Thank you to DelRey and Netgalley for the arc.

Unfortunately this was a no for me. The storyline was flat, the characters were boring, and having three timelines in three too many.

<i>First, a thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an eARC of this book.</i>

Normally I am a huge Kiersten White stan. I absolutely adored [book:And I Darken|27190613] and that entire trilogy, and I also really enjoyed [book:Hide|58890948]. So when I heard there was a new book, it was sapphic, and we had vampires… I was sold.

What I actually got though was a mess of a story, told from several POVs, with characters I just absolutely could not connect with. And the plot! I was completely checked out by about 49% of the way through when Iris is explaining what her mother did to her. Seriously. Did that part make any sense or have any sort of sense of being real? No.

I think the bare-bones idea of this book had merit. I don’t think the execution lived up to the expectation at all.

I’ll still read the next Kiersten White book, but.. woof. I regret this one.

This book dragged on so slowly, it was like nothing important actually happened. If you write a book with little plot, you have to have STRONG characters and that just wasn’t the case. Lucy and Mina were sad, pathetic and boring. I could not get through this book fast enough. I had to DNF eventually because it was far too painful.

As a fan of Dracula retellings and gothic horror, I was eager to dive into Lucy Undying. Kiersten White’s take on Lucy Westenra is atmospheric, bold, and undeniably unique. The novel weaves through multiple timelines—Lucy’s past, her present as a vampire, and a modern-day perspective through Iris—creating an intricate narrative structure that mostly works but at times feels disjointed.

I loved the gothic ambiance and the fresh, feminist perspective on Lucy’s story. The critique of beauty standards, power, and MLM culture was an interesting and unexpected twist, adding depth beyond the usual vampire lore. However, the pacing was uneven. The first half felt slow, bogged down by exposition, while the latter half ramped up too quickly, leaving little room for emotional payoff.

Lucy herself was a fascinating character, but the fragmented storytelling made it hard to fully connect with her. Some POV shifts, especially the therapy transcripts, felt out of sync with the rest of the novel. The romance also lacked emotional weight—it developed too quickly to feel believable.

While I appreciated the themes and White’s sharp writing, Lucy Undying didn’t quite deliver the gothic, romantic horror I expected. If you go in anticipating more of a social commentary than a dark, sweeping vampire tale, you might enjoy it more than I did.

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

This book was a dark, atmospheric, and captivating twist on a classic tale. The writing was immersive, the gothic vibes were perfectly executed, and the protagonist’s journey was both haunting and compelling. A beautifully crafted story with intrigue, emotion, and just the right amount of tension!

The story follows 3 different timelines: Iris in the present-day, Lucy as a vampire, and Lucy pre-vampirism. I enjoyed each in their own way, found all of them interesting. But most importantly, I thought all three were vital to the story, no fluff or extra. The timeline jumps don't take you out of the story and they all add to the plot and introduce important side characters to the story. I did find reading Lucy as a naive teenager and a clueless vampire a bit frustrating at times, but that's a me problem and kind of the point of the story. I think it's fun, engaging and an easy to recommend read.

Lucy Westerna getting the recognition she deserves in this fun, gothic retelling.

I liked the multiple timelines and the character work but the plot fell a little flat

Lucy Undying by Kiersten White is a gripping, emotional, and haunting story that completely captivated me from the very first page. As someone who loves unique takes on supernatural elements, this book was an absolute gem. White’s writing is both beautiful and eerie, and it perfectly matches the darker, more emotional undertones of the story.

The plot centers around Lucy, a young woman who finds herself in a complex and heartbreaking situation involving death, love, and the supernatural. What really stood out to me about this book was how it blended fantasy with raw, human emotions. Lucy’s journey is filled with heartbreak, self-discovery, and a lot of difficult choices, and I found myself completely invested in her character.

White’s ability to balance dark themes with moments of tenderness was impressive. The emotional depth of the characters, especially Lucy, made the story feel incredibly real, even as it explored the supernatural. I loved how the book delves into themes of identity, grief, and what it means to truly live, even when faced with circumstances that would seem impossible to overcome.

