Thank you to Blackstone Publishing - Audiobooks and NetGalley for a free advanced listener’s copy. I received this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Oop, people who are different becoming a boogeyman (budum-tsh) for a political campaign!? Insane! Never heard of it! /j

In all seriousness, A whole society where reanimated people are a normal part of life and the way they would slot into social, political, and personal spaces is actually the brain food of my dreams. Daniel A. Olivas’ Chicano Frankenstein is a love letter to so much more than Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The characters of ‘The Man’ and Foustina were really interesting to read about, especially as they live their normal everyday lives against the political backdrop of a reelection campaign trying to oppress the reanimated community. I think Olivas’ use of these characters to build out what exactly this society looks like for people day to day is implemented really well. Their relationship was a great tool as well but, more than that, it was believable. It sucked me in and had me rooting for them the whole way through. I just love a ‘not actually together but into each other’ couple, it gets me every time, particularly in a story about the messiness of being a human.

Aside from Olivas’ character work, I loved the world building in this book and thought it built upon itself in a way that really sucked me in. The multimedia asides of political interviews, news reports, and transcripts from campaign offices expanded the world beyond what we saw with ‘The Man’ and Foustina. The references to the MAGA movement and the political strategy to dehumanize people based on their minority identities really hits the nail on the head. Afterall, what’s easier than making a monster out of science fiction? I’ve always loved Shelley’s monster though, and I appreciate the exploration of a reanimated person’s humanity the way Olivas expands on it: what is family, belonging, culture to a reanimated person? What does it mean to be comfortable in one’s own skin? What are the building blocks of humanity?

In other words: this is exactly what I want from my Frankenstein inspired media!
So if your favorite thing about Frankenstein was ‘the Monster’ and his struggles with his humanity or alternatively (and a bit more shallowly…which I’m also guilty of) if you’ve ever wanted to romance the monster…please pick up this book. I beg.

I’ve always had a sweet spot for Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, regardless of how many times I had to read it for course work throughout college, so this book definitely caught my attention. This book isn’t exactly the same as Shelley’s novel, but it’s amazing in its own way! I really enjoyed the world building in this novel, the parallels to the toxic MAGA movement and the concept of reanimation was a really interesting way to modernize the moral issues brought up in Shelley’s novel. This novel was really compelling and I definitely recommend it!

This was an innovative retelling of the classic Frankenstein in a progressive dystopian future where re-animation is a thing. So I thought this take was highly interesting and I was invested in the story. It was entertaining and had me thinking. I highly recommend.

Frankenstein is such a brilliant story and this was such a smart adaptation. Oliver updates the story to modern times, tackling current issues that are current for the times. It was really interesting that the revived person didn't have a name and I thought it made it possible for him to be more flexible as far as what we could think about him.
It's even more clear in this updated version that Frankenstein is not a horror story. I also liked how there were news items interspersed throughout so you could see how these reanimated people were affecting society. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook. There were multiple narrators, and they all did a fantastic job

This will appeal to the Lisa Frankenstein and True Blood fans! This was a really awesome nod to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein! It’s not only told through the man’s viewpoint, but also Faustina, and various news broadcasts and articles as civilization grapples with the scientific discovery of reanimation! I listened to the audiobook of this short novella, and the narrator did such a great job! I only wished the book was longer, and I wanted a bit more about the man at the end (sequel maybe?!) There’s a lot of allegory between the stitchers (POCs) and society, as well as a budding romance with the two main characters, so the juxtaposition of the two narratives really drew it together. I enjoyed the Mexican heritage in the book as well, and I am so glad the horror genre is bringing Chicano authors to the forefront with their art! Thanks, NetGalley and Publisher for the ARC!

Chicano Frankenstein is a short novel filled with social commentary fitting of its title. The book examines identity in modernity through the lens of reanimation.

In spite of the fact that I was looking forward to listening to this book, I just didn't enjoy it. Don't get me wrong, it is a me thing. The book is well written and narrated - just not for me.

"Chicano Frankenstein" was a fantastic premise. It's one of my favorite ideas for a modern "Frankenstein." This novel is short, but Olivas still built a really strong sense of culture into the story. I felt immersed in this family and Latinx culture, and he created some really good visuals.

This book was influenced by the election of Trump and the racism that ran rampant during his campaign and time in office. I think that's a perfectly natural and important topic, but the parallels were a little too on the nose for my taste. I think other readers would like it though. I prefer a subtler bite in political satire, but if you like yours with a bulldozer, you'll love this.

The other issue I had was the voice of The Man. He wasn't that consistent. Sometimes he was quite emotional and relatable, and other times he was robotic and reminded me of Mr. Data. Some of that may be from the narrator.

All in all, I would recommend this book and found it unique. I don't know that I would reread it, but I will buy it for our library, recommend it for book clubs, and read the author's other works.

