Dracula by Bram Stoker

Title: Dracula
Author: Bram Stoker
Genre: Horror, classic
Published: 1897, originally
Source: Personal copy
Read for: A Classics Challenge, The Classics Club, Back to the Classics Challenge, Mixing it Up Challenge, R.I.P. VII

Does this book really need a summary? Nevertheless, I'll give you a tiny one. Jonathan Harker, solicitor, travels to Transylvania to work with a foreign client. While in the client's castle, he begins to notice many creepy and odd behaviors -- and the fact that the client doesn't want him to leave. Upon returning to London, disturbed and frightened, the mysterious client continues to appear in the lives of Harker and his friends, and they determine that he must be stopped.

I can't believe that I waited until now to read Dracula. I remember in elementary school reading a simplified version of it, but until now I'd never picked up the real book. I found it well-written, spooky, and creatively put together, with the inclusion of diary entries, telegrams, and newspaper articles.

I am always impressed when something written more than a hundred years ago manages to creep me out just as thoroughly as whatever horror trend has just recently come out. Dracula is written with disturbing details that continued in my memory after I had put the book down. Honestly, I think some of the best scenes are at the very beginning, during Harker's stay in the castle -- the wolves slavering around his carriage, the will of the wisp leading the carriage onward, and the strange, dark isolation of the castle not only provide a scary atmosphere, they also leave a little suspense to the imagination. I also found the lunatic character Renfield to be absolutely eerie, with his desire to consume as many lives as possible in order to build up his own power, thus making him particularly susceptible to Dracula. The images in this story are definitely poignant and creepy.

I also loved the epistolary style of the book. At times reading things from many perspectives can be disorienting, but in the case of Dracula, it was more illuminating. I especially enjoyed seeing all the "evidence," as the characters more than once mention that they are gathering all the evidence they have about Dracula and putting it in chronological order. Every bit of evidence that they have is present in the book, so that the reader feels they are discovering Dracula's secrets along with the characters.

I really enjoyed the characters as well, although a few of the outdated sentiments about women were highly irritating (although it seems that Stoker was probably aware of this, as indulging in those sentiments led to some poor outcomes). There was a ridiculous part of the story where all the men were saying, "We cannot tell Mina anything of what is happening to protect her poor fragile woman-soul," when the truth was that she was probably more capable of handling the situation than they were. However, I did really enjoy the way they all respected her and (eventually) took advantage of her capabilities to fight Dracula.

Dracula is a well-written book, full of adventure and thrills, as well as an interesting cast of characters. It is an excellent read for a chilly October night, and I am glad it was one of my choices for R.I.P. this year.

4 stars

Warnings: Violence, creepy images

YA Friday: Enshadowed by Kelly Creagh

Title: Enshadowed
Author: Kelly Creagh
Series: Nevermore #2
Genre: YA, paranormal
Publisher: Atheneum, 2012
Source: Library
Read for: R.I.P. VII

(Spoilers for Nevermore are fair game. No spoilers for Enshadowed)

Nevermore left us with Varen stranded in his dream world, with Isobel having severed his link. However, despite this supposed separation, the inhabitants of the dream world keep showing up in Isobel's day-to-day life and especially in her dreams. Desperate to rescue Varen, she determines that the only way to reach him is to intersect the mysterious "Poe Toaster" and find out how he travels between the two worlds. However, Isobel must face several obstacles, from her parents' anxiety about Isobel's recent odd behavior, to the demon Lilith, who literally has her claws into Varen. And as Isobel gets more entwined with the world, she is forced to wonder: does Varen even want to be rescued?

So before we get into Enshadowed, let me just tell you that Nevermore rocked my world. Even though intellectually I knew the romance was ridiculous, even though at times I thought Isobel was really annoying, even though I was left hanging in the meanest possible way, I was absolutely, head-to-toe, swept away by Nevermore. Ever since finishing it, I have been eagerly anticipating Enshadowed, hoping for some whisper of closure. I knew it was the second book in a trilogy and that not everything would be resolved... but I must admit, I thought something would be. Instead, Enshadowed simply spirals the reader deeper into the confusion and cliff-hangers. It is basically one long extension of the doozy of a cliff-hanger we were left with in Nevermore.

