I did not like this book. I hate that I did not like this book, but MAN I did not like this book. For one thing, it's a bit convoluted and bloated due to the way we are trying to follow so many POV chapters, and they aren't juggled very well and make the pacing lag. I also REALLY had a hard time with how Lucy was such a 'special chosen one' trope, not only being 'not like other vampires', but also Forrest Gumping her way through European history (when it was revealed that she was responsible for the end of WWI I could have torn my hair out). But the biggest issue I had was that in an effort to bolster Lucy up, White felt a need to demonize every other character from DRACULA, going beyond a perfectly reasonable 'powerful and privileged men during this time period did pretty questionable to awful things' argument and instead making basically all the heroes mustache twirling villains. Including Mina. And THAT is unforgivable to me.

That said, I love the idea of a Utah based predatory MLM that may have something to do with vampires. No notes on that plot line, absolutely perfect.

lucy westenra was one of dracula’s first victims. she’s spent all of her immortal life trying to escape from his clutches and discover who she really is. in twenty-first century london, she meets another woman trying to outrun her past.

iris’s family has built a health empire based on a sinister secret. when she inherits a house in london, she finds a journal belonging to a girl named lucy, who she quickly becomes captivated by.

unfortunately, i have not yet read the original dracula. i say unfortunately for two reasons: 1) i am unable to make comparisons between this book and that one; 2) i don’t think, after reading this, i’ll like the original as much. i can, however, say with confidence that i love when retellings tell the story of a woman who was pushed aside in the original. i loved getting to know lucy, both the modern-day version and the version from her journal. she went through a lot, but i loved reading about how she found herself.

i also think the writing style worked very well for this book. like classic gothic novels (at least, the ones i have read), it was slow-paced, character-driven, and the writing was a bit...eerie? i’ve read two other books by kiersten white and the writing style in those was a bit different, so i applaud her for being able to switch it up a bit to tell this story.

overall, this was an interesting book, and i’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys dracula/dracula retellings.

Review posted on StoryGraph and Goodreads on 9/5/24. Review will be posted to Amazon on release date.

Holy wow. What happens if you mix Interview With A Vampire with Bram Stroker’s Dracula and make it queer? You get this book! This book was suspenseful, funny, dark, action-packed, and very reflective. Lucy Westenra finally gets to be her own hero that fights back after her death to reclaim her identity and desires. I really enjoyed the way that we got to see old journal entries from Lucy, Iris’s story in current time, and the therapy transcripts telling us about Lucy after becoming a vampire. This story had a whole swath of characters that I enjoyed and found myself delighted to see pop up again in different parts of the story. Overall I had a good time for this but found that there were a few sections that didn’t give the story what it needed and slowed it down. Add this one to your fall TBR for a good time.

I'm so sad because I had SUCH high hopes for this one. I've read Kiersten White before and have loved her writing, but the writing in this one let me down immensely. I haven't read a book from Kiersten White since reading And I Darken many years ago, but I loved that book so much.

I appreciated the three different POV's in here, but I had a really hard time keeping them all straight in my head. I feel like the author had the same problem juggling them all when she wrote them. I can appreciate a slowly-paced story as much as the next person, but this one drug so much that I skimmed a good bit of it. If I hadn't have skimmed, I most likely wouldn't have finished it.

The characters were excruciatingly boring and the plot was almost non-existent. The organization of the chapters felt mismatched and sloppy which made me feel disconnected as the reader. I'm giving it 2 stars because, honestly, the vibes were there. It's the execution that needs some work.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this opportunity to read rate and review this arc which is available 9/10/24!

WOW. WOW. I mean holy mother of Pearl but this might be one of my favs this year. This a sapphic vampire romance set in the world of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. It is filled with taking back her power, her autonomy and finding love in Irish when Lucy didn’t think she deserved to be loved as a monster. There is suspense and moments of true angst. I bloody loved it.

Dark, beautiful, and delicious. This book has got to be one of my favorite vampire elements of all time. Could not recommend this more!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in return for my honest opinion.

I went into this thinking it sounded like an interesting concept, and while some parts did falter a bit, it really met that expectation. I enjoyed the way we are told the story through Lucy and Iris's perspectives - where this fell flat for me were the diary chapters from Lucy. They felt a bit out of the time they were supposed to be written for me and felt more in line with the rest of the book which is set in present day. I'm not sure if it was supposed to be funny, but I really enjoyed the twist of Dracula being in Utah - I definitely was not expecting that. The pacing was pretty solid throughout and characters were interesting enough that if either lagged the other evened it out.

