What do you think?
Dark Manor Chronicles #2
Her Creation
She brought him back from death.
Now he is the one thing she cannot survive losing.
In 1795, in a shadowed city of the Holy Roman Empire, Victoria Frankenstein is invisible: brilliant enough to rival any scientist, yet condemned to silence in a world that forbids women their power.
When her miracle surgeon father falls gravely ill, grief drives her to a heretical act. Beneath candlelight and prayers long abandoned, Victoria stitches life from death and calls a man back into cold flesh and waiting lungs.
What rises from her table is not a monster.
Bound to her by blood, breath, and the terrible intimacy of creation, he belongs to her in ways no living man ever could―and he knows it. He watches her. Learns her. Wants her with a hunger that borders on worship, and a possessiveness that should frighten her.
As desire coils into obsession, Victoria must face the truth she has always feared: being wanted by her creation is a power she cannot control. His devotion is absolute, consuming, and beautiful, and in an empire that burns women for reaching beyond their place, loving him may be the most dangerous act of all.
Because she did not simply give him life. She made herself his reason for living.
And love, once stitched into existence, does not let go.
Now he is the one thing she cannot survive losing.
In 1795, in a shadowed city of the Holy Roman Empire, Victoria Frankenstein is invisible: brilliant enough to rival any scientist, yet condemned to silence in a world that forbids women their power.
When her miracle surgeon father falls gravely ill, grief drives her to a heretical act. Beneath candlelight and prayers long abandoned, Victoria stitches life from death and calls a man back into cold flesh and waiting lungs.
What rises from her table is not a monster.
Bound to her by blood, breath, and the terrible intimacy of creation, he belongs to her in ways no living man ever could―and he knows it. He watches her. Learns her. Wants her with a hunger that borders on worship, and a possessiveness that should frighten her.
As desire coils into obsession, Victoria must face the truth she has always feared: being wanted by her creation is a power she cannot control. His devotion is absolute, consuming, and beautiful, and in an empire that burns women for reaching beyond their place, loving him may be the most dangerous act of all.
Because she did not simply give him life. She made herself his reason for living.
And love, once stitched into existence, does not let go.
430 pages, Paperback
First published August 25, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 221 reviews
September 13, 2026
Weird concept but written so well!!!!
June 17, 2026
This is the second installment in Jeaneane O’Riley’s Dark Manor Chronicles, although this can absolutely be read as a standalone. Having just read her “A Secret in the Garden” and being surprised on my enjoyment of it, I was looking forward to this reading. We all know I’m a sucker for a retelling and that Halloween is my favorite, so this was a definite immediate want to read for me, as it is a twist on “Frankenstein”.
This novel follows Victoria Frankenstein, daughter of Frankenstein and the reimagined awakening of The Creature, which she delightfully names Inno.
This was definitely an interesting take on the story. Readers should note that this far more gory and creepy than O’Riley’s previous installment (though that didn’t bother me too much).
There were times when there was not much dialogue, which made this one drag for me. It was around 20%-50% that dragged so much for me. I almost put it down, but decided to keep going. There were times I did enjoy the descriptions of Victoria’s dressed and the scene at the ball. But there were many times I felt like a lot of ideas were repeated (i.e. her loneliness, her not being able to be a doctor as a female, etc.) and many times I was like, “OK. I get it. Let’s move on”.
The relationship between Victoria and Inno was just a little too out there for me to latch onto. However, I really appreciated Victoria’s friendship with Helena and Victoria’s love for her family. And, despite the weirdness of their relationship, I was pleased with the ending.
Overall, this was not my favorite, and I struggled to push through it, but I think fans of dark, Gothic romance will probably enjoy.
This novel follows Victoria Frankenstein, daughter of Frankenstein and the reimagined awakening of The Creature, which she delightfully names Inno.
This was definitely an interesting take on the story. Readers should note that this far more gory and creepy than O’Riley’s previous installment (though that didn’t bother me too much).
There were times when there was not much dialogue, which made this one drag for me. It was around 20%-50% that dragged so much for me. I almost put it down, but decided to keep going. There were times I did enjoy the descriptions of Victoria’s dressed and the scene at the ball. But there were many times I felt like a lot of ideas were repeated (i.e. her loneliness, her not being able to be a doctor as a female, etc.) and many times I was like, “OK. I get it. Let’s move on”.
The relationship between Victoria and Inno was just a little too out there for me to latch onto. However, I really appreciated Victoria’s friendship with Helena and Victoria’s love for her family. And, despite the weirdness of their relationship, I was pleased with the ending.
Overall, this was not my favorite, and I struggled to push through it, but I think fans of dark, Gothic romance will probably enjoy.
Did Not Finish
August 18, 2026DNF @ 47%
She hasn’t even created the creature yet almost halfway through the book!!!! HE IS THE LOVE INTEREST. I’m sorry, I can’t. I’m too impatient.
She hasn’t even created the creature yet almost halfway through the book!!!! HE IS THE LOVE INTEREST. I’m sorry, I can’t. I’m too impatient.
August 22, 2026
4.5/5 ⭐️
1/5 🌶️
This was the Frankenstein retelling of my dreams. It was spooky. It was gruesome. It had a gothic old castle. It had a hot ‘monster.’ It just had the best spooky, gothic vibes and a dark love story forming in between the lines.
Thanks to Jeneane and Sourcebooks Audio for an ALC of her next novel in the Dark Manor Chronicles.
Pub Date: 25 Aug 2026.
1/5 🌶️
This was the Frankenstein retelling of my dreams. It was spooky. It was gruesome. It had a gothic old castle. It had a hot ‘monster.’ It just had the best spooky, gothic vibes and a dark love story forming in between the lines.
Thanks to Jeneane and Sourcebooks Audio for an ALC of her next novel in the Dark Manor Chronicles.
Pub Date: 25 Aug 2026.
October 8, 2026
Note: Some of my goodreads shelves can be spoilers
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔 (Very good depth for the heroine! Not much for the hero)
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡ there are aspects that are really good here but when I look at the overall length of the book I wanted more
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥
Humor: Not really, this is definitely a more somber read
Perspective: first person POV from a side character for the first handful of chapters (and maybe more at the end??) and then third person from the heroine and hero’s POV (not as much from the hero)
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? slow
When mains are first on page together: It takes FOREVER to really get into it. The hero is on page around 4% in and the heroine is on page with him around 6% (ch 4 of 33) but then it cuts back for the heroine to tell her story (the chapters prior to this are told from a side characters first person perspective) and they are on page together for awhile where she’s talking to him and thinking of him but he’s still a corpse – they aren’t truly interacting until chapter 15, 51% in...
Cliffhanger: No it ends with them together
Epilogue: No
Format: voluntarily read an advanced reader copy from NetGalley in audiobook form
Why I chose this book: I was drawn to the cover
Mains: Inno (short for Innomaniatus - Frankenstein’s Monster) and Victoria Rose Frankenstein – This is a M/F romance
Audiobook available (as of posting)? Yes
(Descriptions found at end of my review)
Should I read in order?
This is fine alone.
Basic plot:
It’s a Frankenstein’s Monster retelling….there’s medical research turned to love.
Give this a try if you want:
- historical setting – 1795
- Holy Roman Empire setting
- Frankenstein retelling
- great character depth for our heroine
- he will do anything for her
- caretaking
- lots of gothic vibes
- medium steam – I have no idea how many scenes but I think there’s like 3? I didn’t take notes and then I skimmed through and still missed most of it….
Ages:
- I think she’s 22, didn’t catch hero
First line:
I went in search of a story I could tell for a lifetime, and instead I returned with a secret that could never be told.
My thoughts:
I got myself off to a disjointed start with this novel because I went in blind – only looked at the cover. So as the story started and I was getting this first person POV from a woman who witnesses an attack from a monster, I assumed I was meeting the hero and heroine. Then, 6 chapters in, that side character that I had gotten attached to, disappeared for the next 85% of the book and I realized she wasn’t the heroine 😅
So then I had to adjust, and I did like the narration – I think if I had read the book, I would have been annoyed at some more things but in the audio it just felt more natural? (knowing what was redacted, etc). So I started to kind of fall into the story again but then it just drug on. And on and on and on. I was only with the heroine and how miserable she was for half the book and I kept waiting for more to happen. It just felt too slow to me and I kept waiting for the romance. I felt like I was waiting forever for them to be on page together and actually interacting with each other. And then combined with another separation towards the end of the book I was just getting annoyed.
As Inno is animated, my interest perked a little bit, but overall this story was kind of a drag for me and just felt really long and I didn’t love it. I don’t love gore, and I don’t think this book was necessarily super gore-y but there just some passages that were very detailed about maggots and things and….you know I think I’d be okay with it if there had been more romance and more I loved about it but with how little I was feeling having to also read details about maggots was just another drag 😂
I do think there’s a lot to love about this book – if you are looking for a Frankenstein’s Monster retelling, I’d give it a go because I did like some of the twists of this story. If you’re more into this storyline and not necessarily needing your mains on page together a lot or a lot of romance focus you will probably enjoy it more than me.
Few random reading stats for this author
# of books read: This is my first
Average rating from me: 3 stars
Favorite book: This one by default
Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes, safe sex aspects, consent, pregnancy/child in the story: - definitely not a full list, I skimmed through months after finishing for an idea
Extra stuff like what my review breakdown means, where to find me, and book clubs
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔 (Very good depth for the heroine! Not much for the hero)
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡ there are aspects that are really good here but when I look at the overall length of the book I wanted more
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥
Humor: Not really, this is definitely a more somber read
Perspective: first person POV from a side character for the first handful of chapters (and maybe more at the end??) and then third person from the heroine and hero’s POV (not as much from the hero)
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? slow
When mains are first on page together: It takes FOREVER to really get into it. The hero is on page around 4% in and the heroine is on page with him around 6% (ch 4 of 33) but then it cuts back for the heroine to tell her story (the chapters prior to this are told from a side characters first person perspective) and they are on page together for awhile where she’s talking to him and thinking of him but he’s still a corpse – they aren’t truly interacting until chapter 15, 51% in...
Cliffhanger: No it ends with them together
Epilogue: No
Format: voluntarily read an advanced reader copy from NetGalley in audiobook form
Why I chose this book: I was drawn to the cover
Mains: Inno (short for Innomaniatus - Frankenstein’s Monster) and Victoria Rose Frankenstein – This is a M/F romance
Audiobook available (as of posting)? Yes
(Descriptions found at end of my review)
Should I read in order?
