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Adam, Mine.
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Expected 8 Sep 26Win a free print copy of this book!
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50 copies available
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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, a 17-year-old brilliant prodigy, wants his fellow university peers to finally take him seriously. After suffering a public humiliation over his wild academic theories, Victor makes a bet with the most popular student: he swears he will find the secret to human reanimation before graduation. Desperate and unwilling to be humiliated again, Victor does the unspeakable: he kidnaps a young man from a small, neighboring village and destroys his body using untried Alchemy instead of science…
Elias Hilfiker awakens, horrified—his voice is gone, his skin is stitched and scarred, and his community has exiled him. Worse, Victor’s clumsy alchemy has unintentionally created a bond between Elias and his tormentor, forcing them to constantly feel each other’s emotions.
Enraged by the desecration of his life, Elias swears before God and Man that he will seek vengeance on Victor at any cost. Meanwhile, Victor embarks on a journey to reverse the horror he’s unleashed. As they cross the European landscape—hunter and hunted—Victor bows before the weight of his sins while Elias uncovers the secrets of his own power in a world where he was once powerless.
Victor Frankenstein, a 17-year-old brilliant prodigy, wants his fellow university peers to finally take him seriously. After suffering a public humiliation over his wild academic theories, Victor makes a bet with the most popular student: he swears he will find the secret to human reanimation before graduation. Desperate and unwilling to be humiliated again, Victor does the unspeakable: he kidnaps a young man from a small, neighboring village and destroys his body using untried Alchemy instead of science…
Elias Hilfiker awakens, horrified—his voice is gone, his skin is stitched and scarred, and his community has exiled him. Worse, Victor’s clumsy alchemy has unintentionally created a bond between Elias and his tormentor, forcing them to constantly feel each other’s emotions.
Enraged by the desecration of his life, Elias swears before God and Man that he will seek vengeance on Victor at any cost. Meanwhile, Victor embarks on a journey to reverse the horror he’s unleashed. As they cross the European landscape—hunter and hunted—Victor bows before the weight of his sins while Elias uncovers the secrets of his own power in a world where he was once powerless.
384 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication September 8, 2026
About the author
K. Ancrum
14 books2,166 followersK. Ancrum, is an author of award winning speculative contemporary YA notably THE WICKER KING, DARLING and most recently the critically acclaimed ICARUS. K. is a Chicago native passionate about diversity and representation in young adult fiction. She currently writes most of her work in the lush gardens of the Chicago Art Institute.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
April 7, 2026
“why does tragedy exist? because you are full of rage.
why are you full of rage? because you are full of grief.”
why are you full of rage? because you are full of grief.”
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June 5, 2026I’m a huge fan of K. Ancrum’s writing, and the first two chapters immediately reminded me why. They kept me on the edge of my seat and made me curious about the rest of the story.
But while reading I started writhing, because Elias was so sweet and (even though I knew this was coming) Victor was so incredibly cruel. It broke my heart.
Then the hunt began and Elias started killing too. I still loved him, but something shifted in me, just like something shifted within Victor and Elias. I wanted them to meet again, but I had to follow their separate journeys first, toiling through the footnotes I refused to check. I kind of hate footnotes. On the other hand, I loved the use of different languages that others complained about. I didn’t even notice the first German texts at first 😂.
Anyway, I pulled through, and in the end the story became so incredibly soft. I really wanted them to meet again earlier.
And now I don’t know whether to round my 3.5 star rating up or down.
Thank you, HarperCollins Children’s Books and NetGalley, for this ARC.
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But while reading I started writhing, because Elias was so sweet and (even though I knew this was coming) Victor was so incredibly cruel. It broke my heart.
Then the hunt began and Elias started killing too. I still loved him, but something shifted in me, just like something shifted within Victor and Elias. I wanted them to meet again, but I had to follow their separate journeys first, toiling through the footnotes I refused to check. I kind of hate footnotes. On the other hand, I loved the use of different languages that others complained about. I didn’t even notice the first German texts at first 😂.
Anyway, I pulled through, and in the end the story became so incredibly soft. I really wanted them to meet again earlier.
And now I don’t know whether to round my 3.5 star rating up or down.
Thank you, HarperCollins Children’s Books and NetGalley, for this ARC.
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Want to Read
August 29, 2023i will read anything by k. ancrum <3
Want to Read
August 30, 2023K. ANCRUM IS WRITING A FRANKENSTEIN RETELLING?! TAKE ALL OF MY MONEY.
July 9, 2026
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review, and thank you to the author herself for the Google Docs version two years ago that I devoured in a day.
It is such a relief to be able to talk about this book in more detail after I fell in love with a first draft over two years ago. This book is K. Ancrum's twisted love letter to horror and curiosity, and it's unafraid to pay tribute to what I love so dearly about the source material (Victor Frankenstein being a whiny teenager). It's a different take on the story in comparison to the Frankenstein renditions that we may already know, but the focus on what it means to be human and the cruelty of human ambition remains prominent. And I feel like Ancrum's rendition dives more into Victor's abhorrence and the way that he thinks, driven by this desire to be understood and proving himself to his peers, no matter the cost or the unforgivable acts he will commit. It’s a version of the story that focuses on the parts that readers may not remember. Most of us know the monster, the murders, and the ice. Fewer of us remember the elaborate speeches, the travel around the world, and the framework through which the story is being told to a horrified listener, and these half-forgotten moments are what Ancrum brings to the forefront of her reimagining.
Adam, Mine feels entirely different to anything she's published before, but it's still so unflinchingly her in a way that I will adore forever. This is a book where Ancrum took all of the skills that have made her previous books evocative, romantic, and exciting, and used them to make this book painful and isolating. There's a lot of emotional chaos in it as usual, but all of it is punishment and devastation. Victor has a lot of scenes that could have functioned as a kind of bonding in another book, but here it's a type of flogging: theatrical in its violence and well deserved. And the monster experiences the struggle of loss and a longing for death that's as explicit as any romantic scene Ancrum has ever written, but not at all the same. Elias isn't energised by his agonies; they drain him, and he drags them around like a ball on a chain. He spends the story mourning the life that he had lost and fighting the urge for vengeance that threatens to strip all the remaining softer parts of himself that made him his mother’s son. It’s especially important to me that Elias is disabled, as someone living in a body held together by painkillers and wishful thinking, and it’s no surprise that Ancrum has chosen to write about these fragile bodies. Her interpretation of Frankenstein’s “monster” is an eighteen-year-old village boy who is taken advantage of in the pursuit of a merciless stranger’s goals.