★.5 /5

i would have DNFed this ages ago if not for the fact that this was the only ebook i had on hand and was able to easily read whenever i was incredibly, incredibly bored + was too lazy to add more ebooks to my phone.

no matter how beautiful the prose may be, if the characters don’t feel genuine or real — rather like caricatures, they are — then the prose becomes cheesy by default. even then, the prose was only beautiful at the rarest times; for the most part, the tonal shifts between chapters (time cuts?) were jarring and the general choppiness and monotony of each sentence were just plain difficult to get through, with or without the added shallowness of the characters. so many sentences just starts with “she”, “he”, “she”, “he”. plus, the entirety of dracula’s chapters are just telling, not showing, and “ye imma big man bro rahhhh 💪💪💪”. the dry humour was appreciated, though the sheer amount of it also felt awfully misplaced within this plot.

furthermore, the fact that it took me 56% of the book to finally arrive at a part that grasped my attention (though that lasted only till the 61%) was disappointing. the rest of the 95% just kept DRONING ONNNNN.

alas, the premise of the book was such ripe pickings, but failingly executed and dull.

I just unfortunately was not a huge fan of this one. It was, in my opinion, way too drawn out and slow paced. I love jumps in pov, but with how short the chapters were it made the story feel jerky and disjointed.

Tis the season for sapphic vampires! I LOVED this book. Truly adored it. And I’m not even a big vampire reader - Kiersten White is just that good.

Set across multiple timelines and POVs, Lucy Undying is a gothic, atmospheric Dracula retelling that tells the story of one of his first victims. This is a story centered on women and the humanity and hope within the bleak landscape of vampirism. I love a slower paced, more character driven book with decadent and precise prose, which this wholly delivered on. I adored Lucy’s character and how much care and dedication was clearly put into her personality, motives, desires and hopes. I enjoyed the almost mixed media style of the narrative with the sections from her diary and conversations with a therapist, and found myself laughing aloud more times than I could count. Iris was an equally wonderful character and her backstory was equally hilarious and heartbreaking. The romance was certainly very swoony!

Overall, this felt fresh and unique in a world of vampire retellings, and it just might be new favorite book of the season. Very excited to pick up more of the author’s work!

I think this book had a really unique premise and i liked how the various POV build out this story. I also enjoyed the various pOV of this story. I def prefered the frirst half this story because it was a ltitle but easier. I think this is a really unquie fall read and it if you like a unique narrive strucute i would check it out!!

First off, this cover is absolutely amazing. I'm obsessed with it. Second, I enjoyed this book a lot! My favorite parts were Lucy's POV and the diary entries. Iris wasn't my favorite at the beginning and it took a while for me to warm up to her. But I LOVED Rahul and his husband.

Even though it was extremely hot outside, I still loved the setting of this book and might reread it once it starts getting colder outside.

✨ Lucy Undying: A Dracula Novel follows the journey of Iris Goldaming and Lucy Westenra as they each tackle their own struggles. When their paths cross, it feels like fate, and everything in their lives changes forever.

✨ This was a slow-paced read for me at first, making it hard to immerse myself in the story. Iris was an insufferable character for me, and I couldn't feel any connection or depth to her. All she ever expressed was complete revulsion toward her family and her desire to run away. The details were vague, and I was tempted to skip ahead to the ending. However, Lucy kept me intrigued as she navigated her new world after being turned and searched for Dracula. I'm really, really glad I didn't DNF this book. Although I think the story would have been much better if it were shorter, as it often felt like it was running in circles without much point.

✨ On a brighter note, I really loved the climax, where everything about Lucy and Iris' lives and their connection was revealed. There were some plot twists I predicted, but the big one completely caught me off guard—wow! I also really enjoyed the fight scene and how Lucy and Iris fought for each other.

✨ All in all, it was a slow but satisfying read for me. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who’s into fantasy, romance, vampires, and LGBTQ stories.

✨ Huge thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for giving me the opportunity to read Lucy and Iris' story.