This is fine alone.
Basic plot:
It’s a Frankenstein’s Monster retelling….there’s medical research turned to love.
Give this a try if you want:
- historical setting – 1795
- Holy Roman Empire setting
- Frankenstein retelling
- great character depth for our heroine
- he will do anything for her
- caretaking
- lots of gothic vibes
- medium steam – I have no idea how many scenes but I think there’s like 3? I didn’t take notes and then I skimmed through and still missed most of it….
Ages:
- I think she’s 22, didn’t catch hero
First line:
I went in search of a story I could tell for a lifetime, and instead I returned with a secret that could never be told.
My thoughts:
I got myself off to a disjointed start with this novel because I went in blind – only looked at the cover. So as the story started and I was getting this first person POV from a woman who witnesses an attack from a monster, I assumed I was meeting the hero and heroine. Then, 6 chapters in, that side character that I had gotten attached to, disappeared for the next 85% of the book and I realized she wasn’t the heroine 😅
So then I had to adjust, and I did like the narration – I think if I had read the book, I would have been annoyed at some more things but in the audio it just felt more natural? (knowing what was redacted, etc). So I started to kind of fall into the story again but then it just drug on. And on and on and on. I was only with the heroine and how miserable she was for half the book and I kept waiting for more to happen. It just felt too slow to me and I kept waiting for the romance. I felt like I was waiting forever for them to be on page together and actually interacting with each other. And then combined with another separation towards the end of the book I was just getting annoyed.
As Inno is animated, my interest perked a little bit, but overall this story was kind of a drag for me and just felt really long and I didn’t love it. I don’t love gore, and I don’t think this book was necessarily super gore-y but there just some passages that were very detailed about maggots and things and….you know I think I’d be okay with it if there had been more romance and more I loved about it but with how little I was feeling having to also read details about maggots was just another drag 😂
I do think there’s a lot to love about this book – if you are looking for a Frankenstein’s Monster retelling, I’d give it a go because I did like some of the twists of this story. If you’re more into this storyline and not necessarily needing your mains on page together a lot or a lot of romance focus you will probably enjoy it more than me.
Few random reading stats for this author
# of books read: This is my first
Average rating from me: 3 stars
Favorite book: This one by default
Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes, safe sex aspects, consent, pregnancy/child in the story: - definitely not a full list, I skimmed through months after finishing for an idea
Extra stuff like what my review breakdown means, where to find me, and book clubs
August 30, 2026
2.75 ⭐️
I am so torn on this one. The idea of a Frankenstein retelling had me SO intrigued, and I genuinely thought this was going to be right up my alley. Dark, gothic, weird? Sign me up.
Unfortunately, the execution just didn’t work for me.
The whole story-within-a-story setup felt really out of place. I honestly wish we had just started with Victoria and Inno’s story and maybe tied everything else in through an epilogue. The beginning felt disconnected, and once we actually got into the main plot, I still struggled. I was bored… then mildly intrigued… then right back to bored again. Victoria was infuriatingly annoying.
And then we have the romance. Insta-love. My nemesis. I am simply NOT an insta-love girly, so instead of feeling swept up in their relationship, it felt forced and honestly a little icky to me.
I see the vision, but girl… no.
There were definitely things I liked. The dark gothic atmosphere, the weirdness, and the overall concept were all there. But unfortunately, this one landed firmly in the “meh” category for me.
And I’m SAD about it. I really enjoyed A Secret in the Garden, so this definitely won’t stop me from picking up whatever retelling she decides to give us next. Hopefully the next one gets me. 🤞
I am so torn on this one. The idea of a Frankenstein retelling had me SO intrigued, and I genuinely thought this was going to be right up my alley. Dark, gothic, weird? Sign me up.
Unfortunately, the execution just didn’t work for me.
The whole story-within-a-story setup felt really out of place. I honestly wish we had just started with Victoria and Inno’s story and maybe tied everything else in through an epilogue. The beginning felt disconnected, and once we actually got into the main plot, I still struggled. I was bored… then mildly intrigued… then right back to bored again. Victoria was infuriatingly annoying.
And then we have the romance. Insta-love. My nemesis. I am simply NOT an insta-love girly, so instead of feeling swept up in their relationship, it felt forced and honestly a little icky to me.
I see the vision, but girl… no.
There were definitely things I liked. The dark gothic atmosphere, the weirdness, and the overall concept were all there. But unfortunately, this one landed firmly in the “meh” category for me.
And I’m SAD about it. I really enjoyed A Secret in the Garden, so this definitely won’t stop me from picking up whatever retelling she decides to give us next. Hopefully the next one gets me. 🤞
August 31, 2026
Thank you to Sourcebooks for the ALC and Bloom Books and author Jeneane O'Riley, for providing me with the eARC of “Her Creation”.
💭My Thoughts
I will start off by saying Zara did an amazing job with the narration of this audiobook. She kept me engaged when it got a bit slower half way through the book. I was locked in with her reading to me and following along. Worth immersive reading.
Inno is a devoted man! And why would he not be at this point? He is her creation after all. Victoria, had a rough go in this book. And without saying too much I am glad she started to figure some things out but this was heartbreaking for her. Who knew I would be saying I enjoyed a Frankenstein retelling in 2026.
Definitely check your triggers on this one. There is some heavy ones and it is on page.
❣️Tropes❣️
Gothic Romance
Dark Romance
Frankenstein Retelling
Historical Setting
Slow Burn
Yearning
FMC Scientist
🩵RATING🩵
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Level: 🌶️
Length: 448 Pages
Publisher: Bloom Books
🎧Single Narration 14h 33m at 2x
🎙️ Zara Hampton-Brown
Narration Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Listened via Libro.fm.
💭My Thoughts
I will start off by saying Zara did an amazing job with the narration of this audiobook. She kept me engaged when it got a bit slower half way through the book. I was locked in with her reading to me and following along. Worth immersive reading.
Inno is a devoted man! And why would he not be at this point? He is her creation after all. Victoria, had a rough go in this book. And without saying too much I am glad she started to figure some things out but this was heartbreaking for her. Who knew I would be saying I enjoyed a Frankenstein retelling in 2026.
Definitely check your triggers on this one. There is some heavy ones and it is on page.
❣️Tropes❣️
Gothic Romance
Dark Romance
Frankenstein Retelling
Historical Setting
Slow Burn
Yearning
FMC Scientist
🩵RATING🩵
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Level: 🌶️
Length: 448 Pages
Publisher: Bloom Books
🎧Single Narration 14h 33m at 2x
🎙️ Zara Hampton-Brown
Narration Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Listened via Libro.fm.
August 26, 2026
I’m the type of reader who can see the story as a movie in my head. It certainly helps when the story is written in a way that enables that. Her Creation is my first Jeneane O’Riley book. I must say, her writing style blows me away. It is described as dark fantasy—everything is highly descriptive, from the scenery to the characters and their emotions. I could see everything playing out so well. The Frankstein retelling—as it is gender swapped—made for an interesting story. The romance in itself between Victoria and Inno was everything I could have imagined and more. And the ending left me going on a deep dive.
Thank you to Bloom Books and Author Jeneane O’Riley for the gifted e-copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Thank you to Bloom Books and Author Jeneane O’Riley for the gifted e-copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
July 19, 2026
Queen Jeneane did it again, anything she writes is a must read for me and she hasn’t disappointed with this one !!! Revenge is a dish best served with maggots 😂!!! Loved this Frankenstein retelling with a twist, their story was quite the emotional one. I was definitely rooting for the monster. Everything just tied together perfectly in this story!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I really wanted to like this book, the synopsis was interesting but the execution left much to be desired. All of the characters felt very flat and I feel like there was very little character development. I also feel like the relationship was not developed very well and the pacing was all other the place. Things that could have been condensed to a few chapters took up half the book, while things that could have been used to further develop the characters and relationships were relegated to only a few chapters. Overall very disappointing and unsatisfying.
June 29, 2026
3.5⭐️
Thank you Netgalley & publisher for this ARC.
When I heard about Her Creation with my love for Frankenstein & adaptations on this I knew I wanted to read this book.
Victoria is our FMC and creator of life from death - add in fem rage & obsession and you have yourself an engaging book I was hooked on from go.
Set in the 1700s it’s gothic, it’s brooding,
& Dark. You’ll love this if you love gothic romance, yearning, obsessive MMC and strong FMC.
The grief & loneliness in this resonated with me while I myself going through grief.
This is told via journal entries & logbooks which I did struggle with getting into especially at the beginning but once I was used to it the story flowed. This is slow paced esp the middle but Inno & his devotion was yearning done well.
I love re tellings that are done well and I think this one was especially with switching it up from a female POV.
Definitely add to cart when it releases in August 2026 🥀
Thank you Netgalley & publisher for this ARC.
When I heard about Her Creation with my love for Frankenstein & adaptations on this I knew I wanted to read this book.
Victoria is our FMC and creator of life from death - add in fem rage & obsession and you have yourself an engaging book I was hooked on from go.
Set in the 1700s it’s gothic, it’s brooding,
& Dark. You’ll love this if you love gothic romance, yearning, obsessive MMC and strong FMC.
The grief & loneliness in this resonated with me while I myself going through grief.
This is told via journal entries & logbooks which I did struggle with getting into especially at the beginning but once I was used to it the story flowed. This is slow paced esp the middle but Inno & his devotion was yearning done well.
I love re tellings that are done well and I think this one was especially with switching it up from a female POV.
Definitely add to cart when it releases in August 2026 🥀
August 29, 2026
“Your chains are different from mine, but it does not mean they are less bothersome”
So for context, I love a Frankenstein story but am hit or miss on dark romances and on gothic romances. This was my first read by this author and I loved it. It’s a genderbent Frankenstein retelling with dark romance and gothic romance elements. If you have triggers, please read the warnings. There is gore and violence and dark imagery. There are also philosophical discussions of personhood and love and responsibility like a good Frankenstein story should have.
I’m excited to read more by this author.
So for context, I love a Frankenstein story but am hit or miss on dark romances and on gothic romances. This was my first read by this author and I loved it. It’s a genderbent Frankenstein retelling with dark romance and gothic romance elements. If you have triggers, please read the warnings. There is gore and violence and dark imagery. There are also philosophical discussions of personhood and love and responsibility like a good Frankenstein story should have.
I’m excited to read more by this author.