So, plot-wise, I was frustrated with Enshadowed. It took two years to come out after the publication of Nevermore, and I am a bit depressed at the prospect of waiting another two years to find out how things play out. Also, bear in mind that I am not so much frustrated with Enshadowed ending on a cliff-hanger -- I am frustrated that the entire book resolved nothing, leaving me immensely unsatisfied. It seemed as if the characters were simply dancing around accomplishing anything.

With that said, Enshadowed was not a complete bust for me. I think the biggest reason I still enjoyed it is that Kelly Creagh really is phenomenal at evoking atmosphere. Her writing is beautiful and detailed, and the woman can create a mood. Even though I felt like I wasn't learning anything and was impatient for more information, I still loved the imagery of the dreamworld creeping into Isobel's life. I don't know how to accurately describe it -- it's the same reason I was so transfixed by Nevermore. I just felt enveloped in this mood. It isn't as strong or as magical as it was in Nevermore, but it was definitely there, and I loved getting lost in it.

I also really love the characters. Even though there were a few that did not get enough page time (*ahem*VAREN), I still absolutely delight in Gwen's weirdness. I also really love Isobel's little brother, who does his best to act like a brat but who genuinely loves his sister and is amazing. Isobel is even growing on me -- she has her moments, but I love her determination to help Varen, even though at times I just want to shake her for ignoring the obvious signs. One character that was MIA that I had expected to see more of in Enshadowed is the character Lacey. I suppose I might have been missing something, but she seemed to be mysteriously significant in Nevermore, and she just dropped off the face of the earth in Enshadowed.

Also, of course, the tie-ins to Poe and his writings and the legend surrounding him were fantastic.

For me, Enshadowed did not live up to the fantastic experience that was Nevermore for me. However, I haven't given up on the trilogy yet. As I said, I love Kelly Creagh's writing, and she really has to resolve something in the next book, right? I just hope that it is resolved in the way that I hope it will be.

3 stars

Warnings: Very very mild swear words, some minor violence, scary imagery

Short Story Spotlight: "Ligeia" by Edgar Allan Poe

I was very intrigued by the short story "Ligeia," which I had never heard of before, when I read Nevermore by Kelly Creagh last October. The premise is this: the narrator falls in love with a woman named Ligeia and marries her, although he knows very little about her. She is beautiful and entrances him, but at times there is something odd about her, particularly about her eyes. Eventually she dies, and the narrator is tormented. He comes into an estate and decorates it in a very dark, creepy way. He ends up marrying a woman named Rowena, who slowly declines and is overtaken by an illness. After she has allegedly died, he sits with her corpse, only to see it animated multiple times throughout the night. At the last, she rises up again and comes to him, but it is Ligeia possessing Rowena's body.

There were elements of this story that I enjoyed -- the elements that are more or less Poe's trademarks. His writing is very beautiful, even when the subject matter is extremely disturbing, and I can vividly imagine everything he describes. I also enjoy that chilling thrill at the end of a scary story, and it was certainly present in "Ligeia."

However, I felt that it took Poe a long time to get to the point in "Ligeia." While I realize that his extensive descriptions are partially what make everything so vivid, he focused at times on elements of the story that were less interesting to me and skimmed over those that I would have liked to know more about. He spends pages and pages discoursing on Ligeia's appearance and beauty, every detail about her, which became boring to me very quickly. Then he skimmed over his relationship with Rowena, mentioning briefly that he "hated" her, but never giving any inclination of why he then chose to marry her (is it just "a man's needs" or something?). While I enjoyed the "chill" at the end of the story, I felt that it took a long time to get there.

I guess in brief, while "Ligeia" was a creepy and enjoyable story, I wish that the preamble about Ligeia's appearance had been abridged while the actual events of the story had been more fleshed out. Still, it was interesting to finally read the story after seeing it referenced in Nevermore.

Short Story Spotlight: "Snow, Glass, Apples" by Neil Gaiman

I'll tell you up front that "Snow, Glass, Apples" is the only thing by Neil Gaiman that I have ever read (shame on me). I actually read it a while ago and never posted anything about it. When the short story I read for this month's post left me completely cold, I found myself thinking of this creepy little story again, and decided it was more deserving of mention than the book I read.