✨ WHAT I LIKED:
📌 When Elle saved Iris
📌 When Iris found out who Lucy was
📌 Despite all the struggles Lucy encountered, she didn't give up and kept looking for Dracula
📌 The genuine love Iris has for Lucy
📌 When Rahul and Anthony helped Iris without expecting anything in return

✨TROPES:
📌 FAST - PACED ROMANCE
📌 POLITICAL INTRIGUE
📌 JAW - DROPPING PLOT TWISTS
📌 DECEPTIONS & BETRAYALS UNRAVELED
📌 FATED LOVERS
📌 UNREQUITED LOVE
📌 FOUND FAMILY
📌 A MODERATE AMOUNT OF SPICY

🖥️ GOODREADS REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6798249606

💻 BLOG REVIEW: https://kimthebookdragon.wordpress.com/2024/09/05/arc-review-lucy-undying-a-dracula-novel-by-kiersten-white/

1.5

Let's talk about the best part of this book - the cover. It's an amazing cover to what I thought would be an amazing book. A continuation of Lucy's story from Dracula? It sounded right up my alley. I loved Dracula, and I expected to love this. But that's not the case.

The book starts off pretty well, if a little slow. It's told in 3 perspectives from the beginning - Lucy's past before she's turned, her transcripts to her therapist after, and Iris. I enjoyed the two perspectives of Lucy. She explains how she survived her murder in Dracula, and what happened to her after in the transcripts, and her life with Mina, her mother, and the other men from the original book. I hated Iris's parts. She's unbelievably whiny and bitchy without any explanation as to why, and by the time it's explained, it's too late to care.

And then we move on to the next part of the story. Had this solely been a book about Lucy, it probably would have been okay. But it turns into this Twilight-esque, "feminine empowerment", teenage drama garbage story dealing with a vampire MLM cult. I never thought I'd be typing a review about a vampire MLM cult which is really a pathetically veiled attempt by White to show her hate for a state and group of people, but here we are.

Lucy is portrayed as a victim to everything in life. All the men secretly want her money, her mother is abusive, and Mina doesn't love her the way she wants. After she's turned, she becomes this beacon of feminine power who singlehandedly stops World War I by telling the men in charge to stop, becomes a spy during World War II and helps end many plots against the allies, and changes the minds of other female vampires to become good people because she's a vampire with morals. Yes, really. She meets Iris, the sole heir to Goldaming Life (because White couldn't be bothered to remember that Arthur's lordly last name is actually Godalming, even though she professes to love the book SO MUCH), a whiny teenager who is ~special~. So a hundred plus year old vampire falls in insta love with a special teenager? Twilight, is that you? Also, the pet names. Butter chicken and my little cabbage? Right up there with spider monkey. Barf.

Iris, our super special teenager, has few redeeming qualities. She's paranoid because she believes her mother's entire workforce is out to get her, but makes friends instantly with a cab driver and his husband and Elle, the antiques appraiser, because queer people can't be evil, obviously (here's looking at you Kevin Spacey). She treated everyone like absolute garbage, whether the deserve it or not, and has no problem saying how much she wishes certain people would die, get murdered, etc., because she believes they should and obviously she is totally right and justified in her thinking. She also calls someone a psychopath for texting with a semicolon when she "almost has a literature degree." Like, what? I guess I'm a psychopath cause I text with correct punctuation all the time.

In the author's note, White states that she believes that Lucy was queer, causes reasons, and also that all the men in her life just wanted to murder her and take her money, and that she was this helpless victim to everything in life and she just needed to be turned into a vampire so she could become this strong, empowered female and change the world. None of the characters from the original book that end up in Lucy Undying even closely resemble the originals. White simply took the names and changed them into what she thought they should be (except Arthur, cause she couldn't even get the name right). I'm not sure how White could profess to love Dracula so much, and then eviscerate it so completely. Honey, I have some news for you. You don't love Dracula; you don't even like it.

Also, White has this personal vendetta against Utah, because reasons? I'm not really sure why. But you can't claim to be this person who loves and accepts everyone and then goes on to hate millions of people because you feel justified in it. Do I think there are problems in Utah? Yes. Do I think there's problems with the church and other religions? Yes. Do I think MLM's are pyramid schemes? Yes. Do I hate millions of people I've never met because of it and try to convince other people that that hate is justified? No.

This is probably going to be the last book by White I read. I can't take her self-righteous crusade anymore. 1.5 stars cause the cover really is lovely and there are a few parts of Lucy's early story that were interesting.

When the invite for Lucy Undying showed up in my email inbox, I almost deleted it. I have read enough takes on Dracula to not want another one. But, after reading the blurb, I decided to change my mind. I am glad I did because this was one of the best books I have read this year.