Chicano Frankenstein is a modern retelling of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. It is told from a Latine Chicano perspective as our man character, "The Man," is a "reanimated" being. He goes through life and the mundane daily tasks that everyone else does. He starts to have feelings for a woman and you're able to see from her point of view as well. They're living in a time where the President is an "anti-stitcher" and trying to campaign against the stitcher/reanimated community. They're trying to isolate them and make their daily lives harder and harder until they can eventually consider them "illegal."

Olivas does a great job reimagining the Frankenstein story and making it relevant to things occurring today. He goes more in depth about the comparisons between the plot and immigration in his author's note. I HIGHLY suggest that you read/listen to that portion. It was excellent!

Thank you to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing-audiobooks for this audiobook ARC! I highly enjoyed it. The narrator was excellent and I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this book.

Please do yourself a favor and read this one!

4.5/5 ⭐️
A take on the classic Frankenstein, this one takes place in an alternate but similar world where reanimation happens to otherwise perfectly healthy adults who’ve died. They are reanimated without any memories and were largely created to fill an aging workforce. The main character is just called “the man” in a nod to Shelley who didn’t name the monster. He is a reanimated paralegal who finds himself falling in love with Faustina, a lawyer. As he is trying to figure out his past, interspersed between chapters are snippets of the increasingly hateful political scene toward “stitchers” (a derogatory name for reanimated people).

I thought this was a great parallel to the immigrant scene in our country (its intention) and Olivas did a great job illustrating that. I’d highly recommend reading the author’s note at the end because he does a great job explaining the thought process, which made me appreciate the book even more. My only knock is that the plot at times felt slow. But it is more character driven I’d say than actual plot as it focuses on the man’s path to leading a more fulfilling life.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Chicano Frankenstein is a modern retelling of the classic horror novel. It mixes the original theme with today’s issues.

The cover is vibrant and I love that! Would definitely stand out on a shelf.

The narrator, Thom Rivera, was okay but his voice was a little too monotone at times. Also the dialogue was a bit unrealistic to me. I don’t think people speak like this.

I really like the concept of the novel but it fell flat for me. I don’t think I would’ve finished if not for reviewing. I enjoyed the overall message about belonging. There are many comparisons to the Trump administration and how horribly they have treated people. So if you are pro Trump, you probably won’t like this.

Thanks to NetGalley, Forest Avenue Press, Blackstone Publishing and Daniel A. Olivia’s for the opportunity to read Chicano Frankenstein. I have written this review voluntarily.

This book was so unexpected! If you love the way feminism and social issues were processed by films like Poor Things and Lisa Frankenstein, then Chicano Frankenstein is the perfect lens through which to view everything from the politization of immigrants to science ethics. Following an unnamed stitcher (the name for these corpses brought back to life) as he works, falls in love, and experiences so many firsts.

I love retellings/reimaginings and I love Mary Shelley's Frankenstein so I was excited to read this one. I really liked Olivas' take on this classic story. It is set in a near future where we have learned how to reanimate the dead (provided they were young and healthy when they died). In this retelling Olivas uses this premise to explore what it means to be "other". Just as Shelley doesn't name "the monster" in her book, our reanimated protagonist also goes unnamed throughout the book. The political machinations involving the reanimated in this book seem spot on! I enjoyed this book a lot!

Thank you to Netgalley and Blackstone publishing for an advance audio copy of this book for review.

#ChicanoFrankenstein was kindly approved for me on NetGalley by the audio publisher : @blackstonepublishing in return for an honest review. Thank you so much! And thank you for auto-approving me for your titles, very honored 💚 !
This book by Daniel A Oliva is a retelling of sorts of Frankenstein. Although I didn’t quite like the vague ending from one POV, the other POV’s chilled me to the bone. In this alternate future, people can choose to be “reanimated” after death by at times, using spare parts. The catch is, you don’t come back as yourself, you come back with your memories pretty much wiped clean, with a new identity, and no info on your past life. I found the reasoning for all this subterfuge “your family has already mourned you” to be a faulty one bc if I KNEW that a family member chose to have a “reanimation” option I wouldn’t mourn them, I’d be waiting by the hospital morgue saying, “is it time yet?” Soooo I didn’t like nor understand nor believe the rationale for it but if you believe that the wiping of memory is necessary OR just the law decided for you, what follows is LIFE. Isn’t LIFE more important than anything??? Welllllll this story explores SO many aspects of what it means to be alive, to have autonomy, and to be a free individual, and importantly: what does it mean to have an IDENTITY!!??? Aren’t our memories a huge part of what helps shape our very identity? Not to others but for ourselves??!! Yes! So you can see, there is a parallel to Dr Frankenstein’s “monster” (who was anything but before the world made him hate) and this new reanimated human in this story, referred to throughout as “the man.” In alternating chapters you get the POV of the Madame President who is a “stitcher” hater and is stamping her approval on a bill to prevent “any more of them” from being “created” implying that they are #lessthan human. Mannn there is so much to unpack in this story! The more I think of it, the more it disturbs me and makes this question occur to me: why as humans do we tend to put value on our own lives by devaluing other ones? As if any of us matter only because of someone else NOT mattering? Hmmm points to ponder!! Give this a read!!!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I have a hard time finding sci-fi books that I truly enjoy and I was happy that Chicano Frankenstein was one that I enjoyed! When I saw the cover, I knew I wanted to read this book. I liked that the author blended sci-fi, current events, and horror elements into this book!

