Adam, Mine.

by K. Ancrum

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.

Genres: Horror, Young Adult, Queer, Retellings, LGBT, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction

384 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication September 8, 2026

About the author

K. 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.

Reviews

[anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

“why does tragedy exist? because you are full of rage.
why are you full of rage? because you are full of grief.”

[ッ]

i will read anything by k. ancrum <3

[Eva B.]

K. ANCRUM IS WRITING A FRANKENSTEIN RETELLING?! TAKE ALL OF MY MONEY.

[Tegan]

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

[Sam]

WHEN THE HELL WAS THIS ANNOUNCED?!

[Lena]

Had 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!!

[Maëlys]

i’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.

[nadia | notabookshelf]

an 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

[Starr ❇✌❇]

uhh 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 👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀

[Gretal]

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.

[Lyb]

IT SOUNDS SO GOOD IM SO EXCITED!!!!

[gayil sobelman ✧]

OMG WE HAVE A COVERRR

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so, so good.

[Colby · Rating 5 out of 5]

​when i first read ADAM, MINE. three years ago, the first thing i did was return to the beginning and start again. such is the beauty of ancrum's frankenstein reimagining—her strange, vicious, yearnful take on the beloved classic that sews your eyes open with alchemical thread and shows you new, divine possibilities. ADAM, MINE. follows victor frankenstein and his creature, elias hilfiker, as they chase one another furiously across the lands, pleading with renowned alchemists for wisdom and assistance and absolution, and losing themselves in trials so otherworldly, overwhelming, and frightening that it blurs the line between science and magic, all in the name of survival and self-discovery.

i wrote three pages of notes in response to ADAM, MINE. after finishing it for the first time. there's no way for me to convey my deep love for this book without, in some way, robbing you of the experience of reading it yourself, uninfluenced, but i will tell you this: following the parallel perspectives of victor and elias feels like waking from a black and white dream to witness a world full of color. the way victor's selfish cruelty and elias's poetic kindness juxtapose one another and evolve throughout the novel as they seek opposing help from the same wicked men paints a gorgeous, irresistible portrait of suffering, pride, violence, autonomy, and hope that perfectly mirrors the beating heart of shelley's work. it is one of the most gorgeous books that ancrum has written, and one of my all time favorite reimaginings. ​

ADAM, MINE. comes to life this september, and i can't wait for you to experience it.