There are two main storylines in Lucy Undying. One revolves around Lucy and is told through diaries and voice transcripts and is mainly told in the past. The other storyline revolves around Iris, her mother’s company/cult, and the secret that Iris has and is told in the present. Both storylines were well-written and were able to keep my attention. The author added secondary storylines (with Mina and Dracula) in various parts of the book. Those storylines help explain certain events that happened in the past and present.

The storyline with Lucy was fascinating. It was told in the first person but through a journal/voice transcript. The storyline details Lucy’s life, which includes her unrequited love for Mina (her governess). The storyline also details Lucy’s travels and her eventual meetings with other vampires (or Brides of Dracula, as one of her earlier companions called them). Each interaction with the other vampires adds a different element to the book and depth to Lucy’s character.

The storyline with Iris was interesting. The author deliberately kept Iris’s background under wraps until about halfway through the book. I admit I skimmed over some of Iris’s chapters at first. I don’t recommend doing that. I ended up having to go back and reread those chapters because of what is foreshadowed.

Usually, I wouldn’t say I like it when a book flips from past to present and back again. But, in this book, it worked. I liked seeing Lucy in the present day versus what she was like in the past. The author also did that for Iris but on a smaller scale. Also, Iris’s forays into the past show how she was shaped into the person she was.

Lucy was my favorite person in the book. She did much growing throughout the book, but she remained the shy, sweet girl who trusted and loved the wrong person (sorry for the minor spoiler). Even when she was with Iris, you could see her naiveness showing through.

I liked Iris, too, even if she got on my nerves during parts of the book. She also did a lot of growing during the book. The Iris at the beginning of the book was not the Iris at the end. I found her a little headstrong and impulsive (going after Dracula alone wasn’t exactly the smart thing to do).

The romance between Iris and Lucy wasn’t a slow burn, even if it felt like it. I loved their connection from the minute they met (Iris was almost run over in London). There was a moment when I thought that Lucy’s unresolved feelings for Mina would cost them everything.

The horror angle of Lucy Undying was well-written and gave me chills. The author didn’t hold back on the violence, sex, or blood involved with being a vampire. Just a heads up: There is a lot of gore and blood.

The end of Lucy Undying was action-packed, and a couple of twists took me by surprise. I loved seeing justice served, but I was surprised by who was behind everything (including Lucy becoming a vampire). I was also shocked by the very end of the book. There was an exciting memo and reveal that made me smile.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Del Rey, NetGalley, and Kiersten White for allowing me to read and review this ARC of Lucy Undying. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

An absolute masterpiece. Dracula was one of my favorite books as a kid, but let's face it-Stoker did Lucy dirty.

This book rights that with multiple POVs and time jumps. The gorgeous writing weaves a web of self-determination and love as Lucy's thoughts are of the woman she loves. That's right! We get a sapphic Lucy! It's beautiful.

We're also introduced to Iris, a woman whose overbearing mother just died and the parallels between these two women are done so well..

I adored this book!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

Retellings of any kind are a huge labor of love, especially retellings of classics like Bram Stoker’s Dracula, a novel that shaped the horror genre as we know it to this day. Of course, with such a story being written so long ago, today’s modern lens presents the opportunity to revisit, and possibly redefine, the facets that are rife with possibility for further storytelling. Kiersten White does just this with Lucy Undying, deciding to give Lucy Westenra a different fate with very, very different consequences. Now here’s where I lose my horror card; I admit I have never actually read Dracula in its entirety. My limited knowledge (shoutout Wikipedia) undoubtedly affected my reading experience with Lucy Undying, but I’m more than confident there are other folks in my same boat. So, let’s unpack this.

Lucy Undying is a novel that undoubtedly has its heart in the right place with the best of intentions of rewriting the more problematic, less than feminist aspects of Dracula. White implements various perspectives and timelines to depict the duality of characters presented in Dracula such as Lucy, Mina, and of course, Dracula. These perspectives come in the form of Lucy’s diary entries, unveiling an inside look at her thoughts, feelings, and emotions for the many, many years she has lived both before and after her encounter with Dracula. Here is where some of White’s best writing shines, giving depth to a female character who was simply offed in her previous iteration. I can’t commend White enough for breathing life and complexity into Lucy, a woman tossed aside in the literary throes of the past.

