Teen Frankenstein

A unique retelling with humor on almost every page. I laughed out loud quite a bit--but what should have been it's saving grace, just barely saved a fairly slow moving story.

Victoria Frankenstein aka "Tor," is a mad scientist...okay maybe she's not mad--but she is a scientist. Following in her father's scientist footsteps--Tor's been attempting to raise the dead--dead mice that is. It's something she's been working on for quite some time much to her best friend, Owen's chagrin.

Then one day she hits a boy and kills him. But, not to fret she brings him back to life in true Mary Shelley fashion--which of course sets off a series of both fortunate and unfortunate events.

What I liked: The cast of characters, I liked them all. They were funny, and odd--and just the kind of people I would hang out with if I were in high school.

Adam, in particular stole my heart. His rebirth was a thing to see, and how he so quickly became attached to his "creator," or rather "savior," made my heart swoon just a little bit. He was affectionate in the most deadpan way possible--but it was endearing.

Tor. Tor was hilarious, all of her sarcastic quips tickled me pink. As well as Owen, who had a funny sarcastic, nerdy way of being.

What I didn't like:
Although the characters were strong, the story itself was pretty slow moving, and seemed to go on with no particular ending in sight. I kind of felt like I would never finish, and even if I did I wasn't sure what I was going to wind up with.

There are a lot of almost action moments throughout the story but, the climax comes fairly late and left me feeling a little let down. There was an overwhelming sense of being underwhelmed by the important parts of the story.

All in all the story was quite enjoyable, easy readable but underwhelming--which was disappointing.

Final Verdict: A readable story with intriguing characters--and a decent plot. Recommended for readers that like their books, with a little less action, and a lot more snark.

Though there are concepts taken from the beloved 1810s novel of a similar title, TEEN FRANKENSTEIN is a whole different monster. It has a different plot, different set of characters, new set of murders/dead bodies, and a much different setting. But the narrator does bring back a dead body to life and chaos ensues. Plus, there's a monster dancing. And I mean, dancing to what should have been the "Monster Mash" song. Unfortunately, not.

Tor is a really intriguing narrator/main character, who is also somewhat disturbing (but no less interesting). Obsessed with resurrection and electricity, she is exactly the kind of Dr. Frankenstein the story needs. She is a fascinating character (and specimen, I admit) to analyze. She quickly gets over the fact that she committed (what appears to be) vehicular manslaughter and immediately begins working on a way to resurrect the boy she killed. She is a great parallel to the original Dr. Frankenstein except for the fact that instead of abandoning her monster, she "raises" it. And by raising, I mean by monitoring, experimenting, etc. with little regards to ethics.

Speaking of parallels, I have to note that this book is a bit tamer than the original novel. There's less violence, and the female characters are stronger than the females of the older novel. Plots turn to different paths, and Frankenstein (the monster) isn't always the worst monster hiding underneath someone's bed. The parallels are truly interesting to look for, and I advise readers to keep track of them (if they have read the original 1810s novel, of course; readers don't have to read Mary Shelley's novel in order to understand this one).

The plot sends the cast through a high school. The monster goes to high school, and yes, it gets amusing until a murder and disappearances begins to throw everything into doubt. It's fast-paced and full of science and mystery, and the book keeps going at it until everything (and I mean, everything) is revealed.

The true villain is perhaps humans. Not the monster who is brought back to life, but humans. Humans who are able to crush another's feelings. Humans who bring destruction to wherever they go. Humans who are selfish... And I can probably ramble on and on, but it's truly an interesting development.

The ending throws one character into doubt, and I absolutely love it. Unreliableness is practically dessert to me.

Overall, TEEN FRANKENSTEIN is a fun and modern twist on Mary Shelley's novel, FRANKENSTEIN. With a smart and unreliable narrator and a undead, dead monster, the book is best recommended for those who love the old tale and those looking for science fiction without any romances.

Rating: Three out of Five