The world-building was another highlight. White created a unique, atmospheric setting that kept me on the edge of my seat, unsure of where the story would go next. The twists and turns in the plot kept me guessing, and there were moments that completely took me by surprise.

Overall, Lucy Undying is a beautifully crafted, darkly emotional story that I highly recommend for anyone who loves supernatural stories with real heart. It’s a book that stays with you long after you’ve finished it, and I’m sure it will be one I’ll keep thinking about for a long time.

DNF @ p.134/454

This pained me to DNF. Sapphic vampires are everything to me. And yet… this book is way too long and jumps between POVs way too often to feel 100% cohesive for me. I think if it were 200 pages shorter and only focused on Lucy’s story, I might be more inclined to finish it. Unfortunately, I couldn't bring myself to care about the characters nor their trajectories through the muddling plot.

I am usually all in for retellings, especially classics such as Dracula so I was extremely excited to dive into this one (and I loved the cover!) since I had heard great things about the author's previous works even though this was a first from her for me, personally.

Told in a epistolary fashion with chapters ranging from snippets of Lucy's journal and case notes from her meetings with her therapist, alongside chapters highlighting Dracula and Iris, an MLM heiress who is looking to escape her family's controlling empire. I loved the layout of the book and the storyline, however I think that the story would have worked better as NOT a retelling - the originality of a vampire run MLM and an heiress trying to escape their clutches whilst falling in love and connecting with someone whose journal was left behind in her family's old estate hundreds of years prior was what I enjoyed the most while reading this book. The chapters on Dracula were out of place and the whole Lucy/Mina storyline just seemed unbelievable.

My other two issues with the book were the length (I would have trimmed it down by about a hundred pages) because the first 67% of the book was a slog with absolutely no action occurring and then it ramped up to warp speed for the last 30%. Also, not sure if it was intentional or a seriously overlooked type, but the name in Dracula is Godalming and not Goldaming. I can get behind changing the name to insinuate "gold" and money, but every single time I read the name, I was pronouncing it "Gud-alming" and not "gold-aming" and then I would stop and try to repronounce it in my head, question myself again, and ultimately take time away from book immersion to figure out how I'm supposed to pronounce the last name as it features prominently throughout. In short, it was annoying..

Overall, I did enjoy the storyline and the unique take on a generational MLM scheme as I personally find MLMs to be evil and preying on unsuspecting housewives who are looking to make some extra money whilst feeling like girlbosses. So vampires, MLMs and evil were not a hard stretch for me. .

Recommended for fans of sapphic vampiric romances, although this one is pretty much a fade to black level of spice. If you are looking for a solid Dracula retelling and hold a degree in English, you are probably not going to be satisfied with this one.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kiersten White, and Del Rey for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Lucy Undying by Kiersten White is a queer reimagining of Dracula, focusing on Lucy Westenra, one of Dracula’s early victims. The story unfolds across three timelines: Lucy's historical journal entries, therapy transcripts from her post-vampiric experiences, and the perspective of Iris, a young heiress caught in her family’s dark health empire.

The novel combines gothic horror with a sharp critique of modern society, exploring themes of identity, empowerment, and queer love. While the atmospheric descriptions bring both Lucy’s eerie past and her haunting present to life, her portrayal in the therapy transcripts can feel inconsistent, at times making her seem unhinged, which doesn’t always match her more composed moments elsewhere in the story.

Though Lucy Undying offers a thought-provoking feminist take on Dracula, it doesn’t fully deliver on the gothic or romantic fantasy elements readers might expect. Instead, it’s more a critique of human society, and those who approach it with that in mind will find a lot to appreciate in its exploration of identity, grief, and resilience.

When I started this book I was genuinely interested in the story and three povs, but that quickly changed. I came to dislike our main characters, Iris and Lucy, and there was a disconnect between the povs. They didn’t mesh well together, and came to hate reading certain povs because they weren’t entertaining. I also feel like there were two different stories happening that were forced together, that didn’t work. We have Lucy Westenra’s story about her life and journey before and after meeting Dracula and we have Iris Goldaming’s story and her family’s mlm vampire business. Individually these could’ve ben better stories, but by putting them together we lost out on some of the details about their lives and couldn’t go into lots of depth with them. The characters felt one dimensional and not well developed with only one thing guiding them. And by the ending I was sick of them.