"Snow, Glass, Apples" is a retelling of Snow White from the "evil" queen's point of view. For some reason, the princess holds a strange fixation for people, particularly for men, but her young stepmother sees beyond the princess's strange allure to a lurking darkness within.

I know that I will enjoy Gaiman's other works just from the beauty of the language he uses in "Snow, Glass, Apples." The words evoke images that are descriptive not in the sugary, sentimental way but with a sharp, diamond-cut cleanness. The story is not beautiful and romantic like a traditional fairy tale; it is disturbing but poignant, and the images do not fade quickly.

The creativity of the story is also powerful. I don't want to give away the crux of it, what Snow White really is, because figuring that out was part of the fun of reading the story, but I will say that I was amazed by how Neil Gaiman took the elements of the fairy tale and twisted them neatly so that they told a completely different story without being corrupted at all.

Don't read this story when you are alone at night -- it is very creepy. Also bear in mind that with that creepiness, there are some mature themes in the story. However, it is a brilliant and well-written retelling of Snow White, and one that is worth reading.

YA ZOMBIE Friday: The Dead-Tossed Waves and The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

Title: The Dead-Tossed Waves; The Dark and Hollow Places
Author: Carrie Ryan
Series: The Forest of Hands and Teeth #2 and #3
Genre: YA, paranormal, horror
Publisher: Delacorte Books For Young Readers, 2010; 2011
Source: Library

The Dead-Tossed Waves picks up several years after The Forest of Hands and Teeth leaves off (so spoilers are a fair warning for the first book). Mary is living in a lighthouse by the sea with her daughter, Gabry. Gabry enjoys her safety -- she doesn't want to go outside the Barrier, and she really doesn't want to ever go into the Forest of Hands and Teeth. However, after reluctantly going outside the Barrier one fateful night (for a boy, naturally), Gabry's life changes forever. Her decisions affect everyone around her, and she must learn to come to terms with what she has done and what she wants to do.

If I could describe The Dead-Tossed Waves in one word, it would be angst. Gabry is a very confused girl. She doesn't know what she wants, she doesn't know how to deal with what she's done, she doesn't know who she's interested in. She is very angry and she makes quite a few mistakes. The selfishness of the main characters seems to be a theme in this series; the characters are trying to strike a balance between their will to survive and the (angsty) love they feel for their friends (but mostly their moody, equally angsty love interests). In the case of Mary from the first book, I wasn't ever really bothered by it. Occasionally her drive to find the sea became a bit all-consuming -- I can't imagine wanting to find a location more than wanting to stay with the people I love. However, her drive and her decisions made sense to me. Gabry was all over the place, constantly changing her mind and discussing her uncertainty. At times it was grating for me.

The story itself was much more exciting than The Forest of Hands and Teeth, rife with chilling moments. The opening scene was absolutely explosive and set the scene for the rest of the book. I was spellbound by this book -- it definitely causes "one-more-chapter"syndrome. I also enjoyed seeing the way the Unconsecrated -- or the Mudo, as they are called in this book -- are seen and dealt with in the seaside community of Vista. The village in The Forest of Hands and Teeth was isolated, ruled by a nun-like community of Sisters. The city of Vista is run by the Protectorate, a government agency with stringent rules to try and preserve the survival of the human race. It is also filled with Recruiters, a sort-of army that finds supplies, clears out areas for settlement, and kills as many Mudo as possible. The ending was rending of course, as per Ms. Ryan's style, but was slightly more hopeful than the complete decimation of The Forest of Hands and Teeth. 


I do think the lovely writing style that I enjoyed in The Forest of Hands and Teeth was less present in The Dead-Tossed Waves. It was drowned out with angsty-angst-angst and frightening moments. However, it does make a reappearance in The Dark and Hollow Places.

I am going to be intentionally vague in this summary because while The Dead-Tossed Waves is separate enough from The Forest of Hands and Teeth that not too many spoilers surface, The Dark and Hollow Places begins only a few weeks after and is more directly connected. The Dark and Hollow Places is about Annah, a girl who left her twin sister in The Forest of Hands and Teeth years ago and has been struggling to eke out a life every since in the Dark City, first with her "brother," Elias, and later on her own when Elias joins the Recruiters. Scarred and tough, Annah knows how to survive, and is driven to survive at all costs. However, she realizes that sometimes living is more important than surviving, and has to choose the kind of life that she really wants.

