First published 2018
Elizabeth Lavenza starves under an abusive caregiver when the Frankenstein family rescues her. They bring her to their estate to befriend their strange, solitary son Victor. Elizabeth transforms herself into exactly what Victor needs. She earns silk dresses, warm beds, and rich meals by managing his moods and indulging his twisted interests. Years pass as she perfects this dangerous game. Victor grows more unstable and his experiments turn darker. Elizabeth smiles sweetly while calculating each move. Her survival depends on staying useful to a boy who could destroy her. She watches darkness spread through everything she knows. Behind her careful facade lives a girl who will do anything to avoid returning to the streets.
Genres: historical-fiction, dark-fantasy, 19th-century, gothic
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Frankenstein Estate
Period: 19th-century
304 pages · Hardcover · Delacorte Press
Content warnings: abuse, violence