What I remember best about reading Frankenstein is that, before anything else, Victor Frankenstein is a boy. He’s seventeen, rich, arrogant, and merciless. He’s a talented child amongst adults at his university, and his desperate longing for approval from his peers sets him on a course he can’t—or won’t—turn back from. This acknowledgement of Victor's youth is something I find lacking in most recent adaptations, so it warms my heart that Ancrum placed such emphasis on it. The scientists and alchemists Victor encounters throughout his journey take continuous responsibility for treating him as an equal in both intellect and life experience, and for gifting him knowledge he was not responsible or mature enough to treat with care. With this knowledge, he invents machines that would be miraculous for medicine at that time, but he ultimately uses them to create his "monster" and impulsively impress his peers rather than channel that ambition for the greater good.
In this book, the lines between alchemy and chemistry are blurred, and there's emphasis on how magic is untimely science. In a sense, Victor is right in the theories that lead to his public humiliation: he can and will succeed in performing metaphysical acts upon the body. There are also a lot of people who are as invested in this breakthrough science as he is, and the consequences of his pride and vanity (and the fact that they all hate him) stop him from joining them professionally. Frankenstein 1818 Victor uses lightning to raise a body from the dead, and this is the greatest example of blurring the line between science and magic, wisdom and witchcraft. Ancrum's reimagining of that story just adds other very qualified people who know how to manipulate the spiritual energy in blood or rip a hole in your soul while leaving your body intact, and these people serve as an example of what Victor could've become if he used his talent for literally anything other than impressing his friends. And there's poetic justice in this rich and pretentious version of Victor being bad at spiritual science and his “monster” (very smart, but undereducated and illiterate) being so good at it.
My only notable flaw with the book is how the non-linear timeline and jumps between Victor and Elias’ perspectives left me lost in a few chapters. They visit many of the same alchemists, and there are times when Victor shows up and discovers Elias has already visited, but we don’t see Elias’ visit until later in the book, and this felt slightly disruptive to my reading experience. My Kindle was also displeased with being asked to jump between my current page, a footnote, then back again, so there are some translations I missed out on.
Ultimately, this story is about how deciding to try to understand each other makes us into people with a capacity for love that respects the vulnerability involved in denying hate. It’s about the effort involved to heal the wounds we deliver out of carelessness and selfish cruelty.
---
original review january 2024:a twisted love letter to horror and curiosity, and unfraid to pay tribute to what i love so dearly about the source material (victor frankenstein being a little bitch)
saving my official review and ranking for when the book is complete and in my hands, but i wanted everyone to know that this book is still so unflinchingly Ancrum in a way that i’ll adore forever
It is such a relief to be able to talk about this book in more detail after I fell in love with a first draft over two years ago. This book is K. Ancrum's twisted love letter to horror and curiosity, and it's unafraid to pay tribute to what I love so dearly about the source material (Victor Frankenstein being a whiny teenager). It's a different take on the story in comparison to the Frankenstein renditions that we may already know, but the focus on what it means to be human and the cruelty of human ambition remains prominent. And I feel like Ancrum's rendition dives more into Victor's abhorrence and the way that he thinks, driven by this desire to be understood and proving himself to his peers, no matter the cost or the unforgivable acts he will commit. It’s a version of the story that focuses on the parts that readers may not remember. Most of us know the monster, the murders, and the ice. Fewer of us remember the elaborate speeches, the travel around the world, and the framework through which the story is being told to a horrified listener, and these half-forgotten moments are what Ancrum brings to the forefront of her reimagining.
He knew it was time to face the music; he knew Elias would come for him. The way Elias’s eyes burned as they stared at each other in the belly of Victor’s lab, Victor knew with certainty that he was about to be hunted.
Adam, Mine feels entirely different to anything she's published before, but it's still so unflinchingly her in a way that I will adore forever. This is a book where Ancrum took all of the skills that have made her previous books evocative, romantic, and exciting, and used them to make this book painful and isolating. There's a lot of emotional chaos in it as usual, but all of it is punishment and devastation. Victor has a lot of scenes that could have functioned as a kind of bonding in another book, but here it's a type of flogging: theatrical in its violence and well deserved. And the monster experiences the struggle of loss and a longing for death that's as explicit as any romantic scene Ancrum has ever written, but not at all the same. Elias isn't energised by his agonies; they drain him, and he drags them around like a ball on a chain. He spends the story mourning the life that he had lost and fighting the urge for vengeance that threatens to strip all the remaining softer parts of himself that made him his mother’s son. It’s especially important to me that Elias is disabled, as someone living in a body held together by painkillers and wishful thinking, and it’s no surprise that Ancrum has chosen to write about these fragile bodies. Her interpretation of Frankenstein’s “monster” is an eighteen-year-old village boy who is taken advantage of in the pursuit of a merciless stranger’s goals.
”If you had been born rough, perhaps you would know the price of work and what it means to have family, to bow before destiny in supplication. You could be a man at that age then. But you are a gentleman. And for men who do not have to grovel for bread, seventeen is a child.”
What I remember best about reading Frankenstein is that, before anything else, Victor Frankenstein is a boy. He’s seventeen, rich, arrogant, and merciless. He’s a talented child amongst adults at his university, and his desperate longing for approval from his peers sets him on a course he can’t—or won’t—turn back from. This acknowledgement of Victor's youth is something I find lacking in most recent adaptations, so it warms my heart that Ancrum placed such emphasis on it. The scientists and alchemists Victor encounters throughout his journey take continuous responsibility for treating him as an equal in both intellect and life experience, and for gifting him knowledge he was not responsible or mature enough to treat with care. With this knowledge, he invents machines that would be miraculous for medicine at that time, but he ultimately uses them to create his "monster" and impulsively impress his peers rather than channel that ambition for the greater good.
