Written in a diary/letter format, we follow Miss Mary as she navigates society while also performing secret experiments. After accidentally reviving a dead bird, Mary quickly escalates and finds herself in a little bit of trouble. No problem, some letters to another scientist will help and together they will solve her issue.

The book was surprisingly a lot better than I went in thinking. I’m not usually a huge fan of only letters as a narration choice. It reminded me in times of reading A Dowry of Blood just as it was dark at times and the writing felt similar.

This book is pure, glorious madness in the best way. It left me breathless. I’m still thinking about it, still wishing I could read it again for the first time. It’s bold. It’s brilliant. It’s everything I ever wanted from a queer, feral, reimagined classic.

I adored every page. This was messy and beautiful and unreal in the most glorious way. A queer, gothic gem that breathes fiery new life into both Austen and Shelley while still being something entirely its own.

Thank you #netgalley for the review copy.

After borrowing the “Scandalous Confession of Lydia Bennet Witch” from the library and devouring it in close to a single sitting (or as close to that as one can manage with a very active small human and a full time job) I eagerly awaited what I was sure would be the next book and would cover Georgiana’s story. I was not disappointed although this is more Mary’s story than Georgiana’s and while it’s clear it resides in the same world as Lydia’s book there isn’t much reference to the events in that book other than a few here and there and as such you can definitely read this one without having read the other and not be lost at all. For both of these books however, it’s assumed one is familiar with “Pride & Prejudice,” which feels fair considering who likely would be drawn to a P&P reimagining.

Regarding the source material, this book deviates more it feels from it than its predecessor which makes sense considering the story and how little Mary and Georgiana have to do in P&P. Of course unlike Lydia’s book this one also seeks to bring in another classic tale into the P&P world and that is “Frankenstein.” Because of this, it’s definitely darker than Lydia’s story but still I think should be considered a fun read.

Not sure which story will be told next in these delightful P&P inspired series, but I’ll definitely read it

For the right reader, I think this will be an easy 5 stars. I’d especially recommend it to readers who like their Jane Austen retellings with a splash of horror or queerness, or who are looking for a clever Gothic Regency with some poignant moments. For me, it was a pleasant but not totally successful read. I really wanted to absolutely love it, but at the end of the day there were too many elements that just didn’t quite work for me.

The first book in this loose “series,” The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch, was one of my favorite reads in 2023. Author Melinda Taub did a masterful job creating a new magical backstory for Lydia Bennet, the most hated sister from Pride and Prejudice. She captured Lydia’s voice and created a narrative that seamlessly intertwined with the original story, but gave Lydia nuance and context, and told a satisfying story that could be enjoyed on its own. By the end I was shocked to actually like and care about Lydia - a feat I truly did not think possible.

I was therefore incredibly excited to get a chance to read this next book, which utilizes a similar structure but features the most maligned Bennet sister, Mary. In the original book the poor thing is mostly relegated to the background, showing up only to annoy her family by playing the piano badly or quoting from preachy sermons and homilies.This girl is badly in need of a glow up!

It was great to see Mary getting a starring role, and making her a scientist with a sapphic love interest was even better. This book picked up where the first book left off, which delighted and surprised me. As a result, this one had to gently nibble around the edges of Pride and Prejudice more than the first one, in order to stay consistent with both the original novel and the events of the prior book in the series. This must have been incredibly difficult and I applaud Taub for even trying it. It would have been vastly easier to place this book in a new/alternate timeline instead.

Where this book faltered for me is likely a matter of taste. I found a lot of Mary’s decisions and thought processes baffling. I loved that she was so smart and that the overarching theme was about Mary working through her own oppression, repression, and trauma due to spending her whole life being the disliked and ignored sister. But it felt like her character was being crammed into a specific plot and specific character beats that didn’t feel organic to the character. I had trouble sympathizing with her because her decisions felt like they were coming out of nowhere.

It’s clear that the novel Frankenstein was another major inspiration for this book. I’ve never read Frankenstein, but I’m guessing that some of the stylistic and narrative choices here were in homage/conversation with that story. That would make a lot of sense and would explain some of the tonal and thematic elements that I had trouble connecting with. Since I haven’t read Frankenstein or Jane Austen’s more Gothic stories, I was probably missing a lot of witty context and easter eggs.

The other thing that I found challenging is just the nature of retellings - since this book picked up after the first one, it also had to move forward the stories of certain other P&P characters, beyond what we see in the original novel. There were a few characters whose future I really disliked. I can’t fault the book for this at all! It’s just a question of personal taste.

Ultimately, I had a pleasant time while reading this, but it doesn’t reach the heights of the first book for me. There were some touching moments, though, and I really appreciate what Taub was trying to do with this. I hope there’s another entry in the series, and I’ll read it for sure. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars for the incredible concept.

Huge thanks to Melinda Taub, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for generously providing an ARC for review!

Melinda Taub, you come here and answer for your crimes IMMEDIATELY! How DARE you write an actual masterpiece and allow MY eyes to behold it??

I need at least 7-10 business days to process this book. It just slammed me into the worst book hangover of my life and I am quite unwell, actually. I need more. Do you hear me, Miss Taub? MORE. Expeditiously.

If I could give this book 100 stars, I would. And I will. Take my 100 stars while I recover.

A sapphic Frankenstein retelling including the Bennet sisters?? Sign me up. This book sucked me in immediately. I was laughing, gasping, giggling, kicking my feet. Miss Mary might be my favorite protagonist of all time. The Sir Gregory/Sir Holzmann friendship was everything I wanted and more. And the way the story is written: letters and journal entries. Spectacular, give me 14 more of them.

This was an ARC I was kindly gifted but best believe as soon as it is released to the general public, I will be buying my very own copy. Meanwhile, I will take myself onward to the next book about Miss Lydia Bennet, and I expect to not be bothered until my reading is complete.

Good day.

**I received this digital ARC FROM NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity!**

Thank you to NetGalley, Melinda Taub, and Grand Central Publishing for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was difficult for me to rate. While I enjoyed the story and the characters, I felt something was missing. I adored that Mary Bennet was like a mad scientist. She broke all the boundaries placed on her for being a woman, just like so many women during this time. I loved that we got to see her experiment and discover questionable things. However, I feel like the characters weren’t as well-rounded as I hoped. I also would have loved descriptions of the setting. But I did enjoy this book. Even though the sapphic romance was less important to the story, I still ate it up. I would recommend it!