The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White (November Young Adult Historical Fiction Book of the Month) Starts 16 November, 2018

[Ora]

Can't wait to do DQ's. I have the audio and will pick up the e-book next week if I don't get it from my library when the buddy read starts.

[Jammin Jenny]

Discussion Questions Part 1 (pg 1-124)

1. I love this quote in the story. “Justine did not have to pretend, as she always seemed genuinely unaware of the effect we had on men. I, however, was perfectly aware of my beauty. I considered it a skill, alongside speaking French, English, Italian, and German. It was a language of its own, in a way; on that translated well in different circumstances.” What does this tell you about the different characters of Justine and Elizabeth?

2. Elizabeth truly seems able to control Victor’s dark character. She helps him clean up after the incident with his younger brother, and comes up with a story to help save Victor. Why do you think she is able to do that when no-one else seems able to control him?

3. When Henry proposes to Elizabeth, she immediately begins to worry whether she can be the wife he needs. But she decides to send him to Victor to ask for his blessing. She figures there can be two outcomes - one Victor will return to her and ask her to marry him, or two Victor will give his blessing and she can marry Henry. This “plot” comes from feeling desperate to belong and the fear of not being needed by the Frankenstein’s anymore. What would you do if you felt that way?

4. When Elizabeth burns down the house that Victor was using for his experiments, she hears a large splash in the river. Who do you think it was fleeing the burning building? Do you think it’s the same man Elizabeth saw out her window at the boarding house and out of her carriage? Or do you think her mind is playing tricks on her?

5. Re-tellings are now one of my favorite new genres. Do you like this retelling of the Frankenstein story so far? What other re-tellings have you read that you really liked?

[Lisa - (Aussie Girl)]

Discussion Questions Part 1 (pg 1-124)

1. I love this quote in the story. “Justine did not have to pretend, as she always seemed genuinely unaware of the effect we had on men. I, however, was perfectly aware of my beauty. I considered it a skill, alongside speaking French, English, Italian, and German. It was a language of its own, in a way; on that translated well in different circumstances.” What does this tell you about the different characters of Justine and Elizabeth?

The first thing that comes to mind is that Elizabeth is a leader and Justine is a follower. Both have had difficult circumstances in their lives so far and how they handle these circumstances is quite different. It has made Elizabeth become very aware of how to survive and tougher perhaps whilst Justine with a softer nature seems almost stoic in her seemingly denial of such things as her attractiveness.

2. Elizabeth truly seems able to control Victor’s dark character. She helps him clean up after the incident with his younger brother, and comes up with a story to help save Victor. Why do you think she is able to do that when no-one else seems able to control him?

It seems she has a skill to know what are the right techniques to control Victor. She is obviously very intelligent and by devoting herself to him taps into his possessive nature. And therefore she gets the security she craves. A co-dependent and pretty unhealthy relationship really.

3. When Henry proposes to Elizabeth, she immediately begins to worry whether she can be the wife he needs. But she decides to send him to Victor to ask for his blessing. She figures there can be two outcomes - one Victor will return to her and ask her to marry him, or two Victor will give his blessing and she can marry Henry. This “plot” comes from feeling desperate to belong and the fear of not being needed by the Frankenstein’s anymore. What would you do if you felt that way?

Difficult to put myself into the circumstances, she is really playing both of them against each other for her own ends. I can understand it given her feelings of insecurity but it is certainly not an admirable trait in her character.

4. When Elizabeth burns down the house that Victor was using for his experiments, she hears a large splash in the river. Who do you think it was fleeing the burning building? Do you think it’s the same man Elizabeth saw out her window at the boarding house and out of her carriage? Or do you think her mind is playing tricks on her?

It's definitely Victor's creation obvious if you are familiar with the story. But for Elizabeth it is a valid explanation at this time in the story.

5. Re-tellings are now one of my favorite new genres. Do you like this retelling of the Frankenstein story so far? What other re-tellings have you read that you really liked?

I really like the descriptive way it is written, it is a while since I read the original but it seems quite in keeping with the story. Reading the author's notes it is an homage to the original. One of my favourite Australian authors is Kate Forsyth who has written some beautiful re-tellings of classic fairytales.

[Ashley]

Discussion Questions Part 1 (pg 1-124)

1. I love this quote in the story. “Justine did not have to pretend, as she always seemed genuinely unaware of the effect we had on men. I, however, was perfectly aware of my beauty. I considered it a skill, alongside speaking French, English, Italian, and German. It was a language of its own, in a way; on that translated well in different circumstances.” What does this tell you about the different characters of Justine and Elizabeth?

There really could not have been 2 characters more different than each other than these two. This kind of told me that Justine wasn’t always looking for a way to get an advantage over people, or how she can use certain things to get her way or what she wanted. She was just genuinely a nice person. But Elizabeth was always trying to get the upper hand in every single situation she found herself in.

2. Elizabeth truly seems able to control Victor’s dark character. She helps him clean up after the incident with his younger brother, and comes up with a story to help save Victor. Why do you think she is able to do that when no-one else seems able to control him?

I kind of think maybe people knew she was lying, but would rather believe that Victor was innocent, or maybe they were all afraid of him. They believed what they wanted to believe and Elizabeth made that easy.

3. When Henry proposes to Elizabeth, she immediately begins to worry whether she can be the wife he needs. But she decides to send him to Victor to ask for his blessing. She figures there can be two outcomes - one Victor will return to her and ask her to marry him, or two Victor will give his blessing and she can marry Henry. This “plot” comes from feeling desperate to belong and the fear of not being needed by the Frankenstein’s anymore. What would you do if you felt that way?

First, this made me so mad at her. Henry was so sweet and innocent and she was so obsessed with Victor. But then I have to think of Elizabeth and how she has been abandoned and is so scared of her future and trying to make sure she is okay, so I suppose, if I really try, I can see why she did it. I just wish Henry wasn’t her pawn. Maybe I would do something similar in her situation? It’s so hard to put myself in those shoes.

4. When Elizabeth burns down the house that Victor was using for his experiments, she hears a large splash in the river. Who do you think it was fleeing the burning building? Do you think it’s the same man Elizabeth saw out her window at the boarding house and out of her carriage? Or do you think her mind is playing tricks on her?

I think it was the man she keeps seeing, definitely. Elizabeth is a lot of things, but she always seemed pretty in control of her mind to me.

5. Re-tellings are now one of my favorite new genres. Do you like this retelling of the Frankenstein story so far? What other re-tellings have you read that you really liked

I actually never saw this movie (is it a movie?) or read the book, so this was totally new to me. I had no clue who any of these characters were. I have been really liking retellings lately. I liked the Lunar Chronicles, Sea Witch was great and unexpected, and I love almost any Beauty and the Beast retelling.

[Vicki]

My library still doesn’t even have the book in. I might have to bow out or break down and buy it.

How does everyone like it so far?

[SandyC]

Vicki wrote: "My library still doesn’t even have the book in. I might have to bow out or break down and buy it.

How does everyone like it so far?"

I just finished. It was really good -- better than I expected!

[SandyC]

Discussion Questions Part 1 (pg 1-124)

1. I love this quote in the story. “Justine did not have to pretend, as she always seemed genuinely unaware of the effect we had on men. I, however, was perfectly aware of my beauty. I considered it a skill, alongside speaking French, English, Italian, and German. It was a language of its own, in a way; on that translated well in different circumstances.” What does this tell you about the different characters of Justine and Elizabeth?

Elizabeth has spent her life trying to please everyone in order to ensure her security. She feels that at any time she could be sent away from the Frankensteins into a life of poverty. She does anything she can to stay in the family's good graces -- especially Victor. She doesn't even know her true self since she's just been playing a part. Justine, on the other hand, is content to be a governess to Edward and William. She is grateful for being rescued from her abusive mother. She has no other ambition and no fear of losing her current position. She believes she will care for Elizabeth's children eventually. In other words, job security! Justine has always been herself rather than playing a role.


2. Elizabeth truly seems able to control Victor’s dark character. She helps him clean up after the incident with his younger brother, and comes up with a story to help save Victor. Why do you think she is able to do that when no-one else seems able to control him?

Elizabeth has one goal: to not be sent away. She will do anything -- include play along with Victor's insane ideas -- to keep her position. I think her mind ignores the terrifying reality of Victor so that she can focus on staying safe and secure. I think Victor's family is afraid of him, or at least afraid of confronting the fact that he is psychopath.


3. When Henry proposes to Elizabeth, she immediately begins to worry whether she can be the wife he needs. But she decides to send him to Victor to ask for his blessing. She figures there can be two outcomes - one Victor will return to her and ask her to marry him, or two Victor will give his blessing and she can marry Henry. This “plot” comes from feeling desperate to belong and the fear of not being needed by the Frankenstein’s anymore. What would you do if you felt that way?

It's hard to imagine feeling that kind of desperation as a woman who has the freedom to work and support myself. Elizabeth has very little options. She needs to marry or at least keep her place as a "cousin" in the family household. The other choice is struggle and hardship.


4. When Elizabeth burns down the house that Victor was using for his experiments, she hears a large splash in the river. Who do you think it was fleeing the burning building? Do you think it’s the same man Elizabeth saw out her window at the boarding house and out of her carriage? Or do you think her mind is playing tricks on her?

From reading the novel Frankenstein my guess is that it was the "monster."

5. Re-tellings are now one of my favorite new genres. Do you like this retelling of the Frankenstein story so far? What other re-tellings have you read that you really liked? e

I haven't read a lot of retellings. One that I really love is Daughter of the Forest.

[Lisa - (Aussie Girl)]

Oh yes, Juliet Marillier is a fantastic writer. I've read all of hers.

[Rebecca]

Discussion Questions Part 1 (pg 1-124)

1. I love this quote in the story. “Justine did not have to pretend, as she always seemed genuinely unaware of the effect we had on men. I, however, was perfectly aware of my beauty. I considered it a skill, alongside speaking French, English, Italian, and German. It was a language of its own, in a way; on that translated well in different circumstances.” What does this tell you about the different characters of Justine and Elizabeth?
I loved this quote too! I could really picture them together when she said this. I am actually starting to get a bit suspicious of how perfectly naive Justine is (maybe it’s just the dark and creepy nature of this novel getting to me). I love how smart and tricky Elizabeth seems and I definitely think they are either total opposites, or Justine even has Elizabeth fooled.

2. Elizabeth truly seems able to control Victor’s dark character. She helps him clean up after the incident with his younger brother, and comes up with a story to help save Victor. Why do you think she is able to do that when no-one else seems able to control him?
This part made me sick. I couldn’t believe that she would go through all that to hide what Victor did to his brother! Ugh! I think they have a weird obsession with each other, and both Victor and Elizabeth think they have a special control on the other. It’s very strange.

3. When Henry proposes to Elizabeth, she immediately begins to worry whether she can be the wife he needs. But she decides to send him to Victor to ask for his blessing. She figures there can be two outcomes - one Victor will return to her and ask her to marry him, or two Victor will give his blessing and she can marry Henry. This “plot” comes from feeling desperate to belong and the fear of not being needed by the Frankenstein’s anymore. What would you do if you felt that way?
She is so sneaky! I am kind of a wimp so I don’t know if I would be able to do this, I would be way too afraid of Victor’s reaction.

4. When Elizabeth burns down the house that Victor was using for his experiments, she hears a large splash in the river. Who do you think it was fleeing the burning building? Do you think it’s the same man Elizabeth saw out her window at the boarding house and out of her carriage? Or do you think her mind is playing tricks on her?
I think there definitely was someone, but I can’t figure out who. I sort of suspected it was Henry hiding out.

5. Re-tellings are now one of my favorite new genres. Do you like this retelling of the Frankenstein story so far? What other re-tellings have you read that you really liked?
I really do, it’s perfectly creepy! I absolutely love retellings and that’s why I picked this up (even though I’ve never actually read Frankenstein before). I love The Lunar Chronicle books as retellings!

[Katy]

1. I love this quote in the story. “Justine did not have to pretend, as she always seemed genuinely unaware of the effect we had on men. I, however, was perfectly aware of my beauty. I considered it a skill, alongside speaking French, English, Italian, and German. It was a language of its own, in a way; on that translated well in different circumstances.” What does this tell you about the different characters of Justine and Elizabeth? 

To me, this quote revealed that Elizabeth's character was much colder and conniving vs Justine's. Elizabeth seemed to constantly be on the defensive, and had learned that she had to use every tool in her power to accomplish her goals. To her, the fact that she was beautiful, and that men noticed that, was just another thing she could use to manipulate others.

2. Elizabeth truly seems able to control Victor’s dark character. She helps him clean up after the incident with his younger brother, and comes up with a story to help save Victor. Why do you think she is able to do that when no-one else seems able to control him?