"Manipulation of the human form is...dark arts indeed."
"Do you have that same opinion on blood transfusions, a thing that would have been considered obscene last century, that has since saved thousands of lives?"
In this book, the lines between alchemy and chemistry are blurred, and there's emphasis on how magic is untimely science. In a sense, Victor is right in the theories that lead to his public humiliation: he can and will succeed in performing metaphysical acts upon the body. There are also a lot of people who are as invested in this breakthrough science as he is, and the consequences of his pride and vanity (and the fact that they all hate him) stop him from joining them professionally. Frankenstein 1818 Victor uses lightning to raise a body from the dead, and this is the greatest example of blurring the line between science and magic, wisdom and witchcraft. Ancrum's reimagining of that story just adds other very qualified people who know how to manipulate the spiritual energy in blood or rip a hole in your soul while leaving your body intact, and these people serve as an example of what Victor could've become if he used his talent for literally anything other than impressing his friends. And there's poetic justice in this rich and pretentious version of Victor being bad at spiritual science and his “monster” (very smart, but undereducated and illiterate) being so good at it.
My only notable flaw with the book is how the non-linear timeline and jumps between Victor and Elias’ perspectives left me lost in a few chapters. They visit many of the same alchemists, and there are times when Victor shows up and discovers Elias has already visited, but we don’t see Elias’ visit until later in the book, and this felt slightly disruptive to my reading experience. My Kindle was also displeased with being asked to jump between my current page, a footnote, then back again, so there are some translations I missed out on.
Ultimately, this story is about how deciding to try to understand each other makes us into people with a capacity for love that respects the vulnerability involved in denying hate. It’s about the effort involved to heal the wounds we deliver out of carelessness and selfish cruelty.
---
original review january 2024:a twisted love letter to horror and curiosity, and unfraid to pay tribute to what i love so dearly about the source material (victor frankenstein being a little bitch)
saving my official review and ranking for when the book is complete and in my hands, but i wanted everyone to know that this book is still so unflinchingly Ancrum in a way that i’ll adore forever
April 22, 2026
Lowkey speechless.
K. Ancrum never ceases to amaze me. Her writing style is so choppy yet effective. You feel sort of thrown into Elias and Victor's world but in the end everything starts to all make sense and come together. After finishing I had to reread the first couple chapters immediately.
The structuring of this story was so interesting in a dual POV as Elias and Victor race against each other to meet all these different alchemists following Victor’s crazy procedures on Elias. They each went on their own journeys through growth being connected by emotions and forced to understand each other on another level.
I love Elias so much, he is now a part of my hall of fame of favorite characters of all time. I feel so emotional just thinking about him and I did in fact shed some tears in his honor. He deserves the world and then some.
I’m keeping this at a four star rating for now but I definitely think that on a reread it could become a five.
Thank you so much to HarperCollins for providing me with this eARC.
K. Ancrum never ceases to amaze me. Her writing style is so choppy yet effective. You feel sort of thrown into Elias and Victor's world but in the end everything starts to all make sense and come together. After finishing I had to reread the first couple chapters immediately.
The structuring of this story was so interesting in a dual POV as Elias and Victor race against each other to meet all these different alchemists following Victor’s crazy procedures on Elias. They each went on their own journeys through growth being connected by emotions and forced to understand each other on another level.
I love Elias so much, he is now a part of my hall of fame of favorite characters of all time. I feel so emotional just thinking about him and I did in fact shed some tears in his honor. He deserves the world and then some.
I’m keeping this at a four star rating for now but I definitely think that on a reread it could become a five.
Thank you so much to HarperCollins for providing me with this eARC.
Read
January 28, 2024Had the immense privilege of beta reading this. No rating/review because it was an early draft. You should all be adding this to your want to read tho!!
Want to Read
February 22, 2026i’m seated. the bookstore employees are scared and asking me to leave because it "doesn't even have a cover yet" but i’m simply too seated.
Want to Read
February 27, 2026an author who astounds and Makes Me Feel Things consistently is doing a frankenstein retelling oh i am so normal about this sooo so normal so okay
May 20, 2026
Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read an early copy of this book! I loved K. Ancrum’s The Corruption of Hollis Brown and was very excited to dive deeper into the author’s other works.
I really loved the depth and complexity that the author brought into the story of Frankenstein and his creation. It’s a very different rendition than the ones we’re often familiar with, but also the same in its pull to have the reader understand what it means to be human and the cruelty that often follows human ambition. Although Victor continues to be an absolutely abhorrent character, it is interesting to dive into what makes him tick. The desire to be understood and the fixation on proving himself, ultimately leading to an unforgivable act of ultimate selfishness.
I think more often than not, in depictions of Frankenstein, there’s an innate desire of the watcher to make Victor understand or make him pay. And if you’re a person who has ever felt that way, this book does an incredible job of showing the atrocities committed by Victor through Elias’s eyes. He’s forced to reckon with the feelings of his creation, of Elias’s undoing. The confusion of being chosen and the rage of isolation.
The reason why I’m marking it three stars is because, for most of the book, I found it massively confusing. The timeline is not linear, so the reader is moved from Victor’s POV to Elias’s POV, both occurring at seemingly random points in the story. It felt somewhat disruptive to the development of the characters, in my opinion. On the journey through visiting many alchemists, the reader is also shown dialogue in many different languages, which also felt disruptive to the flow of the story because I was constantly checking footnotes to figure out what the characters were saying and sometimes there were no footnotes at all.
If you’re someone who doesn’t mind the jumping around in time, I definitely think this is a book you can enjoy, though, as the main characters are very well written and Elias’s story is tragic and moving.
I really loved the depth and complexity that the author brought into the story of Frankenstein and his creation. It’s a very different rendition than the ones we’re often familiar with, but also the same in its pull to have the reader understand what it means to be human and the cruelty that often follows human ambition. Although Victor continues to be an absolutely abhorrent character, it is interesting to dive into what makes him tick. The desire to be understood and the fixation on proving himself, ultimately leading to an unforgivable act of ultimate selfishness.