Where The Dead-Tossed Waves left me occasionally disappointed, The Dark and Hollow Places left me completely fulfilled. First of all, the writing was stunning. Only rarely do books deliver a complete, cohesive picture straight to my mind when I read a scene. This one did -- I could see the snow, the treacherous tunnels, Annah's scars, everything (although why does the girl on the cover have no scars at all, hmm?).  The images were beautiful despite the bleakness of the story and the setting.

And the story was very bleak. While the characters in the other book have encounters with the Mudo, some of them absolutely terrifying (re: the final scene in The Dead-Tossed Waves -- I can't even imagine), in this book they are all around. The characters are right in the trenches with the zombies, and Annah is grabbed more than once, feeling fingers wrap around her ankles or her wrists or her hair. And the zombies aren't the only dangers in this world -- there are horrible, twisted people who pose just as much, if not more, of a threat. I had the most moments of being completely freaked out in this book. As being freaked out is kind of the point of why I read them, I was pleased with this. And despite the bleak, bleak setting, the book also had the highest concentration of hope. The way Annah transforms from someone who is living for another breath to someone who is passionately clinging to the pain and beauty of life was moving. She is one of the toughest characters I've ever read.

Overall, I recommend both of these books (and the first, of course). They are frightening and disturbing. Carrie Ryan is pretty ruthless in disposing of characters. However, the overall message is one of hope amidst the bleakest of circumstances.

The Dead-Tossed Waves: 3.5 stars
The Dark and Hollow Places: 4 stars

Warnings: a few swears, zombie violence (lots) and some human violence as well

YA Friday: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Title: A Monster Calls
Author: Patrick Ness (inspired by an idea by Siobhan Dowd)
Illustrator: Jim Kay
Genre: YA, fantasy, scary book
Publisher: Walker and Company, 2011
Source: Library
Read for: Fun

Conor O'Malley has been having nightmares, in addition to the nightmare of his waking life -- his mom throwing up every day, unable to stay awake long enough to cook a meal, the kids bullying him at school, his mean, ungrandmotherly grandmother, his absent father. But when a monster shows up outside his window, it isn't the monster from the nightmare. This monster wants to tell Conor stories -- but he also wants Conor to tell him a story, one more terrifying than Conor wants to face.

Wow. This book. It is short, and the language is simple and concise -- I read it in just an hour or two. But between the lines of the simple story, it deals with some powerful themes, like justice, good and evil, and who is ever really right. It takes anger and crushing grief and looks at them head on. It examines the fact that adults really can't fix everything, and that in fact the way some of them handle situations for their children actually makes things much, much worse. In short, it isn't always an easy book to read, but it has an important message that I think could help many people, not only young teens dealing with grief.

The presentation of the story is stellar. I've never read anything else by Patrick Ness (although I hear that the Chaos Walking trilogy is a must-read) and I loved his simple, powerful language. I think the writing of the monster's dialogue is the strongest bit of the story. The monster speaks almost rhythmically, growling out wisdom in his menacing voice. The illustrations are also powerful -- the stark, blurry, black and white pictures complemented the story's atmosphere.

Conor just broke my heart, the way he tried to take care of everything for his mom, wiping the counters and making dinner, while his stress and sadness and anger were battling it out inside of him. When he first meets the monster and it asks him if he is afraid, Conor says, "Shout all you want. I've seen worse." It reminded me of the sweet kids I worked with this summer, the eight-year-old who was fiercely protective of her mother, the six-year-old who climbed on my back for a piggy-back ride and told me all about how she didn't want her dad to die and what surgeries he had undergone. They're not afraid of some loud, large being yelling in their window -- they know what else is out there. The way the monster allowed Conor to finally express his emotions was powerful. As we get to know Conor, we see that he is a controlled, even-tempered kid, so when he finally breaks loose it is frightening and heartbreaking. I felt his emotions as if they were my own.

I loved the symbol of the monster coming to heal Conor. We all have to deal with something at some point, whether it is illness, accident, rejection, or failure. The monster didn't represent the tough situations, however; he represented what it takes to pull through them. Allowing ourselves to survive when all we want to do is curl up in the fetal position can be the toughest part of an ordeal, a monster impossible to defeat. However, Conor didn't defeat the monster -- he walked with it until he understood how to leave it.