Other people were too afraid of Victor and did not think he could be controlled. In a way, I don't believe he could be controlled either. Elizabeth was much more afraid of being thrust out into the world with nothing then she was of Victor. She was willing to do anything, and justify anything, in order to protect herself and the life she now knew.

3. When Henry proposes to Elizabeth, she immediately begins to worry whether she can be the wife he needs. But she decides to send him to Victor to ask for his blessing. She figures there can be two outcomes - one Victor will return to her and ask her to marry him, or two Victor will give his blessing and she can marry Henry. This “plot” comes from feeling desperate to belong and the fear of not being needed by the Frankenstein’s anymore. What would you do if you felt that way?

Honestly, I have no idea what I would do if I felt that way. Sometimes it is exceeding difficult to put oneself in someone else's shoes. Too much goes into our underlying psyche that controls our reactions to situations. In Elizabeth's situation, she is constantly terrified by the idea of having no one to take care of her, even referencing at one point the fact that because she had not been taken on as a servant but as a companion for Victor, she had been educated but not in any ways that could secure her own livelihood if the Frankensteins no longer had a need for her. In that time period, when women were not as independent as they are now, it was likely a very valid concern and fear for a young girl to have. Especially as Elizabeth did not know her true family roots.

4. When Elizabeth burns down the house that Victor was using for his experiments, she hears a large splash in the river. Who do you think it was fleeing the burning building? Do you think it’s the same man Elizabeth saw out her window at the boarding house and out of her carriage? Or do you think her mind is playing tricks on her?

This is a tough one as we all have heard the story of Frankenstein before. That story influences my thoughts on this one as of course I believe it was the creation of Victor that fled the building and that Elizabeth saw out the window and outside of the carriage. Based only on this novel and the progress I have made on it so far, there is no evidence yet to support that opinion...and Elizabeth's mind may be playing tricks on her at this point. She does know that Victor had a fascination with discovering the inner workings of the body, especially based on her memory of the incident with the deer in the forest and Victor's fascination with the corpse game. Those memories, coupled with her fears of being discharged by Judge Frankenstein and her desperate need to feel secure in her role in Victor's life, all could lead to paranoia and seeing things that might not really be there.

5. Re-tellings are now one of my favorite new genres. Do you like this retelling of the Frankenstein story so far? What other re-tellings have you read that you really liked?

So far I am loving this re-telling and the different angle it gives to the classic story. I personally haven't read may re-tellings and cannot think of one off the top of my head that I really liked – but I am enjoying this one and am open to trying more re-tellings going forward.

[Judith]

Discussion Questions Part 1 (pg 1-124)

1. I love this quote in the story. “Justine did not have to pretend, as she always seemed genuinely unaware of the effect we had on men. I, however, was perfectly aware of my beauty. I considered it a skill, alongside speaking French, English, Italian, and German. It was a language of its own, in a way; on that translated well in different circumstances.” What does this tell you about the different characters of Justine and Elizabeth?

Elizabeth is very aware of the limitations her gender puts on her and the value society puts on her. Honestly, if Elizabeth were a man, she would probably grow up to be a titan of some industry or run the country or whatever. But since she isn't and can't confirm her origins (family lines) her value even as a wife isn't much. So she uses everything at her disposal to maintain her station. In other words, Elizabeth is a master hustler. Justine is her perfect character foil, honest and simple, in that she just wants to do her job, love those children, and be safe. That is enough for her.

2. Elizabeth truly seems able to control Victor’s dark character. She helps him clean up after the incident with his younger brother, and comes up with a story to help save Victor. Why do you think she is able to do that when no-one else seems able to control him?

She isn't afraid of him, or at least not in the same way everyone else is. Victor is a true predator who senses fear and he doesn't get that from Elizabeth so he reacts differently to her. And I think he knows she is helping him to keep doing whatever it is he is doing, so he goes along with her.

3. When Henry proposes to Elizabeth, she immediately begins to worry whether she can be the wife he needs. But she decides to send him to Victor to ask for his blessing. She figures there can be two outcomes - one Victor will return to her and ask her to marry him, or two Victor will give his blessing and she can marry Henry. This “plot” comes from feeling desperate to belong and the fear of not being needed by the Frankenstein’s anymore. What would you do if you felt that way?

Probably whatever I had to to survive. I think it's hard for us to really understand what it was like for someone like Elizabeth and what her options truly were. It still isn't perfect for women today, but we are light years ahead compared to Elizabeth's time. I respect her for not just snapping up Henry and wanting him to have a happy wife that loved him easily. But I don't blame her for having a backup plan.

4. When Elizabeth burns down the house that Victor was using for his experiments, she hears a large splash in the river. Who do you think it was fleeing the burning building? Do you think it’s the same man Elizabeth saw out her window at the boarding house and out of her carriage? Or do you think her mind is playing tricks on her?

I'm assuming it was the monster Victor created but that comes more from my reading of the original story. If I hadn't read Frankenstein, I'm not sure if I would have any idea what or who it was.

5. Re-tellings are now one of my favorite new genres. Do you like this retelling of the Frankenstein story so far? What other re-tellings have you read that you really liked?

I like retellings like this. Ones that are from a different perspective or are more inspired by, opposed to simply modernizing them. I really enjoyed Uprooted and am looking forward to reading Spinning Silver. I also loved the Lunar Chronicles.

[Ora]

Discussion Questions Part 1 (pg 1-124)

1. I love this quote in the story. “Justine did not have to pretend, as she always seemed genuinely unaware of the effect we had on men. I, however, was perfectly aware of my beauty. I considered it a skill, alongside speaking French, English, Italian, and German. It was a language of its own, in a way; on that translated well in different circumstances.” What does this tell you about the different characters of Justine and Elizabeth?
Elizabeth always had to make herself useful and indispensable. With the limitations of women in society, Elizabeth realized that her beauty helps her gets what she wants.

2. Elizabeth truly seems able to control Victor’s dark character. She helps him clean up after the incident with his younger brother, and comes up with a story to help save Victor. Why do you think she is able to do that when no-one else seems able to control him?
I think she has a gift with reading people, which helped her with being able to calm and guide Victor. I don’t really see her controlling him. I think he realizes that she will protect him and accepts him without wanting to change his behavior.
3. When Henry proposes to Elizabeth, she immediately begins to worry whether she can be the wife he needs. But she decides to send him to Victor to ask for his blessing. She figures there can be two outcomes - one Victor will return to her and ask her to marry him, or two Victor will give his blessing and she can marry Henry. This “plot” comes from feeling desperate to belong and the fear of not being needed by the Frankenstein’s anymore. What would you do if you felt that way?
I didn’t like the strife she caused between Victor and Henry. I understand why she did it, and I am not sure if I wouldn't do the same thing if my future was as precarious as her.
4. When Elizabeth burns down the house that Victor was using for his experiments, she hears a large splash in the river. Who do you think it was fleeing the burning building? Do you think it’s the same man Elizabeth saw out her window at the boarding house and out of her carriage? Or do you think her mind is playing tricks on her?
I think it’s the same man/creature. I even considered maybe Victor got so mad at Henry when he asked for Elizabeth’s hand that he used him in his experiment. It’s probably just my imagination about Henry being turned into a creature and thinking he is following Elizabeth because on some level he remembers or knows her. Elizabeth probably got someone’s attention after she burned down Victor’s lodgings and now curious about her.
5. Re-tellings are now one of my favorite new genres. Do you like this retelling of the Frankenstein story so far? What other re-tellings have you read that you really liked?
I am enjoying it so far.
I enjoy retellings. I loved the Lunar Chronicles and Hyde

[Alysa]

Discussion Questions Part 1 (pg 1-124)

1. I love this quote in the story. “Justine did not have to pretend, as she always seemed genuinely unaware of the effect we had on men. I, however, was perfectly aware of my beauty. I considered it a skill, alongside speaking French, English, Italian, and German. It was a language of its own, in a way; on that translated well in different circumstances.” What does this tell you about the different characters of Justine and Elizabeth?

Rather than telling me anything about Justine and Elizabeth, I think this tells me instead about Elizabeth -- a rather cynical and extremely calculating person, by necessity -- and Elizabeth's view of Justine, whom I think Elizabeth idealizes as a sort of symbol of simplicity and guilelessness, which are qualities that Elizabeth herself can never have. Justine may very well be simple and guileless, but could just as easily have unplumbed depths.

2. Elizabeth truly seems able to control Victor’s dark character. She helps him clean up after the incident with his younger brother, and comes up with a story to help save Victor. Why do you think she is able to do that when no-one else seems able to control him?

She is just so very good at reading people! It's that cynicism again, and self-preservation. She uses all of this to do whatever she thinks needs doing in any given situation, even if it means hiding some truly awful things. I'm starting to suspect that the "dark descent" of the title refers to Elizabeth's choosing paths that are ultimately more harmful than good, in the name of saving herself and her supposedly beloved Victor.

3. When Henry proposes to Elizabeth, she immediately begins to worry whether she can be the wife he needs. But she decides to send him to Victor to ask for his blessing. She figures there can be two outcomes - one Victor will return to her and ask her to marry him, or two Victor will give his blessing and she can marry Henry. This “plot” comes from feeling desperate to belong and the fear of not being needed by the Frankenstein’s anymore. What would you do if you felt that way?

LOL, I would probably attempt some calculations and manipulation like what Elizabeth does, but I'd completely fail at it because I'm neither dishonest nor as cunning as she is.

However, I think this "plot" also comes indirectly from the plight of women in that time and place -- Elizabeth fears, and quite rightly so, that she will basically be reduced to nothing if she loses the social and financial support that her place with the Frankenstein family provides. It's not so shocking that she'd try to maneuver to keep it, or at least the security that Henry would provide if she were to marry him instead (her scruples about their suitability as a couple notwithstanding).
That being said, this could also be another layer of meaning to the "dark descent" -- this time having to do with Elizabeth's love of material wealth and her fear of her past.


4. When Elizabeth burns down the house that Victor was using for his experiments, she hears a large splash in the river. Who do you think it was fleeing the burning building? Do you think it’s the same man Elizabeth saw out her window at the boarding house and out of her carriage? Or do you think her mind is playing tricks on her?

Well… this being a Frankenstein retelling, there's about a 95% chance that it's Frankenstein's monster! Unless in this version it's, like, a cuckoo manifestation of Elizabeth's own issues or something!

5. Re-tellings are now one of my favorite new genres. Do you like this retelling of the Frankenstein story so far? What other re-tellings have you read that you really liked?

I am liking this book so far. It is surprisingly dark for YA, even more so than I expected -- and I expected a lot of darkness here! Then again it could also be my own reading of the story that's extradark.

Robin McKinley's Beauty and the Beast stories have been pretty good. I've also enjoyed the dark fairytale retellings by Tanith Lee, and of course Angela Carter.
Some other people have mentioned The Lunar Chronicles -- I quite liked Cinder but I didn't like Scarlet so much (those are the only two I've read so far).

[Judith]

Discussion Questions Part 2 (Ch 12 to 16)

6)Sometimes we are strangers even to ourselves
Another great quote in this book! Do you think Elizabeth was just referring to Henry here or about all 3 of them? She seems quite restless and unsettled since finding Victor. Why do you think this is?

7) It's fairly well established a this point that everyone is frightened of Victor to the point where most seem to want to avoid him as much as possible. Elizabeth comments that at night when she was scared and having horrible nightmares she went to Victor. And sleeping by his side, she had no nightmares. Why do you think that is?

8) Why do you think everyone was so willing to believe Justine killed William? To believe her going mad so suddenly and randomly? Do you think she actually did it? If not, who do you think it was?

9) Elizabeth sees her actions towards saving Justine from her previous life as the only selfless thing she has done in her life. Do you think her actions were truly selfless though?

10) Upon seeing the monster having a conversation with Victor, that Victor appears to lose, Elizabeth's reaction is to find out what it is holding over Victor, remove the hold, then kill the monster. Do you think this is a normal reaction? What would you have done?

[Alysa]

Discussion Questions Part 2 (Ch 12 to 16)

6)Sometimes we are strangers even to ourselves
Another great quote in this book! Do you think Elizabeth was just referring to Henry here or about all 3 of them? She seems quite restless and unsettled since finding Victor. Why do you think this is?

She's definitely referring to all 3 of them -- or, well, all people. She doesn't truly know what she wants, and finding Victor is bringing home the truth of her circumstances more than anything else has up to this point.

7) It's fairly well established a this point that everyone is frightened of Victor to the point where most seem to want to avoid him as much as possible. Elizabeth comments that at night when she was scared and having horrible nightmares she went to Victor. And sleeping by his side, she had no nightmares. Why do you think that is?