I think more often than not, in depictions of Frankenstein, there’s an innate desire of the watcher to make Victor understand or make him pay. And if you’re a person who has ever felt that way, this book does an incredible job of showing the atrocities committed by Victor through Elias’s eyes. He’s forced to reckon with the feelings of his creation, of Elias’s undoing. The confusion of being chosen and the rage of isolation.
The reason why I’m marking it three stars is because, for most of the book, I found it massively confusing. The timeline is not linear, so the reader is moved from Victor’s POV to Elias’s POV, both occurring at seemingly random points in the story. It felt somewhat disruptive to the development of the characters, in my opinion. On the journey through visiting many alchemists, the reader is also shown dialogue in many different languages, which also felt disruptive to the flow of the story because I was constantly checking footnotes to figure out what the characters were saying and sometimes there were no footnotes at all.
If you’re someone who doesn’t mind the jumping around in time, I definitely think this is a book you can enjoy, though, as the main characters are very well written and Elias’s story is tragic and moving.
Read
June 18, 2026Thank you to Edelweiss and HarperCollins for an eARC in exchange for an honest review
Jumped for joy when my approval for this came through. Have been a huge fan of Ancrum's work since The Wicker King when I was at school, and I just knew they would ACE a Frankenstein retelling.
Like all of Ancrum's works, this grappled with that fine line between teen and adult and all of the daunting responsibilities that come with that shift. I couldn't get enough of how each visit that Victor or Elias made across the continent chipped away a little more of the stone wall between them, they were writing not only a love letter to one another (with all of its vengeance driven, guilt-ridden complications) but also a love letter to the gothic literature which has so clearly played such a key role in the author's works. A huge win for all English students everywhere
Jumped for joy when my approval for this came through. Have been a huge fan of Ancrum's work since The Wicker King when I was at school, and I just knew they would ACE a Frankenstein retelling.
Like all of Ancrum's works, this grappled with that fine line between teen and adult and all of the daunting responsibilities that come with that shift. I couldn't get enough of how each visit that Victor or Elias made across the continent chipped away a little more of the stone wall between them, they were writing not only a love letter to one another (with all of its vengeance driven, guilt-ridden complications) but also a love letter to the gothic literature which has so clearly played such a key role in the author's works. A huge win for all English students everywhere
June 29, 2026
almost cried at work
May 12, 2026
”Would you be afraid if you met yourself?”
I’ve never given or taken confession, but I think reading Adam, Mine. might mirror both experiences. Ancrum shows her readers the worst of these characters and brings us along as they stumble towards resolution. By asking if Frankenstein and his monster can forgive each other or themselves, Ancrum encourages her readers to do the same, whatever form our beasts might take.
Endless thanks to K. Ancrum for the ARC.
I’ve never given or taken confession, but I think reading Adam, Mine. might mirror both experiences. Ancrum shows her readers the worst of these characters and brings us along as they stumble towards resolution. By asking if Frankenstein and his monster can forgive each other or themselves, Ancrum encourages her readers to do the same, whatever form our beasts might take.
Endless thanks to K. Ancrum for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Devastating, tragic, beautiful. Much like the rest of K. Ancrum's work, this makes me feel so much it's almost overwhelming. I love the story told here just as much as I hate it. To compare it to the earlier version I read, I like the ways the ending was expanded upon but am also so glad it's fundamentally the same story even as it hurts.
Original review, January 2024:
I finished this last night and I've thought about it a lot since — which really is rare for me. This is already a special book, and I look forward to reading the final version.
Original review, January 2024:
I finished this last night and I've thought about it a lot since — which really is rare for me. This is already a special book, and I look forward to reading the final version.
Want to Read
April 9, 2024uhh I have no idea what this is (except it's related to Frankenstein) but the "people also liked" section lists both Iron Widow and Beowulf so 👀👀👀
update I have now read Icarus so now I really 👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀
update I have now read Icarus so now I really 👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀
June 27, 2026
3.5 rounded up for a very good second half.
I’ll admit I found the first half (Victor’s part and the creation of our “monster”) rather boring. I was resigned to the prediction that the whole book would be about redeeming him. But then in came Elias.
Elias is the kind of character Ancrum writes so well: deeply emotional, kind, warring with himself, irreversibly wronged. Elias shifting from anger to grief to acceptance to hope throughout the story was honestly what Frankenstein (the classic story) has always needed. Elias is also used as a really interesting foil to the idea that formal education is the only path to success; here is a compassionate man who is extremely dyslexic and will never be able to read but he is invited by several alchemists throughout the story to study and become one of them. In contrast to our highly educated genius Victor who gets chased out of most of those spaces. Elias is what makes the story.
Unfortunately, Victor was still there and still a major part of the plot. I liked that we got to see him judged and found wanting - that his brilliance was not enough to redeem him. Though I found the way the story was told kind of confusing; it was really hard to match up the moments of connection between Victor and Elias until the very end when they were almost together.
{Thank you HarperCollins for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own}
I’ll admit I found the first half (Victor’s part and the creation of our “monster”) rather boring. I was resigned to the prediction that the whole book would be about redeeming him. But then in came Elias.
Elias is the kind of character Ancrum writes so well: deeply emotional, kind, warring with himself, irreversibly wronged. Elias shifting from anger to grief to acceptance to hope throughout the story was honestly what Frankenstein (the classic story) has always needed. Elias is also used as a really interesting foil to the idea that formal education is the only path to success; here is a compassionate man who is extremely dyslexic and will never be able to read but he is invited by several alchemists throughout the story to study and become one of them. In contrast to our highly educated genius Victor who gets chased out of most of those spaces. Elias is what makes the story.
Unfortunately, Victor was still there and still a major part of the plot. I liked that we got to see him judged and found wanting - that his brilliance was not enough to redeem him. Though I found the way the story was told kind of confusing; it was really hard to match up the moments of connection between Victor and Elias until the very end when they were almost together.
{Thank you HarperCollins for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own}
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Adam, Mine is a love letter to Frankenstein, and as someone who adores Frankenstein retellings, I absolutely devoured this. The writing is superb, the emotions are incredible, and the story is at once creative and respectful of the original. This is beautiful and you should read it.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this audio arc!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this audio arc!