As I said before, this isn't an easy book to read -- it brought me to tears more than once. However, I think it is an important resource to deal with grief, whether or not the griever is in Conor's exact situation or is dealing with something slightly different. It is definitely something I will be carrying in my arsenal of non-medical tools as a nurse.

4.5 stars

Warnings: 1 or 2 little swears.

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

Title: The Historian
Author: Elizabeth Kostova
Genre: Historical fiction, mystery, horror
Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company, 2005
Source: Borrowed from Kathryn
Read for: R.I.P. VI

Motherless protagonist-girl-with-no-name (way to pull a Rebecca, here, Ms. Kostova) and her diplomat father live happily in Amsterdam. They share the same passion for books and history, and as the girl grows up, he begins including her in his trips to the great cities of Europe. However, one day she finds a mysterious, ancient book hidden away at the top of her father's shelves, and when she asks her father about it, he only reveals the story in terse, frightened fragments. This story has affected all of the girl's family, and it leads to a monster who is all too historical and real -- Vlad Drakulya, the Impaler.

Before I launch into review-mode, can I just give a quick kudos to Stainless Steel Droppings for hosting such an incredible challenge? I am sad to see it end tonight on All Hallows' Eve (although to be honest, there are four more books in my stack and I am fully intending on finishing them all this year, even though the season will have passed). Evidently I love creepiness, something I never really knew about myself before. Anyway, on to the actual point of this post...

The Historian is a beast -- 638 pages of small print and heavy drama. Therefore, it is highly impressive to me that Kostova is able to hold the thread of narrative so masterfully straight through the pages. She layers three different stories -- that of the girl, her father, and her father's graduate school advisor, Professor Rossi -- revealing clues about Dracula and his connection one dangling filament at a time. I think this is in large part due to her lovely writing. She manages to be minutely detailed without (for the most part) letting the narrative drag. Certain writers (Erin Morgenstern and Diane Setterfield come immediately to mind because their works are the most recent that I've read possessing this quality) use a style that is descriptive yet fluid, wordy in a pleasing sense rather than a choking one. Kostova also falls into this category.

The story itself is also genuinely thrilling most of the time. True to its name, woven into the plot are numerous historical facts, and much of the narrative revolves around research, finding new information about Dracula as clues to the whereabouts of his tomb. In general, I enjoyed this. It was interesting to learn about the middle ages, about the geography of conquests and the rituals of small Eastern European villages. The folk music in particular interested me, although obviously I couldn't hear it -- I spent the better part of a year slaving (and I do mean slaving) over this Bartok piece, the second of "Two Roumanian Dances." (And trust me, it was no picnic for my family to listen to me play this every day. My husband runs from the room screaming when I play it now). (Also, this isn't me. Just some fabulous youtuber, who plays much better than I do).

However, occasionally the history got a bit thick for my taste. While I was the one person in my study abroad group to actually enjoy the Cluny museum in Paris (focus on medieval artifacts), sometimes the constant talk about documents and dates left me slightly confused. However, in general it was fascinating and interesting.

Like the inclusion of so much history, for the most part the plot was stellar but in a few instances failed to impress. This incarnation of Vlad Dracula was amazing. He is frightening, he is suave, he is unrelentingly bookish -- as one character said, "I almost like him" -- but at the same time he is so evil that the sentences describing him elicited real shudders from me. The events leading up to meeting with the actual character are equally chilling, causing me to think twice before entering a dark room and look behind me when I walked down the street. However, some of the events were a bit repetitious and felt contrived. The first time someone was found murdered after trying to find books about Dracula, I was shocked. The second time, concerned. After that, it became predictable. Hmm, they are looking at an ancient document about Dracula and a creepy man is staring at them. I wonder if anyone is going to die...? However, in general it was well done. I was fascinated in the characters' travels through Eastern Europe and absorbed in the relationships between the characters, individuals who formed close friendships and romances throughout the book.

If you are looking for a light, easy read, don't look for it here. However, if you are interested in a creepy, intellectual read that you will walk away from with new knowledge about the middle ages (and a few nightmares, most likely), this is the book for you. And if you are a fan of big books and excellent writing, you will probably love it even more.

