From acclaimed author K. Ancrum, on the National Book Award longlist for The Corruption of Hollis Brown, and Lambda Literary Award winner for Icarus, comes a queer romantic horror thriller that is a love letter to Frankenstein about the consequences of our decisions, the legacy of family, and the depths we’ll go to be forgiven.
Victor Frankenstein is a young, wealthy, and brilliant prodigy who wants nothing more than to prove himself and change the world. His plan to right what he feels is wrong with the world? Reanimation of the sick and dying, bringing them back to life. But no one will give him the chance to prove his genius. However, one drunken night a bet is made, one that will cause Victor to do the unspeakable: take a teen boy from a small, neighboring village, and experiment on him under the dark of night. Elias Hilfiker. The boy who would become his monster. His curse. When Elias awakens, his voice is gone, his skin is stitched, scarred, and branded with strange symbols, and he’s abandoned by his loved ones. Meanwhile, Victor embarks on a journey to discover how to reverse the horror he’s unleashed, visiting dark alchemists in lands far and wide, gripped by fear and guilt.
But Victor’s act of resurrection creates a tether to Elias, leaving them feeling each other’s pain, joy, and regret, as the two each seek a way to end the other. As the two bound boys continue to search for answers and forgiveness, vengeance and mercy, the boundaries between what makes a man and what makes a monster will only get more blurred.
YA SH3LF SHORT REVIEW
A beautifully dark and haunting reimagining of Frankenstein, this story blends queer romance, gothic horror, and emotional depth into a gripping tale about guilt, love, family, and forgiveness. The relationship between Victor and Elias is at the heart of the story, creating a powerful connection shaped by pain, regret, vengeance, and the desperate search for redemption. Their bond constantly challenges the boundaries between love and hatred, victim and monster, mercy and revenge.
The writing creates an atmospheric and unsettling world while giving the characters plenty of emotional complexity. The themes of the choices we make and the consequences we carry are woven throughout the story, making it much more than a simple retelling of a classic. Dark, emotional, thought-provoking, and beautifully tragic, this is a Frankenstein-inspired story that explores what it truly means to be human and whether forgiveness is possible after unimaginable mistakes.