Unnatural Creatures: A Novel of the Frankenstein Women

I’ve had a book by Kris Waldherr on my shelf for a couple of years, and though I haven’t read that, I was excited when she released her second novel last summer. Unnatural Creatures: A Novel of the Frankenstein Women reimagines the world of Victor Frankenstein and his monster, shifting the focus from him and his creation to the mother, fiancée, and maid affected by his actions. This is a great read for anyone who craves a new perspective on the world of Frankenstein.  

Special thanks to NetGalley and Muse Publications for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Review

Lately I’ve been enjoying reading retellings of well-known classics, especially if they highlight the perspectives of different characters or do a gender flip. In Unnatural Creatures: A Novel of the Frankenstein Women, Kris Waldherr gives voice to the women affected by Victor Frankenstein and his monstrous creation. I read Frankenstein in college over a decade ago, and while I remembered the major events, I found it helpful to watch a quick recap video of it before reading this new retelling. 

I love that Unnatural Creatures puts the spotlight on the women in Frankenstein’s world. It’s divided into four parts, each focusing on one of the three women before including the monster in the final part. First there is Caroline, Victor Frankenstein’s mother. Then there is his fiancée, Elizabeth. Finally, the family’s maid Justine gets a voice before the climatic final act. 

Kris Waldherr does a great job of capturing the language and tone of Frankenstein. It feels like it could have been written at the same time as Mary Shelley’s original book. Unnatural Creatures is also a perfect balance of expanding on the well-known story and of making it wholly original and new, even changing major events towards the end. 

The story is as wild as the original, and it makes for an engrossing and thought-provoking read.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’ve read Frankenstein or only know the story from popular culture, Unnatural Creatures is a fascinating read. It works as a rich counterpart and stands on its own in equal measure, and I enjoyed getting this new perspective on the famous tale. 

I plan to read more from Kris Waldherr soon, including the book that’s already on my shelf, The Lost History of Dreams. Look out for my review of that soon!

Get the Book

You can buy Unnatural Creatures here – it’s available as a hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

Unnatural Creatures by Kris Waldherr
Audiobook Narrator	Barrie Kreinik
Audience	Adult
Genre	Gothic; Horror; Science Fiction
Setting	Geneva
Number of Pages	370 pages; 12.75 hours
Format I Read	Audiobook (NetGalley)
Original Publication Date	October 4, 2022

Official Summary

For the first time, the untold story of the three women closest to Victor Frankenstein is brought to life in a dark and sweeping reimagining of Frankenstein by the author of The Lost History of Dreams.

The Mother
Caroline Frankenstein will do anything to protect her family against the nightmarish revolutions engulfing 18th-century Europe. In doing so, she creates her own monster in the form of her scientist son, Victor, whose obsession with conquering death leads to forbidden realms. 

The Bride
Rescued by Caroline as a four-year-old beggar, angelic Elizabeth Lavenza understands the only way she can repay the Frankensteins is by accepting Victor’s hand in marriage. But when Elizabeth’s heart yearns for someone else, the lives of those she most loves collide with the unnatural creature born of Victor’s profane experiments.

The Servant
After an abusive childhood, otherworldly Justine Moreau is taken in by Caroline to serve the Frankensteins. Justine’s devotion to Caroline and Elizabeth knows no bounds … until a family tragedy changes her irrevocably. Her fate sets her against Victor’s monster, who is desperate for a mate—and desperate to wreak revenge against the Frankensteins.

Stunningly written and exquisitely atmospheric, Unnatural Creatures shocks new life into Mary Shelley’s beloved gothic classic by revealing the feminine side of the tale. You’ll never see Victor Frankenstein and his monster the same way again.

Named a Most Anticipated Book for Fall by CrimeReads • Reader’s Digest Top 25 Book for Halloween • Editors’ Choice by the Historical Novels Review • AudioFile Earphones Award Winner

“Worthy of comparison to Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea . . . Unnatural Creatures is a splendid achievement from a writer at the height of her powers.”—Historical Novels Review (Editors’ Choice)