Read
April 7, 2026E-Arc provided by Netgalley
This was beautifully written like all of K. Ancrum's books, but I found myself getting confused in here sometimes and I wasn't as connected to the characters as I hoped I would be. I enjoyed parts of this but there were some parts that definitely fell flat for me.
This was beautifully written like all of K. Ancrum's books, but I found myself getting confused in here sometimes and I wasn't as connected to the characters as I hoped I would be. I enjoyed parts of this but there were some parts that definitely fell flat for me.
awaiting-release
February 26, 2026IT SOUNDS SO GOOD IM SO EXCITED!!!!
Currently Reading
July 11, 2026I received an eARC of this via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 27, 2026
thank you to netgalley for the eARC of this wonderfully written novel.
4.25/5 stars
this is a beautifully composed, thoughtfully written story that tugs at your heart and is entirely new and inventive. i’d recommend it to anyone who didn’t love having to read frankenstein for school, but enjoys sad, atmospheric, fantastical books.
however, i feel like i would have enjoyed this book more if it WEREN’T a retelling, because it strays so far from the source material. it felt like a lot of victor’s initial characterization relied on assumptions from Frankenstein, but the plot is entirely separate from the classic.
the chapters are extremely short and allow the story to jump around easily (and therefore it reads quickly) but some chapters feel redundant or mis-placed in the narrative.
that being said, the added characters feel well-rounded and whole, and the fantasy elements were entertaining and thought-provoking—i’d definitely love to read more about this world of alchemists. overall this was an effective novel but i think it would be stronger if removed from the source material of the original classic.
4.25/5 stars
this is a beautifully composed, thoughtfully written story that tugs at your heart and is entirely new and inventive. i’d recommend it to anyone who didn’t love having to read frankenstein for school, but enjoys sad, atmospheric, fantastical books.
however, i feel like i would have enjoyed this book more if it WEREN’T a retelling, because it strays so far from the source material. it felt like a lot of victor’s initial characterization relied on assumptions from Frankenstein, but the plot is entirely separate from the classic.
the chapters are extremely short and allow the story to jump around easily (and therefore it reads quickly) but some chapters feel redundant or mis-placed in the narrative.
that being said, the added characters feel well-rounded and whole, and the fantasy elements were entertaining and thought-provoking—i’d definitely love to read more about this world of alchemists. overall this was an effective novel but i think it would be stronger if removed from the source material of the original classic.
May 2, 2026
hauntingly perfect.
a devastating, meticulously crafted ruin.
a quiet violence that tethered me to the dark and called it a sanctuary.
this reads like a slow, beautiful drowning. i, pinned under the waves, suffocated, until the water finally felt like home.
a devastating, meticulously crafted ruin.
a quiet violence that tethered me to the dark and called it a sanctuary.
this reads like a slow, beautiful drowning. i, pinned under the waves, suffocated, until the water finally felt like home.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I've probably said this in my Icarus review and my Hollis Brown review, but it begs repeating! Even though I don't pick up or enjoy YA as much as I did in the past, I will always make an exception for K. Ancrum. She writes such unique stories that are always so deeply tender and emotional, and I love the vignette style she uses with really short chapters.
All that being said, not going to lie, I was a bit hesitant going into Adam, Mine. because Frankenstein retellings tend to be a hit-or-miss for me. I love the original so much, and I haven't really encountered a retelling that managed to capture the feeling of the og classic, except maybe Poor Things, which I love. Frankenstein retellings, when focused on the original plotline, either tend to humanize Victor too much or the Creature too much (just look at the Del Toro movie), and I just don't think that's interesting. Frankenstein is interesting because of the grey morality of it all. Both characters are tragic and monstrous, and human at the end of the day.
So I was very pleasantly surprised by the fact that Adam, Mine managed to capture all of that and more! The way K. Ancrum changes the story and the "creation" makes what Victor does even more cruel. What follows is a story of revenge, and obsession, and forgiveness. Finally!! I get the messiness and complexity I've been looking for in Frankenstein retellings. It’s a very different rendition than the ones we’re familiar with, but the same in the way it's about what it means to be human and the cruelty of human ambition.
My only critique is the use of footnotes in here. I love a footnote. House of Leaves is in my top 5 books of all time. However, it's use in here was infrequent and random. From telling historical facts about the time, to explaining mythological references, to translating things, all of it felt like something you could put in a note at the end of the book. Even the translations were infrequent, some things were translated, some were not. Idk how they're going to be included in the physical copy when it's published, but I thought it was a bit useless.
All that being said, not going to lie, I was a bit hesitant going into Adam, Mine. because Frankenstein retellings tend to be a hit-or-miss for me. I love the original so much, and I haven't really encountered a retelling that managed to capture the feeling of the og classic, except maybe Poor Things, which I love. Frankenstein retellings, when focused on the original plotline, either tend to humanize Victor too much or the Creature too much (just look at the Del Toro movie), and I just don't think that's interesting. Frankenstein is interesting because of the grey morality of it all. Both characters are tragic and monstrous, and human at the end of the day.
So I was very pleasantly surprised by the fact that Adam, Mine managed to capture all of that and more! The way K. Ancrum changes the story and the "creation" makes what Victor does even more cruel. What follows is a story of revenge, and obsession, and forgiveness. Finally!! I get the messiness and complexity I've been looking for in Frankenstein retellings. It’s a very different rendition than the ones we’re familiar with, but the same in the way it's about what it means to be human and the cruelty of human ambition.
My only critique is the use of footnotes in here. I love a footnote. House of Leaves is in my top 5 books of all time. However, it's use in here was infrequent and random. From telling historical facts about the time, to explaining mythological references, to translating things, all of it felt like something you could put in a note at the end of the book. Even the translations were infrequent, some things were translated, some were not. Idk how they're going to be included in the physical copy when it's published, but I thought it was a bit useless.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
OH MY GOD I AM UNWELL. Easy 5 stars. New favourite.
This broke me and put me together again (metaphor not intentional). It was such a thorough exploration of grief, forgiveness, retribution, shared humanity, and the different forms of love. Such a beautiful retelling. I love Victor (pathetic) and Elias (little meow meow) so much.
