using her sister's body to create a mate for the monster completely took me out of the story. It made no sense. And the scenes between her and Victor after that when she would think about him in a romantic way made me want to gag. This man stole her sister's corpse. Gross.
As far as the Frankenstein aspects go...it's pretty close to the source material, with exception to the insertion of the Bennetts. Which begs the question, what is the point? I like re-tellings and sequels to classic novels because it's interesting to see how they are adapted. If you are looking for an interesting Frankenstein re-telling, The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein is really creepy and while many of the same events occur, character motivations and personalities are tweaked to make the story feel like its own thing.
Also, what is the point of Kitty
Lastly, Mary was a boring character. I've read books featuring the middle Bennett child on a couple of other occasions and liked them well enough. I always felt like Mary had potential to be an interesting protagonist. And there was potential in this book. But it just didn't manifest. And Mary seemed completely unfazed by the craziness going on around her.