October 4, 2026
(Thank you to Bloom Books and NetGalley for the ARC, views are my own)
Straight away felt the gothic Frankenstein's monster vibes.
I liked the start with Clara's story told through log entries. She is on an exploration boat when they pull an injured man in.
I did enjoy Victoria and Inno's story, but it was a complete immersion rather than feeling like a recounting of events as it is listed in the log. It was reminiscent of classics, but I would have liked some insets from Clara that made it feel like she was writing down or listening to a story.
Straight away felt the gothic Frankenstein's monster vibes.
I liked the start with Clara's story told through log entries. She is on an exploration boat when they pull an injured man in.
I did enjoy Victoria and Inno's story, but it was a complete immersion rather than feeling like a recounting of events as it is listed in the log. It was reminiscent of classics, but I would have liked some insets from Clara that made it feel like she was writing down or listening to a story.
September 16, 2026
I had really high expectations going into this book. But I was… unfortunately, super let down.
I thought Victoria lacked depth. She was sad, alone, alienated from society for a number of reasons so I wanted to root for her, but she was just… very flat. The monster, or Inno, was okay. But he was just that. All of the characters were very one dimensional.
Victoria’s best friend, dare I say only friend, is slain by Inno because he wants her attention and plans on delivering the body parts of the townsfolk to her door until she caves. Victoria is not even REMOTELY disturbed by this enough for me. She moves on rather quickly, and proceeds to fuck this dude in a hole in a ground intended to be father’s grave.
HUH?
The Mary Shelly boinking on her mother’s gravesite reference is not lost to me. But given the context, it did not feel right.
I dunno. It was just okay. But there was so, so much potential.
I thought Victoria lacked depth. She was sad, alone, alienated from society for a number of reasons so I wanted to root for her, but she was just… very flat. The monster, or Inno, was okay. But he was just that. All of the characters were very one dimensional.
Victoria’s best friend, dare I say only friend, is slain by Inno because he wants her attention and plans on delivering the body parts of the townsfolk to her door until she caves. Victoria is not even REMOTELY disturbed by this enough for me. She moves on rather quickly, and proceeds to fuck this dude in a hole in a ground intended to be father’s grave.
HUH?
The Mary Shelly boinking on her mother’s gravesite reference is not lost to me. But given the context, it did not feel right.
I dunno. It was just okay. But there was so, so much potential.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2026
Thank you @sourcebooks.audio and @libro.fm for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Another interesting blurb that got me hooked! This is a gothic romance, based on a Frankenstein retelling. Let’s reverse the roles and see what happens if Dr. Frankenstein had a daughter.
This is solo narrated by Zara Hampton-Brown and does an incredible job.
Another interesting blurb that got me hooked! This is a gothic romance, based on a Frankenstein retelling. Let’s reverse the roles and see what happens if Dr. Frankenstein had a daughter.
This is solo narrated by Zara Hampton-Brown and does an incredible job.
August 26, 2026
I feel so conflicted with this book!!! I loved the writing and the yearning so so much BUT the pacing kept taking me out of the story. Some things dragged on so much, while others, like the romance, felt like we were begging for crumbs
September 10, 2026
devastating and beautiful
July 18, 2026
i am so sad this book is over. 😭
oh my gosh, this was incredible.
if you've ever wondered what it would be like if Dr. Frankenstein were a woman, read this immediately. and if you had a crush on Jacob Elordi's Creature... definitely read this.
as a total Frankenstein snob who lives for retellings of my favorite novel, i absolutely adored this. after loving the first book in the series, i had high expectations and O'Riley somehow exceeded them. it follows the familiar outline of Shelley's story while weaving in O'Riley's own dark, hauntingly beautiful twist.
Innominatus's yearning, devotion, and complete obsession with Victoria was absolutely unmatched. my heart broke for him in his isolation and desperate love for her, while Victoria's denial of her feelings frustrated me to no end. they both made me want to scream but that made them feel even more real and lovable.
the slow burn was achingly painful in the best of ways and the payoff was beautiful. my only complaint is that i wanted even more of their love story. i wish this book was longer!
the audiobook was phenomenal. the narrator brought every character to life, and her voice reminded me of the unicorn from The Last Unicorn, which made the experience even more magical and special to me.
beyond the romance the book doesn't shy away from the heartbreaking realities of how women were treated during that time period, while also celebrating the strength, friendship, and camaraderie between women. this book explored a lot of hard themes which i loved.
there is so much grief woven throughout this story but beneath all the heartbreak is an incredibly beautiful love story.
i adored the brief nods to the Creature's portrayal in classic film adaptations towards the end, that was such a cute touch.
as someone who's spent years wishing for a kinder fate for my beloved Creature, this retelling gave me exactly the bittersweet and gorgeous story i have always wanted for him.
Mary Shelley would have loved this book!
i highly recommend it if you love Frankenstein or are looking for a dark paranormal romance that will make you feel all the feelings. i loved it so much!
thank you netgalley and sourcebooks audio for the early eARC and ALC
oh my gosh, this was incredible.
if you've ever wondered what it would be like if Dr. Frankenstein were a woman, read this immediately. and if you had a crush on Jacob Elordi's Creature... definitely read this.
as a total Frankenstein snob who lives for retellings of my favorite novel, i absolutely adored this. after loving the first book in the series, i had high expectations and O'Riley somehow exceeded them. it follows the familiar outline of Shelley's story while weaving in O'Riley's own dark, hauntingly beautiful twist.
Innominatus's yearning, devotion, and complete obsession with Victoria was absolutely unmatched. my heart broke for him in his isolation and desperate love for her, while Victoria's denial of her feelings frustrated me to no end. they both made me want to scream but that made them feel even more real and lovable.
the slow burn was achingly painful in the best of ways and the payoff was beautiful. my only complaint is that i wanted even more of their love story. i wish this book was longer!
the audiobook was phenomenal. the narrator brought every character to life, and her voice reminded me of the unicorn from The Last Unicorn, which made the experience even more magical and special to me.
beyond the romance the book doesn't shy away from the heartbreaking realities of how women were treated during that time period, while also celebrating the strength, friendship, and camaraderie between women. this book explored a lot of hard themes which i loved.
there is so much grief woven throughout this story but beneath all the heartbreak is an incredibly beautiful love story.
i adored the brief nods to the Creature's portrayal in classic film adaptations towards the end, that was such a cute touch.
as someone who's spent years wishing for a kinder fate for my beloved Creature, this retelling gave me exactly the bittersweet and gorgeous story i have always wanted for him.
Mary Shelley would have loved this book!
i highly recommend it if you love Frankenstein or are looking for a dark paranormal romance that will make you feel all the feelings. i loved it so much!
thank you netgalley and sourcebooks audio for the early eARC and ALC
August 30, 2026
4.5⭐️/ 3🌶️
*Thank you to Sourcebooks audio for this ARC audiobook, I appreciate it.
*Check Content Warnings Before reading.
OH. MY. GOODNESS! This was such a fun twist to the original, “Frankenstein” story. Jeneane O’Riley weaved together parts of the original story with her own twist that actually made the story even better! With the backdrop of a gothic castle, secret experiments in the laboratory, a woman studying in the medical field in secret, and bringing life to a once deceased man now wholly OBSESSED WITH HIS CREATOR! OMG! I LOVED THIS BOOK! If you’re a fan of Frankenstein, the story, and everything about it, this story gave it a twist from it being a gender bend, darkness, and a love that defied the laws of nature, but…nothing could keep Inno and Victoria apart.
I will say, the beginning half of the story felt a little slow, but it did play out like that for a reason. The whole time I kept anticipating the moment for when I would read, “IT’S ALIVE” or something like that because I wanted to meet the man or hmmm the creature himself! Although, in order to get to that point, Victoria’s story needed to be told BEFORE Inno (the creature Victoria created) was introduced. With this book having darker elements to it, it really did have me feeling uneasy at times especially with the unfortunate things Victoria endured. From being ridiculed, judged for her interest in the macabre, and not being allowed to study and perform medical procedures because SHE WAS A WOMAN, (sigh) Victoria was dealt a hard hand. Not to mention, suffering the loss of her mother, and fearing the future day when her Papa would leave her too. Victoria was determined to discover a way of resurrection!
NOW, once Inno was resurrected and BROUGHT TO LIFE, I was immediately intrigued and enamored by his utter devotion and LOVE for Victoria. Here was this man who was called a monster literally telling Victoria that SHE WAS HIS GOD, HIS GODDESS, HIS LOVE! I WAS SWOONING AND LOVING IT! From the moment Inno was introduced, he didn’t hold back on telling Victoria how much he loved and wanted her which I was ALL ONBOARD FOR! I think most of my favorite quotes came from Inno because, the way he was able to describe his love for Victoria, but also combine his desire to protect her from anything at ANY COST showed that he was capable of being the most deadliest man alive in honor of protecting the woman he loved.
“You are not meant to be taken. You are meant to be revered, worshipped...coveted. Do not mistake this reverence for mercy. If
you asked it of me, I would burn the world to ash and kneel in the ruin, knowing I would have done right by you. I would call it faith and believe it without doubt. I am capable of terrible, horrible things, and I would commit every one of them rapturously in your name."
His voice grew somehow even lower.
"Call this worship or damnation, but please understand this: I was not brought back to serve the world. I was not remade for forgiveness or absolution. I was brought back to serve you. And nothing short of your denial will ever unmake that truth.”
(GASP) JAW ON THE FLOOR! Inno was UTTERLY WHOLLY OBSESSED FOR VICTORIA! YES! Inno was my FAVORITE AS IF YOU COULDN’T ALREADY TELL!
Unfortunately, with the traumatic death of Victoria’s father meres minutes before Inno came to life came a sense of self hatred and guilt, as well as conflicting feelings towards Inno. As much as Victoria had dreamt of the day that Inno would be part of her world, once he had, she constantly was at odds with her feelings towards him, and not wanting to dishonor her fathers wishes regarding Inno. There was a lot of guilt and shame for how Victoria felt for Inno, and she kept pushing him yet pulling him towards her throughout the book. I honestly felt bad for Inno because, despite doing EVERYTHING that was asked of him by Victoria, he was constantly denied the ONE THING HE WANTED…which was Victoria ( insert sad face). I could somewhat understand Victoria’s complicated feelings surrounding Inno, but I just felt like too much time was spent with her pushing him away when they could have had more time developing their romantic relationship. Inno was so patient and again despite literally having the capability of destruction and going against Victoria’s wishes (at first) he tried to show her how much of a good person he was capable of, and capable of being the perfect man for her, poor Inno. Sooo yeah, I found myself getting frustrated and angry with Victoria with the way she treated Inno throughout the book (sigh).