Very important thing to note: Adam, Mine is different from Ancrum's other recent works! Do not go in expecting a romance like Hollis Brown. It is not a parable like The Wicker King, Icarus, The Weight of the Stars, Hollis Brown, etc. I checked her website for more information about Adam, Mine while reading my ARC and I'm glad I did! (About 50% of the way through I kept thinking to myself 'there is NO way this is going to play out like Hollis'.) The relationship dynamics in this book have the same DNA as Ancrum's other works so if you like your toxic dynamics, you're in luck, but what we have here is very much A Secret Third Thing.
Keeping this vague because I don't want to spoil anything, but I recommend reading the differences between her parable works and other works here so you know what to expect: https://kancrum.com/books/
But onto the review: oh my god oh my god oh my god, I loved this.
This book has some of the best instances of 'show don't tell' I have ever read. The way Ancrum chose to withhold explicit explanations and avoid neatly putting characters into boxes was so well done. It's something that YA fiction misses out on a lot of the time and it makes me grateful books like this exist.
Also!! Just gotta say! From someone who mainly reads queer historical fiction and early queer literature: I *loved* the way in how homoeroticism and homosexuality was explored. Chefs kiss. (Reading Victor's first thoughts about Elias are so layered! Actually, that applies to reading any of Victor's thoughts about Elias lol.)
Endlessly grateful to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the eARC of this book. I need a physical copy in my hands ASAP.
This broke me and put me together again (metaphor not intentional). It was such a thorough exploration of grief, forgiveness, retribution, shared humanity, and the different forms of love. Such a beautiful retelling. I love Victor (pathetic) and Elias (little meow meow) so much.
Very important thing to note: Adam, Mine is different from Ancrum's other recent works! Do not go in expecting a romance like Hollis Brown. It is not a parable like The Wicker King, Icarus, The Weight of the Stars, Hollis Brown, etc. I checked her website for more information about Adam, Mine while reading my ARC and I'm glad I did! (About 50% of the way through I kept thinking to myself 'there is NO way this is going to play out like Hollis'.) The relationship dynamics in this book have the same DNA as Ancrum's other works so if you like your toxic dynamics, you're in luck, but what we have here is very much A Secret Third Thing.
Keeping this vague because I don't want to spoil anything, but I recommend reading the differences between her parable works and other works here so you know what to expect: https://kancrum.com/books/
But onto the review: oh my god oh my god oh my god, I loved this.
This book has some of the best instances of 'show don't tell' I have ever read. The way Ancrum chose to withhold explicit explanations and avoid neatly putting characters into boxes was so well done. It's something that YA fiction misses out on a lot of the time and it makes me grateful books like this exist.
Also!! Just gotta say! From someone who mainly reads queer historical fiction and early queer literature: I *loved* the way in how homoeroticism and homosexuality was explored. Chefs kiss. (Reading Victor's first thoughts about Elias are so layered! Actually, that applies to reading any of Victor's thoughts about Elias lol.)
Endlessly grateful to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the eARC of this book. I need a physical copy in my hands ASAP.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Oh, man. What to say about Adam, Mine....
I read Hollis by K. Ancrum last year after the synopsis caught my eye. I wasn't particularly fond of the shorted chapters, but Ancrum's prose kept me reading.
Adam, Mine has a LOT of that same lyrical, sweeping prose. It aides itself quite well to the gothic themes that one would expect from a Frankenstein retelling. I truly loved the wrap-around chapters, and how the story sort of feeds into itself as you read. If you enjoyed Ancrum's other works, you may disagree, but I found I almost wished this was longer. There were things, without going too into detail, that I would've loved a more elaborate explanation for. I enjoyed the meandering cat-and-mouse game and meeting the other Alchemists, and wanted to spend more time with each of them. The magic system is something I wish I could wrap my head around better. I wanted more time with Victor and Elias. I understand the reiteration of them being strangers is important to the story, but I wish they would've interacted more in person. The footnotes were helpful, but too sparse. There were instances of some things being translated and not others, which felt a bit random and disjointed.
Adam, mine is trying to do a lot of things, but it's too short to really sink it's teeth into any of them. I truly think Ancrum could tack on another 100 pages of elaboration and this book would be better for it. That's personal opinion though. I do love my extremely long, overwritten (in a good way) books.
That being said, this one has a lot of soul. I understand what Ancrum was going for. You can feel the soul in their writing, the prompts for self reflection, for understanding the beast within oneself and how it impacts those around you. Yes, this is a story of cruelty and revenge. But at it's core it's a lot more than that.
3.5/5 stars for me, and might be worth a re-read once officially published
Thank you so much to K. Ancrum, Netgalley, and Harper Collins for the chance to read this eARC!
I read Hollis by K. Ancrum last year after the synopsis caught my eye. I wasn't particularly fond of the shorted chapters, but Ancrum's prose kept me reading.
Adam, Mine has a LOT of that same lyrical, sweeping prose. It aides itself quite well to the gothic themes that one would expect from a Frankenstein retelling. I truly loved the wrap-around chapters, and how the story sort of feeds into itself as you read. If you enjoyed Ancrum's other works, you may disagree, but I found I almost wished this was longer. There were things, without going too into detail, that I would've loved a more elaborate explanation for. I enjoyed the meandering cat-and-mouse game and meeting the other Alchemists, and wanted to spend more time with each of them. The magic system is something I wish I could wrap my head around better. I wanted more time with Victor and Elias. I understand the reiteration of them being strangers is important to the story, but I wish they would've interacted more in person. The footnotes were helpful, but too sparse. There were instances of some things being translated and not others, which felt a bit random and disjointed.
Adam, mine is trying to do a lot of things, but it's too short to really sink it's teeth into any of them. I truly think Ancrum could tack on another 100 pages of elaboration and this book would be better for it. That's personal opinion though. I do love my extremely long, overwritten (in a good way) books.
That being said, this one has a lot of soul. I understand what Ancrum was going for. You can feel the soul in their writing, the prompts for self reflection, for understanding the beast within oneself and how it impacts those around you. Yes, this is a story of cruelty and revenge. But at it's core it's a lot more than that.