Huh! Interesting question! Perhaps, since she is one of the only people who knows what Victor is really capable of, sleeping next to him provides a sort of psychological safety of knowing, rather than merely wondering, what he's up to at that moment.


8) Why do you think everyone was so willing to believe Justine killed William? To believe her going mad so suddenly and randomly? Do you think she actually did it? If not, who do you think it was?

People love a good scapegoat! It tracks with historical record that circumstancial evidence would be taken as proof of guilt, and that Justine's mother's mental problems would be taken as evidence against Justine too.

I don't think Justine killed William. Even if I didn't think he was killed by the monster (which lines up with the death of the kid in the original Frankenstein, no?), I've started to think that Justine really is as good as she's seemed -- as good as Elizabeth has seen her -- from the beginning.

9) Elizabeth sees her actions towards saving Justine from her previous life as the only selfless thing she has done in her life. Do you think her actions were truly selfless though?

Nope. Not a bit. I think Elizabeth's original attempt at saving Justine from her mother's ill treatment may have been reflexively selfless, but getting her a place as a governess in the Frankenstein home, and nealry everything Elizabeth has done for Justine since then, has been just as much for Elizabeth's own benefit as Justine's, if not more so. Elizabeth sees Justine as the One Good True Thing in her life, and wants to keep her.

10) Upon seeing the monster having a conversation with Victor, that Victor appears to lose, Elizabeth's reaction is to find out what it is holding over Victor, remove the hold, then kill the monster. Do you think this is a normal reaction? What would you have done?

Not a normal reaction! Elizabeth is so used to manipulation and emotional blackmail, so to speak, that she assumes others must be doing it too. Even scary monsters! And she cannot begin to fathom the real “hold” that the monster has. I don’t know what I would do. Elizabeth is in a very tough position here.

[Ashley]

Discussion Questions Part 2 (Ch 12 to 16)

6)Sometimes we are strangers even to ourselves
Another great quote in this book! Do you think Elizabeth was just referring to Henry here or about all 3 of them? She seems quite restless and unsettled since finding Victor. Why do you think this is?

I would say she was referring to all 3 of them. I don't think they really knew what they were doing half of the time, or had so many secrets they didn't even know what the truth was anymore.

7) It's fairly well established a this point that everyone is frightened of Victor to the point where most seem to want to avoid him as much as possible. Elizabeth comments that at night when she was scared and having horrible nightmares she went to Victor. And sleeping by his side, she had no nightmares. Why do you think that is?

I'm thinking because she felt safe with him, since she knew no one would mess with him since they were all so afraid of him, and knew he was a little crazy.

8) Why do you think everyone was so willing to believe Justine killed William? To believe her going mad so suddenly and randomly? Do you think she actually did it? If not, who do you think it was?

I was so mad about this! Poor Justine. I think she was just an easy person to blame it on, they probably knew she wouldnt put up much of a fight. I would never think she did it. I think it was either the new Henry or Victor, because he was jealous of Elizabeth's closeness to her.

9) Elizabeth sees her actions towards saving Justine from her previous life as the only selfless thing she has done in her life. Do you think her actions were truly selfless though?

No, I think she thought she had someone that would owe her and then at least she would never be totally alone.

10) Upon seeing the monster having a conversation with Victor, that Victor appears to lose, Elizabeth's reaction is to find out what it is holding over Victor, remove the hold, then kill the monster. Do you think this is a normal reaction? What would you have done?

No, I think this is another way that she was so blind and just thought that Victor could do no wrong, or that even if he did, it wasn't really his fault somehow. I would have tried to find out what they were talking about, and what exactly Victor was up to.

[Lisa - (Aussie Girl)]

Discussion Questions Part 2 (Ch 12 to 16)

6)Sometimes we are strangers even to ourselves
Another great quote in this book! Do you think Elizabeth was just referring to Henry here or about all 3 of them? She seems quite restless and unsettled since finding Victor. Why do you think this is?

I think she was referring to humans in general. People often aren't terribly self aware or bury emotions deep inside or portray on the outside a different persona to their real self. Pretty deep stuff! And in this book all the characters seem to be guilty of that, except perhaps sweet Justine.

7) It's fairly well established a this point that everyone is frightened of Victor to the point where most seem to want to avoid him as much as possible. Elizabeth comments that at night when she was scared and having horrible nightmares she went to Victor. And sleeping by his side, she had no nightmares. Why do you think that is?

Elizabeth has had such an unsettled and insecure childhood she clings to Victor and the life he offers as a lifeline. She is even able to supress her doubts about him and his demons though an intelligent girl like herself must have them. The need for security over rides this for her.

8) Why do you think everyone was so willing to believe Justine killed William? To believe her going mad so suddenly and randomly? Do you think she actually did it? If not, who do you think it was?

People often believe what is easiest or what they want to believe. Justine is the scapegoat so they can put it behind them and carry on without thinking the worst. At this point the book is alluding that the Monster killed William but knowing how twisted Victor is it could easily be him.

9) Elizabeth sees her actions towards saving Justine from her previous life as the only selfless thing she has done in her life. Do you think her actions were truly selfless though?

No, having Justine around fulfilled a need for Elizabeth both emotionally and also so she didn't have to nursemaid to the younger children and she could devote her self to Victor.

10) Upon seeing the monster having a conversation with Victor, that Victor appears to lose, Elizabeth's reaction is to find out what it is holding over Victor, remove the hold, then kill the monster. Do you think this is a normal reaction? What would you have done?

Knowing what we know of Elizabeth this reaction is normal for her. She is devoted to VIctor for her own ends and needs and protecting him protects what she doesn't want to lose, her security and someone who loves her. It has blinded her to the truth of what he is. What would I have done.. difficult to know under such extreme circumstances. Probably try and get away from the whole twisted family!

[Ashleigh]

Discussion Questions Part 1 (pg 1-124)

1. I love this quote in the story. “Justine did not have to pretend, as she always seemed genuinely unaware of the effect we had on men. I, however, was perfectly aware of my beauty. I considered it a skill, alongside speaking French, English, Italian, and German. It was a language of its own, in a way; on that translated well in different circumstances.” What does this tell you about the different characters of Justine and Elizabeth?

We can tell in the beginning that Elizabeth is very self-aware and sure of herself. She's had to adapt and behave in a certain way to maintain her life, whereas Justine was abused by her mother and as a result of this, has become insecure and nervous. Because of her self-awareness, Elizabeth has been able to read other people and figure out how to manipulate them for her advantage. Justine, on the other hand, has never had to do that and never had to prove herself to the Frankensteins, and therefore acts more naturally around people and is not hyper aware of people around her.

2. Elizabeth truly seems able to control Victor’s dark character. She helps him clean up after the incident with his younger brother, and comes up with a story to help save Victor. Why do you think she is able to do that when no-one else seems able to control him?

At multiple times throughout the first 11 chapters, we're told that Elizabeth was 'given' to Victor as a 'gift'. Both Elizabeth and Victor believe she belongs to him, and it shows in her behaviour. She believes that if something happens to him, she will be sent away and so she has to manipulate him and cover up his actions so she can continue living with them. I believe they do love each other in a weird twisted way, but I think there is a lot of manipulation on Elizabeth's side. After whatever happened with the second Frankenstein son, I think Victor sees Elizabeth as his chance at redemption ((view spoiler)[I believe he had something to do with his brother's death (hide spoiler)]), and he is also eager to make her happy.

3. When Henry proposes to Elizabeth, she immediately begins to worry whether she can be the wife he needs. But she decides to send him to Victor to ask for his blessing. She figures there can be two outcomes - one Victor will return to her and ask her to marry him, or two Victor will give his blessing and she can marry Henry. This “plot” comes from feeling desperate to belong and the fear of not being needed by the Frankenstein’s anymore. What would you do if you felt that way?

Again, Elizabeth shows how manipulative she is in this scenario. Desperately she wants Victor to return home so she can feel like she belongs again, but she's not stupid. She knows that Henry is a kind man and would not treat her wrongly. I believe Henry was her back-up plan. If Victor does not want to come home and gives Henry his blessing, it would prove that the Frankensteins don't need her anymore and she could instead go to live comfortably with Henry. I don't believe it's a good idea to marry someone just because you want to feel needed by someone. We've all been insecure in a relationship at some point in our lives, but Elizabeth is playing dangerously at this point and could end up losing both relationships if she's not careful.

4. When Elizabeth burns down the house that Victor was using for his experiments, she hears a large splash in the river. Who do you think it was fleeing the burning building? Do you think it’s the same man Elizabeth saw out her window at the boarding house and out of her carriage? Or do you think her mind is playing tricks on her?

If you've read the story of Frankenstein, or know anything about it at all, I think you can guess it's Victor's creature. I think Elizabeth knows what Victor has been up to, and maybe doesn't want to believe it, so she's trying to create a rational excuse. I believe it's the same 'man' and he is stalking Elizabeth to get revenge on Victor.

5. Re-tellings are now one of my favorite new genres. Do you like this retelling of the Frankenstein story so far? What other re-tellings have you read that you really liked?

I'm really loving the rise of the retelling in modern times. So far I'm enjoying this retelling. Elizabeth is such a side character in the original and it's very interesting to explore the story through her eyes, and to shine more insight into Victor's psyche as literally no-one knows him better. Some of my favourite retellings include Heartless by Marrisa Meyer, which is a Queen of Hearts (Alice in Wonderland) retelling/origin story, The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh which is a 1001 Nights retelling, and The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller which explores the myth of Achilles and his relationship with close friend Patroclus.

[Ashleigh]

Discussion Questions Part 2 (Ch 12 to 16)

6)Sometimes we are strangers even to ourselves
Another great quote in this book! Do you think Elizabeth was just referring to Henry here or about all 3 of them? She seems quite restless and unsettled since finding Victor. Why do you think this is?

I think she was referring to all 3 of them at this point, and people in general. I believe Elizabeth has been so restless because she's discovered what Victor has been up to. Over the years, she's been in denial about Victor's true self and has taken on the role of covering for him, and now she's been forced to realise what he is really like. Maybe she's always known but has pushed it to the back of her mind believing that the bond between them is strong enough to shadow her concerns.

7) It's fairly well established a this point that everyone is frightened of Victor to the point where most seem to want to avoid him as much as possible. Elizabeth comments that at night when she was scared and having horrible nightmares she went to Victor. And sleeping by his side, she had no nightmares. Why do you think that is?

Again, it comes down to the bond between them. She was told by her caregiver that the Frankensteins would rescue her if she behaved, and I think Elizabeth believes she will be safe with him. I think she truly believes he is her saviour and maybe that calmed her and help dispel her nightmares.

8) Why do you think everyone was so willing to believe Justine killed William? To believe her going mad so suddenly and randomly? Do you think she actually did it? If not, who do you think it was?

Often in scenarios such as this, the obvious explanation helps people come to terms with what's happened. I think it's easier for them to believe the girl in the muddy dress holding the stolen necklace is responsible, rather than a boogeyman who could be terrorising the town. I don't believe she did it, and I think the creature did it to get back at Victor for his abandonment.

9) Elizabeth sees her actions towards saving Justine from her previous life as the only selfless thing she has done in her life. Do you think her actions were truly selfless though?

Maybe she believes it was selfless, 'saving' the girl from her mother. But that was all based on one interaction. I don't think it was truly selfless. She hired Justine so there was someone to look after the boys, relieving her from having to do that, so she can devote more time to Victor.

10) Upon seeing the monster having a conversation with Victor, that Victor appears to lose, Elizabeth's reaction is to find out what it is holding over Victor, remove the hold, then kill the monster. Do you think this is a normal reaction? What would you have done?

I think, even in light of what she's discovered about Victor, Elizabeth is still feeling the bond between them. She is acting irrationally by believing she needs to intervene by discovering what hold the monster has on Victor and then killing the monster. The rational thing to do would be to go to Judge Frankenstein and tell him all she knows about Victor's 'experiments' and try to get some help from him. She cannot do this alone.

[Rebecca]

Discussion Questions Part 2 (Ch 12 to 16)

6)Sometimes we are strangers even to ourselves
Another great quote in this book! Do you think Elizabeth was just referring to Henry here or about all 3 of them? She seems quite restless and unsettled since finding Victor. Why do you think this is?
I definitely think all 3 of them. I bet she cannot imagine how her life took these turns and even when she thought she knew Victor better than everyone, she was so wrong. I think she ignored the warning signs about him when she could only think of her own future. I think Henry seems to be the least surprising character.

