I've read a few of Kiersten White's books, enough to know she's not a fast-paced author where you're flying by the seat of your pants through the story. The first chapter didn't captivate me, so I had to force myself through the first few, which felt a bit disjointed at first with 3 POVs and not a clear indication of who's we were getting. However, once I got a little further in and realized what White was doing, my interest was further piqued. I liked Lucy's therapy transcripts to fill in her past, but it wasn't enough to hold my attention.

I'll admit, I requested this book without reading the blurb, or at least reading it too closely. I saw Kiersten White's name, the cover, and "Dracula Novel" and requested it so fast. Although when it came time to reading it, I wasn't expecting or in the mood for a sapphic romance, which put me off to that aspect of the story. Other parts felt flat and rather convoluted, although there are plenty of Classics that I feel similarly about (ie. Frankenstein wandering the mountains complaining for an entire chapter), so perhaps White is attempting to emulate that older style in her retelling? I can't say.
While I didn't "love" this book, it's definitely worth a try if you're into sapphic romances and classic literature reimaginings and are okay with a slower pace. As expected, White has beautiful prose and all the vibes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lucy Undying is a masterful mysterious gothic tale full of secrets that are supposed to stay buried. A wild ride of romance, betrayal, and lies that unfolds over the span of 130 years.

🖤 Dracula Retelling
🖤Sapphic Romance
🖤Multiple POV
🖤Vampires
🖤Self Discovery

Lucy has lead many different lives, it bounces between her life before she was turned into a vampire by Dracula and after. You get a glimpse of her human past through journal entries from her diary. It showcases her love for Mina her governess and her many suitors who want to propose. Her life as a vampire is told through her therapist’s transcripts. These are tales of her life with the wives, the queen, the doctor, the lover, as the spy, and always searching for answers to existential questions. She is in constant search for a place in the world, to be loved, seen, and understood. She’s on a timeless journey of self discovery. Using her afterlife to search for Dracula to ask him why her? With her obsession and love for Mina shaping it.

Present day is when Iris meets Lucy. Told through multiple POVs. Iris finds Lucy’s diary in a home her mother owned. She realizes she has a lot in common with Lucy while reading her journal. They both want an escape and to be seen, they are kindred spirits. Iris has so much love and affection for Lucy as she reads about her past life. She wants to show Lucy that she deserves to be loved.

“We use other people like mirrors, projecting our feelings onto them, looking for our reflections.”

Iris has her secrets too…a family legacy that made a deal with the devil. That will all unfold and I don’t want to spoil anything. The past has finally caught up with the present and they collide. It seems like fate has brought Iris and Lucy together and they end up on their own journey together to find love and Dracula…

“Forever is composed of nows, and I’ve been unbound by time long enough to know our now is perfect. Imagine me living in it forever, and I’ll imagine you the same way.”

Lucy Undying is a Dracula re-telling that focuses on Lucy Westerna. In the source material, Lucy had all the makings of a FMC, she was young, beautiful, and from a wealthy family. But alas for all her being demure and mindful, she was relegated to a tragic side character, destroyed by the very people who should have prevented her demise. In Kiersten White’s re-telling, Lucy starts the same sweet, demure, and naive to the evil surrounding her, but instead of exiting stage left, she thrives as an undead creature searching for her maker and searching for meaning to her existence. We follow in her journey of growth and self-discovery. Along the way, she meets Iris. Iris whose background mirrors her own. She finds an intense connection, a kindred soul in Iris. What follows is a roller coaster of a story that spans centuries and comes to a heart-pounding climax as Lucy faces her past. She must decide if she is willing to pay the price to finally end Dracula once and for all.

To be completely honest I was a little lost the first few chapters of the book, but I eventually found my groove and found myself enjoying the story. It started a bit slow but ramped up to a compelling and intriguing story I could not put down. The book introduces interesting characters that mold Lucy into the badass b she becomes, a far cry from where she came from, no longer alone, no longer lost.

