What happens when a man starts life as a corpse?Two hundred years ago, Frank Victorsson awoke as a semi-dead, monstrous abomination reanimated by his hubris-ridden father, Victor Frankenstein. But Frank refused to become the infernal hate his father spewed at the world. He walked away from his origins — and into a small, Minnesota town overflowing with magic. Now Dr. Frankenstein’s other sins … Frankenstein’s other sins want revenge.
The Nordic elves of Frank’s new home call him family. The werewolves call him friend. And when the town’s vampires disappear and innocents die, Frank realizes the demon responsible might be the one force on Earth faster and stronger than him — and the one foe capable of pulling to the surface his long-suppressed rage.
Now Frank must stop a rampaging evil bent on murdering the people he loves the most. But can he save his town without losing himself to the monster he once tamed?
Join the man formally known as Frankenstein’s Monster and the magical people of Alfheim, Minnesota, in what readers are comparing to a blend of American Gods and Fargo spiced with magic worthy of Patricia Briggs. Scroll up and one-click to immerse yourself in the deeply satisfying Northern Creatures universe today.
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I am a great fan of Kris Austen Radcliffe. This book, a departure from her dragons-and-fates norm, was a surprising and satisfying entry into a new genre. In this new series, she weaves together elvish mythology, vampires and werewolves, and the Frankenstein story. As a plus for me as I lived in Minnesota, she places it all in modern-day setting of the state, is frankly a stroke of genius.
Kris makes Frank more than just “Frankenstein’s monster”. He is a person with feelings of love and laughter for his family and friends. The characters around Frank are well developed and pull you into the story of a close-knit group of non-normal friends and family. The ghosts of Lizzy and Rose brought a bittersweet sense of closure to Frank’s pain of loss.
I did not expect the villain’s identity at all. Good solid plot twists, and the moment of the big “who is this” reveal was a huge one. Never saw it coming — but it’s exactly what it needed to be.
“Monster Born” is clever, excellent writing. I am anxiously awaiting the release of Book 2!
Monster Born isn’t like any other book you’ve ever read. Sure, it has elves, werewolves, vampires, ghosts, a witch, and humans of course or what are called mundanes by the magical community. But then you have Frank Victorsson, a patchwork giant of a man that what most of us would know as Frankenstein’s monster who stumbled upon the elven kingdom of Alfheim, Minnesota 200-some years after his creation in the classic telling by Mary Shelley. Here Frank was adopted by the elf king and queen, has learned to master the anger that has been his driving force since he awoke so many years ago, and built a life for himself sharing a lakeside cabin with his adopted elven sister and niece. That is until he starts being haunted by the ghosts of his past, and an old notebook that belonged to a friend of his who passed leads him to opening a portal to The Land of the Dead where he discovers he has a “Brother.”
Kris Austen Radcliffe is an expert at world-building and character development. For those who may feel the book moves a bit slow, I say hang in there and enjoy the details and emotional complexity. Feel the internal struggle as Frank tries to figure out what we all do – who he is and where does he come from while fighting to keep his family safe and unravel a centuries old mystery.
I actually read Book 3 first so this helped me get Frank’s back story as well as fill in some blanks for me, and I’m so glad I went back to do so. I started Book 2 right after and stayed up all night and am already 31% or to Chapter 8 if that’s any indication of how good it is as well, so I highly recommend not only this book, but the entire series. I’m anxiously awaiting Book 4 as well.
A must read series.