Having said that, Victoria wasn’t a bad character, she was just flawed and had a complex of things happening in her life that in some instances I could see why she did what she did, but it ultimately changed parts of her life. As much as Victoria had once sought to complete her experiment of resurrection, it ended up being more complicated than the original idea. Instead, Victoria wasn’t gifted with a God like being who was utterly devoted to her, LOVED her, and would do and DID many things in the name of her love. This story did a great job bringing the story of Frankenstein with a fun twist of instead of Victor Frankenstein, we had Victoria Frankenstein and the creation, Inno forming a deep, passionate love that went beyond everything. I could feel the highs and lows in Victoria and Inno’s story, the loss, and destruction that later occurred, and how Victoria and Inno managed to get their happy ending together in a way. A passionate gothic romance with dark elements, macabre scenes, and a love that dug deep into the very depths of both Victoria and Inno, yeah this was a great book to immersive read, and the narrator of this audiobook did a FANTASTIC JOB! I LOVED THIS BOOK!
*Thank you to Sourcebooks audio for this ARC audiobook, I appreciate it.
*Check Content Warnings Before reading.
OH. MY. GOODNESS! This was such a fun twist to the original, “Frankenstein” story. Jeneane O’Riley weaved together parts of the original story with her own twist that actually made the story even better! With the backdrop of a gothic castle, secret experiments in the laboratory, a woman studying in the medical field in secret, and bringing life to a once deceased man now wholly OBSESSED WITH HIS CREATOR! OMG! I LOVED THIS BOOK! If you’re a fan of Frankenstein, the story, and everything about it, this story gave it a twist from it being a gender bend, darkness, and a love that defied the laws of nature, but…nothing could keep Inno and Victoria apart.
I will say, the beginning half of the story felt a little slow, but it did play out like that for a reason. The whole time I kept anticipating the moment for when I would read, “IT’S ALIVE” or something like that because I wanted to meet the man or hmmm the creature himself! Although, in order to get to that point, Victoria’s story needed to be told BEFORE Inno (the creature Victoria created) was introduced. With this book having darker elements to it, it really did have me feeling uneasy at times especially with the unfortunate things Victoria endured. From being ridiculed, judged for her interest in the macabre, and not being allowed to study and perform medical procedures because SHE WAS A WOMAN, (sigh) Victoria was dealt a hard hand. Not to mention, suffering the loss of her mother, and fearing the future day when her Papa would leave her too. Victoria was determined to discover a way of resurrection!
NOW, once Inno was resurrected and BROUGHT TO LIFE, I was immediately intrigued and enamored by his utter devotion and LOVE for Victoria. Here was this man who was called a monster literally telling Victoria that SHE WAS HIS GOD, HIS GODDESS, HIS LOVE! I WAS SWOONING AND LOVING IT! From the moment Inno was introduced, he didn’t hold back on telling Victoria how much he loved and wanted her which I was ALL ONBOARD FOR! I think most of my favorite quotes came from Inno because, the way he was able to describe his love for Victoria, but also combine his desire to protect her from anything at ANY COST showed that he was capable of being the most deadliest man alive in honor of protecting the woman he loved.
“You are not meant to be taken. You are meant to be revered, worshipped...coveted. Do not mistake this reverence for mercy. If
you asked it of me, I would burn the world to ash and kneel in the ruin, knowing I would have done right by you. I would call it faith and believe it without doubt. I am capable of terrible, horrible things, and I would commit every one of them rapturously in your name."
His voice grew somehow even lower.
"Call this worship or damnation, but please understand this: I was not brought back to serve the world. I was not remade for forgiveness or absolution. I was brought back to serve you. And nothing short of your denial will ever unmake that truth.”
(GASP) JAW ON THE FLOOR! Inno was UTTERLY WHOLLY OBSESSED FOR VICTORIA! YES! Inno was my FAVORITE AS IF YOU COULDN’T ALREADY TELL!
Unfortunately, with the traumatic death of Victoria’s father meres minutes before Inno came to life came a sense of self hatred and guilt, as well as conflicting feelings towards Inno. As much as Victoria had dreamt of the day that Inno would be part of her world, once he had, she constantly was at odds with her feelings towards him, and not wanting to dishonor her fathers wishes regarding Inno. There was a lot of guilt and shame for how Victoria felt for Inno, and she kept pushing him yet pulling him towards her throughout the book. I honestly felt bad for Inno because, despite doing EVERYTHING that was asked of him by Victoria, he was constantly denied the ONE THING HE WANTED…which was Victoria ( insert sad face). I could somewhat understand Victoria’s complicated feelings surrounding Inno, but I just felt like too much time was spent with her pushing him away when they could have had more time developing their romantic relationship. Inno was so patient and again despite literally having the capability of destruction and going against Victoria’s wishes (at first) he tried to show her how much of a good person he was capable of, and capable of being the perfect man for her, poor Inno. Sooo yeah, I found myself getting frustrated and angry with Victoria with the way she treated Inno throughout the book (sigh).
Having said that, Victoria wasn’t a bad character, she was just flawed and had a complex of things happening in her life that in some instances I could see why she did what she did, but it ultimately changed parts of her life. As much as Victoria had once sought to complete her experiment of resurrection, it ended up being more complicated than the original idea. Instead, Victoria wasn’t gifted with a God like being who was utterly devoted to her, LOVED her, and would do and DID many things in the name of her love. This story did a great job bringing the story of Frankenstein with a fun twist of instead of Victor Frankenstein, we had Victoria Frankenstein and the creation, Inno forming a deep, passionate love that went beyond everything. I could feel the highs and lows in Victoria and Inno’s story, the loss, and destruction that later occurred, and how Victoria and Inno managed to get their happy ending together in a way. A passionate gothic romance with dark elements, macabre scenes, and a love that dug deep into the very depths of both Victoria and Inno, yeah this was a great book to immersive read, and the narrator of this audiobook did a FANTASTIC JOB! I LOVED THIS BOOK!
July 19, 2026
i have loved jeneane’s writing since her first book. i this book was exactly what i was expecting from it: her best book yet! the way victoria fights with herself, and inno’s character!! it’s all sooo good! the narrator, zara, killed it as well! her voicing for the characters and diction were amazing!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A retelling of Frankenstein that is a true ode to Mary Shelley! ⚡️🖤⚡️
This novel is like a love letter to gothic hearts and those deemed strange or unusual. This feminist retelling of Frankenstein is a fresh take on a classic tale that I genuinely feel Mary Shelley, (the author of Frankenstein and mother of the science fiction genre,) would be enchanted by.
The tale opens with the backstory of our FMC, Victoria, who leads a life rife with longing to do what men in scientific research are doing. Victoria does, however, maintain a balance of “feminine” hobbies, like cross-stitch, to keep her traditional mother happy. But after her mother’s untimely demise, she unburdens herself from trying to maintain a double life and commits more thoroughly to her scientific work, training under her surgeon father in secret.
This leads to more speculation about her odd and unusual ways in the village, all while Victoria is ravaged by insurmountable grief. This grief leads her to a growing obsession with reanimation and conquering death. With the help of her father, she begins experiments, and in time, Victoria becomes a master of medical science. It is all done in secret, though, as these acts are illegal during this time period, and she would be tried and executed for her dutiful deeds.
As this is a Frankenstein retelling, you can assume, and you would be correct, that Victoria is successful in her act of reanimating a man. A man who, in his previous life, was a very successful contract killer…But this unprecedented experiment comes at a price, and the ethical implications of what she has created haunt her relentlessly.
Honestly, Victoria’s inner dialogue and repeated denial of self were, at times, hard to endure. But I had to remind myself that her moral compass, family legacy, and the time period compelled her to be distraught over her longing for the man she created.
The MMC is the reanimated man, and his obsession with Victoria is absolutely DELICIOUS to read. The lengths to which he goes to prove his love are astounding, but so are the lengths to which he goes to become the monster Victoria claims him to be...
As the old saying goes, hurt people HURT people, and in Victoria’s case, she cuts deep! (Pun absolutely intended! 😂) Victoria has a heartbreaking life and, unfortunately, does not cope with it well. In her defense, she has practically no support and suffocating loneliness. However, the things she says to the MMC (after reanimation) while denying her attraction and feelings are menacing and extremely toxic. It teeters on—and falls beyond—the boundaries of a typical bully romance.
But rest assured, the climax of this story is worth the slow agonizing burn. It’s stunning in its delivery and a dark gothic dream on the page. And if you know Mary Shelley’s lore, it is a beautiful homage to her legacy. I noticed many Easter Egg moments throughout that I believe relate to Mary’s own life and writing.
I greatly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it, especially if you already love dark Victorian retellings. While I still need to read A Secret in the Garden by Jeneane O’Riley, I feel it will be another slam dunk for me. I can hardly wait to see what else she creates for her next installment in The Dark Manor Chronicles series.
Thank you to author Jeneane O’Riley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for the opportunity to review this spectacular book! 💖
This novel is like a love letter to gothic hearts and those deemed strange or unusual. This feminist retelling of Frankenstein is a fresh take on a classic tale that I genuinely feel Mary Shelley, (the author of Frankenstein and mother of the science fiction genre,) would be enchanted by.
The tale opens with the backstory of our FMC, Victoria, who leads a life rife with longing to do what men in scientific research are doing. Victoria does, however, maintain a balance of “feminine” hobbies, like cross-stitch, to keep her traditional mother happy. But after her mother’s untimely demise, she unburdens herself from trying to maintain a double life and commits more thoroughly to her scientific work, training under her surgeon father in secret.
This leads to more speculation about her odd and unusual ways in the village, all while Victoria is ravaged by insurmountable grief. This grief leads her to a growing obsession with reanimation and conquering death. With the help of her father, she begins experiments, and in time, Victoria becomes a master of medical science. It is all done in secret, though, as these acts are illegal during this time period, and she would be tried and executed for her dutiful deeds.
As this is a Frankenstein retelling, you can assume, and you would be correct, that Victoria is successful in her act of reanimating a man. A man who, in his previous life, was a very successful contract killer…But this unprecedented experiment comes at a price, and the ethical implications of what she has created haunt her relentlessly.
Honestly, Victoria’s inner dialogue and repeated denial of self were, at times, hard to endure. But I had to remind myself that her moral compass, family legacy, and the time period compelled her to be distraught over her longing for the man she created.