The cover is absolutely stunning. When I saw the cover reveal, I could not apply for the eARC fast enough. I was so thrilled to have been approved for the early copy for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and Del Rey Books for the opportunity to review this book.

3.5

NGL, the cover is what sold me on this book. SHES GORG.

I'm a vampire girl through and through and was so excited to pick this one up. This follows Lucy, a wife of Dracula, and how she navigates her immortal life. The story is told in 3 POVs: Lucy's journal entry, Therapy Transcriptions and Iris' modern day POV. This book was an enjoyable read, even if the povs could be a little jarring as you get used to them. I loved the queer aspect and sexual explorations that Lucy goes through. Watching her journey was really interesting to me. I wanted a bit more from the pacing, some parts felt like they were dragging while others went by very quickly. While I really enjoyed Lucy's POVs, I really struggled with Iris's. I think if she was a little more developed, I definitely would have rated this higher.

Overall, if you love vampires, I do think this is worth the read!

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have always really enjoyed Kiersten White’s books and this one is no different, and it has vampires! I was so excited when I saw that I received the arc for it. I love the way that this book is written with short alternating POV chapters. It was easy to get sucked into the story and I sped through it. This was a wonderful spin on the Dracula tale!

I really liked the concept of the book and the writing style. Very slow paced though and I found myself taking lots of breaks to finish. I think there are people who will love this book very much but I do not think it was for me.

I have loved every one of Kiersten White's adult novels. She has a talent for jumping between genres and subjects. I also love vampires! Combining the two with Lucy Undying is everything I wanted and didn't know I could have. This is such a great read, especially if you're a fan of Dowry of Blood! There are a lot of similar themes. I love the idea of what comes after Dracula, both the novel and the character. I couldn't put this down. It's perfect for fall. I absolutely will be recommending this!

I really wanted to like this book. Unfortunately it was just too slow with too many POVs and I personally did not connect with the characters.

I could not be more blown away by this novel. I was so thrilled when I realized I'd been chosen for an arc because I'm a big Kiersten White fan, so when I saw I was approved I started reading right away. Admittedly, I've not read Dracula, but the idea of a queer Lucy getting explored in more detail, with cameos from other Dracula characters, was a huge draw for me and I was not disappointed. Vampires and pyramid schemes were a combination of devious plotting that I hadn't ever thought about before, but now it seems like the perfect pairing and it honestly made me chuckle. I feel that the author did an excellent job of leaving clues and using foreshadowing to help the reader piece things together without the twists being obvious ahead of time or the story being too predictable. I can honestly say that I loved everything about this book, from the take on this reimagining to the romance to the horror elements - and can I also just say what a feminist version of this story? Who cares about Dracula when LUCY is the star! LOVE IT. Everyone better hop on this one for spooky season because it's top tier.

I was immediately drawn to this book - the cover, sapphic vampires, a Dracula reimagining - sign me up.
Unfortunately, this book didn't dazzle like I was expecting. Unfortunately, this story faltered in pacing and execution. The first half of the book was so slow and I found myself getting quite bored. Around the middle of the book, the pacing and story really picked up - 1 found myself so enthralled with the story but this only lasted for a few chapters. Then, the last 30% of the book was just odd. Overall I still enjoyed this book and found it to be an enjoyable reimagining - perfect for a spooky October read.
Thank you to Del Rey, Netgalley, and Random House Publishing for this ARC!

3.8 / 4.0

Lucy Undying by K White reminded me a lot of A Dowery of Blood except it was slow to start. I enjoyed the retelling of a Bride of Dracula and would read more by this author. Also, this cover art is AMAZING!

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read the eARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Lucy Undying is a twisty gothic fantasy following Bram Stoker’s character, Lucy, featuring sapphic romance and fierce characters.