4 stars

Warnings: Violence, scary

YA Friday: Nevermore by Kelly Creagh (and mini giveaway!)

Title: Nevermore
Author: Kelly Creagh
Genre: YA, horror
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2010
Source: Won from The Story Siren
Read for: R.I.P. VI

Isobel Lanley is appalled when she is assigned to work with Varen Nethers on her English project. She is popular, hanging out with a tight, exclusive group of friends (including her jealous and possessive boyfriend, Brad), and she is right to be worried -- her friends harass Varen and tell him to stay away from her, despite the fact that she is assigned to work with him. However, Isobel grows more and more interested in Varen, despite his odd behavior. As she starts to learn his secrets, she is rushed into a haunting and disturbing world inspired by the life of Edgar Allen Poe -- a world that could capture Varen forever.

So, a brief history of my relationship with this book -- I won it from the Story Siren earlier this year. I'd entered the giveaway without much thought -- it was when I'd just started to notice that there were giveaways all over the book blogosphere and I was excited at the idea of winning books. When I won it, I was excited to win something, but not extremely excited about the book. I figured I would read it eventually. It came with a little action figure of Edgar Allen Poe (which now perches over my desk), some black feathers and pretend leaves, purple pens, and three signed bookmarks (more about that in a minute). I was excited by the pretty package and decided I would read the book in October for Halloween.

Fast forward to about two weeks ago. I read a few reviews of the book and saw mixed reactions. Because paranormal is a taste I only occasionally enjoy, I thought this would be at best a lukewarm reading experience for me. Oh how very wrong I was.

Because I am obsessed with Nevermore.

I'll start with the writing, because I think that is one merit of the book that most can agree on. Creagh describes her frightening scenes with beautiful precision and power. I could see the dark birds hovering by Isobel's window, feel the chill along the nape of my neck when mysterious voices hissed her name. We are given every detail, moving step by step through Isobel's experiences. I am one of the rare readers that love long, drawn-out explanations and descriptions. While I wouldn't say that the descriptions of the book are over the top (say, Lord of the Rings drawn-out), they did give more information than the usually succinct YA books I am used to. I loved this. I could visualize every event -- I even had a nightmare about the book, which to me is a high compliment to a scary story. If it has filtered in to my dreams, even though they frighten me, it shows they have affected me on a deep level. Reading the book felt like a movie in my mind -- I could see the scenes play out in vivid detail.

The visuals weren't all that I experienced as if they were my own. The emotions of the slowly building relationship between Isobel and Varen affected me viscerally as no other book has. I am not exaggerating. I had rampaging butterflies in my stomach every time they were in a scene together. I found Varen completely alluring as a male lead -- he was mysterious, intelligent, and different from the status quo of love interests. He wasn't perfect; he was extremely frustrating. But he was real, passionate, and deeply emotional and sensitive beneath his tough exterior, and I loved it. As Gwen (another delightfully quirky character that I really related to) put it, "Right now, you're trying to decide if that was hot or annoying. [...] It was so totally hot." Amen, sister.

I had a slightly more difficult time relating to Isobel. It frustrated me that she didn't take an interest in reading Poe -- Varen was so intelligent, and she seemed to blow off school. Cheerleading was constantly described as the thing she was really passionate about, which is certainly valid, but not something I can ever imagine wanting to do. However, as the book progressed and she underwent ordeal after ordeal, I was impressed with her tenacity and strength. As her popular friends fall away from her, she learns to accept and even love people that previously would have been dismissed as "freaks," people not cool enough for her. I think as a character she demonstrated a lot of growth, but she didn't change her personality -- just the way she dealt with certain situations.

Of course, I can't finish this review without mentioning Poe and the brilliant way he was woven throughout the narrative. I picked up a volume of short stories by Poe in high school and read a few -- "The Red Death" and "The Orang-otang [sic]" are the two that stick out in my memory, along with "The Cask of Amontillado," which I'm pretty sure is required reading in every single grade of high school English. My interest in Poe was renewed with the mention of these stories once again and the dazzling translation of some of his most haunting images into a new story. In addition, the mysterious "Poe Toaster" is inserted into the narrative in a creative and satisfying way. Nevermore sparked my interest in learning more about Poe and reading more of his work. I enjoyed the way his writings were the inspiration for this new and equally ahunting story.