7) It's fairly well established a this point that everyone is frightened of Victor to the point where most seem to want to avoid him as much as possible. Elizabeth comments that at night when she was scared and having horrible nightmares she went to Victor. And sleeping by his side, she had no nightmares. Why do you think that is?
Again, their relationship seems so strange to me...so much like an obsession. I think she has manipulated herself into thinking that only Victor can save her and keep her safe, so now her subconscious finds comfort only from him. I think this is going to backfire on her...he is too much of a sociopath to be a protection for her.

8) Why do you think everyone was so willing to believe Justine killed William? To believe her going mad so suddenly and randomly? Do you think she actually did it? If not, who do you think it was?
There is now way it was her. But again I think if people suspected Victor, they would never say. Also there is really no motivation to kill William so why would anyone else have done it (in their eyes)? I am very suspicious of Victor

9) Elizabeth sees her actions towards saving Justine from her previous life as the only selfless thing she has done in her life. Do you think her actions were truly selfless though?
I think she wanted to bring someone else into her crazy world to help center. Justine was so nice and pure that she was an absolute contrast to Victor, and Elizabeth needed her to help keep herself sane.

10) Upon seeing the monster having a conversation with Victor, that Victor appears to lose, Elizabeth's reaction is to find out what it is holding over Victor, remove the hold, then kill the monster. Do you think this is a normal reaction? What would you have done?
NO. Ugh I would absolutely run. Or confront Victor about it. I think she is brave, but also so naive to think she can just set him up and kill him. And I actually don't think Victor would want him destroyed - he is proof of Victor's power and intelligence.

[JanEyre9]

1. I love this quote in the story. “Justine did not have to pretend, as she always seemed genuinely unaware of the effect we had on men. I, however, was perfectly aware of my beauty. I considered it a skill, alongside speaking French, English, Italian, and German. It was a language of its own, in a way; on that translated well in different circumstances.” What does this tell you about the different characters of Justine and Elizabeth?

Justine is a purer being. She is kind of good, Elizabeth is a performer and a manipulator, though not utterly evil as she truly loves Justine.

2. Elizabeth truly seems able to control Victor’s dark character. She helps him clean up after the incident with his younger brother, and comes up with a story to help save Victor. Why do you think she is able to do that when no-one else seems able to control him?

I think she has a similar darkness to her that speaks to Victor. Plus part of his control over her is having her want to cover for him and fix things, I think it's all self serving for Victor.

3. When Henry proposes to Elizabeth, she immediately begins to worry whether she can be the wife he needs. But she decides to send him to Victor to ask for his blessing. She figures there can be two outcomes - one Victor will return to her and ask her to marry him, or two Victor will give his blessing and she can marry Henry. This “plot” comes from feeling desperate to belong and the fear of not being needed by the Frankenstein’s anymore. What would you do if you felt that way?

I would have married Henry and moved faaaaar away!!

4. When Elizabeth burns down the house that Victor was using for his experiments, she hears a large splash in the river. Who do you think it was fleeing the burning building? Do you think it’s the same man Elizabeth saw out her window at the boarding house and out of her carriage? Or do you think her mind is playing tricks on her?

I think it's the monster and I believe he is following her now

5. Re-tellings are now one of my favorite new genres. Do you like this retelling of the Frankenstein story so far? What other re-tellings have you read that you really liked?

I really like this retelling, it's properly dark and intriguing. I also love The Lunar Chronicles

[JanEyre9]

Discussion Questions Part 2 (Ch 12 to 16)

6)Sometimes we are strangers even to ourselves
Another great quote in this book! Do you think Elizabeth was just referring to Henry here or about all 3 of them? She seems quite restless and unsettled since finding Victor. Why do you think this is?

I think Elizabeth means all 3 of them but mostly herself. I dont think she has a grasp on who she truly is or what she is capable of doing.

7) It's fairly well established a this point that everyone is frightened of Victor to the point where most seem to want to avoid him as much as possible. Elizabeth comments that at night when she was scared and having horrible nightmares she went to Victor. And sleeping by his side, she had no nightmares. Why do you think that is?

I think since Victor is so feared she feels safe with him, no one will bother her if she is near Victor.

8) Why do you think everyone was so willing to believe Justine killed William? To believe her going mad so suddenly and randomly? Do you think she actually did it? If not, who do you think it was?

I think the crime was so shocking that they want to find the easier explanation. Since she had the necklace and was "hiding" it makes her seem guilty. I think the Monster really killed William.

9) Elizabeth sees her actions towards saving Justine from her previous life as the only selfless thing she has done in her life. Do you think her actions were truly selfless though?

No. I do think she wanted to help Justine but I also think she wanted a friend and was thinking about her own life and wanted to be a savior.

10) Upon seeing the monster having a conversation with Victor, that Victor appears to lose, Elizabeth's reaction is to find out what it is holding over Victor, remove the hold, then kill the monster. Do you think this is a normal reaction? What would you have done?

Hah, nothing in this book is a normal reaction! However this is normal for Elizabeth, her life is protecting and cleaning up after Victor. I have no idea how I would have reacted, maybe by running away but where can Elizabeth go?

[Jammin Jenny]

Discussion Questions Part 2 (Ch 12 to 16)

6)Sometimes we are strangers even to ourselves
Another great quote in this book! Do you think Elizabeth was just referring to Henry here or about all 3 of them? She seems quite restless and unsettled since finding Victor. Why do you think this is?

I love this quote. I think Elizabeth was referring to herself, Henry and Victor. I think she knows something terrible has happened with Victor and his experiments and that is making her restless.

7) It's fairly well established a this point that everyone is frightened of Victor to the point where most seem to want to avoid him as much as possible. Elizabeth comments that at night when she was scared and having horrible nightmares she went to Victor. And sleeping by his side, she had no nightmares. Why do you think that is?

I think that when she is with Victor she knows that he will protect her from anything.

8) Why do you think everyone was so willing to believe Justine killed William? To believe her going mad so suddenly and randomly? Do you think she actually did it? If not, who do you think it was?

I think they looked at her mother and thought madness could run in the family. I believe the monster killed William.

9) Elizabeth sees her actions towards saving Justine from her previous life as the only selfless thing she has done in her life. Do you think her actions were truly selfless though?

No I think she needed Justine around to help her avoid the darkness inside her.

10) Upon seeing the monster having a conversation with Victor, that Victor appears to lose, Elizabeth's reaction is to find out what it is holding over Victor, remove the hold, then kill the monster. Do you think this is a normal reaction? What would you have done?

For Elizabeth yes I think it is a normal reaction. Her primary goal in life is to save Victor from himself, so if that means killing a monster she's going to do it.

[Alysa]

@Jammin Jenny

Her primary goal in life is to save Victor from himself

Do you think that is really her primary goal, above even her own comfort? I think her primary goal up to this point has been pure self-preservation, and saving Victor from himself has been a step towards that.

[megan]

1. I love this quote in the story. “Justine did not have to pretend, as she always seemed genuinely unaware of the effect we had on men. I, however, was perfectly aware of my beauty. I considered it a skill, alongside speaking French, English, Italian, and German. It was a language of its own, in a way; on that translated well in different circumstances.” What does this tell you about the different characters of Justine and Elizabeth?
Elizabeth is smart. Very smart. Street smart. She’s very much aware of her surroundings and herself. She uses the ability of her mind to pull in and process information in a way that Justine can’t. It’s an acquired knowledge. Justine’s ability to be unaware shows an immaturity that is acceptable as a teenager. It’s an immaturity that Elizabeth hasn’t had the luxury of keeping in order to stay alive.

2. Elizabeth truly seems able to control Victor’s dark character. She helps him clean up after the incident with his younger brother, and comes up with a story to help save Victor. Why do you think she is able to do that when no-one else seems able to control him?
Elizabeth has been brought into the family for the sole purpose of connecting with Vic tor. A teenage boy will want to please a pretty girl, especially one that seems just smart enough to be able to keep up with him. She’s not an authority figure. She easily explains things and shows things in a way Victor’s ‘different’ mind can grasp more easily.

3. When Henry proposes to Elizabeth, she immediately begins to worry whether she can be the wife he needs. But she decides to send him to Victor to ask for his blessing. She figures there can be two outcomes - one Victor will return to her and ask her to marry him, or two Victor will give his blessing and she can marry Henry. This “plot” comes from feeling desperate to belong and the fear of not being needed by the Frankenstein’s anymore. What would you do if you felt that way?
I’d feel the same way Elizabeth does. She needs Victor’s need of her in order to survive. Years with him have molded her into someone that a man like Henry just can’t see from the outside.

4. When Elizabeth burns down the house that Victor was using for his experiments, she hears a large splash in the river. Who do you think it was fleeing the burning building? Do you think it’s the same man Elizabeth saw out her window at the boarding house and out of her carriage? Or do you think her mind is playing tricks on her?
His monster. And yes, it’s the dark figure. Just like in the original.

5. Re-tellings are now one of my favorite new genres. Do you like this retelling of the Frankenstein story so far? What other re-tellings have you read that you really liked?
I had a hard time getting into this because of my love for the original. Why mess with perfection? This is the first real re-telling I’ve actually enjoyed. I almost gave up after the first round of questions because the original is so special to me.

6. Sometimes we are strangers even to ourselves
Another great quote in this book! Do you think Elizabeth was just referring to Henry here or about all 3 of them? She seems quite restless and unsettled since finding Victor. Why do you think this is?
She was refereeing to all of them – very much a teenager/finding yourself kind of thing. Circumstances have caused them all to change do much over a very short period of time.

7. It's fairly well established at this point that everyone is frightened of Victor to the point where most seem to want to avoid him as much as possible. Elizabeth comments that at night when she was scared and having horrible nightmares she went to Victor. And sleeping by his side, she had no nightmares. Why do you think that is?
Victor to her is home. Her life has been dedicated to his. After a while, that mentality gets so deep she needs his presence to even feel at ease.

8. Why do you think everyone was so willing to believe Justine killed William? To believe her going mad so suddenly and randomly? Do you think she actually did it? If not, who do you think it was?
Justine’s class status made it easy to point the finger at her. She has no one of any means or influence to stand up for her. There’s no way she did it. Only someone who needed him dead or his death to get rid of someone would have done it. Monster? The Judge?

9. Elizabeth sees her actions towards saving Justine from her previous life as the only selfless thing she has done in her life. Do you think her actions were truly selfless though?
No. Elizabeth needed someone as much as she needed Victor.

10. Upon seeing the monster having a conversation with Victor, that Victor appears to lose, Elizabeth's reaction is to find out what it is holding over Victor, remove the hold, then kill the monster. Do you think this is a normal reaction? What would you have done?
Yes. Victor created this thing and it obviously knows something but Victor still needs him. From Elizabeth’s point of view, if she gets rid of this monster, all the bad things that have been happening will be gone. The monster represents everything that has gone wrong since Victor left home. Her reaction is preservation. I would have passed out after seeing a spliced together human and likely need sedatives.

[Katy]

6)Sometimes we are strangers even to ourselves
Another great quote in this book! Do you think Elizabeth was just referring to Henry here or about all 3 of them? She seems quite restless and unsettled since finding Victor. Why do you think this is?

I feel like she may have been referring to people in general. She has had such an unsettled life, constantly feeling the need to be seen as useful, that she isn't even sure who she is anymore – beyond who she needs to be to survive.

7) It's fairly well established at this point that everyone is frightened of Victor to the point where most seem to want to avoid him as much as possible. Elizabeth comments that at night when she was scared and having horrible nightmares she went to Victor. And sleeping by his side, she had no nightmares. Why do you think that is?

I am not sure exactly why she had no nightmares when sleeping by Victor's side. My guess is going to be that she knew no one could or would harm her with Victor there to protect her...because she knew Victor terrified everyone. She knew, subconsciously, that Victor was dangerous.

8) Why do you think everyone was so willing to believe Justine killed William? To believe her going mad so suddenly and randomly? Do you think she actually did it? If not, who do you think it was?

Believing Justine killed William was easy for everyone because it relieved their fears that there was still a killer on the loose. Even in today's society, things like this happen where people are tried and convicted of crimes simply through a rush to judgment to relieve the public's anxiety and fear. Obviously not as often anymore with the advent of more sophisticated forensics etc, but people can still be convicted on simply circumstantial evidence. In this situation in the book, with the discovery of the necklace, that sealed Justine's fate.

I think the book did a great job of adding to the thought process to convince the reader it was possible that Justine killed William. Shortly before the murders, they were having a conversation about when the boys grew up and would leave her – and portrayed Justine as very sad and distraught at the thought.

9) Elizabeth sees her actions towards saving Justine from her previous life as the only selfless thing she has done in her life. Do you think her actions were truly selfless though?

