There’s not much I can say that hasn’t already been said about Frankenstein. This book definitely deserves its status as a classic.

I was not expecting this book to be written in a letter format, and I especially did not expect to hear any perspective from Frankenstein’s creation at all. I always heard that Frankenstein’s creation was smarter and more human than pop culture makes him out to be, but I didn’t take that to mean he would be teaching himself languages and reading Paradise Lost by himself. I also wasn’t anticipating that I would feel for him as much as I did. His perspective was absolutely my favorite in the book, and I was rooting for him the whole way through it.

Not to mention the prose was absolutely beautiful and perfectly melancholy. To think that this was written by a 19 year old…it blows my mind! I’m 10 years her senior and could only dream of having her talent.

I picked this up to mark a check off of an invisible “bucket list” of books I keep. I am not a huge fan of classics a lot of the time, but I thought if I was going to like any, it would be this one. Even if it still isn’t a favorite of all time for me, it did exceed my expectations.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys classics, and to anyone curious to see what kicked off the sci-fi genre. It definitely started out with a bang.

As I was listening to this book, I kept thinking about how relevant it was. It is upfront with you right away that racism is going to be a main conflict in the story, and the events that happen throughout are ones I could picture happening today realistically. I loved the discussion from a main character who was thrust into a position of power against her wishes just to be the token black woman in the office. I won’t ever be able to understand being in that position as a white man, but the uneasiness Ellice felt about being open about herself and how she felt were palpable and made me uneasy with her. I was glad to have a perspective like hers so I could have more empathy for people in her position. It has made me more aware of performative allyship in the workplace.⁠
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Beyond that, I loved Ellice as a character overall. She was guarded in such a realistic way. She was a smart, independent woman. I could relate to how she compartmentalized her life. And her relationship with her brother felt real as well, flawed but loving. I loved how even with the tension between them, she still loved him unconditionally.⁠
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As for the thriller aspect, it definitely kept me engaged and interested in what would come next. I was satisfied.⁠
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I would recommend this to anyone who likes a plot that cleverly weaves in racial/social injustices. In particular, I think anyone who is a fan of When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen would enjoy this as well. I had similar feelings while reading both, even though they aren’t exactly the same genre.⁠

It wasn't on purpose that I read two books about Shakespeare very close to each other, but it was a happy coincidence.⁠
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This book is...very difficult to describe. It's kind of horrifying at parts, but it isn't a horror. It's kind of funny in a sick way, but it's definitely not a comedy. The main character is not likable, but she is compelling. The best way I can describe it is that it felt like a fever dream all the way through. Even the non-"magical" parts felt...off. And I loved that about it, though not everyone will.⁠
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I can't comment on the chronic pain rep, since I don't experience it myself, but while I was reading, I did imagine how I would feel in Miranda's position, and I could relate to her. She thought some wretched things, and was pessimistic, but I couldn't blame her from the way she was treated. I also think the overall mood of the book mirrored what it probably feels like to have a condition like hers; dread, depression, mixed in with some moments of hope or mania.⁠
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I would honestly don't know who I would recommend this to, even though I liked it myself. But if you enjoy unlikable-but-well-developed characters, and a story that feels like a decent into madness, this may be the one for you.⁠

This book. Was. INCREDIBLE. It's hard to put into words what I loved so much about it, but I'll try.

I was completely enraptured in the story within the first chapter. If I had a choice in the matter, I would have completed this in one sitting. I completed it in two, but I still lost sleep over it. I was up til 6 AM reading this! And I have no regrets.

This felt like a time warp to the 80s. It managed to throw in so many nostalgic references that it was impressive that it never got annoying or old. Instead, I felt like I was a part of Abby's friend group and we were reminiscing about the school days together.

The horror stuff was...truly horrifying. With no spoilers, I'll just say: Margaret. If you know, you know.

And somehow, in this kinda campy, kinda disgusting book, it managed to be a touching story about friendship. I wasn't expecting to be touched, but I was.

I would recommend this to literally anybody, as long as you can handle the horror content. Definitely look up trigger warnings if you're curious.

 
Just had a flashback to reading this when I was a kid. I haven't read it again as an adult, but back in Elementary school, I wore out my paperback reading it cover to cover multiple times. Probably isn't as freaky to me now as it was back then, though. 

I thought for certain when I started this book that it was going to be a full 4 or 5 star. The beginning was so promising. I loved the spooky atmosphere, the vivid descriptions of gross medical procedures, and the mysterious relationship between Jane and Augustine as they got to know each other. Jane herself was a character I was really interested in and related to, and I was excited to read from her seemingly logical and analytical perspective. I was ready for a really cool paranormal gothic horror with some psychological horror thrown in.