This story was surprising and entertaining. I loved the way Kiersten included details and characters from Dracula in her novel. I also enjoyed the sweet romance. The three POVs made for an interesting and fun read, and the ending and writing were lovely. However, the pacing was slow, and I lost interest multiple times. I felt like the different POVs were not as connected as they could have been, and I would have loved to see more hints of the final reveals woven throughout the story. Overall, it was an enjoyable read, but I would have loved to see more connections and faster pacing.

Thank you to the publisher and TBR and Beyond Tours for the free ARC!

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. Lucy Undying was a fun little reimagining. I love this authors previous books, and this one was no different. It was fast paced, entertaining and the mystery kept me hooked. I fear this might be a staple read for fall time. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

Thank you so much to Net Galley and Del Rey for this ARC for review!

Lucy Undying was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, a retelling of sorts, taking one of Dracula’s brides, Lucy Westenra, and giving her her own story to tell… and it’s sapphic? And that COVER ART?!

In the beginning of this book, maybe for the first 25% or so, I found it a little slow. I was really dragging my feet to get through to a part that would make me not want to put it down. While interested in both Lucy and Iris and thoroughly enjoying the point-of-view switches, I just felt like the beginning was too slow. BUT! Once it picked up, I was totally enthralled.

My favorite part was definitely the chapters switching POVs, especially between Lucy recalling her early days as a new vampire to her therapist and her diary entries from her girlhood before she became a vampire. Such a skill to be able to make the reader go from Annoyed This POV Chapter Ended to OH THANK GOD WE ARE BACK TO *THIS* POV!!

The mystery of how Iris and Lucy were connected was so enticing, and I am proud to say that I knew it was coming when it happened. In a good way. The clues set us up so beautifully and the backstories between the two of them were so intricate. Their romance was written so well, very refreshing to have such a beautiful romance between two women with openness and honesty and unconditional love! They’re soulmates!!!

Big big love for the vampire beauty cult twist and its Utah setting! Hilarious and apt! Almost reminded me of Mona Awad’s 𝘙𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘦 at times, and I’m into this weird modern beauty cult MLM plot!

I haven’t read Dracula, admittedly, embarrassingly, so I can’t compare this retelling to the source material. I can however say that I loved learning about Lucy and I enjoyed this new perspective on Dracula.

All in all, Lucy Undying was a sharp, poetic, romantic, mysterious read and I definitely recommend it for everyone’s spooky fall and October reading lists! Or for anyone who loves vampires! And/or sapphic love stories!

So slow and uninteresting; the writing was stilted and awkward, especially the dialogue. Nothing else about the story captured/kept my interest. I’ve loved Kiersten White’s books in the past so I’m not sure what happened with this one. I started skimming large swaths of the book in hopes it would get more exciting, but spoiler alert—it did not. It was a less good version of An Education in Malice by ST Gibson

Will post review on Tiktok, Youtube, Instagram, and Goodreads on 9/1/24.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Lucy Undying was one of my highly anticipated reads, as it felt almost like a return to what I fell in love with from Kiersten White, which was her reimaginings of classic characters, from Elizabeth Frankenstein to her prior genderbent “real” Dracula series, And I Darken. And while I didn’t think much about it before, Lucy is absolutely one of those characters from classic novels that deserves justice, given how the source text and its adaptations alternately infantilized, sexualized, and villainized her, before fridging her.
The structure of the book attempts to imitate that of the original Dracula novel with its epistolary format, with a mix of POVs (at least three, including Lucy in two timelines), and these consisting of Lucy’s diaries from 1890, “client transcripts,” and more. Some of the choices made are odd, like Dracula’s POV being told in second person, but White makes this style work for the most part.
Lucy truly is a compelling character, and I love the way she’s given depth. While I didn’t necessarily agree with the angle that her passionate sapphic feelings for Mina were not just unrequited, but led to Mina taking advantage of her for her own ends, it was only because it felt like a cheap way to get justice for Lucy, while vilifying the only other prominent woman in the narrative. But I admired Lucy’s strength, and there’s a real sense of growth from her days as a young woman preparing for marriage prior to vampirism, and post-vampirism in the modern day as she seeks out Dracula again in search of answers.
Iris was initially a bit of a weak link for the book, especially in the first half. There are hints of connection between the two prior to their meeting, like complex relationships with their mothers, but it doesn’t really begin coming together until the second half, when the story really began to pick up.
And speaking of how it comes together, I loved learning how the two (and Mina) were connected. The seeds were planted throughout the story, making the reveal fairly satisfying. And I just love the idea of vampires leveling up their predation through the power of multilevel marketing.
In spite of it being tagged as a romance in some places (including NetGalley), I did feel the romance was a tad “meh,” as I didn’t feel much chemistry between Iris and Lucy, and it really took a backseat to all the vampire stuff. But I don’t hold it against it too much, as I otherwise had a good time.

