Lucy Undying: A Dracula Novel by Kiersten White
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Web ID: 20312155An intriguing story with vampires!
Lucy Undying was a decent read! I liked the writing style and I enjoyed the characters & story. The story is told through various perspectives, we get Dracula’s, Lucy’s, and Iris’s along with a few others but mentioning those might be a spoiler and I want to keep the review relatively spoiler free. We also get three different timelines, we get the current and past timelines with some occasional journal entries. I really liked following Lucy as a character and I was really invested in her storyline. I loved the Queen, Doctor, and Lover side characters. These have to be some of the most interesting side characters, I loved their stories and how things had played out. However I wasn’t a particular fan of Iris storyline and the romance felt okay but I wasn’t as invested in the romance as I was with Lucy. I really did like the books atmosphere though, I’m interested in trying out some more titles from this author! The cover for Lucy Undying is also very pretty!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great story
What an interesting story. I loved the plot line. I especially liked how it was divided into the three main storytellers. I really enjoyed this story and was surprised by the ending. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it. I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Piblishing Group - Ballantine for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest opinion of the book.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A slog to get through, unfortunately
Am I glad I read it? I don't regret reading this, though I can't say I'm particularly thrilled to have read it. I can say, however, that I am glad that I *finished* it. Let me explain. This book is loooooong—which is, generally, fine—but it felt exactly as long as it was—which is, unequivocally, not fine. For the middle third-ish, I felt like I was watching water boil, wondering when this book would finally end and simultaneously feeling like it never would because I kept checking my progress so frequently. I particularly did not enjoy the therapist transcript POV and frankly feel that it added little to the narrative except as an easy way to introduce side characters. But I did say that I am glad that I finished it, and I say that for two reasons. First, the last 25-ish% was really excellent. All of the plot and thematic threads really begin coming together, and I was engaged in a way I hadn't been since quite early in the book. And second, I really appreciated the themes White chose to explore with this retelling, namely bodily autonomy and the choices young women make as a result of (patriarchal) societal expectations. As a historical romance reader, I enjoyed the critical exploration of how queerness, beauty, and wealth impacted Lucy as a young, marriageable Victorian lady. As a lover of vampire fiction, I appreciated the depiction of Dracula's creation of new vampires and the Goldaming MLM scheme as violations of, respectively, Lucy and Iris's bodily autonomy in some nice thematic mirroring. I think I could have really liked this book if it didn't have such a bloated middle. Rating: 🤷🏼♀️ (it was fine; 3.5 stars)
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
This is how to do a modern vampire story
This is how to do a vampire story in the 21st century. Lucy Westenra was Dracula's first victim in England. A beautiful and tragic death that's glossed over. But she is so much more than that and she's spent her vampiric afterlife traveling the world in search of who she truly is and wants. When she finds herself drawn to Iris in twenty-first-century London, there's more than just attraction binding them together and the bigger fight of both their lives will put everything they thought was real to the test. I picked up this book and didn't put it down until I finished it. The story pulled me in and refused to let go. It's been ages since I devoured a book, but the way White slowly unravels the story is fascinating. Even knowing where a few things were headed before the plot got there, it was one surprise after another just from the way it's written. Lucy has always been almost a throwaway character in Dracula, the pretty bauble with not depth. She's a powerhouse here. An innocent that gets pushed around until she realizes her true power and becomes the one to be feared. Iris isn't as entertaining, but they make quite a dynamic duo when together. The people they interact with play major roles and even those that we only get to see for small moments end up playing bigger roles than expected in ways that feel perfect for the story being told. And major props to White for making it a single novel instead of dragging it out for a duology or something because it's just the right length to solve every single thread without wearing out the reader. This is how to do a vampire story in the 21st century. Delighted thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for the phenomenal read!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Lucy Undying
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars) Lucy Westenra is done being a tragic footnote in someone else’s story. In Lucy Undying, Kiersten White reclaims the vampire victim-turned-hunter, giving her a fierce, gothic makeover that’s equal parts vengeance, self-discovery, and forbidden romance. And let’s take a moment to appreciate that stunning cover—it’s as captivating as the story itself. Lucy’s journey is mesmerizing. Once Dracula’s plaything, she has spent centuries trying to outrun his shadow—and her own past. But her undead life gets an unexpected jolt when she crosses paths with Iris in 21st-century London. Iris, heir to a sinister family empire, is yearning for her own escape. Their connection? Electric. Their romance? Sizzling. Their enemies? Let’s just say neither Dracula nor Iris’s terrifying mother are ready to let them go. Kiersten White’s writing is lush and atmospheric, steeped in gothic vibes with a modern twist. Lucy is no damsel in distress here—she’s a confident, glamorous force of nature determined to carve out a life on her own terms. Yet, beneath her armor lies vulnerability, longing, and the weight of centuries of heartbreak. Watching her fall for Iris while battling demons (both literal and metaphorical) is as satisfying as it is gut-wrenching. The blend of romance, horror, and empowerment makes this book a standout. It’s dark and seductive, with enough twists to keep you on your toes. And Dracula? He’s still haunting, still menacing, and still the ultimate predator, but Lucy is a hunter now, and the showdown is everything you want it to be. Thank you to Kiersten White, Del Rey, and NetGalley for this captivating read. If you love gothic fantasy, vampires with a side of vengeance, and a sapphic romance that will leave you swooning, Lucy Undying is a must-read.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Vampires and epic girl power!
