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A review by rachel_faerie
Lucy Undying by Kiersten White
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
*FIRSTLY I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an early review copy*
Lucy Undying is the story that asks “what happened to the women Dracula prayed on? What happened to Lucy Westenra?”
In this story we follow Lucy Westenra in snippets of her past and present as she deals with the life she lost and the un-life she gained.
I found this book gripping from page 1. We get dual POV from Lucy when she’s a young girl facing manipulation at every turn and later when she’s a vampire as well as another POV from a human woman named Iris who’s family is part of a health product cult empire, as she’s on the run from their clutches.
The way this book made the Dracula legend feel so fresh and unique but also felt like a true presentation of the classic legend was so masterfully done. Kiersten White dived into themes of men vs monsters, women’s injustices, sexism, abuse & neglect, as well as finding yourself and learning to love yourself and not hold onto the past.
This book was SO well written, some of the quotes in here had me actually feeling a deep yearning to transport myself into the novel and watch everything first hand. Speaking of, the YEARNING in this book was top notch. Not overly done but so beautiful and felt realistic. (Had me kicking my feet.)
Iris and Lucy (Vampire Lucy and child Lucy) are people you just can’t help but feel so deeply for, and root for them even harder. Every chapter was so intriguing ESPECIALLY the ones where we just learned about them as people. The plot was fantastic as well I thought it was a nice twist on the Dracula lore but the characters were the shining stars for me. I could have read 800 pages of just slice of life about those two in particular. There are also some phenomenal side characters who really emphasize and bring to life the monstrosities taking place in this book.
An instant new fave for me!
Lucy Undying is the story that asks “what happened to the women Dracula prayed on? What happened to Lucy Westenra?”
In this story we follow Lucy Westenra in snippets of her past and present as she deals with the life she lost and the un-life she gained.
I found this book gripping from page 1. We get dual POV from Lucy when she’s a young girl facing manipulation at every turn and later when she’s a vampire as well as another POV from a human woman named Iris who’s family is part of a health product cult empire, as she’s on the run from their clutches.
The way this book made the Dracula legend feel so fresh and unique but also felt like a true presentation of the classic legend was so masterfully done. Kiersten White dived into themes of men vs monsters, women’s injustices, sexism, abuse & neglect, as well as finding yourself and learning to love yourself and not hold onto the past.
This book was SO well written, some of the quotes in here had me actually feeling a deep yearning to transport myself into the novel and watch everything first hand. Speaking of, the YEARNING in this book was top notch. Not overly done but so beautiful and felt realistic. (Had me kicking my feet.)
Iris and Lucy (Vampire Lucy and child Lucy) are people you just can’t help but feel so deeply for, and root for them even harder. Every chapter was so intriguing ESPECIALLY the ones where we just learned about them as people. The plot was fantastic as well I thought it was a nice twist on the Dracula lore but the characters were the shining stars for me. I could have read 800 pages of just slice of life about those two in particular. There are also some phenomenal side characters who really emphasize and bring to life the monstrosities taking place in this book.
An instant new fave for me!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gore, and Sexism
Minor: Medical content and Sexual harassment
This has lots of themes of narcissistic parents, child neglect, child manipulation, taking away free will.