Thank you to NetGalley, Del Rey, and Kiersten White for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I haven’t read Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” but I fear he’s got nothing on Kiersten White (no offense to Mr. Stoker).

“Lucy Undying” was captivating from the very first page. The romance, mystery, and vampirism hooked me and didn’t let go.

Opening the book to see it was 113 chapters was a little daunting at first, but the story was so compelling and the plot moved along quickly enough that it wasn’t a chore to get through.

P.s. is anyone else totally not surprised that a creepy vampire cult would be headquartered in Utah?

First of all, can we get some recognition for this beautiful cover? It pulled me in right away and the story didn’t disappoint either. I loved Lucy’s story both in her human journal & her transcripts and I loved how the 3 POVs pulled together. What really kept me tuned in though was the mystery of Iris, who she was, how it connected, and what the fuck was going on with this company. Perfect spooky vibes, I can’t wait until some friends can pick this one up on 09.10.

Lucy Undying: A Dracula Novel by Kiersten White is a retelling and original continuation of the events of Dracula from Lucy Westenra’s perspective. The story is told in an interesting form with part of it being Lucy’s journal before she’s turned by Dracula. Giving us an interesting look at familiar characters for fans of the original Bram Stoker tale as well as answering what they were really up to. A story I suggest you discover for yourself in this book. We also get Lucy’s story after her turn through a discussion with a therapist and finally the original character Iris’ perspective as she is trying to break ties from her now dead mother’s MLM cult that is somehow connected to everything. This was a fun page turner and even has a change to the format that I just broke down but I don’t want to spoil why. I loved seeing characters I know in a new light and agree that this is definitely what was really going on in the original Dracula novel as Kiersten shows a knowledge and love for Stoker’s book and characters even as she changes how we view them. So go check out Lucy Undying: A Dracula Novel.

I actually LOVED this! I've never seen a retelling so well done. This flips everything you know about Dracula on its head while still sticking to the source text. I'm in awe. Plus we get a sapphic romance that's great! Where one of the love interests isn't awful!

This is such a wonderfully subversive reimagining of Lucy's story. If you've ever read Dracula, or even just watched a movie version, Lucy is kind of the throwaway character; she's pretty and flighty with no depth. This book gives her oceans worth of depth, and lets us rage at the way she was used and discarded by those around her. We get 2 POVs from Lucy: one from her journals before her death, and one from therapy session recordings in modern day. We also get to experience Iris reading the journal with fresh eyes that finally SEE Lucy for who she is.

The narrative structure really keeps you turning the page. The chapters are short and often end on a slightly cliffhanger note. And there are 3 main POVs to cycle through: journal Lucy, therapy Lucy, and modern day Iris. And when they all finally come together, it's so great!

There's so much more I'm not even covering here. There's found family, Dracula himself, romance, the mother of all twists, an indictment of MLMs, and so much amazing discussion of women, their place in the world, how men use and abuse them, and how they take their power back.
Highly recommend!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the preview. All opinions are my own.