And then the magic was introduced and pretty much dashed my hopes and dreams.

I wouldn't say the magic element ruined the book, but it definitely changed the tone and dragged the story down for me. I have nothing against magic, being a fantasy fan and all, but that just wasn't the vibe the beginning set it up to be. I would have enjoyed it much more if it just wasn't included at all, and was just simply about a paranormal descent into madness. The most interesting part to me was the question of "is this real, or am I making this up?"

Overall, I enjoyed my time with this book, but it hurts me to think of the potential it had before it let me down.

I would recommend this to someone who likes atmospheric, gothic settings, and to those who like a descent into madness storyline, even if it wasn't done the best it could have been in this book. Just make sure you have the expectation that, even though the intro to the book makes itself out to be logic and science based, it is not. There's a lot of wibbly wobbly magic stuff that you are not properly prepared for.

While this novel was not exactly the one for me, there are parts of it that I appreciate and think were very well done. The setting was described well, and made me feel like I was truly in Nashville in the 1920s. I appreciated the discussions of race and segregation from the time period. The relationship between Two and the animals at the zoo was a great metaphor for how Natives were and are treated. The characters we got the most story from, Two, Crawford, and Clive, were all interesting to hear about and had unique backstories. The magical elements tied into the story was delightfully fantastical and grounded in reality at the same time in a way I enjoyed. The surrealism at points was great.

However, the overall feeling I got from this book was very disjointed. There were so many characters that I feel did not contribute much at all. Because of the sheer number of characters introduced back to back, I had a hard time figuring out who was who and what their purpose was. I also thought all of the different plot threads on their own were interesting, but I was confused on how they were meant to fit together. I was expecting them all to converge and make sense at the end, but they never did. And the ending itself did not feel like an ending at all. Most of the time I enjoy ambiguous endings, but this one was just one note for me.

Overall, I had an okay time with this book, but it wasn’t my favorite.

I listened to this on audiobook, which was a wonderful experience. The narrator, Robert Petkoff, was absolutely amazing, and pulled off sections of the book that sounded like they were written in a unique format. I can’t confirm for sure, since I don’t have the physical book, but I feel as though the lengthy Shakespeare excerpts might not have been as enjoyable to me personally if I didn’t have Petkoff reading them out to me. It was like listening to a radio play, which was engaging.

I can say that I absolutely loved this book, while I recognize it won’t be for everyone. The dark, shadowy, slightly surreal atmosphere really set a specific mood that was right up my alley. The characters, while absolutely pretentious and not exactly likable, were full of drama and compelling, fitting for a bunch of theater kids. I got very attached to them to the point where I was getting emotional as the plot unfolded. While all of the characters were larger than life, and made every wrong decision possible, their motivations and feelings were relatable. I would never want to be friends with these people, but they were definitely interesting to read about. And that ending? Threw me through a loop.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys dark academia, because those vibes were IMMACULATE. If you enjoy character-driven stories and immoral characters, this is also absolutely for you. I would NOT recommend this if characters making the obviously wrong decisions frustrates you. I can’t think of a single moment where someone made what I would consider the right decision. I loved that in this case, since it fit the theme of it being like a Shakespearean tragedy, but I can see it getting on someone’s nerves. 

Madeline Miller has such a way of making characters who are literally above humanity feel human. I know OF Circe. I know OF Daedalus and Icarus and the dangers of flying too close to the sun. I know OF Hermes and his tricks, and OF Athena and her cunning. But the way this book talks about them and the plethora of other characters included, I suddenly know them personally. These gods and goddesses and demigods and nymphs and monsters are all 3D and relatable. I felt the same way about The Song of Achilles, and is a huge credit to Miller's writing and expertise in the field.

What is also brilliant is that this story could have easily gone from "the story of Circe" to "the story of the heroes that surround Circe." But even if the story was centered on other characters for the time being, you cared about Circe, and felt her sorrows and joys (but mostly sorrows) along with her.

I think if you're read anything by Madeline Miller, it goes without saying that her prose is beautiful. It is touching and magical, and when it needs to be, grisly. It really makes the stories feel legendary and gives them the epic weight they deserve.

Overall, I would recommend this to anyone who loves a slow, character-driven story. And I think you can enjoy this book no matter how familiar you are with the original mythology. It's written very accessibly.