I am not convinced that Elizabeth was capable of selfless behavior by that point. I do think there was certainly a selfless component, in that she instantly decided to save her when she saw Justine being beat, but even that was a reaction based on her childhood memories.

10) Upon seeing the monster having a conversation with Victor, that Victor appears to lose, Elizabeth's reaction is to find out what it is holding over Victor, remove the hold, then kill the monster. Do you think this is a normal reaction? What would you have done? 

Hmm...I am not sure if this would be considered a “normal” reaction but I do think it is an understandable reaction and one I can relate to. We all have someone in our lives that we would do anything to protect, and seeing that person be threatened, or perceiving them to be threatened, tends to make the protector see red and lose the ability to think things through rationally, at least in that moment temporarily. Elizabeth sees Victor as her protector but she also sees herself as his.

[Ora]

Discussion Questions Part 2 (Ch 12 to 16)

6)Sometimes we are strangers even to ourselves
Another great quote in this book! Do you think Elizabeth was just referring to Henry here or about all 3 of them? She seems quite restless and unsettled since finding Victor. Why do you think this is?
I think it was about all of them. I believe everyone has a persona that they want to reflect depending on the situation and who you’re with. I don’t think Elizabeth really knows who she is without Victor. Her whole life has had to revolve around him. Now Victor is now secretive. She is scared.
7) It's fairly well established at this point that everyone is frightened of Victor to the point where most seem to want to avoid him as much as possible. Elizabeth comments that at night when she was scared and having horrible nightmares she went to Victor. And sleeping by his side, she had no nightmares. Why do you think that is?
She feels safe with him and knows he will protect her. From the beginning he told her that she was his.
8) Why do you think everyone was so willing to believe Justine killed William? To believe her going mad so suddenly and randomly? Do you think she actually did it? If not, who do you think it was?
She is a scapegoat. I don’t know if I would say she went mad. I am not sure if she was really grieving her mother or when and how she found out about her mother’s death. That was cruel.
At first, I thought it was the monster, however I am starting to lean towards Victor. Maybe he’s protecting the monster.
9) Elizabeth sees her actions towards saving Justine from her previous life as the only selfless thing she has done in her life. Do you think her actions were truly selfless though?
No. She may have help Justine out of a bad situation, but she ultimately did it for herself. She manipulated others so Justine could have the governess position.
10) Upon seeing the monster having a conversation with Victor, that Victor appears to lose, Elizabeth's reaction is to find out what it is holding over Victor, remove the hold, then kill the monster. Do you think this is a normal reaction? What would you have done?
No!!! Normal people wouldn’t do that. I think she is worse than Victor. She knows what he is doing and willing to go to extreme measures to protect him.

[Elena]

Discussion Questions Part 1 (pg 1-124)

1. I love this quote in the story. “Justine did not have to pretend, as she always seemed genuinely unaware of the effect we had on men. I, however, was perfectly aware of my beauty. I considered it a skill, alongside speaking French, English, Italian, and German. It was a language of its own, in a way; on that translated well in different circumstances.” What does this tell you about the different characters of Justine and Elizabeth?
Elizabeth has been incredibly self-reliant from the very early age and not by choice, she would use anything at her disposal, including her looks, to achieve her objectives. Justine appears to be sincere and pure.

2. Elizabeth truly seems able to control Victor’s dark character. She helps him clean up after the incident with his younger brother, and comes up with a story to help save Victor. Why do you think she is able to do that when no-one else seems able to control him?
Elizabeth is very smart and resourceful and I think she knows Victor better than anyone else, plus she does seem to really care for him. The very reason she was brought over was to influence Victor and her situation is only secure as long as she’s useful, she can’t afford to fail and would do what’s needed including cover up his mess and lie on his behalf.

3. When Henry proposes to Elizabeth, she immediately begins to worry whether she can be the wife he needs. But she decides to send him to Victor to ask for his blessing. She figures there can be two outcomes - one Victor will return to her and ask her to marry him, or two Victor will give his blessing and she can marry Henry. This “plot” comes from feeling desperate to belong and the fear of not being needed by the Frankenstein’s anymore. What would you do if you felt that way?
I would probably try to protect myself as best as I could though I wouldn’t come up with anything quite so elaborate, as I lack Elizabeth’s craftiness and shrewdness. I can’t really blame her for using all means necessary to secure her position with her being so entirely dependent on others. I do wonder if, knowing Victor, she was at all concerned about Henry’s safety when she sent him away.

4. When Elizabeth burns down the house that Victor was using for his experiments, she hears a large splash in the river. Who do you think it was fleeing the burning building? Do you think it’s the same man Elizabeth saw out her window at the boarding house and out of her carriage? Or do you think her mind is playing tricks on her?
The most obvious answer would be Frankenstein’s monster but there have already been a number of moments in the book where things are not what they seem, I wonder if there’s going to be a twist to this part of the story as well.

5. Re-tellings are now one of my favorite new genres. Do you like this retelling of the Frankenstein story so far? What other re-tellings have you read that you really liked?
Yes, I’m enjoying this story so far. Elizabeth's character wasn't given much depth in the original story, I like seeing things from her perspective.
I only read a few retellings, I really liked Naomi Novik’s Uprooted and Spinning Silver.

[Alysa]

Random thought:

A lot of us have been writing that Elizabeth is very smart...

I've been thinking that she is in some ways, but definitely not in others. Which makes sense for most people but particularly teenagers, who tend to think they know more than they do!
It's really a matter of experience. Even for people like Elizabeth who have had to mentally grow up fast, so to speak, she's still not "smart" enough to anticipate the full consequences of a lot of her actions, or her inaction in some cases.
I guess what I think is that she is actually of only slightly above average intelligence?

Okay, I am done rambling now :)

[Jammin Jenny]

Alysa wrote: "@Jammin Jenny

Her primary goal in life is to save Victor from himself

Do you think that is really her primary goal, above even her own comfort? I think her primary goal up to this point has been ..."

I think saving Victor was her primary goal, because if she didn't, she would be out on the streets. So, yes, self-preservation played a big part in her life with the Frankensteins.

[Elena]

Discussion Questions Part 2 (Ch 12 to 16)

6)Sometimes we are strangers even to ourselves
Another great quote in this book! Do you think Elizabeth was just referring to Henry here or about all 3 of them? She seems quite restless and unsettled since finding Victor. Why do you think this is?
I think she was referring to people in general, we can react unexpectedly to unforeseen circumstances sometimes. But to be fair, Henry’s letter that made her question his character was very suspicious :)

7) It's fairly well established a this point that everyone is frightened of Victor to the point where most seem to want to avoid him as much as possible. Elizabeth comments that at night when she was scared and having horrible nightmares she went to Victor. And sleeping by his side, she had no nightmares. Why do you think that is?
I guess she feels safe with Victor? He has claimed Elizabeth as his possession numerous times and probably feels responsible for her in his twisted way.

8) Why do you think everyone was so willing to believe Justine killed William? To believe her going mad so suddenly and randomly? Do you think she actually did it? If not, who do you think it was?
I suppose Justine was an easy choice with no alternatives and low enough position in society to not warrant a full investigation or even proper effort.
I believe Justine to be innocent, nor do I think the monster is the killer. My guess is it’s Victor though I can’t imagine what reasons he’d have for murdering his own brother. There’s just so much about him left unsaid at this point in the book - birds nest, what really happened to the former governess, Henry’s sudden disappearance. I’m hoping there’ll be answers in part 3 :)

9) Elizabeth sees her actions towards saving Justine from her previous life as the only selfless thing she has done in her life. Do you think her actions were truly selfless though?
I want to believe that the impulse to help Justine came from the selfless place. Elizabeth did of course benefit from having Justine in her life but perhaps this wasn’t a wholly calculated move.

10) Upon seeing the monster having a conversation with Victor, that Victor appears to lose, Elizabeth's reaction is to find out what it is holding over Victor, remove the hold, then kill the monster. Do you think this is a normal reaction? What would you have done?
I think this reaction is normal for Elizabeth, Victor is her responsibility and his well-being is directly tied to her survival. She’s gone to considerable length to protect him before and wouldn’t hesitate to do so again. I honestly don’t know what I would have done in her place, I’m not nearly brave enough to confront either Victor or his creation in this situation :)

[Deanna]

Questions Part 1 (pg 1-124)

1. I love this quote in the story. “Justine did not have to pretend, as she always seemed genuinely unaware of the effect we had on men. I, however, was perfectly aware of my beauty. I considered it a skill, alongside speaking French, English, Italian, and German. It was a language of its own, in a way; on that translated well in different circumstances.” What does this tell you about the different characters of Justine and Elizabeth?
Elizabeth was forced to be self-reliant in order to survive mostly by manipulating others. Justine needed a rescuer, or she would not have survived her circumstances. She seems more innocent and good in many ways.

2. Elizabeth truly seems able to control Victor’s dark character. She helps him clean up after the incident with his younger brother, and comes up with a story to help save Victor. Why do you think she is able to do that when no-one else seems able to control him?
It seemed like interacting with other people was beyond Victor. Elizabeth belonged to him and at least on the surface seemed to accept him as he was. She was able to be a bridge between Victor and others. I think it was easier for him to let her deal with other people because he truly wasn't able to interact with them effectively on his own.

3. When Henry proposes to Elizabeth, she immediately begins to worry whether she can be the wife he needs. But she decides to send him to Victor to ask for his blessing. She figures there can be two outcomes - one Victor will return to her and ask her to marry him, or two Victor will give his blessing and she can marry Henry. This “plot” comes from feeling desperate to belong and the fear of not being needed by the Frankenstein’s anymore. What would you do if you felt that way?
I don't really see that she had any choice other than to manipulate others to survive. It made sense to me given her circumstances. I honestly can't imagine being in those circumstances, so I don't know what I would have done.

4. When Elizabeth burns down the house that Victor was using for his experiments, she hears a large splash in the river. Who do you think it was fleeing the burning building? Do you think it’s the same man Elizabeth saw out her window at the boarding house and out of her carriage? Or do you think her mind is playing tricks on her?
I assume it is Victor's monster. I expect it is the same man she sees from her window and carriage not a trick of her mind.

5. Re-tellings are now one of my favorite new genres. Do you like this retelling of the Frankenstein story so far? What other re-tellings have you read that you really liked?
It has been a really long time since I read the original Frankenstein, but I'm enjoying the story so far. The last retelling I remember liking was Before Midnight, a paranormal Cinderella retelling.

[Cathy M.]

Discussion Questions Part 1 (pg 1-124)


1. I love this quote in the story. “Justine did not have to pretend, as she always seemed genuinely unaware of the effect we had on men. I, however, was perfectly aware of my beauty. I considered it a skill, alongside speaking French, English, Italian, and German. It was a language of its own, in a way; on that translated well in different circumstances.” What does this tell you about the different characters of Justine and Elizabeth?

Justine is a genuine and lovely person - not overly obsessed with looks or how to manipulate everyone around her. Elizabeth is a scrapper - she'll use whatever skills/attributes she has to her benefit. She's selfish and manipulative and knows it.

2. Elizabeth truly seems able to control Victor’s dark character. She helps him clean up after the incident with his younger brother, and comes up with a story to help save Victor. Why do you think she is able to do that when no-one else seems able to control him?

They do have an odd connection, I think mostly because of how Victor views Elizabeth, as "his". Her actions to cover up Victor's crimes is out of desperation - she doesn't want Victor to be taken away or hospitalized because then she'd have no where to go. She is a survivor, I'll give her that.

3. When Henry proposes to Elizabeth, she immediately begins to worry whether she can be the wife he needs. But she decides to send him to Victor to ask for his blessing. She figures there can be two outcomes - one Victor will return to her and ask her to marry him, or two Victor will give his blessing and she can marry Henry. This “plot” comes from feeling desperate to belong and the fear of not being needed by the Frankenstein’s anymore. What would you do if you felt that way?

Ugh I can't stand Elizabeth. What she says, how she behaves in that proposal scene, really irritated me. Henry seems like a great guy and was a perfect out for her. Marry a great man and not have to deal with the psycho anymore, yes please!

4. When Elizabeth burns down the house that Victor was using for his experiments, she hears a large splash in the river. Who do you think it was fleeing the burning building? Do you think it’s the same man Elizabeth saw out her window at the boarding house and out of her carriage? Or do you think her mind is playing tricks on her?

I think it's Victor's creation in all those scenarios.

5. Re-tellings are now one of my favorite new genres. Do you like this retelling of the Frankenstein story so far? What other re-tellings have you read that you really liked?