Ahhhhh this book, this book, this book. First off, I'm a fan of all Kiersten White books -- the Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein is my all time fave. Lucy Undying felt like that book's wild older sister. I looooved all the dracula re-imaginings and reinventions. They felt real and made me look at the old story in a whole new light. Lucy's chapters describing her vampire life were like breathing fresh air. This book weirdly feels exactly like tons of other vampire books but at the same time feels Nothing like other vampire books. Like the vibes and tropes of immortal beings losing their humanity is there, but done in such a different way. Also the focus on the female victims and women in general was excellent, such a realistic way to look at dracula's legacy and motivations in a way that feels so, so fresh. Also, in true Kiersten White fashion, there's a cult that plays a huge part of the plot, which just made everything framed so well and, of course, she writes cults in such an authentic way. Lucy, I am obsessed with you. And the Doctor. And the Queen and the Lover. All in all, I think this might be my favorite vampire book now.

This is a queer Dracula retelling that focuses on Lucy. Following three timelines that eventually converge, this is a masterful piece of art that focuses on feminist rage, angry grief, and queer love. This is truly about finding oneself and fighting your inner and external demons.

I laughed, I cried, and I recommended this book to 5 people so far.

I am such a huge fan of Kiersten so getting to read this early was a dream come true! I don't know that much about the original Dracula story however I felt that this was a perfect entry point for the diehard fans and those like me that only know of the names and legacy. A creative spin on a classic by one of my favorite authors... how perfect!

I feel like I was reading this book forever, but that is also because I read most of it in January, the longest feeling month of the year. Like January, it really sped up for me in the middle and I was scrambling towards to the end. This book made me want to go back over all of the many versions of Lucy I'd seen onscreen and apologize to them all. I had never given this character much thought before this and now I have so much more empathy/interest in her. Must read for vampire fans, Dracula fans, and Kiersten White fans.

Thanks to Del Rey for the ARC!

"Lucy Undying" by Kiersten White is a reimagined gothic fantasy that offers a fresh perspective on the classic "Dracula" narrative, focusing on Lucy Westenra, one of Dracula's initial victims. In this novel, Lucy escapes Dracula's control and embarks on a journey of self-discovery and love in modern-day London.

The story is structured through multiple timelines and perspectives, including Lucy's historical journal entries, therapy transcripts detailing her post-vampiric experiences, and a contemporary narrative following Iris, a young heiress entangled in her family's sinister health empire. This layered storytelling provides depth to Lucy's character, exploring her transformation from a Victorian-era socialite to an empowered immortal.

The novel features richly atmospheric descriptions that vividly bring to life both the eerie gothic elements of Lucy’s past and the vibrant yet haunting modern-day setting of London. These detailed depictions enhance the immersive quality of the story, drawing readers into Lucy’s world and her journey of transformation.

Overall, "Lucy Undying" masterfully bridges past and present, blending gothic horror with modern themes of empowerment and resilience. It is a thought-provoking exploration of identity and agency, wrapped in a story that will captivate fans of atmospheric fantasy and reimagined classics.

beautifully driven up characters and proses.

I loved how Lucy’s character came to life and the twisted in tale of Dracula. This was a unique way of telling Lucy’s side of the story and I am blessed to have read it.

But……this one fell short with my attention. This one took awhile for me to read. The pacing was off, besides that I loved it.

If you want something interesting and different, something tied into Dracula telling….. YOU WILL LOVE THIS!

I have really enjoyed following Kiersten White from YA to her adult books - her concepts are so unique and interesting and unexpected. I'm a Dracula fan from way back and I am so here for this new wave of books exploring the female characters and giving them a much needed voice, Lucy most of all. Also, all the stars for that stunning cover.

An epic vampire tale. I was so excited to read this but I will say, it took me some time to get through it.