Fascinating and riveting!! I have always loved Mary Shelley's Frankenstein classic novel, but the retelling of this story through the women's narrative was just amazing. Kris Waldherr really took the story to a whole other playing field when she created a retelling of the story through the eyes of the women of Frankenstein. While these characters were barely known throughout the original novel, Waldherr gave them a voice narrating their lives before and after Victor Frankenstein created the monster. I enjoyed listening to the stories of Caroline Frankenstein, Elizabeth, and Justine because it felt like I was there beside them witnessing what they were experiencing. The author also did a great job with historical events what would have taken place during that time. I could not put this book down, and I wish there was more to the story after the ending. Overall, this was an fascinating retelling and I could not have asked for anything better.

The language and tone of the storytelling is quite the homage to the original and it's an interesting premise to pivot to the women surrounding Victor and The Creature. As anyone who read Frankenstein knows, not everyone survives this narrative, and the author did a good job transitioning between point of views without totally abandoning the style--an homage to Mary Shelley. However, there were parts where my interest waned because I wasn't sure the narrative was different enough from the OG, so I quit about 25% through.

I thought the narrator was fantastic--she had a pleasant voice and the speed really matched the literary style of this novel

A wonderful feminist tale from a favorite author of mine. The narration was a perfect match for this and I will definitely be able to recommend this to a wide variety of readers.

I am always looking for alternate versions of classic stories, or companion pieces that I can pair with class literature in my classroom. Thus, I was hopeful when I saw Unnatural Creatures offered as an audiobook.

I did enjoy most of the story. It was interesting to see the various viewpoints/stories of the three women in Victor Frankenstein's life, and I appreciated that he was just a "backup player" rather than the "main attraction." The focus really did stay on the women.

I would certainly add this to my classroom library, but it's too long to include as a part of my curriculum. I'm not sure if it would actually appeal to any of my kids, except, perhaps those who were especially interested in the feminist outlook and the female focused narrative.

The voice actor did a good job infusing the gothic feeling and the setting was detailed enough to transport me for most of the story.

In the end, I thought the story was good - but not outstanding. It was original, and creative, but there was just something missing for me that holds me back from a higher recommendation.

Really enjoyable audiobook!

Great narration, engaging story, captivating plot.

I enjoy retellings of classics and this one did not disappoint.

A great retelling of a classic tale from the POV of three women in Victor's life: His mother, Caroline, and Justine. The story shifts between these characters in different sections and as the story as we know it progresses. I didn't find it 'revolutionary' in the way some recent retellings have been, but these new voices provide new perspective and allows the reader to re-examine and slightly modernize this gothic story without sacrificing its classic feel. Though I never really felt the true "horror" aspect of the original aspect, this re-imagining goes much deeper into the historical setting and reads a lot more like an historical fiction (which I loved!). Though I thought the author could have pushed some of the boundaries a little more, the women in this have strong voices and world of the Frankensteins has never felt more alive!

Special thanks to NetGalley for providing this audiobook ARC!

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* This was a GREAT read!! i really enjoyed reading it and have already recommend this to a few people as i was still reading it! i will buy this for sure!!

I warm to retellings in which women take the lead role, as is currently the case with many Greek mythic retellings.
Having not read Frankenstein since my school days, I reread pieces of the original novel for this audiobook.
I understand the author's choice to do a retelling of Shelley, but it didn’t work for me personally, unfortunately. Perhaps because of the many film adaptations, it is more of a distinctly 'male' story for me anyway. Perhaps this has somewhat clouded my view of this version, which of course cannot be blamed on the author of this novel.
The reader of the audiobook made it a fantastic experience, albeit at times I found the story a bit long-winded, but the gothic atmosphere was well rendered and told.
I loved the beginning, as the listening went on (12 hours) I did notice that I lost focus at times.
I did purchase the book, I got the impression that this is a story better read, than listened to.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this audio book.

In this book, we follow the dark and sorrow life of the Frankensteins, from the point of view of the women in the family. It is written so well, with the nostalgic feel of a classic, but with a more modern tone. A story filled with madness, grief and death that will spare no one. It takes you to a different era, and absolutely captures your interest. And the narrator of the audio book makes it even better! I absolutely recommend everyone to go thru this journey!

Unnatural Creatures by Kris Waldherr is a creatively woven tale around a well beloved classic that focuses on the women that surrounded Victor Frankenstein. Caroline Frankenstein, the mother of Victor. Elizabeth Lavenza, a four year old beggar when Caroline takes her in. Elizabeth is roughly the same age as Victor and they grow up together. And Justine Moreau, a servant in the Frankenstein home.

As Elizabeth grows up, she feels she should marry Victor but events don't allow for this. Elizabeth can't keep her vow to marry Victor and that is when the monster that Victor has created begins its path to destruction and decline into madness.