3.5/5 stars for me, and might be worth a re-read once officially published
Thank you so much to K. Ancrum, Netgalley, and Harper Collins for the chance to read this eARC!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this title! This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way :)
I think retellings of other stories, especially retellings of classical literature, are fighting an uphill battle to win over audiences who cherish the original source material. Adam, Mine wins that battle every single time if you have every interpreted Victor Frankenstein to be a little bit gay or if you have ever attempted to stifle your own identity out of internalized homophobia.
The dual perspectives of Victor and his "creation" Elias allow the reader to get a better picture of each location visited, but allows us to see how differently the world treats all of us depending on what we bring to those around us. It creates unexpected compassion for characters during world-building that I became incredibly fond of while reading. Additionally, we meet characters for the "first-time" with both Victor and Elias. The differences within these meetings challenged the impressions I got from the characters initially and therefore served to better round out the world and further cement the idea of individuals being fully realized whether you know anything about them or not.
The historical context of the novel does not get lost from the edition of fantasical elements such as alchemy which honestly surprised me. The citations of scientific discoveries, societal beliefs, and other contextualizing information actually served to further realize the setting and make those elements feel right at home.
Overall, I enjoyed this retelling far more than I thought I would! I didn't expect to feel genuine remorse towards its end nor did I expect to become so invested in the futures of these characters, but I will be sitting here for the rest of the week thinking so very hard about these two.
I think retellings of other stories, especially retellings of classical literature, are fighting an uphill battle to win over audiences who cherish the original source material. Adam, Mine wins that battle every single time if you have every interpreted Victor Frankenstein to be a little bit gay or if you have ever attempted to stifle your own identity out of internalized homophobia.
The dual perspectives of Victor and his "creation" Elias allow the reader to get a better picture of each location visited, but allows us to see how differently the world treats all of us depending on what we bring to those around us. It creates unexpected compassion for characters during world-building that I became incredibly fond of while reading. Additionally, we meet characters for the "first-time" with both Victor and Elias. The differences within these meetings challenged the impressions I got from the characters initially and therefore served to better round out the world and further cement the idea of individuals being fully realized whether you know anything about them or not.
The historical context of the novel does not get lost from the edition of fantasical elements such as alchemy which honestly surprised me. The citations of scientific discoveries, societal beliefs, and other contextualizing information actually served to further realize the setting and make those elements feel right at home.
Overall, I enjoyed this retelling far more than I thought I would! I didn't expect to feel genuine remorse towards its end nor did I expect to become so invested in the futures of these characters, but I will be sitting here for the rest of the week thinking so very hard about these two.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I was able to receive an ARC from NetGalley, and thank you for that!!!!
When I got the email that I was to get a copy of this, I think my soul left my body a little. Every one of K. Ancrum's books are incredible and my god was this no exception
When I finished the last page, I had the urge to cry a bit. This book takes you on such an overwhelming emotional journey of longing, grief, and incredible character development that by the time you are done, you just feel overwhelmed.
Like many other reviewers have mentioned, this book utilizes 'show dont tell' in what was one of the best ways I have ever seen. Every single bit of information that was given - or not given - was entirely deliberate so that once all of the pieces do fit together, you're just a puddle on the ground. The writing I found was also incredibly dense; you really need to pay attention. I got through this much slower than other books the same length because it felt like every word was so meaningful that there were twice the number of words than there actually were. It is also quite non chronological, as it jumps back and forth in time constantly between each POV. This book definitely deserves a reread or two to really absorb every last detail and emotion
I loved the relationship between Elias and Victor. It was a perfect example of "a secret third thing" with the perfect amount of homoeroticism (this is not a romance) that you see present in historical literature. As a matter of fact, a lot of this book felt like historical literature while keeping Ancrum's signature style which is incredibly impressive
Also, the ending was perfect. I thought it incredibly fitting for the journey they both went through.
Anyway, give this a read!!!
When I got the email that I was to get a copy of this, I think my soul left my body a little. Every one of K. Ancrum's books are incredible and my god was this no exception
When I finished the last page, I had the urge to cry a bit. This book takes you on such an overwhelming emotional journey of longing, grief, and incredible character development that by the time you are done, you just feel overwhelmed.
Like many other reviewers have mentioned, this book utilizes 'show dont tell' in what was one of the best ways I have ever seen. Every single bit of information that was given - or not given - was entirely deliberate so that once all of the pieces do fit together, you're just a puddle on the ground. The writing I found was also incredibly dense; you really need to pay attention. I got through this much slower than other books the same length because it felt like every word was so meaningful that there were twice the number of words than there actually were. It is also quite non chronological, as it jumps back and forth in time constantly between each POV. This book definitely deserves a reread or two to really absorb every last detail and emotion
I loved the relationship between Elias and Victor. It was a perfect example of "a secret third thing" with the perfect amount of homoeroticism (this is not a romance) that you see present in historical literature. As a matter of fact, a lot of this book felt like historical literature while keeping Ancrum's signature style which is incredibly impressive
Also, the ending was perfect. I thought it incredibly fitting for the journey they both went through.
Anyway, give this a read!!!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
If Frankenstein has always felt a little bit like yearning wrapped in horror, Adam Mine by K. Ancrum leans all the way in.
This is Victor Frankenstein, obsession that feels almost romantic, and a bit religious. Alchemy instead of clean science. Hunger instead of curiosity. There is also this distinctly queer ache running through all of it.
Where Victor is sharp edges and ego, Elias is quiet, devastating depth. He wakes up remade and somehow he’s the one carrying the emotional weight of the story. His empathy is what hits hardest. Not because it’s soft, but because it survives. Even after everything and that’s what breaks my heart.
Their connection it’s this tether of shared pain and feeling that turns the story into something almost unbearable in the best way. It’s not just cat-and-mouse. It’s mutual haunting.
The travel piece gives it this sweeping, almost epic feel of the original with Victor chasing answers across dark corners of the world, digging into alchemy and consequence. All the while Elias’s journey feels quieter but violent but no less massive. Rooted in what it means to still be a person when the world refuses to see you as one.