It's funny that I always go into them sort of grumbling, and with a more negative outlook (thinking it won't be that good BECAUSE it's a retelling). But I must say that one of my favorite series happened to be retellings - I too LOVED the Lunar Chronicles. There have been others that were good and some that weren't so great, so it's really a toss-up for me. Can't say it's a genre I look for though. I haven't read the original Frankenstein story and only know bits and pieces so can't say whether it's a good retelling or not. But I can say that I seem to be in the minority and am not liking this story as much as the rest of you. Mostly because I hate Elizabeth so much.

[Cathy M.]

Discussion Questions Part 2 (Ch 12 to 16)


6)Sometimes we are strangers even to ourselves
Another great quote in this book! Do you think Elizabeth was just referring to Henry here or about all 3 of them? She seems quite restless and unsettled since finding Victor. Why do you think this is?

I think she's talking about all of them. Victor's her meal ticket and she saw some of what he was working on (the body parts up in the attic & the drawings in his journal) and knew that it couldn't be discovered or he would be taken away.

7) It's fairly well established a this point that everyone is frightened of Victor to the point where most seem to want to avoid him as much as possible. Elizabeth comments that at night when she was scared and having horrible nightmares she went to Victor. And sleeping by his side, she had no nightmares. Why do you think that is?

Probably because he WAS the monster in her dreams? That nightmare of her being dissected - could only be about Victor. It could also be that she felt that no one else could hurt her if Victor was there since everyone was afraid of him.

8) Why do you think everyone was so willing to believe Justine killed William? To believe her going mad so suddenly and randomly? Do you think she actually did it? If not, who do you think it was?

They needed to blame someone and her mother was known to be mad so it was easy to place blame on her. I hated what happened to her. And poor William. I thought at first it was the monster but now think it may have actually been Victor. His other brother mysteriously died before Elizabeth joined the Frankensteins as well and there was no monster then.

9) Elizabeth sees her actions towards saving Justine from her previous life as the only selfless thing she has done in her life. Do you think her actions were truly selfless though?

No I don't think she's capable of doing anything truly selfless. She did see Justine in a situation that reminded her of her past but I think she did it more because she wanted Justine for herself.

10) Upon seeing the monster having a conversation with Victor, that Victor appears to lose, Elizabeth's reaction is to find out what it is holding over Victor, remove the hold, then kill the monster. Do you think this is a normal reaction? What would you have done?

Umm, maybe for Elizabeth it was normal? I mean, what makes her think she can kill the monster if Victor can't? He had a pistol after all. It was obvious the monster and Victor were acquainted so if it were me, I would confront Victor about it. But then again, I would've married Henry to get away from this f*ed up mess so I wouldn't even be here to see the monster...

[Ora]

DQ Day 3 Ch 17-end

10) Judge Frankenstein did not let Elizabeth know that he was fighting to get her inheritance back. If she would have known, do you think she would have handled things differently with when she found Justine and forced a marriage between her and Victor? Would she have been a different person?

11) Victor said, “You made it clear from the start you did not care what I did so long as you did not have know the specifics. It was our agreement.” Did Elizabeth contribute to Victor’s madness? If she would have told him he went was going too far at any time, would he have stopped or just not tell her?

12) Victor wound up leaving after the conversation Elizabeth saw with the monster. Later we found out that he was watching and protecting Elizabeth. Was Elizabeth committed to an asylum to keep her safe or to get the monster out of the way so Victor would be able to continue with his work?

13) Was it surprising that Victor killed Henry and used part of him for his experiments? Were you surprised that Mary and Elizabeth friended the monster and let him chose a new name?

14) Do you believe that Victor finally succeeded with his experiment to retrieve Elizabeth or that he needed to go forward with the experiment on her to have her back the way she was?

15) How did you like this retelling to the original and/or other retellings?

[Judith]

DQ Day 3 Ch 17-end

10) Judge Frankenstein did not let Elizabeth know that he was fighting to get her inheritance back. If she would have known, do you think she would have handled things differently with when she found Justine and forced a marriage between her and Victor? Would she have been a different person?

I like to think Elizabeth would of still saved Justine from being beaten. But I think she would of been a very different person because she would of had a secure place in the world. That's really what she was fighting for I think, safety and a home/family that couldn't disappear on her. And I think she would of chosen to marry Henry and be a happy person.

11) Victor said, “You made it clear from the start you did not care what I did so long as you did not have know the specifics. It was our agreement.” Did Elizabeth contribute to Victor’s madness? If she would have told him he went was going too far at any time, would he have stopped or just not tell her?

She was certainly an enabler of the highest degree so in that sense she did contribute to his madness. He wouldn't of listened to her, he would of hidden his actions or just killed her and used her in his experiments.

12) Victor wound up leaving after the conversation Elizabeth saw with the monster. Later we found out that he was watching and protecting Elizabeth. Was Elizabeth committed to an asylum to keep her safe or to get the monster out of the way so Victor would be able to continue with his work?

I think Victor committed her to keep her under control so he could work without her interference. It probably had the bonus of keeping the monster away some.

13) Was it surprising that Victor killed Henry and used part of him for his experiments? Were you surprised that Mary and Elizabeth friended the monster and let him chose a new name?
No I wasn't really surprised, there were hints at that being the case. And I think that's what happens in the original story (though some details on that are fuzzy, it's been a long time since I read Frankenstein).

14) Do you believe that Victor finally succeeded with his experiment to retrieve Elizabeth or that he needed to go forward with the experiment on her to have her back the way she was?

No, I don't think he had been completely successful yet.

15) How did you like this retelling to the original and/or other retellings?

I really enjoyed this book. The original is really a great book and stands the test of time well, and better than most classics I think. It's themes are still really relevant today about who and what truly makes a monster. I love that this took a minor female side character and told it from a different perspective while highlighting the issues facing women in that time period.

I read the author's note at the end of the book which explains her motivation behind writing it and I'm in agreement with her on the role of female characters in stories from that time period. I'm glad the author decided to take this story on.

[Alysa]

DQ Day 3 Ch 17-end

10) Judge Frankenstein did not let Elizabeth know that he was fighting to get her inheritance back. If she would have known, do you think she would have handled things differently with when she found Justine and forced a marriage between her and Victor? Would she have been a different person?

I was so pissed off about that! Things could have been sooooo different for Elizabeth if she had known she didn't need to fight for her financial security and independence!

11) Victor said, “You made it clear from the start you did not care what I did so long as you did not have know the specifics. It was our agreement.” Did Elizabeth contribute to Victor’s madness? If she would have told him he went was going too far at any time, would he have stopped or just not tell her?

I don't think there's anything she could have done to stop of change Victor. He is the master manipulator here, and in saying that "You made it clear…" he is really just trying to make her thing that her culpability is greater than it actually is. He's trying to turn things around on her. She didn't "make it clear" at all -- her enabling of his behavior could be read a different way and he very well knows it.

12) Victor wound up leaving after the conversation Elizabeth saw with the monster. Later we found out that he was watching and protecting Elizabeth. Was Elizabeth committed to an asylum to keep her safe or to get the monster out of the way so Victor would be able to continue with his work?

It was merely to get Elizabeth out of the way! The monster being out of the way was just a pleasant side effect. I was so pissed about that whole asylum thing. But it definitely drove home the point that women in that time were (still are?) damned if they do/damned if they don't when it comes to shaping one's whole life around a man.

13) Was it surprising that Victor killed Henry and used part of him for his experiments? Were you surprised that Mary and Elizabeth friended the monster and let him choose a new name?

By the time it had become clear that Victor had killed many times, if wasn't surprising about Henry. (Though I was surprised about Victor killing William, purely because I thought Victor was out-of-town at the time… so that was a well-done twist!) Mary -- and oh, it was good to see Mary again -- and Elizabeth befriending the monster was very cool. Not sure if it was surprising exactly, knowing those women.

14) Do you believe that Victor finally succeeded with his experiment to retrieve Elizabeth or that he needed to go forward with the experiment on her to have her back the way she was?

I'm not sure I understand the question, but if you're talking about the very end, well that was extremely ambiguous. Like, did Mary and Adam use Victor's equipment to "revive" Elizabeth after she fell through the ice? I don't know. I like to think not, since it's not what Elizabeth would have wanted. It was more like a symbolic rebirth.


15) How did you like this retelling [compared] to the original and/or other retellings?

I enjoyed it. The writing style is certainly more accessible to more modern readers. As a retelling, it's totally different. It follows the trends of both having a story told from the POV of a different, usually minor character, and of having a more overtly feminist twist. I think this book could have gone even farther on that last point, actually.

[JanEyre9]

DQ Day 3 Ch 17-end

10) Judge Frankenstein did not let Elizabeth know that he was fighting to get her inheritance back. If she would have known, do you think she would have handled things differently with when she found Justine and forced a marriage between her and Victor? Would she have been a different person?

I really don't know if anything would have been different for her. She was still in the care of Judge Frankenstein and still a women at a time where women didn't have many rights and she was still obsessed/devoted to Victor. I think she would have been the same person, just funding Victor's projects.

11) Victor said, “You made it clear from the start you did not care what I did so long as you did not have know the specifics. It was our agreement.” Did Elizabeth contribute to Victor’s madness? If she would have told him he went was going too far at any time, would he have stopped or just not tell her?

I think there were signs of Victor's proclivities from the first time they met, so no I don't think she contributed. I think Victor was just a master manipulator and twisted their agreement to match what he wanted it to be.

12) Victor wound up leaving after the conversation Elizabeth saw with the monster. Later we found out that he was watching and protecting Elizabeth. Was Elizabeth committed to an asylum to keep her safe or to get the monster out of the way so Victor would be able to continue with his work?

I thought Elizabeth was committed so she didn't tell anyone about the monster and expose Victor's work. I didn't think it was about her protection at all, it was totally self serving to Victor.

13) Was it surprising that Victor killed Henry and used part of him for his experiments? Were you surprised that Mary and Elizabeth friended the monster and let him chose a new name?

Victor was so vile that it didn't surprise me that he killed Henry. I was a little surprised that the women befriended the monster but since part of that monster was Henry it wasn't completely unbelievable. It was extremely kind though and showed some humanity to Elizabeth.

14) Do you believe that Victor finally succeeded with his experiment to retrieve Elizabeth or that he needed to go forward with the experiment on her to have her back the way she was?

No I don't think he succeeded. I hope not.

15) How did you like this retelling to the original and/or other retellings?

I enjoyed this retelling. I love when authors show a side to a minor character and develop the world in a different, deeper way.

[Ashley]

DQ Day 3 Ch 17-end

10) Judge Frankenstein did not let Elizabeth know that he was fighting to get her inheritance back. If she would have known, do you think she would have handled things differently with when she found Justine and forced a marriage between her and Victor? Would she have been a different person?

I think she definitely would have. It seemed like her main reason for holding onto the Frankensteins was that she was worried she wouldnt be able to survive on her own, but she could have with money! She wouldnt have needed them anymore.

11) Victor said, “You made it clear from the start you did not care what I did so long as you did not have know the specifics. It was our agreement.” Did Elizabeth contribute to Victor’s madness? If she would have told him he went was going too far at any time, would he have stopped or just not tell her?

I think he would have just hidden it from her more, I don't think anything could have stopped him. I dont think he really cared what she thought about anything.

12) Victor wound up leaving after the conversation Elizabeth saw with the monster. Later we found out that he was watching and protecting Elizabeth. Was Elizabeth committed to an asylum to keep her safe or to get the monster out of the way so Victor would be able to continue with his work?

I definitely think it was to get her out of the way. I don't even know if Victor would have cared if she died, he just didn't like her talking to Henry or Justine, or anything that took the attention off of him.

13) Was it surprising that Victor killed Henry and used part of him for his experiments? Were you surprised that Mary and Elizabeth friended the monster and let him chose a new name?

I wasn't really surprised, I figured he did something terrible to poor Henry. I did think he probably killed him, but when the monster started showing up I had a good idea. I was a little surprised Elizabeth befriended him, but Mary seemed like a good person that would do that.

14) Do you believe that Victor finally succeeded with his experiment to retrieve Elizabeth or that he needed to go forward with the experiment on her to have her back the way she was?

I don't think so

15) How did you like this retelling to the original and/or other retellings?

I don't know anything about the original, so I have nothing to compare it to!

[Ashleigh]

DQ Day 3 Ch 17-end

10) Judge Frankenstein did not let Elizabeth know that he was fighting to get her inheritance back. If she would have known, do you think she would have handled things differently with when she found Justine and forced a marriage between her and Victor? Would she have been a different person?

I think if she had known that she had an inheritance, she wouldn't have felt like she had to rely on the Frankensteins so much. She thought she had been lied to when she was told she was the daughter of a rich family, so the Frankensteins, and Victor in particular, were her ticket to comfort. Maybe if she knew the truth, she wouldn't have spent her life trying to look out for Victor so he would look after her.