While I can understand that the length and level of detail in Nevermore may be a deterrent to some, for me, this book was absolutely satisfying for me as a spooky read and an enjoyable YA. I highly recommend getting your hands on a copy to read before the Halloween season ends.

4.5 stars

Warnings: Some spooky evil demon violence. And can I just go on a quick little spiel here? I so appreciated the fact that this book was powerful, emotional, romantically tense, and strong without using profanity or sexuality. That is getting to be a difficult thing to find, and this book did an amazing job.

Now, for the mini giveaway! As I mentioned earlier, Kelly Creagh sent me three signed Nevermore bookmarks. I am giving away two of them. If you are as much of a Nevermore freak as I am and would like a signed bookmark, leave me a comment with your email address. I'll announce the two winners on Monday - last chance to leave a comment is Sunday evening at 11:59 MDT.

Classics Circuit: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Title: Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus
Author: Mary Shelley
Genre: Classic, horror
Publisher: Originally published by Harding, Mavor and Jones, 1818
Source: Free ebook for Kindle
Read for: Classics Circuit; R.I.P. VI Challenge

Young scholar Victor Frankenstein, inflamed with a passion for science, embarks on an experiment that results in the formation of life and the birth of monster. Horrified by the frightening appearance of his creation, Frankenstein abandons the monster and tries to forget its entrance into his life. However, as the monster slowly learns about life and love, it is stirred into dark feelings of revenge upon the creator that abandoned it.

This is my first read of Frankenstein, although I was familiar with the story thanks to Great Illustrated Classics (shout out!). However, the versions I had read of the classic novel emphasized the horror and fear felt by Frankenstein and the atrocities committed by the monster rather than the themes of irresponsibility, revenge, and humanity present in the novel. This made reading Frankenstein a stimulating experience provoking much thought.

I find the subtitle The Modern Prometheus to be especially appropriate here. If you are unfamiliar with the myth, Prometheus is a mortal who stole the secret of flame from the great Olympian gods and gave it to the mortals. Infuriated at Prometheus' arrogance, the gods bound him to a rock where his liver was eaten daily for the rest of eternity. Similarly, Frankenstein "stole" the ability to create life. He was then tormented by the creature for the rest of his life, slowly losing every person that he loved. This could be seen as a punishment from God for accessing knowledge that was forbidden or taboo. Frankenstein had the ability to create a life, but he didn't have the wisdom to nurture and teach the creature or the capacity to love it and allow it to feel that it had value.

A far more common theme that I've seen in analyses of this novel is the question of who the real monster of the story is. Multiple times throughout the novel, we see the monster capable of great love. He performs secretive acts of service to a family he admires. He learns to communicate. He reads great literary works. Without any help or direct teaching from anyone (although he does learn most of what he knows from observation), the monster becomes a creature possessing humanity. He does commit atrocious acts; however, he has lived his life with absolutely no indication of love or kindness toward himself. On the other hand, Frankenstein abandons the creature because he hates its appearance. He rejects the monster even after it explains its life and its feelings to him. He refuses to help it in anyway. He creates the monster and then flings it into the world, with no sense of responsibility for his action other than his tortured feelings. And sorry buddy, but weeping and moaning about how guilty you feel and how much you miss your dead family members doesn't absolve you of your guilt. A better action would have maybe been dealing with the situation.

I don't find myself agreeing with the Prometheus-type of theme that Frankenstein was over-stepping himself by reaching into forbidden knowledge. However, he was over-stepping himself by allowing himself to delve into that knowledge with no idea of the responsibilities that it would entail. Which, I guess you could say, is the reason that the knowledge is forbidden in the first place. However, if Frankenstein had been willing to teach and care for his creation, he would have had a devoted son. It also probably would have helped if he'd had a more aesthetic eye, but you can't have everything.

As for the writing itself, I found Shelley's sentences to be beautiful -- simple and concise, but evocative.  I'm one of the select few that actually enjoy long out descriptions, and I found her passages describing the scenery of the mountains to be breath-taking. I also felt the anguish of the various characters as it was presented, even though I didn't usually sympathize with them.

Frankenstein has its frustrating moments, especially in dealing with the title character. However, the book is filled with thought-provoking themes and questions what truly makes us human.

3.5 stars

Warnings: Murders, murders, murders.

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