by K. Ancrum
First published 2026
Victor Frankenstein needs his university classmates to respect his theories. The seventeen-year-old prodigy makes a wager with the most popular student after public mockery of his academic work. He promises to discover human reanimation before graduation. Victor kidnaps Elias Hilfiker from a nearby village and destroys his body through untested alchemy. Elias wakes up voiceless, scarred, and stitched together. His community banishes him. Victor's botched alchemy creates an unwanted bond between them. They feel each other's emotions constantly. Elias vows revenge against his tormentor before God and Man. Victor tries to undo his terrible mistake. They chase each other across Europe as hunter and hunted. Victor struggles under the burden of his crimes. Elias discovers new powers in a world that once left him helpless.
Genres: science-fiction-fantasy, historical-fiction, horror, young-adult, dark-fantasy, dark-academia
Vibes: dark, emotionally-charged, gothic, intense, psychological, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, forced-proximity, power-imbalance, revenge-arc
Setting: Europe, University, Village
Period: 19th-century
378 pages · Hardcover · HarperCollins
Content warnings: abuse, body-horror, kidnapping, violence