The MMC is the reanimated man, and his obsession with Victoria is absolutely DELICIOUS to read. The lengths to which he goes to prove his love are astounding, but so are the lengths to which he goes to become the monster Victoria claims him to be...
As the old saying goes, hurt people HURT people, and in Victoria’s case, she cuts deep! (Pun absolutely intended! 😂) Victoria has a heartbreaking life and, unfortunately, does not cope with it well. In her defense, she has practically no support and suffocating loneliness. However, the things she says to the MMC (after reanimation) while denying her attraction and feelings are menacing and extremely toxic. It teeters on—and falls beyond—the boundaries of a typical bully romance.
But rest assured, the climax of this story is worth the slow agonizing burn. It’s stunning in its delivery and a dark gothic dream on the page. And if you know Mary Shelley’s lore, it is a beautiful homage to her legacy. I noticed many Easter Egg moments throughout that I believe relate to Mary’s own life and writing.
I greatly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it, especially if you already love dark Victorian retellings. While I still need to read A Secret in the Garden by Jeneane O’Riley, I feel it will be another slam dunk for me. I can hardly wait to see what else she creates for her next installment in The Dark Manor Chronicles series.
Thank you to author Jeneane O’Riley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for the opportunity to review this spectacular book! 💖
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This book has several content warnings at the front, and every one of them is earned. If any of them concern you, this is not the book for you.
'Her Creation' is a feminine (not necessarily feminist) retelling of the Frankenstein story, in which young Victoria grows up with her eccentric doctor father in a run-down castle in a forest where he alternates between perfecting his surgical techniques on cadavers and stitching up the wealthy landowners' wastrel sons after their drunken reckless exploits. Victoria is dreaming of learning reincarnation to restore her much-missed mother, and assumes her father is working toward the same end. As with many modern retellings, there are female friendships to counter the traditional solitary-genius trope. Nods to same-sex relationships that wouldn't be discussed openly in that era, and other nods to modern sensibilities that were not, to me, particularly intrusive or distracting (ymmv).
The framing is of a female scholar signing on with a shipboard expedition to map the great northern wastes, when they find a very large, much-scarred man seemingly half-frozen on the ice. The scholar keeps a journal about her patronizing and patriarchal treatment by the crew that soon elides, after meeting the monster and his mystery-woman maker, into a recounting of how the unlikely pair ended up there. There are some philosophical musings from the aging doctor about the nature of life, politics, morality, and the responsibilities of healers. Much of the language and atmosphere is redolent of the original text, though filtered through a feminine narrator..
The erotic fascination with the monster is writ larger upon the page than in any previous retelling I've encountered. The monster's obsession with her is also deeply explored. Think Wuthering Heights meets, well, Frankenstein. If you're reading for the slow-burn, dark, sexual energy, you won't be disappointed.
If you're not, the scholar seen so briefly may feel like the more interesting character. While the fiction of her recording Victoria's story continues in dated headers, the story and voice is all Victoria's (or, occasionally, the monster's inner narrative) for 95% of the novel. It starts too early in Victoria's young life and goes too long on too little forward motion beyond the passage of time, with too much interior musing between lines of dialogue or brief action sequences. Victoria's actions and reactions don't always seem credible. Too many pages are taken up with circular anguished emoting that leads nowhere, while the narrative largely glosses over her reaction/response to a very realistic and repeatedly traumatizing situation that is certain to be quite triggering for unwary readers. The writing is occasionally clumsy and self-contradicting, throwing us out of the fictive historical-seeming world with words like 'okay' and phrases about 'outing' someone dropped into the midst of scenes that should be the most immersive of all. It needed a sensitive copy-edit to keep the author's enthusiastic prose from charging past peak emotional and sensual impacts in a gush of weakening words and phrases.
And yet... there are moments, short speeches, a touch here or a gaze there, filled with love and depth and searing clarity that make it worth reading to the end.
#ThanksNetGalley #HerCreation #FrankensteinRetold #DarkFantasy #erotic #sensual #scary
'Her Creation' is a feminine (not necessarily feminist) retelling of the Frankenstein story, in which young Victoria grows up with her eccentric doctor father in a run-down castle in a forest where he alternates between perfecting his surgical techniques on cadavers and stitching up the wealthy landowners' wastrel sons after their drunken reckless exploits. Victoria is dreaming of learning reincarnation to restore her much-missed mother, and assumes her father is working toward the same end. As with many modern retellings, there are female friendships to counter the traditional solitary-genius trope. Nods to same-sex relationships that wouldn't be discussed openly in that era, and other nods to modern sensibilities that were not, to me, particularly intrusive or distracting (ymmv).
The framing is of a female scholar signing on with a shipboard expedition to map the great northern wastes, when they find a very large, much-scarred man seemingly half-frozen on the ice. The scholar keeps a journal about her patronizing and patriarchal treatment by the crew that soon elides, after meeting the monster and his mystery-woman maker, into a recounting of how the unlikely pair ended up there. There are some philosophical musings from the aging doctor about the nature of life, politics, morality, and the responsibilities of healers. Much of the language and atmosphere is redolent of the original text, though filtered through a feminine narrator..
The erotic fascination with the monster is writ larger upon the page than in any previous retelling I've encountered. The monster's obsession with her is also deeply explored. Think Wuthering Heights meets, well, Frankenstein. If you're reading for the slow-burn, dark, sexual energy, you won't be disappointed.
If you're not, the scholar seen so briefly may feel like the more interesting character. While the fiction of her recording Victoria's story continues in dated headers, the story and voice is all Victoria's (or, occasionally, the monster's inner narrative) for 95% of the novel. It starts too early in Victoria's young life and goes too long on too little forward motion beyond the passage of time, with too much interior musing between lines of dialogue or brief action sequences. Victoria's actions and reactions don't always seem credible. Too many pages are taken up with circular anguished emoting that leads nowhere, while the narrative largely glosses over her reaction/response to a very realistic and repeatedly traumatizing situation that is certain to be quite triggering for unwary readers. The writing is occasionally clumsy and self-contradicting, throwing us out of the fictive historical-seeming world with words like 'okay' and phrases about 'outing' someone dropped into the midst of scenes that should be the most immersive of all. It needed a sensitive copy-edit to keep the author's enthusiastic prose from charging past peak emotional and sensual impacts in a gush of weakening words and phrases.
And yet... there are moments, short speeches, a touch here or a gaze there, filled with love and depth and searing clarity that make it worth reading to the end.
#ThanksNetGalley #HerCreation #FrankensteinRetold #DarkFantasy #erotic #sensual #scary
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This was a 4.5⭐️
Give me a gloomy manor, forbidden medical experiments, grief that refuses to behave and a man who literally comes back from the dead completely devoted to his creator… and apparently I’m supposed to make reasonable reading choices? Yeah, no. This book is a dark, gothic Frankenstein retelling that leans hard into grief, obsession, loneliness, forbidden science and the very complicated question of what happens when love and desperation convince you that playing God is a fantastic idea.
Victoria was such a complicated character for me. I understood her grief and her obsession with bringing back the people she had lost and I loved watching her grow into her abilities despite living in a time when being a woman with scientific ambitions basically made everyone clutch their pearls. But GIRL. Some of the choices she made had me staring at my Kindle like are we seriously doing this right now?
And then there’s Inno.
Oh. Inno.
This man is devoted on a completely different level. His attachment to Victoria is intense, possessive and honestly a little terrifying at times, but there was something heartbreaking about watching someone who has been given a second chance at life desperately searching for love, acceptance and a place to belong. Their relationship is absolutely not healthy. Let me make that VERY clear. There were moments when I was fascinated by their dynamic and others where I wanted to sit both of them down and say “Please seek professional help. Preferably from someone who is not currently conducting illegal experiments in a creepy laboratory.”
The gothic atmosphere was probably one of my favorite parts. Everything felt cold, lonely, eerie and beautifully unsettling. The medical experimentation and reanimation elements gave the story that classic Frankenstein feeling while still making it very much Jeneane O’Riley’s own. I did have a few moments where the pacing felt slower than I wanted, especially before Inno became a major part of the story. Victoria’s internal struggles also became repetitive for me at times. I understood her conflict, her guilt and her grief, but occasionally I wanted to lovingly grab her by the shoulders and yell “WE GET IT, VICTORIA.”
That said, the emotional payoff made the slower moments worth pushing through. There were little moments between Victoria and Inno that completely got under my skin, especially when the story started blurring the line between creator and creation, love and possession, devotion and obsession and that is really what stayed with me afterward. Her Creation isn’t a sweet little gothic romance where everyone makes healthy decisions and communicates their feelings over tea. Absolutely not. These people are emotionally wrecked, morally questionable and making choices that would send a therapist running for the hills.
But somehow, that messiness worked for me.
This is dark, unsettling, romantic, tragic and wonderfully strange. If you like gothic romance with morally complicated characters, obsessive devotion, Frankenstein inspired science and an atmosphere that feels like it was designed specifically for reading during a thunderstorm with one candle burning nearby, definitely put this on your radar. Just check those content warnings first because this one does not play around.
Thank you so much to SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books and Jeneane O’Riley for allowing me to read this eARC before its release through NetGalley. Her Creation releases August 25, 2026.
Give me a gloomy manor, forbidden medical experiments, grief that refuses to behave and a man who literally comes back from the dead completely devoted to his creator… and apparently I’m supposed to make reasonable reading choices? Yeah, no. This book is a dark, gothic Frankenstein retelling that leans hard into grief, obsession, loneliness, forbidden science and the very complicated question of what happens when love and desperation convince you that playing God is a fantastic idea.
Victoria was such a complicated character for me. I understood her grief and her obsession with bringing back the people she had lost and I loved watching her grow into her abilities despite living in a time when being a woman with scientific ambitions basically made everyone clutch their pearls. But GIRL. Some of the choices she made had me staring at my Kindle like are we seriously doing this right now?
And then there’s Inno.
Oh. Inno.
This man is devoted on a completely different level. His attachment to Victoria is intense, possessive and honestly a little terrifying at times, but there was something heartbreaking about watching someone who has been given a second chance at life desperately searching for love, acceptance and a place to belong. Their relationship is absolutely not healthy. Let me make that VERY clear. There were moments when I was fascinated by their dynamic and others where I wanted to sit both of them down and say “Please seek professional help. Preferably from someone who is not currently conducting illegal experiments in a creepy laboratory.”