A morose and chilling tale exhibiting how ambition and despair can drive one crazy. The author creates an atmosphere while the women hold their own courage and strength against all the odds. A very fresh imagining with elegant prose in this gothic retelling of a classic tale.

The Audiobook is narrated by the Audie Award winning narrator Barrie Kreinik and the narration is fantastic.

Thank you to Muse Publications, and NetGalley for the ability to listen to the audio version in exchange for an honest review.

(*small SPOILERS AHEAD*) This book was an emotional roller coaster. I listened to most of this via audio and I must say, that it added to the experience. It was so beautifully told, so well written. It was a very unique twist on a very old tale. (Frankenstein if you didn't already know) This story was told from many different POV's, focusing mainly on three woman, all somehow intertwined into Frankenstein's life in one way or another. Frankenstein's actual "Monster" in this story, is unlike any version I have ever read before. He is not a walking corpse of a man walking about, moaning and groaning, knowing nothing of what he is doing. Let me just say, this monster can think, talk and has well thought out plans of his own. As the story goes along, we loose a few main characters, which I must say, was a surprise, but it made the story even more enticing. I found myself, going back to it as soon as I could, in order to find out what was going to happen next. I couldn't wait to get to the end, to finally find out the ending, who, if any, survived. I enjoyed this book very much but I definitely think you must be in a certain mood for this particular read. It is in no way upbeat or happy. It is quite a sorrowful tale, truth be told, but a beautiful story none the less. I give it 4.5 stars and will definitely be keeping an eye on this author in the future.

It was an enjoyable read/listen. I loved the use of quotes from the original book. The quotes served to enhance each characters viewpoint and storyline. It was an intriguing and poetic Book. Beautifully written. Well worth a read or listen.

Every reader that has found their niche in gothic horror/thrillers has at some point read, and loved, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The original tale is a timeless piece of literary genius published at an unprecedented time for its genre. I loved the premise of Unnatural Creatures, paying homage to Shelley as a young feminist and focusing the telling of the story on three women. Sadly, I do feel the story fell a little flat for me and overplayed the iconic parts of the original without adding enough depth. Each of the three women are presented independently and yet I felt no real connection to any of them. The story begins with the end; with one of the women and her fateful journey into the abyss alone.

This novel concentrates the retelling of the classic on the Frankenstein family and their relationship with and around Viktor. Viktor remains the ever-unlikeable creator of the monster Frankenstein. His brothers William and Ernest and father, play small roles in the character development of the three women the plot focuses on.

The Mother, Caroline Frankenstein, is ever worried about her growing family and possible threats to it. Almost unreasonably she reads storms and pamphlets as bad omens with malicious intent against her children. Instead, she should have focused her energy on the pervasive sickness and disease of the time. The Bride, Elizabeth Lavenza, taken in as a ward of the Frankenstein’s and offered as the veritable “lamb for slaughter” to Viktor. Her story is of course the most gothic and tragic, without one ounce of feminism until death was upon her. The Servant, Justine Moreau, raised in an abusive household she comes to the Frankenstein’s when Caroline is at her most desperate. Justine could have been so much more, but she is unfortunately unlikeable until the moment her death sentence was delivered.

The writing and historical backdrop was well done. Ms. Waldherr sets the scene well with the revolutionary spirit impacting Geneva in the late 18th century. Had I felt more of a connection to the story my estimation would have been higher. This review is of the audiobook read by Barrie Kreinik which was fabulously done.

If in the mood for monsters and new worlds I would recommend Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone series. Though her works do not fit the gothic genre, the world creation and character development are genius.

This book was completely outside my box, and not at all what I normally read. I like to throw myself a curve every once in a while to force myself to read fresh, new things. Normally I am thrilled to get back to my true loves, fantasy, historical fiction, or epic fantasy. That was not the case with this book. I really loved it!

This book is all about the women in Victor Frankenstein’s life. His mother Caroline, Elizabeth who is taken in by the family and promises to marry and care for Victor and Justine who becomes their maid. The book is told in their multiple POVs. The book is broken into parts, each part is told from the perspective of one of the women. Something really fun is every chapter has a quote from the original Frankenstein book. Loved that.

Seeing Frankenstein through the eyes of the women in his life was unique and a fresh idea that I haven’t seen before. It almost felt like historical fiction! I found myself really curious to see how each part would end. I thought it was beautifully written and felt like a classic in itself. I don’t want to spoil too much, but my favorite part is the creature that is on a collision course with some of the characters and I couldn’t stand having to wait to see how it all ended!

Thank you to NetGalley for this gem! Loved it so much!

🥀 Wow. This was absolutely fantastic. So gothic, dark, intense, and surprising. I seriously loved it and wholeheartedly recommend it to fans of the original and anyone who likes a retelling from the perspective of the women of a story.

