drácula retellings WILL be my undoing, it’s true! i loved every second of this. from the captivating writing to the characterization of the women dracula has terrorized, i found this very reminiscent of s.t. gibson’s “a dowry of blood.” i think both explore the trauma the victims have gone through and the empowerment of overcoming it, as well as serving a sapphic story as well.

Lucy Undying has been an anticipated read for me since I saw it on goodreads. I love a good retelling, and was drawn in by the description and cover of Lucy Undying.

Lucy Westenra was one of Dracula's first victims. From reading Lucy’s POV, I was absolutely in love with how she was written. She had this raw sex appeal to her that I couldn’t really place, but I enjoyed it. Lucy eventually meets Iris, who’s family is hiding a secret and would do anything to stay in power. Lucy thought she would never find love again, until Iris seemingly charms her. Naturally, these two are drawn to each other and we start to get a romance element in this read. But their intense connection and blossoming love is threatened by the forces of Dracula and Lucy’s mom.

I loved the past and present elements in this book, especially because it allowed the reader to get Lucy’s story, Iris’s story, and then their story together. These characters were written with such genuine love and compassion for each other. While it was a longer read, I found myself struggling to put it down everytime I picked it up! Lastly, I agree, Lucy totally deserves a girlfriend.

Book: Lucy Undying
Author: Kiersten White
Rating: 1 Out of 5 Stars

I thank the publisher, Del Rey, for sending me an ARC. Kiersten White is an author who has been on my radar, but one who I have never picked up. I truly wanted to enjoy this one. It’s a Dracula story, and I enjoy it more than the original one. However, I could not get into this one.

In this one, we follow Lucy, who is one of Dracula’s first victims. Yet, her story does not end there. She became a vampire and has spent her life on the run. The events of that night still haunt her and she wants to keep moving so Dracula does not find her again. Years later, in London, she comes across another young woman who is also running from her past. Iris’s family is in the health business and has made a fortune from it. The problem is that it is all a lie and she wants to separate herself from it. These two women strike up a friendship. However, the past is coming for them and it will not leave without a fight.

The setup for this is quite good. We have two young women who have very different backgrounds and they find each other. However, it does not come out the best. I found these characters are a case of what could have been. This could have been a great character duo. We could have gotten so much out of them, but I did not. I found myself unable to connect with the characters. The truth of the matter is that I didn’t care about what was going on with them. I didn’t care about their backstories and what made them who they were. Whenever I cannot connect with the characters, it makes it very difficult for me to get into the book.

The plot is another thing that could have been there. We have a great setup and I can see it trying to come to life. Like with the characters, I found myself not being pulled in. I could not connect with what was going on. I don’t know why either. It has so much going for it that I love in books. I just could not get into the story.

The writing was okay. I know that Kiersten is mainly a young adult author and this feels on the adult side. The writing does come across as very YA, but that’s okay. I just had a hard time getting into it.

This is my issue with the whole book. I had a hard time getting into it. It does not mean that it is a bad book, but I was not the right person for it.

This book comes out on September 10, 2024.

Thank you, NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
When I was offered this book, I was actually hesitant to accept it since I wasn’t sure it would be to my liking. After finishing, I was right to be hesitant in accepting this book. The cover definitely drew me in and I typically love a good Dracula retelling. Both appealing to my inner emo kid.
Overall this isn't a bad retelling and I enjoyed the time jumping. But was left let down.

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. This isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy it so let’s start with the good. This is an unconventional reimagining of Lucy from Bram Stroker’s Dracula. In this story, Lucy does not die but instead becomes a vampire and must travel all over the world searching for to find herself and where she belongs. The story also follows, Iris, in modern day London who must face her family’s legacy of a beauty cult. I love when female characters from classic stories are made into the main character so I was thrilled to see where White took the character of Lucy.

The book is told from multiple POVs and in multiple formats (journal entries, first person, therapy notes). I enjoyed the multiple POVs but felt like therapy notes really didn’t fit well with the story. It was a lot of Lucy just giving us her life story which I get but it was very slow at points. The character development was one of my favorite aspects of this book. I loved seeing Lucy as a human, in the early stages of being a vampire, and then much later in her life as a vampire. The theme of community and relying on others was woven through this story which I thought was beautiful.

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 - I 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 and Netgalley for this ARC

DNF at 25%

I’m sorry but if you’re going to make a retelling of Dracula, don’t demonize every character expect for one. I am a huge fan of Dracula & is one of my favorite classics. I also really liked Lucy as a character in the book. I hated the main movie adaptation because they made her over sexualized. So I was excited for to see a story about her.