The gothic atmosphere was probably one of my favorite parts. Everything felt cold, lonely, eerie and beautifully unsettling. The medical experimentation and reanimation elements gave the story that classic Frankenstein feeling while still making it very much Jeneane O’Riley’s own. I did have a few moments where the pacing felt slower than I wanted, especially before Inno became a major part of the story. Victoria’s internal struggles also became repetitive for me at times. I understood her conflict, her guilt and her grief, but occasionally I wanted to lovingly grab her by the shoulders and yell “WE GET IT, VICTORIA.”
That said, the emotional payoff made the slower moments worth pushing through. There were little moments between Victoria and Inno that completely got under my skin, especially when the story started blurring the line between creator and creation, love and possession, devotion and obsession and that is really what stayed with me afterward. Her Creation isn’t a sweet little gothic romance where everyone makes healthy decisions and communicates their feelings over tea. Absolutely not. These people are emotionally wrecked, morally questionable and making choices that would send a therapist running for the hills.
But somehow, that messiness worked for me.
This is dark, unsettling, romantic, tragic and wonderfully strange. If you like gothic romance with morally complicated characters, obsessive devotion, Frankenstein inspired science and an atmosphere that feels like it was designed specifically for reading during a thunderstorm with one candle burning nearby, definitely put this on your radar. Just check those content warnings first because this one does not play around.
Thank you so much to SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books and Jeneane O’Riley for allowing me to read this eARC before its release through NetGalley. Her Creation releases August 25, 2026.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
OVERALL RATING:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Four-kenstein stars!
Spoiler-free review: Now *this* is a nice reimagining of Frankenstein where the prose is as captivating as its intriguing characters.
I am SO in love with the prose of this book that I could almost marry it. There was a particular feeling to the writing that reminded me of reading Mary Shelley for the first time. And genderbent Dr. Victor Frankenstein? A woman pursuing science in a century that keeps telling her she shouldn't? An atmosphere dripping with diary entries and crossed-out thoughts? I was sold!
Victoria is easily the strongest part of the novel for me. I really liked that her intelligence isn't presented in a vacuum; her ambitions and sheer brilliance are shaped by the people around her and by the limitations placed on women in her era. There's a fascinating tension between her being genuinely exceptional and still being a product of her circumstances, and I appreciated that nuance. Her relationships with other characters was the most interesting part for me too, although her relationship with her father Alphonse particularly stood out.
Dare I say it--the whole thing also gave me Wuthering Heights energy at times, especially in the way the characters can be deeply flawed, obsessive, and generally terrible at making healthy decisions. In fact, I think this book is easier to appreciate if you go into it thinking, "Everyone here is a little bit f**ked up, and that's the point." The novel doesn't seem particularly interested in making everyone universally likable or redeemable. Our main character herself can be frustrating, but that complexity is exactly what made her compelling to me.
Now, BE WARNED ABOUT THE PACING. This is a very slow burn, and I mean that literally because Innominatus (the monster) doesn't even come alive until roughly the halfway point. The novel only really grabbed me around 55%, which is ultimately the biggest reason this stayed at 4⭐.
But I think the prose is gorgeous enough to carry the earlier sections for readers who enjoy atmospheric gothic fiction. However, if the writing doesn't hook you within the first few chapters, this probably isn't going to become a better fit later.
Also: a brief spice warning for anyone who needs it, though I'd put it around Level 1 🌶️ rather than anything particularly intense.
So while I absolutely adored the writing, Victoria, and the wonderfully dysfunctional people, the pacing kept me from giving it that final star. Still, this is a really intriguing take on Frankenstein, and apparently it's part of a series of standalone novels, which means I now have another book to hunt down! 👀
Recommended for: fans of dark romance and classic horror retellings who love a pinch of gothic feel, morally gray heroines, and don't mind a slow build-up to the "romance."
I received an advanced reader's copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Four-kenstein stars!
"I think frequently that I should have been a man, for my interests don't align with my sex. Would anyone say such things if I were a man?"
Spoiler-free review: Now *this* is a nice reimagining of Frankenstein where the prose is as captivating as its intriguing characters.
I am SO in love with the prose of this book that I could almost marry it. There was a particular feeling to the writing that reminded me of reading Mary Shelley for the first time. And genderbent Dr. Victor Frankenstein? A woman pursuing science in a century that keeps telling her she shouldn't? An atmosphere dripping with diary entries and crossed-out thoughts? I was sold!
Victoria is easily the strongest part of the novel for me. I really liked that her intelligence isn't presented in a vacuum; her ambitions and sheer brilliance are shaped by the people around her and by the limitations placed on women in her era. There's a fascinating tension between her being genuinely exceptional and still being a product of her circumstances, and I appreciated that nuance. Her relationships with other characters was the most interesting part for me too, although her relationship with her father Alphonse particularly stood out.
Dare I say it--the whole thing also gave me Wuthering Heights energy at times, especially in the way the characters can be deeply flawed, obsessive, and generally terrible at making healthy decisions. In fact, I think this book is easier to appreciate if you go into it thinking, "Everyone here is a little bit f**ked up, and that's the point." The novel doesn't seem particularly interested in making everyone universally likable or redeemable. Our main character herself can be frustrating, but that complexity is exactly what made her compelling to me.
Now, BE WARNED ABOUT THE PACING. This is a very slow burn, and I mean that literally because Innominatus (the monster) doesn't even come alive until roughly the halfway point. The novel only really grabbed me around 55%, which is ultimately the biggest reason this stayed at 4⭐.
But I think the prose is gorgeous enough to carry the earlier sections for readers who enjoy atmospheric gothic fiction. However, if the writing doesn't hook you within the first few chapters, this probably isn't going to become a better fit later.
Also: a brief spice warning for anyone who needs it, though I'd put it around Level 1 🌶️ rather than anything particularly intense.
So while I absolutely adored the writing, Victoria, and the wonderfully dysfunctional people, the pacing kept me from giving it that final star. Still, this is a really intriguing take on Frankenstein, and apparently it's part of a series of standalone novels, which means I now have another book to hunt down! 👀
Recommended for: fans of dark romance and classic horror retellings who love a pinch of gothic feel, morally gray heroines, and don't mind a slow build-up to the "romance."
I received an advanced reader's copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
August 27, 2026
4.5🌟
Thank you, Sourcebooks Bloom and NetGalley, for an eARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
After The Secret in the Garden, I was soooo ready to dive back into the Dark Manor Chronicles series, and Her Creation did not disappoint!
Set in a Holy Roman Empire city in 1795, our FMC, Victoria Frankenstein, is forced to live in the shadows. It’s forbidden for women to practice medicine, but Victoria's education and experience can match the best of the best scientists there are. Already struggling through the grief of losing her mother, Victoria is desperate to keep her ill and rapidly declining father around for as long as she can.
She and her father spend their time out of the eye of society working on a way to successfully resurrect a human. Victoria’s work involves her stitching up the body of a man whom many deemed a monster in his previous life. With her own blood to supply him, she’s finally successful. When he wakes, she quickly learns that he is tirelessly devoted to meeting her every need. In a world that has never acknowledged her for more than being a woman, being seen is a new concept for Victoria. She fears his attention but also welcomes it. Her creation must remain a secret, but finding herself feeling drawn to him, she’s forced to confront the dangers of what she’s done and how her heart feels about him.
All I really knew going into this story was that it was going to be a Frankenstein reimagining with a romance element. When it first started, I was very confused as to how we would get there, but it eventually made sense. I so deeply appreciated the way this story was told. This is one that I think delivers better in the physical format, because you truly do need to see the way the book is written to grasp what is going on. The reward for it in the end has me squealing. I love Jeneane O’Riley’s brain for thinking of writing this book in the way that she did.
There are topics that might be uncomfortable for some to read, so checking trigger warnings is uncomfortable. I can recall Jeneane saying that you are meant to feel uncomfortable reading this book, and she accomplished that without going too far into detail to keep it safer. Victoria deals with very difficult situations that I am sure were very typical for this time period. Being forced to sit with that and consider how it might feel to be in her shoes was sobering. The world can be a cruel place, and seeing that acted out made it easy to see why people may not speak up about the things they are navigating.
I was not sure how I would feel about Inno as the love interest, but I ended up loving it. The man yearned so bad, and I fear I will eat up a man down bad for his woman any day of the week. He would burn the world for her, and I love that toxicity (but only in a book).
I also loved the friendship between Helena and Victoria. I’m glad she got to have someone in her life, other than Inno, who truly saw her and valued her knowledge and capabilities.
I will admit, this is a slowwwww slow burn, so you really have to be patient, but I do think the payoff was worth it. If you aren’t a fan of slow burn, you might not like this one. That is pretty much the only thing I took my rating down for. However, if you are willing to be patient, I do think you could really like this. The dark, gothic mood of this story would be perfect as a fall read to get excited for spooky season.
Thank you, Sourcebooks Bloom and NetGalley, for an eARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
After The Secret in the Garden, I was soooo ready to dive back into the Dark Manor Chronicles series, and Her Creation did not disappoint!
Set in a Holy Roman Empire city in 1795, our FMC, Victoria Frankenstein, is forced to live in the shadows. It’s forbidden for women to practice medicine, but Victoria's education and experience can match the best of the best scientists there are. Already struggling through the grief of losing her mother, Victoria is desperate to keep her ill and rapidly declining father around for as long as she can.
She and her father spend their time out of the eye of society working on a way to successfully resurrect a human. Victoria’s work involves her stitching up the body of a man whom many deemed a monster in his previous life. With her own blood to supply him, she’s finally successful. When he wakes, she quickly learns that he is tirelessly devoted to meeting her every need. In a world that has never acknowledged her for more than being a woman, being seen is a new concept for Victoria. She fears his attention but also welcomes it. Her creation must remain a secret, but finding herself feeling drawn to him, she’s forced to confront the dangers of what she’s done and how her heart feels about him.
All I really knew going into this story was that it was going to be a Frankenstein reimagining with a romance element. When it first started, I was very confused as to how we would get there, but it eventually made sense. I so deeply appreciated the way this story was told. This is one that I think delivers better in the physical format, because you truly do need to see the way the book is written to grasp what is going on. The reward for it in the end has me squealing. I love Jeneane O’Riley’s brain for thinking of writing this book in the way that she did.
