AngelMonster

by Clare MacGregor
Spoiler Alert!: Some spoilers are revealed in this review

AngelMonster by Veronica Bennett tells the story of Mary Shelley, the author of the classic novel Frankenstein. AngelMonster begins when Mary is sixteen and ends when she is twenty-one. Mary’s life events are interwoven with the lives of her stepsister, Claire Clairmont, and Percy Bysshe Shelley. Throughout the course of story Mary, Percy, and Claire travel from England to France, Switzerland, and Italy. The reader is drawn into the story like a close friend of the characters. Though the novel is based on actual events and follows Mary Shelley’s life very closely, AngelMonster is not devoid of twists and turns that are sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats. During a summer visit to Lord Byron’s villa near Geneva Mary, Percy, Claire, Lord Byron, and John Polidori, take turns telling ghost stories and the beginnings of what would become Mary's Frankenstein-filled mind. Mary’s novel further develops in her imagination as her husband grows more and more dependent on laudanum, she reflects on her own mother’s death, and Claire’s life is torn apart by Lord Byron. Some of these events are conveyed in dream-like intervals sprinkled throughout the story.
Bennett provides such richly vivid historical detail that the reader feels as though they are in the same room as the characters. The story of Mary Shelley’s life is skillfully told by Bennett. AngelMonster is a must read for anyone who loves Frankenstein and wishes to learn more about the author, or any fans of Gothic novels.