11) Victor said, “You made it clear from the start you did not care what I did so long as you did not have know the specifics. It was our agreement.” Did Elizabeth contribute to Victor’s madness? If she would have told him he went was going too far at any time, would he have stopped or just not tell her?

Considering that he already killed his brother before they met, I don't think it would be fair to say that Elizabeth was a massive factor in Victor's madness. However, I don't think she helped. By covering up his crimes, a lot of people were hurt and he developed an ego that she would turn a blind eye to everything and anything he did.

12) Victor wound up leaving after the conversation Elizabeth saw with the monster. Later we found out that he was watching and protecting Elizabeth. Was Elizabeth committed to an asylum to keep her safe or to get the monster out of the way so Victor would be able to continue with his work?

Elizabeth was committed to an asylum because she refused to bow down to him. He believed that if he turned her into the asylum, she would break and bend, and beg him to take her away and she would be compliant.

13) Was it surprising that Victor killed Henry and used part of him for his experiments? Were you surprised that Mary and Elizabeth friended the monster and let him chose a new name?

I thought that Victor would have at least killed Henry because of his wanting to marry Elizabeth. I thought from the beginning that the letter Elizabeth received would be from Victor, instead of Henry. I was surprised that Elizabeth befriended him and let him choose a new name. I thought she would want to be as far away from Victor and his experiments as possible. It was sweet though.

14) Do you believe that Victor finally succeeded with his experiment to retrieve Elizabeth or that he needed to go forward with the experiment on her to have her back the way she was?

I don't think he succeeded.

15) How did you like this retelling to the original and/or other retellings?

I read the original Frankenstein for the first time last month, and it wasn't what I was expecting. Because of that, I didn't particularly like the original and I wanted more horror and tension. That being said, I loved this one and definitely enjoyed it more. I liked that Victor is straight up a 'monster' and there's no ambiguity surrounding him. I did appreciate that major events that happen in the original, also happen in this one and we're experiencing them from a distance, through Elizabeth's eyes.

[Cat]

1. I love this quote in the story. “Justine did not have to pretend, as she always seemed genuinely unaware of the effect we had on men. I, however, was perfectly aware of my beauty. I considered it a skill, alongside speaking French, English, Italian, and German. It was a language of its own, in a way; on that translated well in different circumstances.” What does this tell you about the different characters of Justine and Elizabeth?
Like others have said, Elizabeth is very calculating. At times I wondered if she was sociopathic, but she did show empathy a lot (e.g. her complex plan to get rid of the governess - though did she suspect Victor would step in more ruthlessly?)
However, Justine doesn't seem totally naive and helpless - she went along easily enough to a better living situation without asking what happened to the previous governess, and didn't ask about the hatpin or cloak, after all....
Possibly Elizabeth's read of naive is a case of her putting wish fulfilment (a straightforward relationship / one where she has the power) onto Justine, without seeing the truth.
It'll be interesting to see where it develops

2. Elizabeth truly seems able to control Victor’s dark character. She helps him clean up after the incident with his younger brother, and comes up with a story to help save Victor. Why do you think she is able to do that when no-one else seems able to control him?
She's very aware of her need to keep him happy, which would help her overrule her fear of him in a way that his parents can't and that staff wouldn't. As far as he goes, she's not exactly stopped him doing anything hideous, has she (I was SO worried where the nest story on their first meeting was going to end up - and still suspect that we've not had the full truth of that tale...)
But, I suspect that having her turn him slightly away from his most extreme impulses is enough for him to be able to socialise more.
I reread Frankenstein earlier this year, and my review was that Victor is a tool of increasing magnitude each time I read the book. I'm not sure if I need him to have a personality disorder to explain that toolishness.

3. When Henry proposes to Elizabeth, she immediately begins to worry whether she can be the wife he needs. But she decides to send him to Victor to ask for his blessing. She figures there can be two outcomes - one Victor will return to her and ask her to marry him, or two Victor will give his blessing and she can marry Henry. This “plot” comes from feeling desperate to belong and the fear of not being needed by the Frankenstein’s anymore. What would you do if you felt that way?
It is a pretty crappy situation to be in, isn't it? The whole musing about how she knows how to be Victor's Elizabeth and doesn't want to have to learn how to be a different Elizabeth, without ever thinking that maybe she wouldn't, was hard to read - raising question marks over her mental health and character.
I'm very glad that I don't live in history, as I can't imagine how it would be to have no power at all.

4. When Elizabeth burns down the house that Victor was using for his experiments, she hears a large splash in the river. Who do you think it was fleeing the burning building? Do you think it’s the same man Elizabeth saw out her window at the boarding house and out of her carriage? Or do you think her mind is playing tricks on her?
The Monster! Surely? We can't've gone through that really gruesome description of Victor's workshop for the retelling to have the Monster as a figment of fevered brains?

[Carrie]

I'm in for Jack-in-the Box!

1. I love this quote in the story. “Justine did not have to pretend, as she always seemed genuinely unaware of the effect we had on men. I, however, was perfectly aware of my beauty. I considered it a skill, alongside speaking French, English, Italian, and German. It was a language of its own, in a way; on that translated well in different circumstances.” What does this tell you about the different characters of Justine and Elizabeth?

I think Justine is very reserved. While both girls have suffered at the hands of the people who were supposed to take care of them, they have turned out very differently. Justine seems timid, while Elizabeth seems to be fierce and recognizes the importance of self-preservation. It could be a reflection that Justine suffered for many more years than Elizabeth did.

2. Elizabeth truly seems able to control Victor’s dark character. She helps him clean up after the incident with his younger brother, and comes up with a story to help save Victor. Why do you think she is able to do that when no-one else seems able to control him?

Great question! I think Elizabeth and Victor forged a special bond from the start. They just seemed to click. While others in Victor's life seem to fear, loathe, and mistrust him, Elizabeth merely wants to protect him.

3. When Henry proposes to Elizabeth, she immediately begins to worry whether she can be the wife he needs. But she decides to send him to Victor to ask for his blessing. She figures there can be two outcomes - one Victor will return to her and ask her to marry him, or two Victor will give his blessing and she can marry Henry. This “plot” comes from feeling desperate to belong and the fear of not being needed by the Frankenstein’s anymore. What would you do if you felt that way?

I think it's clear that Elizabeth has come to rely on Victor quite heavily for safety and security. I can't imagine being in a position where I would have to worry each day whether or not I would be thrown out of my home because I was no longer needed or considered an asset.

4. When Elizabeth burns down the house that Victor was using for his experiments, she hears a large splash in the river. Who do you think it was fleeing the burning building? Do you think it’s the same man Elizabeth saw out her window at the boarding house and out of her carriage? Or do you think her mind is playing tricks on her?

I think it's the same man that Elizabeth sees from the window in the boarding house!!

5. Re-tellings are now one of my favorite new genres. Do you like this retelling of the Frankenstein story so far? What other re-tellings have you read that you really liked?

Honestly, I have never read Frankenstein!!! Shame on me, I know. Good intentions and all. Perhaps, after reading this I will finally take the time to read the original!

reply | flag *

[Lisa - (Aussie Girl)]

10) Judge Frankenstein did not let Elizabeth know that he was fighting to get her inheritance back. If she would have known, do you think she would have handled things differently with when she found Justine and forced a marriage between her and Victor? Would she have been a different person?

Well, Judge Frankenstein was only fighting to get her inheritance back so he could lay claim to it if Victor married her. Being an underaged woman in his care I'm not sure she would have been able to access it easily even if she was awarded it. But given Elizabeth's thoughts when she found out it probably would have changed a lot of how she acted because most of her actions were based on her great feelings of insecurity. Maybe if she know about the inheritance it would have empowered her to fight for her rights more.

11) Victor said, “You made it clear from the start you did not care what I did so long as you did not have know the specifics. It was our agreement.” Did Elizabeth contribute to Victor’s madness? If she would have told him he went was going too far at any time, would he have stopped or just not tell her?

She definitely enabled him... but nothing in the world would have stopped him from his experiments. His "insanity" wouldn't of allowed it in fact she probably would have been in danger from him sooner if she challenged him.

12) Victor wound up leaving after the conversation Elizabeth saw with the monster. Later we found out that he was watching and protecting Elizabeth. Was Elizabeth committed to an asylum to keep her safe or to get the monster out of the way so Victor would be able to continue with his work?

I think by this point when Elizabeth had challenged Victor he just wanted her out of the way. To continue his work and get his hands on her inheritance. Maybe he did have some feelings in his own disturbed way for her and that's why he didn't kill her outright.

13) Was it surprising that Victor killed Henry and used part of him for his experiments? Were you surprised that Mary and Elizabeth friended the monster and let him chose a new name?

No, I think it was obvious from early on that Victor had used Henry for his experiments. I didn't see it that the girls would befriend the monster although it does make sense... Who was the real monster.. one of the themes of the novel.

14) Do you believe that Victor finally succeeded with his experiment to retrieve Elizabeth or that he needed to go forward with the experiment on her to have her back the way she was?

No I don't think he succeeded.. Elizabeth used her own girl power to survive. (Although I did have a thought that Mary and the Monster used Victor's process to shock her back to life after she fell into the pond)

15) How did you like this retelling to the original and/or other retellings?

I enjoyed it... especially after reading the author's notes at the end and her "Take that, Percy and Lord Byron" LOL. It was a good retelling of a classic story for young adults of this time .

[Deanna]

Discussion Questions Part 2 (Ch 12 to 16)

6)Sometimes we are strangers even to ourselves
Another great quote in this book! Do you think Elizabeth was just referring to Henry here or about all 3 of them? She seems quite restless and unsettled since finding Victor. Why do you think this is?
I think it could refer to all three of them, but it is unclear. I think she is restless and unsettled because she knows on some level that Victor has been doing horrible things and that he is now keeping secrets from her.

7) It's fairly well established a this point that everyone is frightened of Victor to the point where most seem to want to avoid him as much as possible. Elizabeth comments that at night when she was scared and having horrible nightmares she went to Victor. And sleeping by his side, she had no nightmares. Why do you think that is?
Perhaps because Victor was the greatest monster of all, so he could scare any others away.

8) Why do you think everyone was so willing to believe Justine killed William? To believe her going mad so suddenly and randomly? Do you think she actually did it? If not, who do you think it was?
The village had to deal with her mother's very public madness, so that made it easier for them to believe her a killer especially since she never went to the village so they had no basis for judging her except by her mother. No, I don't think she was capable of harming William. I'm more inclined to believe it was Victor jealous of anyone else who might hold her favor.

9) Elizabeth sees her actions towards saving Justine from her previous life as the only selfless thing she has done in her life. Do you think her actions were truly selfless though?
No, I think she saved Justine so that she could have a friend.

10) Upon seeing the monster having a conversation with Victor, that Victor appears to lose, Elizabeth's reaction is to find out what it is holding over Victor, remove the hold, then kill the monster. Do you think this is a normal reaction? What would you have done?
No, I don't think it is normal in general; however, Elizabeth is used to saving Victor from the consequences of his actions so I suppose for her it is a normal reaction. I would have left a long time ago.

[Lexi]

Part 1 - Chap 1-11
1. I love this quote in the story. “Justine did not have to pretend, as she always seemed genuinely unaware of the effect we had on men. I, however, was perfectly aware of my beauty. I considered it a skill, alongside speaking French, English, Italian, and German. It was a language of its own, in a way; on that translated well in different circumstances.” What does this tell you about the different characters of Justine and Elizabeth?

Some people are just less aware of effects on others both good and bad and Justine is very sweet so she never tried to learn or practice to manipulate those effects. Elizabeth has shielded her in many ways so that she can maintain this way in many ways.

2. Elizabeth truly seems able to control Victor’s dark character. She helps him clean up after the incident with his younger brother, and comes up with a story to help save Victor. Why do you think she is able to do that when no-one else seems able to control him?
Victor is possessive and sees her as his and this wants her approval. I do not think it is a healthy relationship.

3. When Henry proposes to Elizabeth, she immediately begins to worry whether she can be the wife he needs. But she decides to send him to Victor to ask for his blessing. She figures there can be two outcomes - one Victor will return to her and ask her to marry him, or two Victor will give his blessing and she can marry Henry. This “plot” comes from feeling desperate to belong and the fear of not being needed by the Frankenstein’s anymore. What would you do if you felt that way?
Especially in that day,there is a large fear of not belonging and the danger of women being on their own. I think hedging bets on marriage and not being unsafe was a fair choice.