Books that are inspired by Mary Shelley's novel always intrigue me but I am also always worried about them because those are some big shoes to fill. Olivas did a fantastic job in this retelling set in a near future California.

I like how Olivas handled the topic of what it means to be human and even more than that, what it means to love and be loved.

I would highly recommend this book and I can't wait to see what else this author writes in the future!

The Man lives his life calmly, each day like the day before. Fransica is a partner at a law firm. These two have been seeing each other for a few weeks but The Man is different. He is a part of the reanimation program to bring useful corpses back to life. Unfortunately, The Nan has one arm totally different from the rest of him. There is a law going into play to stop the reanimation programs where they are. This was an interesting look at humanity. What makes a human, human? This book examines this and race and political agendas in this novel. It was so good I wanted more. I would have listened for at least the next election, in the book that is. But alas this ends without definitive answers, however lots of thoughts to sit with. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the audio book of this wonderful book.

Thank you NetGalley, Daniel Olivas and Forest Avenue Press for allowing me an ARC of this beautiful audiobook.
Chicano Frankenstein is marketed as a “retelling” of Mary Shelly’s classic Frankenstein, but I feel that description doesn’t do it justice. This isn’t quite a retelling, but rather what I’d describe as a continuation. In it we see “The Man” as our main character, who has been reanimated in a society that is trying to ban reanimations. Like Frankenstein’s monster, he doesn’t receive a name and we are shown the ways in which his fellow humans view him for being different.
The best part of this book is the eloquent and delicate way Olivas writes so the social commentary doesn’t come off as hateful, vile or distracting from the rest of the story.

This is an interesting retelling of Frankenstein. I’ve read a lot of books lately that are fantasy versions of the real life marginalization of different people. And they always ask good questions, like who really is the monster. This one is pretty clear in its target, with rhetoric like, “Make America Safe Again.”

The main issue that prevents this from being a strong recommendation is that I don’t think the characters are well developed. What could be a difficult discussion about humanity and identity, becomes blunted in its impact. I want to be caught up and angry throughout the story, but I’m not.

Inspired by the Classic Frankenstein, this story is set up in the modern world, following a reanimated human performing his mundane tasks of daily life. His monotony is, however, disturbed when he meets a woman who has him questioning, appreciating, and living. With newer developments in his social circle, the man's curiosity to uncover his past life takes over and, in turn, reveals the dark sides of the drug industry and politics.

If you are looking for a futuristic picture of a functional Frankenstein in today's society, this book is for you. It is a short book with 3 main dimensions focusing on human emotions, governing bodies, and profit-nagging pharma companies. The angle of human discrimination and rights issues is addressed very well, almost similar to the conjecture of modern-day America.

Thanks, @netgalley @blackstonepublishing for the Digital ARC.
Genre: #sciencefiction
Rating: 4/5 ⭐️

✨ Review ✨ Chicano Frankenstein by Daniel A. Olivas; narrated by Thom Rivera

Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

In this adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Olivas brings us to a near-future world which cadavers can be reanimated to fill in gaps in an aging workforce. These reanimated people retain their skills from previous lives but lose all of their memories and connection to the past.

The main character, who is never named and referred to only as The Man, is a paralegal who's just starting to date a lawyer named Faustina. The book tracks their growing connection as he starts to see glimmers of memories in his time with Faustina. Simultaneously, a presidential candidate seeks to secure her reelection by pursuing a campaign of "Make American Safe Again" to move toward making "stitchers" (a slur for the reanimated) illegal.

One of my favorite parts of the book were Faustina's ruminations on culture and family. When she's making chilaquiles, talking about how she makes minor tweaks the recipe, but she can't innovate too much without her mom taking notice! Her Mexican mom and Jewish stepdad brought so much light and life into this story.

The book blends horror and sci-fi with satire and romance. The audio is a pretty short five and a half hours -- perfect to pull you into this world without it dragging on!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: horror, sci-fi, satire
Setting: California in a near-future world
Length: 5 hrs and 25 mins
Pub Date: 05 Mar 2024

Read this if you like:
⭕️ political satire
⭕️ retellings of classics in the modern world
⭕️ pan dulce and chilaquiles
⭕️ a growing relationship without being overly romance-y