Things do get a little tricky in Lucy Undying for the uneducated reader such as myself. My limited knowledge of the world of Dracula led to a bit of confusion for the first part of the novel. White utilizes many perspectives to paint the picture of Lucy’s life while also introducing a new character, Iris, in the present. We have diary entries from Lucy, an unknown perspective that is revealed later down the line, and the perspective of Iris. It is well, a lot. Lucy Undying is described as an epic and it absolutely is for how ambitious this reach is. However, I won’t lie and say I wasn’t slightly overwhelmed. I can say though, that there is a big pay-off for riding out my initial confusion, and White does expertly bring together these wandering plotlines into a succinct confrontation of past and present.

This merger comes in the form of Lucy and Iris as parallels, both women experiencing an unmoored sense of existence in the world. White showcases her best prose, her best instances of cathartic female rage, through these two women in their struggle to find themselves. While I did find aspects of Iris’ character to feel a bit immature, her strife mirrors that of Lucy’s in the past despite the extensive time gap. Their treatment by men, their mothers, and those who they consider to be friends reflects the hardships of womanhood, of yearning to be taken seriously in a world that’s constantly doling out slights. However, we are sitting front and center to all of Lucy’s life which is a lot of time and a lot of lore explored by White. For the most part, it all lands quite well, but make no mistake, this novel is expansive. Numerous other intriguing female characters with various desires, conflicts, and challenges are given the space to breathe and develop alongside Lucy, a very refreshing aspect, but one that is very, very detailed. There is no stone unturned for Lucy and those who enter her orbit, making the length of this book both a strength and a weakness.

Yet, Lucy Undying is a tremendous entry in the horror zeitgeist that feels remarkably satisfying for shining a spotlight on the women of the stories we all know and love. And, it’s more than giving them the attention they deserve; White builds personalities and aspects of these characters that give them life that was previously somewhat ignored. Yes, this is a long book, and while I personally didn’t gel with some of these characters, that’s not to say Lucy Undying isn’t a tremendous success for its heart. I can’t help but adore Kiersten White’s ambition and execution of bringing forth characters that are diverse, complicated, and nuanced in such a way. Ultimately, Lucy Undying is more than just a Dracula retelling; it is a reflection of the trends in horror fiction to bring forth the voices that have been suppressed, to revel in inclusivity, complexity, and humanity. It’s a story about finding yourself in a sea of madness, deceit, and confusion, a love story.

First line: It starts the moment you look out the window.

Summary: Lucy Westenra was just a minor character in the story of Dracula. Or at least that is what everyone thought. Since she was changed into a vampire she has spent the years searching for meaning in her eternal life. From the battlefields of Europe to the streets of modern day London it appears that nothing will give her peace and the love she has long been looking for.

Iris is trying to escape her family legacy and the dark secrets of her past. In a bid to hide, she runs away to London in order to sell any family heirlooms worth anything for quick cash. However, she did not intend to meet the stunning and brilliant Elle, a local historian who gives Iris hope that there are good people still in the world.

As the women navigate the threats to Iris they discover that they have much more in common, including a mutual enemy. They create a plan to try and bring down the dark powers that are slowly spreading across the world in a daring chance to find their own happiness in the end.

My Thoughts: Dracula is my favorite of the classic gothic novels. I have read or watched many depictions or spinoffs from the original tale, so when I saw a book centering on Lucy I knew I needed to read it.

In White’s new take on the Dracula story we get a Lucy who is desperately in love with Mina and lures Dracula to her in order to save a woman who will never love her back. This is an interesting twist that continues to drive the story along. Lucy, through her remembrances and journal entries, shows us how she really felt about the men around her during her final days. And since reading this I will see these characters just a little differently.

The story does bounce around a LOT. Chapters alternate between Human Lucy, Vampire Lucy and Iris giving us all sorts of perspectives. It started out very confusing but as I got used to the layout I became more comfortable with it.

There were times while reading where it seemed the story had reached a natural end but then it continued on with a new revelation or event that pushed the narrative into new territories. At points it felt like the story was being dragged out and ran rather slow. I did enjoy the end when everything picks up and big reveals are made. It was a fun take on a classic story that many people are familiar with.

If you love Dracula retellings then this is the book for you as spooky season is upon us!

With beautiful prose and an innovative take on the classic tale, the novel delves into Lucy's immortal journey of self-discovery. While the multiple POVs and length may challenge some readers, fans of gothic fantasy with a modern twist will find this sapphic-positive narrative a captivating, if complex, read.

An absolutely unique story about Lucy, Dracula's first english vicitim, searching for revenge and a human girl in the midst of her families vampiric pyramid scheme. A must read for all lovers of Dracula and sapphics!!