There are topics that might be uncomfortable for some to read, so checking trigger warnings is uncomfortable. I can recall Jeneane saying that you are meant to feel uncomfortable reading this book, and she accomplished that without going too far into detail to keep it safer. Victoria deals with very difficult situations that I am sure were very typical for this time period. Being forced to sit with that and consider how it might feel to be in her shoes was sobering. The world can be a cruel place, and seeing that acted out made it easy to see why people may not speak up about the things they are navigating.
I was not sure how I would feel about Inno as the love interest, but I ended up loving it. The man yearned so bad, and I fear I will eat up a man down bad for his woman any day of the week. He would burn the world for her, and I love that toxicity (but only in a book).
I also loved the friendship between Helena and Victoria. I’m glad she got to have someone in her life, other than Inno, who truly saw her and valued her knowledge and capabilities.
I will admit, this is a slowwwww slow burn, so you really have to be patient, but I do think the payoff was worth it. If you aren’t a fan of slow burn, you might not like this one. That is pretty much the only thing I took my rating down for. However, if you are willing to be patient, I do think you could really like this. The dark, gothic mood of this story would be perfect as a fall read to get excited for spooky season.
September 25, 2026
HER CREATION
By: Jeneane O’Riley
Dark Manor Chronicles Series
Complete Standalone
ARC & ALC REVIEW
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 Star Rating
🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧 5/5 Audiobook Rating
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 4/5 Spice Rating
(Spice Rating Guide Below)
MY THOUGHTS:
Story of Victoria Rose Frankenstein and her Innominatus Creatura (No Name Creature).
With this being a Frankenstein retelling, Victoria and her father are studying and working with the dead to figure out how to bring them back to life. There is political intrigue and court style relationships… some are truly friends and some are evil enemies.
One day her father brings home the corpse of an assassin for them to work with. From the very beginning Victoria sees this one different from all of the others. He goes on to be the one that gets reanimated.
So much happens in this story and it truly breaks your heart, makes you rage, gives you butterflies, makes you blush… so many emotions while reading this book! The story starts out in the POV of a different woman. Then it alternates to the FMC. Basically, the first woman stumbles upon Innominatus at sea and returns with him to his home where she also meets Victoria. The rest of the story is being told to us in the POV of Victoria and Innominatus.
FAVORITE QUOTE(S):
“I know who you are. I feel you in the making of my soul, not as memory, but as the moment I understood I was alive. You are not a thought I possess, but the axis around which every thought I have now turns. I measure myself by you, in the way a sinner measures time by his confessions; my body learns its knees only by kneeling before you.”
&
“Even if the world burned down around them, he would dance in its flames with her.”
TROPES:
MF
Frankenstein Retelling
FMC Illegal Physician Training
MMC Resurrected
MMC Obsessed
FMC Obsessed
Forced Proximity
Open Door Spice
GENRE, POV, PAGE COUNT:
Dark Gothic Frankenstein Retelling
Dual POV in 3rd Person
453 Page Count - Kindle Edition
AUDIOBOOK STYLE, NARRATORS, TIME LENGTH & REVIEW:
SOLO Narration
NARRATOR(S):
Zara Hampton-Brown
14 Hours & 33 Minutes Long
I love this SOLO-narration audiobook!
I love this British-accented female narrator! She is a phenomenal narrator!
I just love audiobooks as a whole! They provide the reader with a completely different experience with the book! This narrator is amazing and they did a phenomenal job, perfectly executed narration with plenty of emotion and voice shifts for each of the characters and each character is easily distinguishable!
SPICE LEVEL RATING GUIDE
🌶️ Glimpses and Kisses
🌶️🌶️Closed Door
🌶️🌶️🌶️Open Door
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️Open Door Explicit
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️Explicit and Plentiful
I have teenage daughters. I am more interested in these spice descriptions than rating the explicit content only.
NOTE:
Check those trigger warnings if needed.
THANK YOU’S:
Thank you to:
Author Jeneane O’Riley,
SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books,
Sourcebooks Audio | Bloom Books, &
NetGalley
for this amazing book! I loved reading it, look forward to the next book in this series and look forward to reading future books by this author and publisher! Thank you!
Happy Reading! ♥☻
By: Jeneane O’Riley
Dark Manor Chronicles Series
Complete Standalone
ARC & ALC REVIEW
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 Star Rating
🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧 5/5 Audiobook Rating
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 4/5 Spice Rating
(Spice Rating Guide Below)
MY THOUGHTS:
Story of Victoria Rose Frankenstein and her Innominatus Creatura (No Name Creature).
With this being a Frankenstein retelling, Victoria and her father are studying and working with the dead to figure out how to bring them back to life. There is political intrigue and court style relationships… some are truly friends and some are evil enemies.
One day her father brings home the corpse of an assassin for them to work with. From the very beginning Victoria sees this one different from all of the others. He goes on to be the one that gets reanimated.
So much happens in this story and it truly breaks your heart, makes you rage, gives you butterflies, makes you blush… so many emotions while reading this book! The story starts out in the POV of a different woman. Then it alternates to the FMC. Basically, the first woman stumbles upon Innominatus at sea and returns with him to his home where she also meets Victoria. The rest of the story is being told to us in the POV of Victoria and Innominatus.
FAVORITE QUOTE(S):
“I know who you are. I feel you in the making of my soul, not as memory, but as the moment I understood I was alive. You are not a thought I possess, but the axis around which every thought I have now turns. I measure myself by you, in the way a sinner measures time by his confessions; my body learns its knees only by kneeling before you.”
&
“Even if the world burned down around them, he would dance in its flames with her.”
TROPES:
MF
Frankenstein Retelling
FMC Illegal Physician Training
MMC Resurrected
MMC Obsessed
FMC Obsessed
Forced Proximity
Open Door Spice
GENRE, POV, PAGE COUNT:
Dark Gothic Frankenstein Retelling
Dual POV in 3rd Person
453 Page Count - Kindle Edition
AUDIOBOOK STYLE, NARRATORS, TIME LENGTH & REVIEW:
SOLO Narration
NARRATOR(S):
Zara Hampton-Brown
14 Hours & 33 Minutes Long
I love this SOLO-narration audiobook!
I love this British-accented female narrator! She is a phenomenal narrator!
I just love audiobooks as a whole! They provide the reader with a completely different experience with the book! This narrator is amazing and they did a phenomenal job, perfectly executed narration with plenty of emotion and voice shifts for each of the characters and each character is easily distinguishable!
SPICE LEVEL RATING GUIDE
🌶️ Glimpses and Kisses
🌶️🌶️Closed Door
🌶️🌶️🌶️Open Door
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️Open Door Explicit
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️Explicit and Plentiful
I have teenage daughters. I am more interested in these spice descriptions than rating the explicit content only.
NOTE:
Check those trigger warnings if needed.
THANK YOU’S:
Thank you to:
Author Jeneane O’Riley,
SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books,
Sourcebooks Audio | Bloom Books, &
NetGalley
for this amazing book! I loved reading it, look forward to the next book in this series and look forward to reading future books by this author and publisher! Thank you!
Happy Reading! ♥☻
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
⭐⭐ 4/5 stars ⭐⭐
Thank you to Netgalley and Jeneane O'Riley for providing this ARC of Her Creation in exchange for my review.
Right, confession time: I went into this one riding the absolute high of A Secret in the Garden (still one of my favourite reads, go and get it if you haven't already), and Her Creation had big shoes to fill. It didn't quite manage it for me, but let's talk about why, because there's a lot going on here.
I'll be honest, Frankenstein lore is not my area. My entire knowledge base was "green monster, bolts in neck, film adaptations." So I went in blind, and actually I think that worked in the book's favour, because Jeneane builds Victoria's world from the ground up through journal entries, and you genuinely watch her mind develop alongside her medical knowledge. She's grieving her mother, watching her father decline in real time, and somewhere in the middle of all that grief she starts circling the idea of reanimation. It's a slow, careful build.
And I mean slow. There was a stretch where I properly wondered if Inno was ever going to be brought to life at all (the "It's Alive" moment, when it finally arrives, does land). But once he's here... genuinely, how is a reanimated corpse showing more decency than half the men in this book? Make it make sense. (I know exactly why it makes sense. That's rather the point.)
This is darker than the first book, no question, and the pacing is a bit of a mixed bag, dragging in places and then suddenly sprinting through things I wanted more time with. Victoria being shut out of medicine because she's a woman is a real and constant injustice, but the book does lean on repeating that point more than it needed to, we got it the first few times. Her friendship with Helena, though, that was genuinely lovely (I will not be forgiving how that ended), and watching Victoria finally start standing on her own two feet had me quietly proud of her. Her handling of her father after her mother's death, though... I could not get behind that. She loved that man so much and then left him exactly as he was. Stressful. Deeply stressful.
Now, the romance. Calling it "spicy" feels almost insulting, this is dark gothic romance with obsession stitched into its very bones, fully open door, and absolutely an acquired taste. I'll admit I struggled to visualise Inno myself, though apparently plenty of other reviewers had Jacob Elordi's creature in mind while reading, and honestly? That might have changed my whole experience.
Overall, this doesn't hit the heights of book one for me, but I suspect that's going to come down to personal taste more than anything objectively wrong with it. Jeneane has yet to write something I haven't devoured, and I am sat, impatiently, waiting for book three.
Thank you to Netgalley and Jeneane O'Riley for providing this ARC of Her Creation in exchange for my review.
Right, confession time: I went into this one riding the absolute high of A Secret in the Garden (still one of my favourite reads, go and get it if you haven't already), and Her Creation had big shoes to fill. It didn't quite manage it for me, but let's talk about why, because there's a lot going on here.
I'll be honest, Frankenstein lore is not my area. My entire knowledge base was "green monster, bolts in neck, film adaptations." So I went in blind, and actually I think that worked in the book's favour, because Jeneane builds Victoria's world from the ground up through journal entries, and you genuinely watch her mind develop alongside her medical knowledge. She's grieving her mother, watching her father decline in real time, and somewhere in the middle of all that grief she starts circling the idea of reanimation. It's a slow, careful build.
And I mean slow. There was a stretch where I properly wondered if Inno was ever going to be brought to life at all (the "It's Alive" moment, when it finally arrives, does land). But once he's here... genuinely, how is a reanimated corpse showing more decency than half the men in this book? Make it make sense. (I know exactly why it makes sense. That's rather the point.)