First off, I did not like the writing at all. It felt like immature writing. The flow of the book was already all over the place. We have 3 separate story narratives going on & it felt so choppy. This is a personal preference, but also did not like in the present day time period the over use of modern language. It felt very rom-com style.

Specifically the writing with the characters, I was not a huge fan. I need to, as a reader, to like the main characters. Both Lucy & Iris I could not give one care about. They were annoying & very unlikable. Which is crazy to me because Lucy in Dracula is a very likable character. With Iris, you still barely know anything about her at the 25% mark & the first experience you have with her is her telling her dad to screw himself basically.

Speaking of Lucy’s character, I did not like how the writer chose to explain why she lived on. It felt very unbelievable & a lot like fan-fiction. I would have liked a retelling of Mina & her together, rather than it be in present day.

At the end of the day it was not a book for me. I have too much love in my heart for the original work to like & continue reading this. If you are someone who is looking for gothic atmosphere, you will not get that. Although 10/10 for the cover!

Thank you NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really like the different time jumps, it's very interesting to me to see vampires in different times and how they get along with their eternal life. As a long time Dracula fan, I love and am obsessed with sapphic vampires. This really hit the mark but I think that one time period in particular was boring at times and I just wished to jump back into the more historical times. Overall, if you love sapphic vampires pick this up! Thank you so much to the publisher and netgalley for the arc!

If I could rate this book based solely on its cover, this would be an instant 5/5 stars. Look at it! It’s absolutely gorgeous. Lucy looks positively preternatural in the moonlight, with her hair made of wolves. She’s not the frivolous girl we saw in Dracula - she’s a feral force to be reconned with. 

Unfortunately, the rest of the story doesn’t quite live up to the promise of a seductive gothic tale. It was all a little melodramatic for my taste, with an odd mix of ideas that did not mesh cohesively.

I loved the alternating points of view with Lucy - going back and forth with the journal entries from her time as a 19-year-old girl in 1890 and her retelling her tale after becoming a vampire in a series of  therapy session transcripts in 2024. We really see her growth, and I enjoyed the homage to the original Dracula novel.

Iris’s modern day story, in comparison, is boring and kind of silly? She’s an heiress on the run from a corrupt multi-million dollar vampire MLM. It’s practically a cult, and the message is clearly that capitalism is the enemy. Money makes monsters of us all. It didn’t have the same feel as the rest of the story, which was truly a shame, because I really enjoyed Lucy’s story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for a free copy of the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

When I was offered this book, I was actually hesitant to accept it since I wasn’t sure it would be to my liking. After finishing, I was right to be hesitant in accepting this book. Please don’t get me wrong, this is not a bad book, really. This book has an interesting concept, and it is written in a unique way. I did enjoy myself for the most part even if the gothic feel for some of it isn’t my thing. A couple of things would have made this book exceptional for those who like this type of book, one being that it should have been a little less wordy and the other being it needs to be a little more…cohesive, I guess would be the word. This is a very interesting premise, and I think others will fall in love with this. I enjoyed it, but TBH, it’s not my type of book even if enjoyed it. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

3.5 Stars!

Lucy Undying is not your mother's Dracula novel! Sure you may know the story or be familiar with the tale, but I promise you, author Kiersten White put her own stamp and unique spin on this beloved paranormal romance.

Lucy Undying not only has a gorgeous and unique cover but also has strong female main characters and sapphic representation. While this story may seem a little slow at times, Lucy Undying has a lot to unpack and does a great job of worldbuilding and bringing this story to life. I loved the different timelines and points of view. The diary entries as well as the client transcripts added an additional layer of intrigue.

Overall, I was impressed with this gothic tale of romance and self-discovery.

wow what an interesting book about mina and lucy . 2 characters from the Dracula book. I like the 1st half of the book with the journals and letters and interview. I was curious on how characters of the past would be brought into today. I wasn't expecting the 2nd part of the book to be about MLM marketing and Utah. I also wasn't expecting it to go in that direction and dealing with crazy mothers. I'm gonna rate this book as a miss from this author.

Thank you, NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lucy Undying Follows Lucy Westenra, one of Dracula's first victims, and her story through past and present experiences trying to deal with her new life as a vampire. She becomes infatuated with a girl named Iris. With sapphic and gothic vibes I found this book to be a thrilling tale about finding about yourself, finding love, and fighting the things that come back from our past. I found the cover to be so intriguing and just all out gorgeous.