This refreshingly unique take on vampires is an ode to taking back control when you feel like a victim. I loved every page! Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for an ARC of Lucy Undying! This is my honest review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
For those that think Lucy deserved better
This wasn’t what I was expecting it to be. I went into this book having already read the original novel several times and I’ve recently read another Dracula re- imagining/retelling. I’m also currently reading Dracula Daily. Suffice it to say I’m familiar with the original story. Maybe a bit too familiar. I did like some of the choices the author made to update the story. How would vampires live among us in the modern day? The author had an interesting answer to that question. I don’t think I’ve seen vampires done quite this way. That element of the story might have been my favorite part of the book. Although I did like the relationship between Iris and Lucy, I felt it needed a bit more development. The vampire adventures with Lucy were interesting and kept my attention for the most part. I didn’t really care for how they were presented (the client transcripts). I think the book was full of interesting ideas that maybe weren’t executed the best. I’ll give more details below, please skip reading the rest of the review if you’d rather find certain plot points out for yourself. I can say that I did enjoy this book, for the most part. It wasn’t terribly written, I just think the plot and pacing needed a bit more work. Either the book needed to be trimmed down or it needed to be a three book series. It almost felt as though it might have been a trilogy or duology and then had to be cut down to one book. Of course, I have no idea if this is true. All this to say that the book was longer than it needed to be. We have too many POVs. We get Iris in present day, Lucy’s journal as a human, Lucy’s therapy sessions in modern day as a vampire, Dracula’s POV, Lucy’s in modern day, etc. There’s also a few others thrown in. Some plot points that we see through Lucy’s POV as a human in her journal get rehashed in Iris’ POV. I thought this was unnecessary and repetitive. Adding Iris’ reactions to Lucy’s journal really slowed the pace down. Overall, I think we needed less POVs. Some just felt unnecessary and others, like the therapy sessions, just seemed like they didn’t quite fit. I also felt that the plot points for the original Dracula story could have been conveyed in a better way. Those that have read the original story will have a hard time recognizing the characters as they have been significantly changed. No, I’m not referring to making Lucy queer. I’m referring to the other changes in Mina, Arthur, and Dr. Seward. The changes to Van Helsing I think were more believable. I actually think making Lucy queer makes more sense than some of the other changes. There were several moments in the story where I felt that certain things were being spoon fed to the reader. Or shoved down our throats, however you’d prefer to view it. Again, I won’t go into specifics but this happened mostly in Iris’ POV when she’s reflecting on Lucy’s journal. Some of the twists were very obvious. I don’t think some of them were even meant to be a surprise to the reader, I’m not sure. The synopsis gives a surprising amount of the plot away. I’d skip reading it except for the first part where it tells you the premise. I can’t say that I hated this book. There were things I really did like. I can’t say I loved it either. I will say I still had a good time reading it. This book took some time to finish though. I’d recommend to those that love vampire and or queer love stories. If you’re obsessed with the original Dracula novel, I’d still recommend giving this a try. Just be aware that since this is a re-imagining, things have been changed. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing, Ballantine, Del Rey, and the author for providing me with an ARC.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
great for horror fans (esp. of Stoker's novel)
It takes a few chapters to get used to the flow of the narrative. There's three main storylines running at the beginning (some more show up later): the present timeline with Iris, the past with Lucy, and Lucy's therapy sessions with Vanessa. I think the flow of the narrative would have been better if Vanessa's parts were removed, as she's not really a fully developed character & her chapters simply serve as exposition, to tell us of Lucy's life after her 'turning' by Dracula. If you ever read the original Stoker novel & wished you just had more time with Lucy (who's such a vibrant character), this novel is the answer for that. It gives her space to be a more fully realized character, with her own history and her own battles to conquer. The narrative does do some terrible things to the characterizations of Stoker's vampire hunting group, and about the only person who comes away in the best light is Quincey Morris (and maaaaybe Jonathan Harker). The villains of the book (you'll never look at multi level marketing scams the same again!) were a little cliche in how their 'evil' was portrayed. Far more interesting was how Kiersten White wrote Dracula himself (as a dark shadow who could only approximate and pretend at being human). The ending is very open ended, and is just asking for a sequel.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com