This is darker than the first book, no question, and the pacing is a bit of a mixed bag, dragging in places and then suddenly sprinting through things I wanted more time with. Victoria being shut out of medicine because she's a woman is a real and constant injustice, but the book does lean on repeating that point more than it needed to, we got it the first few times. Her friendship with Helena, though, that was genuinely lovely (I will not be forgiving how that ended), and watching Victoria finally start standing on her own two feet had me quietly proud of her. Her handling of her father after her mother's death, though... I could not get behind that. She loved that man so much and then left him exactly as he was. Stressful. Deeply stressful.
Now, the romance. Calling it "spicy" feels almost insulting, this is dark gothic romance with obsession stitched into its very bones, fully open door, and absolutely an acquired taste. I'll admit I struggled to visualise Inno myself, though apparently plenty of other reviewers had Jacob Elordi's creature in mind while reading, and honestly? That might have changed my whole experience.
Overall, this doesn't hit the heights of book one for me, but I suspect that's going to come down to personal taste more than anything objectively wrong with it. Jeneane has yet to write something I haven't devoured, and I am sat, impatiently, waiting for book three.
May 31, 2026
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! I am voluntarily leaving an honest review!
Did you get an instant crush on Jacob Elordi’s take on the Creature? Did you think “I want more of this man.” Yea, me too. This book may help or it could….not. Buckle up, my English degree is begging to be utilized and I have so much to say!
The Good: the author clearly knows the source material and/or the new film version very well and adds some new takes. The pacing lines up with the film (which, depending on your perspective could be awesome or maybe not for you). Instead of a male narrator we have a female one, and Victoria is semi our female version of Victor - flaws and all. Get ready to look your own internalized misogyny in the mirror because she is as flawed and un nurturing as Victor. We truly have to sit with Victoria with the mistreatment of women in the day and her revenge is great. The first 10% of this book took off so wonderfully fast, I was so invested and so excited. There are lines sprinkled in here of some absolutely gorgeous writing that I highlighted and took notes on. The potential was SO strong, and again I was SO excited, so it hurts to say the rest…
The maybe not as good but of course up to personal interpretation: while the pacing mirrored the movie, I think some things could have been handled differently.. Scenes that felt necessary for growth and deeper relationship development were merely an afterthought or described but not shown on page, while side characters/storylines took over, to the point I felt the back cover was almost misleading. Certain phrases, conversations etc were VERY repetitive or contradictory unfortunately dragged the story instead of propelling it forward, and led to a lot of telling and not showing. While examining obsession is the key theme, leading to the doubt and back and forth, the repetition made me struggle to feel as invested as I was early on.
Last, the semi vague trigger warnings. I do not think they were spelled out as plainly as they should have been and needed to be more specific. Please mind them and take care of yourself!
Conclusion: an incredibly strong beginning and some absolutely beautiful writing in parts, sadly led to a dragging and repetitive middle of the book, landing at a 3⭐️ Thank you again for the opportunity to read this!
Did you get an instant crush on Jacob Elordi’s take on the Creature? Did you think “I want more of this man.” Yea, me too. This book may help or it could….not. Buckle up, my English degree is begging to be utilized and I have so much to say!
The Good: the author clearly knows the source material and/or the new film version very well and adds some new takes. The pacing lines up with the film (which, depending on your perspective could be awesome or maybe not for you). Instead of a male narrator we have a female one, and Victoria is semi our female version of Victor - flaws and all. Get ready to look your own internalized misogyny in the mirror because she is as flawed and un nurturing as Victor. We truly have to sit with Victoria with the mistreatment of women in the day and her revenge is great. The first 10% of this book took off so wonderfully fast, I was so invested and so excited. There are lines sprinkled in here of some absolutely gorgeous writing that I highlighted and took notes on. The potential was SO strong, and again I was SO excited, so it hurts to say the rest…
The maybe not as good but of course up to personal interpretation: while the pacing mirrored the movie, I think some things could have been handled differently.. Scenes that felt necessary for growth and deeper relationship development were merely an afterthought or described but not shown on page, while side characters/storylines took over, to the point I felt the back cover was almost misleading. Certain phrases, conversations etc were VERY repetitive or contradictory unfortunately dragged the story instead of propelling it forward, and led to a lot of telling and not showing. While examining obsession is the key theme, leading to the doubt and back and forth, the repetition made me struggle to feel as invested as I was early on.
Last, the semi vague trigger warnings. I do not think they were spelled out as plainly as they should have been and needed to be more specific. Please mind them and take care of yourself!
Conclusion: an incredibly strong beginning and some absolutely beautiful writing in parts, sadly led to a dragging and repetitive middle of the book, landing at a 3⭐️ Thank you again for the opportunity to read this!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to Bloom Books, NetGalley, and Jeneane O'Riley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.
NOTE: Goodreads does not offer half-stars. In the interest of fairness, I am rounding this up to a four-star rating. I enjoyed the writing style, but I struggled to connect with the characters emotionally.
What if the Frankenstein creature, instead of being a product of man, was instead created by a woman shackled to the demands of Victorian society? What if, instead of pure scientific discovery, the reanimation was achieved out of the pure fear of losing someone you love, and wanting to keep them with you forever? That is the premise posed by Jeneane O'Riley in her gothic dark romance, Her Creation. The novel, which tackles the rampant sexism of the era with a hefty dose of feminine rage, follows Victoria Frankenstein, a gifted physician forced to practice her skill in secret under the demanding tutelage of her father. Still profoundly grieving the loss of her mother, Victoria struggles with the societal restraints placed upon women of the era: she does not want to simply be a housewife managing a social calendar. Viewed by her peers as odd and reclusive, Victoria finds herself alienated and adrift even as she refines her medical skills under her father's watch. When her father falls ill and death once again looms over her shoulder, Victoria instead chooses to focus on the seemingly impossible: bringing someone back from the dead. Despite her father's stern warnings and the moral and ethical dilemmas reanimation poses, Victoria pursues it with a single-minded determination. When she finally succeeds, her creation threatens to destroy the very life she very carefully kept secret, all while fighting a forbidden desire that threatens to destroy them both.
As a Frankenstein retelling, succeeds on many levels: Inno, the creature, suffers the same alienation and loneliness that plagues Victoria, but on a larger scale. He's confined to the Frankenstein basement laboratory, often neglected to the point of starvation, but he continues to yearn for affection and attention from Victoria. In a previous life, Inno was a vicious killer known as the Wraith of Serbia (although, we come to learn, under duress), and part of Alphonse Frankenstein's misgivings on bringing him back to life is the possibility that those thought patterns and personality traits may persist even after reanimation. It's an interesting perspective, as is the idea that those memories could be accessed but ignored (in other words, you can choose to be good even when instinct/"nature" says otherwise).
At the core of the story is the dynamic relationship between Inno and Victoria, which begins as "goddess and disciple" and evolves to lovers and ultimately codependents. Victoria, who wanted nothing more than the return of her family after their deaths, soon finds herself mired in self-loathing after she creates Inno. Her expectations for what he should be conflict with who he actually is, and she struggles with seeing him as a "person" versus seeing him as an emotionless "creature." Inno, who initially is content just being in the same room as Victoria, soon finds himself demanding and longing for more freedom. When that desire is denied, he chooses to mete out a brutal punishment that forces Victoria's hand. Though there is a twisted sort of romance present in this novel, it is steeped in darkness, and I highly advise reading the trigger warnings before diving in.
I think you'll enjoy this novel if you enjoy atmospheric, dark stories with gothic flare, a taste of the forbidden in your romance, and of course, if you enjoyed the original Frankenstein novel. This is the second in a series of interconnected standalones, but I had no problem whatsoever starting without any references to the first novel.
NOTE: Goodreads does not offer half-stars. In the interest of fairness, I am rounding this up to a four-star rating. I enjoyed the writing style, but I struggled to connect with the characters emotionally.
What if the Frankenstein creature, instead of being a product of man, was instead created by a woman shackled to the demands of Victorian society? What if, instead of pure scientific discovery, the reanimation was achieved out of the pure fear of losing someone you love, and wanting to keep them with you forever? That is the premise posed by Jeneane O'Riley in her gothic dark romance, Her Creation. The novel, which tackles the rampant sexism of the era with a hefty dose of feminine rage, follows Victoria Frankenstein, a gifted physician forced to practice her skill in secret under the demanding tutelage of her father. Still profoundly grieving the loss of her mother, Victoria struggles with the societal restraints placed upon women of the era: she does not want to simply be a housewife managing a social calendar. Viewed by her peers as odd and reclusive, Victoria finds herself alienated and adrift even as she refines her medical skills under her father's watch. When her father falls ill and death once again looms over her shoulder, Victoria instead chooses to focus on the seemingly impossible: bringing someone back from the dead. Despite her father's stern warnings and the moral and ethical dilemmas reanimation poses, Victoria pursues it with a single-minded determination. When she finally succeeds, her creation threatens to destroy the very life she very carefully kept secret, all while fighting a forbidden desire that threatens to destroy them both.
As a Frankenstein retelling, succeeds on many levels: Inno, the creature, suffers the same alienation and loneliness that plagues Victoria, but on a larger scale. He's confined to the Frankenstein basement laboratory, often neglected to the point of starvation, but he continues to yearn for affection and attention from Victoria. In a previous life, Inno was a vicious killer known as the Wraith of Serbia (although, we come to learn, under duress), and part of Alphonse Frankenstein's misgivings on bringing him back to life is the possibility that those thought patterns and personality traits may persist even after reanimation. It's an interesting perspective, as is the idea that those memories could be accessed but ignored (in other words, you can choose to be good even when instinct/"nature" says otherwise).
At the core of the story is the dynamic relationship between Inno and Victoria, which begins as "goddess and disciple" and evolves to lovers and ultimately codependents. Victoria, who wanted nothing more than the return of her family after their deaths, soon finds herself mired in self-loathing after she creates Inno. Her expectations for what he should be conflict with who he actually is, and she struggles with seeing him as a "person" versus seeing him as an emotionless "creature." Inno, who initially is content just being in the same room as Victoria, soon finds himself demanding and longing for more freedom. When that desire is denied, he chooses to mete out a brutal punishment that forces Victoria's hand. Though there is a twisted sort of romance present in this novel, it is steeped in darkness, and I highly advise reading the trigger warnings before diving in.
I think you'll enjoy this novel if you enjoy atmospheric, dark stories with gothic flare, a taste of the forbidden in your romance, and of course, if you enjoyed the original Frankenstein novel. This is the second in a series of interconnected standalones, but I had no problem whatsoever starting without any references to the first novel.
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