It’s asks who gets to be human and who is worthy of compassion.
It’s romantic, but not soft. Horrific, but not empty. There’s love here, but it’s tangled up in guilt, creation and ownership.
If you’re expecting a straight retelling, this isn’t that.
This is queerer and bit more feral.
A story where the supposed monster understands humanity better than his maker ever could and where forgiveness feels almost impossible. It’s a pretty fair retelling.
This is Victor Frankenstein, obsession that feels almost romantic, and a bit religious. Alchemy instead of clean science. Hunger instead of curiosity. There is also this distinctly queer ache running through all of it.
Where Victor is sharp edges and ego, Elias is quiet, devastating depth. He wakes up remade and somehow he’s the one carrying the emotional weight of the story. His empathy is what hits hardest. Not because it’s soft, but because it survives. Even after everything and that’s what breaks my heart.
Their connection it’s this tether of shared pain and feeling that turns the story into something almost unbearable in the best way. It’s not just cat-and-mouse. It’s mutual haunting.
The travel piece gives it this sweeping, almost epic feel of the original with Victor chasing answers across dark corners of the world, digging into alchemy and consequence. All the while Elias’s journey feels quieter but violent but no less massive. Rooted in what it means to still be a person when the world refuses to see you as one.
It’s asks who gets to be human and who is worthy of compassion.
It’s romantic, but not soft. Horrific, but not empty. There’s love here, but it’s tangled up in guilt, creation and ownership.
If you’re expecting a straight retelling, this isn’t that.
This is queerer and bit more feral.
A story where the supposed monster understands humanity better than his maker ever could and where forgiveness feels almost impossible. It’s a pretty fair retelling.
May 27, 2026
Thanks to NetGalley and K Ancrum for this early copy in exchange for an honest review!
Although K Ancrum remains one of my favorite YA authors, this book just didn’t really do it for me.
The premise is intriguing: a retelling of Frankenstein, where Victor is a young but prodigal alchemy student who is determined to discover the secret of human reanimation. Determined to be well regarded by his peers, he kidnaps a young innocent, Elias, and desecrates his body. When Elias awakes, he finds himself scarred, wounded, and isolated—with an unintentional bond to Victor. Determined to seek out revenge, Elias follows Victor across Europe as Victor attempts to undo his mistakes.
There were parts of this book I loved: the journey across the different alchemists, the emotional connection between Elias and Victor, and the depiction of growth and change. However, the book was just too slow and meandering for me. The first part of the book was paced well, but the journey with the alchemists felt too drawn out. To be fair, I haven’t read the original Frankenstein, and I’m sure that some of this was just a result of the adaptation, but I do feel like the pacing could have been improved. Then the ending felt very fast and abrupt. I wanted to see way more interaction between Victor and Elias, because it felt like the book was building to something that resolved too quickly. Again, maybe it’s just that I’m not a fan of the structure of Frankenstein?
I think this book definitely has an audience, I just don’t think I personally was that audience. But anything K Ancrum writes is still a must read for me!
Although K Ancrum remains one of my favorite YA authors, this book just didn’t really do it for me.
The premise is intriguing: a retelling of Frankenstein, where Victor is a young but prodigal alchemy student who is determined to discover the secret of human reanimation. Determined to be well regarded by his peers, he kidnaps a young innocent, Elias, and desecrates his body. When Elias awakes, he finds himself scarred, wounded, and isolated—with an unintentional bond to Victor. Determined to seek out revenge, Elias follows Victor across Europe as Victor attempts to undo his mistakes.
There were parts of this book I loved: the journey across the different alchemists, the emotional connection between Elias and Victor, and the depiction of growth and change. However, the book was just too slow and meandering for me. The first part of the book was paced well, but the journey with the alchemists felt too drawn out. To be fair, I haven’t read the original Frankenstein, and I’m sure that some of this was just a result of the adaptation, but I do feel like the pacing could have been improved. Then the ending felt very fast and abrupt. I wanted to see way more interaction between Victor and Elias, because it felt like the book was building to something that resolved too quickly. Again, maybe it’s just that I’m not a fan of the structure of Frankenstein?
I think this book definitely has an audience, I just don’t think I personally was that audience. But anything K Ancrum writes is still a must read for me!
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
An interesting take on Frankenstein!! I previously read K. Ancrum's "The Wicker King" and really liked it. I don't think this one is as strong but I still very much enjoyed it. A highlight (as others have mentioned) is the prose, which seems to be a strength of Ancrum's across the board. I also really liked this particular take on Victor Frankenstein.
I didn't think the characterization was super strong, especially for Elias; I would've liked to know more about him before the big transformation. I didn't think either of their development was particularly well communicated to the reader, and often the two of them made choices or the narrator would indicate changes that weren't exactly believable, or the groundwork wasn't laid for it. Perhaps this was a result of the distant third-person narration as opposed to the intimate first-person of the original novel.
I've got a lot of Complex Feelings about Elias as Frankenstein's monster in relation to the themes of the original novel and how the whole "monster" thing manifested here. I don't think Ancrum fully succeeded in what she was intending to do and I think, much like many modern adaptations, there's less ambiguity in the creature's actions and we swing a little too far into the "total victim of circumstance" camp. But I don't want to elaborate too much on that since I'm curious about what other readers will say.
Overall: 4 stars! Yay Frankenstein!
I didn't think the characterization was super strong, especially for Elias; I would've liked to know more about him before the big transformation. I didn't think either of their development was particularly well communicated to the reader, and often the two of them made choices or the narrator would indicate changes that weren't exactly believable, or the groundwork wasn't laid for it. Perhaps this was a result of the distant third-person narration as opposed to the intimate first-person of the original novel.
I've got a lot of Complex Feelings about Elias as Frankenstein's monster in relation to the themes of the original novel and how the whole "monster" thing manifested here. I don't think Ancrum fully succeeded in what she was intending to do and I think, much like many modern adaptations, there's less ambiguity in the creature's actions and we swing a little too far into the "total victim of circumstance" camp. But I don't want to elaborate too much on that since I'm curious about what other readers will say.
Overall: 4 stars! Yay Frankenstein!
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