🪡 I loved Frankenstein. But Unnatural Creatures builds SO much into the gaps and crevices. Kris Waldherr adds so much heart and drama and depth to the entire story. It never feels repetitive like it’s trying to retell the Frankenstein story, but rather, it’s like building up all around it.

🩸 The writing style is beautiful and blends perfectly with the original. And the character development is fascinating, focusing on three women from the original novel and imbuing them with motives, memories, fears, and inner identities. In Mary Shelley’s original novel, their stories are only told from Victor’s perspective and it is refreshing to hear them become so vivid.

🕯️ I’m not sure how this would standalone if you hadn’t read Frankenstein though. It really felt like a companion novel, to be read side by side with the classic, illuminating the story from other voices and perspectives.

🏛️ This novel feels like a modern classic, in the vein of Wide Sargasso Sea, giving life to characters whose voices were not so loud in the original story, but who have whole lives and experiences to unveil.

Thank you to NetGalley, Muse Publications LLC, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Muse Publications for the advance copy for review.

This audiobook exceeded my expectations. I love Mary Shelley's Frankenstein so when I saw this book I knew I had to try it. I listened to it in one day. This is a beautifully written gothic novel.

This is the story of the women in Victor Frankenstein's life. His devoted mother, Caroline Frankenstein, Elizabeth Lavenza, the ward who feels she has to marry Victor, and Justine Moreau, an abused child taken in by Caroline to be their servant. Each of these women were secondary characters in Shelley's Frankenstein. But here, they are the center of the story. Each one is dealing with the effects of Victor's madness.

This is a retelling of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein that adds new depth and details to the classic tale. The story follows three women who were intimately involved in Victor Frankenstein's life. The first is his mother, Caroline, who would do anything to keep her children safe as revolutions in Europe threaten their lives. The second is Elizabeth, a ward taken in by the Frankensteins, who promises Caroline to marry Victor and always take care of him. The third is Justine, a girl who was taken in by the Frankensteins as a maid, and who is devoted to the family, willing to do anything Caroline asks of her.

I enjoyed how including the perspectives of these three women rounded out this story and the characters, making them feel alive and adding significantly more depth to their lives. I also liked that rather than jumping between the POVs, each was given their own section of the book. This kept the story from feeling disjointed or repetitive. The fourth section is told from both Elizabeth's and Justine's POVs with a focus on their interactions with The Monster. I would have liked a bit more exploration surrounding some of the decisions that the characters made, as there were a few times when their decisions felt out of character for no good reason. The author also included relevant historical details, especially surrounding the politics of the time, that added much to the depth of the story.

Each chapter began with a quote from the original Frankenstein text. The quote often served as a summary or bridge between the previous chapter and the next. This was excellently done - I loved how well it set up the chapters as well as the simple fact that it included the original text. I also quite liked how this book felt like classic literature and that it never focused solely on Victor or made it feel like these women only existed for Victor’s story. The author also did an excellent job at incorporating the atmosphere of this time in history and of the setting, rounding out the work even more. I do feel like the last section of the book could have been trimmed a bit to be more impactful, though this only detracted a bit from my enjoyment.

This wasn’t a scary or spooky read, instead reading more like historical fiction (don’t worry, I know Frankenstein wasn’t real!). My thanks to NetGalley and Muse Publications for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

Such a wonderful new addition to a classic horror story that is so beloved.

This is the story of Frankenstein and his mobster. Or rather the women who were affected and ultimately brought down by the mad Victor Frankenstein and the monster he created.

This novel is told through three different perspectives. And wgat I liked so much was while this story was being told, you knew the original tale was unfolding parallel to it, and every do often the plots intersect.

An enjoyable Gothic horror with all the elements of madness, family curses and tragedy.

Enjoyable for people who are familiar to the original tale of Frankenstein, as well as waders who arn't.

Told through the experiences of the three women who are fated to deal with the horrors Victor Frankenstein and his monster bring about, Waldherr's unique perspective is exactly the type of stress and realism we need to complete the Frankenstein story. Caroline, Victor's mother, only wants her family to be safe and happy. Elisabeth, Victor's betrothed, and Justine, his hunckback housemaid, wish to keep thier promises to Caroline but fate and the human desire to be loved has a funny way of interfering with their plans. Throw in revenge and a little madness and a dark and thrilling tales unravels.

The revolutionary backdrop of 18th Century Europre only adds to the feelings of tension and darkness. As a history teacher, my fact-checking brain really enjoyed the inclusion of historical people, events and places and this really helped me stay engaged.

Unnatural Creatures is beautifully crafted and the audiobook is well narrated.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy so that I may leave my honest opinion.
#UnnaturalCreatures #NetGalley #GothicFicton #historyincluded