4. When Elizabeth burns down the house that Victor was using for his experiments, she hears a large splash in the river. Who do you think it was fleeing the burning building? Do you think it’s the same man Elizabeth saw out her window at the boarding house and out of her carriage? Or do you think her mind is playing tricks on her?
I think we have met the monster, Adam.

5. Re-tellings are now one of my favorite new genres. Do you like this retelling of the Frankenstein story so far? What other re-tellings have you read that you really liked?

I have read the original and a few retellings where Frankenstein is part of a set. I am enjoying this point of view but know what is likely coming with Justine and am unhappy about that. I enjoyed the The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter but the second one was way too long and had no real plot.

[Marie (UK)]

Discussion Questions Part 1 (pg 1-124)

1. I love this quote in the story. “Justine did not have to pretend, as she always seemed genuinely unaware of the effect we had on men. I, however, was perfectly aware of my beauty. I considered it a skill, alongside speaking French, English, Italian, and German. It was a language of its own, in a way; on that translated well in different circumstances.” What does this tell you about the different characters of Justine and Elizabeth?

I think Elizabeth has a greater sense of self, her needs and desires. Justine is still just happy to be living a life less awful then she had been

2. Elizabeth truly seems able to control Victor’s dark character. She helps him clean up after the incident with his younger brother, and comes up with a story to help save Victor. Why do you think she is able to do that when no-one else seems able to control him?

I believe it is partly her fear that if something happens to Victor there is and equal and not necessarily opposite effect other self.
Whilst she is aware that she should be grateful for how the Frankensteins brought here into a different life it is not always how she behaves and she is very aware that she could descend back into her past without Victor. I do think she has real feelings for Victor but they are very tied up in her self interest.

3. When Henry proposes to Elizabeth, she immediately begins to worry whether she can be the wife he needs. But she decides to send him to Victor to ask for his blessing. She figures there can be two outcomes - one Victor will return to her and ask her to marry him, or two Victor will give his blessing and she can marry Henry. This “plot” comes from feeling desperate to belong and the fear of not being needed by the Frankenstein’s anymore. What would you do if you felt that way?

This is all tied to the time, place and situation Elizabeth has found herself in; I dot think she has an alternative. I think I might have made similar choices

4. When Elizabeth burns down the house that Victor was using for his experiments, she hears a large splash in the river. Who do you think it was fleeing the burning building? Do you think it’s the same man Elizabeth saw out her window at the boarding house and out of her carriage? Or do you think her mind is playing tricks on her?

I think this is Victor's first - less than successful experiment - I wonder if his abilities awoke AFTER Victor's illness and that Victor has no idea that his experiment has life / animation

5. Re-tellings are now one of my favorite new genres. Do you like this retelling of the Frankenstein story so far? What other re-tellings have you read that you really liked?

I am enjoying it, it certainly has much more appeal to the modern reader than the original which is at times difficult to read. I think she has brought atmosphere into the story and some of the dialogue has real power. I can' t quote i am afraid I a m listening on audio and find if i try to keep a note i lose some of the story. There are things that annoy me - again this may be to do with it being on audio. It seems to alter in time without obvious break in the narrative and all the quotes at the beginning of the chapters annoy me ( i think they should have some real meaning to the narrative) but am failing to see it. I love retellings I am certain if schools introduced retellings alongside the originals in English Literature classes students would have much more understanding.
There are some fabulous retellings out there - I can recommend New Boy; The Penelopiad and
Macbeth among others

Discussion Questions Part 2 (Ch 12 to 16)

6)Sometimes we are strangers even to ourselves
Another great quote in this book! Do you think Elizabeth was just referring to Henry here or about all 3 of them? She seems quite restless and unsettled since finding Victor. Why do you think this is?

I think she wants to believe Victor will return but she is not fully convinced. She is also wary about what Victor has become. I don't believe Elizabeth's thinking goes much beyond herself and Victor

7) It's fairly well established a this point that everyone is frightened of Victor to the point where most seem to want to avoid him as much as possible. Elizabeth comments that at night when she was scared and having horrible nightmares she went to Victor. And sleeping by his side, she had no nightmares. Why do you think that is?

I think Elizabeth has always adored Victor and also what he means to her life. She doesn't yet see the evil in him. Although Victor has deserted her at times he still treats her with tenderness whenever they are together

8) Why do you think everyone was so willing to believe Justine killed William? To believe her going mad so suddenly and randomly? Do you think she actually did it? If not, who do you think it was?

I think it is quite obviously not Justine but she was there when people needed someone to blame. Victor supports Elizabeth in trying to clear Justine because he knows that his monster is the more likely culprit. However, even he can only support her so far because he cannot let his secret out. Even Elizabeth allows others to believe this as she says "rage against Justine is better than despair against the world"


9) Elizabeth sees her actions towards saving Justine from her previous life as the only selfless thing she has done in her life. Do you think her actions were truly selfless though?

I don't think anything Elizabeth does is truly selfless she is self-obsessed but of all the things she has done it has the least benefit towards her. There was a darker side to this act as by helping Justine she put the other governess out of work

10) Upon seeing the monster having a conversation with Victor, that Victor appears to lose, Elizabeth's reaction is to find out what it is holding over Victor, remove the hold, then kill the monster. Do you think this is a normal reaction? What would you have done?

absolutely - I think there are parts which i would absolutely have done, i don't know that i would have thought about killing the monster myself

[Cat]

6)Sometimes we are strangers even to ourselves
Another great quote in this book! Do you think Elizabeth was just referring to Henry here or about all 3 of them? She seems quite restless and unsettled since finding Victor. Why do you think this is?
I'd say she was being general in her reference...
I think that she's starting to put together stuff in her subconscious, after having to clear up for him and seeing the seedy places he's been.

7) It's fairly well established a this point that everyone is frightened of Victor to the point where most seem to want to avoid him as much as possible. Elizabeth comments that at night when she was scared and having horrible nightmares she went to Victor. And sleeping by his side, she had no nightmares. Why do you think that is?
She's never been afraid that he'd hurt her, so she knows she's safe there. and possibly she doesn't have nightmares when she's sleeping with him because she knows he's in bed with her and not out doing god-knows-what....

8) Why do you think everyone was so willing to believe Justine killed William? To believe her going mad so suddenly and randomly? Do you think she actually did it? If not, who do you think it was?
I assume, from my reading of Frankenstein, that it's the Monster.
The locals would be happy to blame an unimportant person like Justine, especially with her mother as evidence, rather than to have to think further. (her mother's death being her trigger to madness in the way her siblings death triggered her mother's) Is it easier to believe in a mad woman you know than a random stranger?

9) Elizabeth sees her actions towards saving Justine from her previous life as the only selfless thing she has done in her life. Do you think her actions were truly selfless though?
Not really - whilst her relationship with Justine is honest enough, it is also one where she is the benevolent one receiving gratitude, and not one she has to worry about over much.

10) Upon seeing the monster having a conversation with Victor, that Victor appears to lose, Elizabeth's reaction is to find out what it is holding over Victor, remove the hold, then kill the monster. Do you think this is a normal reaction? What would you have done?
I don't think it's normal! Killing isn't a normal first reaction! What would I have done? I don't really know.
What was hard to read, knowing the plot of Frankenstein, was the belief that the Monster was evil :(

[Cat]

10) Judge Frankenstein did not let Elizabeth know that he was fighting to get her inheritance back. If she would have known, do you think she would have handled things differently with when she found Justine and forced a marriage between her and Victor? Would she have been a different person?
I totally think she'd've been different. What an asshole Judge F was! She acted the way she did because of her insecurities. It was heart breaking when she realised how short sighted she'd been in not thinking that the Frankenstein's would've checked out her background before taking her in :(

11) Victor said, “You made it clear from the start you did not care what I did so long as you did not have know the specifics. It was our agreement.” Did Elizabeth contribute to Victor’s madness? If she would have told him he went was going too far at any time, would he have stopped or just not tell her?
She didn't contribute - he was already mentally ill when they first met - but certainly enabled him, just like she was told to by his parents. There's no blame on her, though - they were the adults who knew what he was like, and they let him get away with it. As soon as Elizabeth understood that he was killing she acted to stop him (and became a much more balance character herself, not having to tie her reactions into protecting her future)

12) Victor wound up leaving after the conversation Elizabeth saw with the monster. Later we found out that he was watching and protecting Elizabeth. Was Elizabeth committed to an asylum to keep her safe or to get the monster out of the way so Victor would be able to continue with his work?
Victor wanted to stash her somewhere where she'd be unable to hurt herself, escape his clutches or cause him disruption.

13) Was it surprising that Victor killed Henry and used part of him for his experiments? Were you surprised that Mary and Elizabeth friended the monster and let him chose a new name?
Having read Frankenstein, I knew that the Monster was a sweetie, so no, I wasn't surprised.
Ditto, I knew that Henry died, and was suspicious when he didn't turn up dead in Elizabeth's narration of the time in the Orkneys, but I didn't think he'd be used in the Monster

14) Do you believe that Victor finally succeeded with his experiment to retrieve Elizabeth or that he needed to go forward with the experiment on her to have her back the way she was?
I don't think Victor realised how much Elizabeth had "changed" from what he knew (the pliable enabler),nor would he consider what the process would do to her soul & personality

15) How did you like this retelling to the original and/or other retellings?
I really enjoyed it! I liked the subversion of the narrative from the original. And I loved the Mary character, and her view of Victor's journal!

[Lexi]

Part 2

6)Sometimes we are strangers even to ourselves
Another great quote in this book! Do you think Elizabeth was just referring to Henry here or about all 3 of them? She seems quite restless and unsettled since finding Victor. Why do you think this is?
I think she is referring to all of them and how messed up many of their relationships are. I also think that she has figured out that she is trading safety for self.

7) It's fairly well established a this point that everyone is frightened of Victor to the point where most seem to want to avoid him as much as possible. Elizabeth comments that at night when she was scared and having horrible nightmares she went to Victor. And sleeping by his side, she had no nightmares. Why do you think that is?
When there is something scary on your side, you can feel same that other scary things will stay away. Same theory as large dogs.

8) Why do you think everyone was so willing to believe Justine killed William? To believe her going mad so suddenly and randomly? Do you think she actually did it? If not, who do you think it was?
I just finished reading The Crucible. It is easy for people to think women especially those without social connections of great evil. Victor probably encouraged it since he was covering for his Monster.

9) Elizabeth sees her actions towards saving Justine from her previous life as the only selfless thing she has done in her life. Do you think her actions were truly selfless though?
Not entirely - she needed a friend and someone to love her

10) Upon seeing the monster having a conversation with Victor, that Victor appears to lose, Elizabeth's reaction is to find out what it is holding over Victor, remove the hold, then kill the monster. Do you think this is a normal reaction? What would you have done?
I think it is normal for here. The answer was to figure out the issues and remove it. Killing was the obvious choice. I think on the situation it was a fair response.

[Cathy M.]

DQ Day 3 Ch 17-end


10) Judge Frankenstein did not let Elizabeth know that he was fighting to get her inheritance back. If she would have known, do you think she would have handled things differently with when she found Justine and forced a marriage between her and Victor? Would she have been a different person?

I would think so, because then she would not have had to rely so much on Victor.

11) Victor said, “You made it clear from the start you did not care what I did so long as you did not have know the specifics. It was our agreement.” Did Elizabeth contribute to Victor’s madness? If she would have told him he went was going too far at any time, would he have stopped or just not tell her?

I think he was that way before he met her so no, I don't think she contributed per se. If she would've said something before, he might've turned against her but I think he would've continued regardless.

12) Victor wound up leaving after the conversation Elizabeth saw with the monster. Later we found out that he was watching and protecting Elizabeth. Was Elizabeth committed to an asylum to keep her safe or to get the monster out of the way so Victor would be able to continue with his work?

I think it was to his sick twisted way to "keep her safe" so nothing happened to her but also to keep her out of his way so he could continue with his experiments.

13) Was it surprising that Victor killed Henry and used part of him for his experiments? Were you surprised that Mary and Elizabeth friended the monster and let him chose a new name?

I did find that surprising what he did to Henry, but then again, I don't think he ever cared for Henry to begin with. I wasn't surprised that they took him under their wing, because he did have parts of their loved ones. I actually found it sweet.

14) Do you believe that Victor finally succeeded with his experiment to retrieve Elizabeth or that he needed to go forward with the experiment on her to have her back the way she was?

I think he thought he had the kinks worked out but not sure if he actually succeeded.

15) How did you like this retelling to the original and/or other retellings?

It was a 2-star read for me for the first 2 parts, so no was not really liking this story. It was a little creepy, but was slow and boring to me and I hated most of the MCs. The last part was better so I ended up raising it to 3 stars.