A couple of weeks ago my critique partner Kip Wilson sent me the lovely gift of a signed copy of THIS MONSTROUS THING by Mackenzi Lee. I’d been hearing a lot about this book already from another writer friend of mine, Anna-Marie McLemore (if you haven’t read THE WEIGHT OF FEATHERS yet, do it!), so it was already on my to-be-read list. Kip just moved it up! In any case, it’s a fantastic read at any time but especially for Halloween :). Here’s the cover and description.

In 1818 Geneva, men built with clockwork parts live hidden away from society, cared for only by illegal mechanics called Shadow Boys. Two years ago, Shadow Boy Alasdair Finch’s life shattered to bits.

His brother, Oliver—dead.

His sweetheart, Mary—gone.

His chance to break free of Geneva—lost.

Heart-broken and desperate, Alasdair does the unthinkable: He brings Oliver back from the dead.

But putting back together a broken life is more difficult than mending bones and adding clockwork pieces. Oliver returns more monster than man, and Alasdair’s horror further damages the already troubled relationship.

Then comes the publication of Frankenstein and the city intensifies its search for Shadow Boys, aiming to discover the real life doctor and his monster. Alasdair finds refuge with his idol, the brilliant Dr. Geisler, who may offer him a way to escape the dangerous present and his guilt-ridden past, but at a horrible price only Oliver can pay…

And here are the five things I loved best.

1. The re-imagining – It’s not a FRANKENSTEIN retelling. It’s a “here’s how someone would have fictionalized the true story of FRANKENSTEIN in a world where mechanical geniuses could attach clockwork body parts far beyond their time.” Ms. Lee explains the liberties she took even with the FRANKENSTEIN passages to fit her premise, and I loved it! Yes, the original is amazing, but this new twist on it carries its own brilliance.

2. The familiar – Even though it isn’t a traditional retelling, so many of the original themes of FRANKENSTEIN make an appearance in this story. As background, I’ll say that I never read FRANKENSTEIN in school. I picked it up along with several other classics after college, and it was one I especially enjoyed. Mary Shelley effectively makes you empathize with both Dr. Frankenstein and his monster. THIS MONSTROUS THING is written entirely from the viewpoint of Alasdair, but it still gives a compelling glimpse into the minds of both characters.

3. Alasdair – I loved Alasdair as a character, with his struggle to reconcile what he’d done and the push and pull of his desires for the future versus what was right. I also appreciated his resistance to who had written FRANKENSTEIN. It’s such a teenage boy response. I’m not spoiling this for anyone, right? Maybe some YA readers won’t know, but it’s not really a secret :).

4. The setting/world building – I enjoyed the world Ms. Lee created, this alternate history where mechanical parts had been integrated to such a degree. Here’s a snippet.

A gasp of December air slapped hard enough that I pulled my coat collar up around my jaw. The sun was starting to sink into the foothills, and the light winking off the muddy snow and copper rooftops turned the street brass. A carriage clattered across the cobblestones, the clop of the horses’ hooves replaced by the mechanical chatter of the gears. I got a faceful of steam as it passed.

5. The resolution – I was quite satisfied with the ending. And no, I’m not going to tell you if it ended the same way as FRANKENSTEIN–which, by the way, if you haven’t read that, you should really read both.

So, I highly recommend you go out and pick up/borrow a copy of THIS MONSTROUS THING. If you’ve already read it, tell me your thoughts in the comments!