This book in general sounded like something that I would enjoy reading but at times this did fall a little flat for me. The dialogue in places really took me out of the story and getting through Lucy’s life story at times was a bit of a slog. But the moody atmosphere really kept me reading and I did enjoy the MLM parts with some of the vampires. Definitely a first read from me for this author and I would be interested in reading her other books.

Absolutely LOVED this one! The writing was stunning, the characters were so real, and it was truly such a seductive and alluring story. I was rooting for Lucy and Iris the entire time!

I was immediately drawn in by this cover and the premise of sapphic vampires. While the gothic vibes were immaculate it was just a tad too long for me. The pacing throughout changed several times throughout the story. I enjoyed the character arcs. I would recommend this to my followers that enjoy the niche sapphic vampire genre and those who love gothic fantasy.

Ok, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I didn't particularly like this one. I don't think I've ever said that about a Kiersten White book before, and it hurts to say. But on the whole, this one was a bit of a slog that felt muddy and like multiple books slammed together into one.

The beginning was, mostly, interesting. True, I saw The Big Reveal about Elle coming from a mile away. True, the psychiatrist bits were blatant ways to work in backstory without calling it backstory. But still, I liked the direction things were going and was clicking along just fine until I hit the point that, frankly, could/should have been the end - and there was still 40% of the book left. Honestly, the second almost-half, with the takedowns, was just not interesting for me. At all. It felt like a rehashing of everything that had already been discussed, and then some. And some more. Things dragged on and on and at that point I just wanted it all to end.

I can't believe I'm saying that about a book written by the brilliant author of everything from Mister Magic to Hide to the Sinister Summer series, but I am. I wanted the book to end LONG before it did. It felt like it needed a hard-core edit and someone to say "pencils down!" I honestly think it could easily have been two books, and then I might have had more patience - but then again, maybe not. I still love her writing on the whole, but I think this one missed the mark - at least for me...

Thank you so much Kiersten White, Del Rey, and Penguin Random House for the eARC of Lucy Undying. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Gothic romance fans, this one is for you! 🥳 Lucy Undying is is the perfect Dracula retelling/reimagining for spooky season. If you can’t get enough of dark mansions, ruthless vampires, sapphic love, and twists on classic novels, you’ll want to get your copy ASAP!

One of my favorite parts of Lucy Undying is that it’s told over various time periods from 3 points of view. The time hops from past to present were easy to follow and were so interesting. I love that the author made this choice because it added a ton of depth to the story. Also, I felt like I got to know the characters, and their motivations, much more deeply than had the story been told from one perspective or time period.

If you’re familiar with Dracula, be prepared to be delighted with the characters that grace the pages. Jonathan Harker, Mina Murray, Professor Van Helsing, Dr. Seward, Dracula, and of course, Lucy Westenra are all a part of the story! I loved seeing these familiar “faces” in a new light.

Found family fans, I think you’ll find Lucy Undying especially satisfying. To be honest, this is probably the most complicated/dysfunctional chosen family I’ve ever read about, but it works 😍! When you’ve got centuries of history, things are bound to be messy, right? However, I couldn’t get enough of the dynamics between the characters.

In the pages, you will find:

🧛‍♂️Vampires
🕸️Gothic mansions
🗺️World traveling
✍️Journal Entries
🤝Complicated found family
❤️Romance
🤔Plotting/planning/scheming
😈An evil MLM
🕰️Multiple time periods
📖A perfect read for spooky season!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/4

Winded up DNFing this book. The writing style wasn’t it for me. The character and storytelling was confusing and one noted. Thanks for the opportunity on reading this book early even tho it didn’t work for me.

Need to start by saying I love Kiersten White! I have read many of her other adult and ya novels and loved them. This one just did not hit for me. I feel pretty comfortable with Dracula lore so I was able to follow for the post part, but the POV changes made it a little confusing. Was expecting something similar to A Dowry of Blood and this was definitely not that.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of this book. This is my honest opinion.

Genuinely wtf 😂 112 chapters, nearly 500 pages, and I was so horribly bored by Iris's story. They needed to converge her mother's story with Lucy's. I could've done without the Iris of it all. She was boring and shockingly underdeveloped for a secondary FMC. It's ok to not include romance in a vampire novel if that's not your typical genre. Leave that to the experts.

Seriously though? It was too long and dragggggedddd for the first 50%