Shade: The Complete Trilogy

Shade #1-3

by Merrie Destefano

A Re-Imagining of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Horror, Fiction, Retellings

306 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 6, 2018

Reviews

[Kitty Thomas]

So... shockingly this was a PRINT book I read. With my EYEBALLS! I haven't read a print novel in YEARS. This I kept beside my bed and read a chapter or two at night, and then in the afternoon I would also read a few chapters on the back porch. I started the book on August 30th. It's taken me about two weeks of just inching my way through it. I decided I wanted to start reading a little fiction right before bed to help me unwind and had planned for this book to "take as long as it took". I hadn't originally intended to read it outside of a chapter or two before bed with a flashlight like a little kid. (No I didn't read it under the covers, though that image is kind of hilarious.)

I've been reading story letters... you know those letters that come in the mail... you get 24 letters over the course of a year. it's a serialized way to consume print fiction. I always feel overwhelmed for some reason by print books (which is also hilarious because I have to read my own books in order to edit them.) But getting fiction in a serialized form where I was just getting a tiny bit of the story at a time, made it possible for me to consider reading a novel a "long term project". Like originally if I had just read one chapter a night it was going to take me 45 days to finish this book, and I'd decided I was fine with that. Of course it ended up being less than 2 weeks which actually sort of shocks me. But I didn't feel the pressure to binge and was able to just let a story "sit" instead of feeling like I had to sit still and read for hours. It becomes a more enjoyable past time when it isn't rushed and treated like a competitive sport.

Audiobooks (my main way of consuming a novel), are different because I can listen while doing other things... cooking, (though I usually play music when I cook, not always), cleaning, exercise, walking, yoga. lots of things I can do while listening. But reading a print book (or an ebook) requires your undivided attention and no ability to do any other thing at the same time. It's a different experience and as long as I space it out and consider it a long term project/experience like those story letters, it takes the pressure off. I still have to read the alternate ending tonight but tomorrow I'll start a new print book. Shocking I KNOW!

So anyway I got this book as a special edition on a Kickstarter. It was so beautiful and I found the story intriguing but I doubted I would ever read it. It was just going to be a pretty trophy on my shelf. But when I decided to try to read "just a little bit a day" before bed, this was the obvious book to choose. It also came in audio in my tier on the kickstarter but I don't really like British narrated books. (I should specify this... it's nothing against the British and it's not all British accents but an overly posh accent makes it very hard for me to get into a book. like I had no problems with the Harry Potter books and Shane East I have no problem with (Popular British narrator.)

So the audio for this was out because it was just "too posh" and I get lost in the SOUND of the words and lose the story. And so anyway... now I want my free personal pan pizza for reading this PHYSICAL BOOK in the summer (because I don't care if pumpkin spice is out at Starbucks, it is still summer until September 22nd... LEGALLY!)

So anyway... this whole entry has been a personal diary entry rather than a review lol... It's a paranormal historical fiction/horror-ish. I feel like if a book doesn't scare me it's not horror, but if it does scare me, I won't read it. So... I guess it's probably officially classed as horror or maybe alternate history horror. It's a retelling of Frankenstein but also includes vampires. And it's about Lord Byron, Percy Shelley, Mary Shelley, John something or other and Claire something or other and it's taking great supernatural liberties with the trip that ultimately resulted in the book Frankenstein.

I thought it was very well written and really enjoyed it. ten out of ten, would ride this ride again.

Also though this makes me want to watch The Bride, which I've meant to watch forever and was really looking forward to but haven't gotten around to. I found Frankenstein (or technically "Frankenstein's monster") very likable in this book. I may reread this one at some point and I highly recommend it.

Thank you for attending my TED talk.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (5/6/2019)! 🎁

[Laura Hernandez]

This was my first time reading something by this author and I was completely blown out of the water by her vivid storytelling and beautiful characters. Her gothic writing style made this dark read a rather difficult one to put down as I was quickly captivated by the atmosphere of the story and I remained at the edge of my seat until I reached the last page. I highly recommend this book.

{I requested a copy for reviewing purposes and made no guarantee of a favorable review. The opinions expressed herein and unbiased and my own.}

[Shay]

So Much YES!!!

Guys, I'm in LOVE with this trilogy! It's vivid and captivating and utterly addictive. A few of the numerous things to enjoy are it's strong narration, fascinating characters, and chiling gothic feel.

This haunting tale is a beautiful compilation of fantasy and historic fiction encapsulating the creation of two of my favourite gothic tales: Frankenstein and Dracula, and taking thrilling liveries with the history behind the orgin of both! I highly recommend it to any fellow monster lovers out there.

[Jenn]

Definitely an interesting take on a tale many of us know - the writings of Frankenstein: The 1818 Text & The Vampyre. Much has been debated on how and why these books were written, but Destefano chalks all that to the wind and takes us on a much darker journey - pitting us against these evils head on.

The story begins the way we all know, a group of friends amass at a villa. From here, things start to change. Bored of their nights inside, the group sets a task of each writing a story they would then share. Per the books synopsis, What neither one of them knows is that they are conjuring a dark evil. I argue with this because creepy shit was happening long before they took to writing their own stories. So that part was a little fuzzy for me.

My main issue with this book is, sadly, Mary. She's all over the place. In love with Percy, in love with John, in love with the vampire king (cause yes, there's a vampire king). I never really felt anything true from her because she herself didn't know what she wanted. Side note here: Percy was an absolute shit of a human being and the fact that Mary kept trying to "save" him was just annoying. And while I really wanted to roll my eyes at her "love" for the King, I get that she was under his spell so I guess it gets a pass - but it was seriously frustrating to read about.

What I did like about this book was the vampires. Give me vampires any day and I'm in. I just wish Mary had a little more gusto.

[VICTORIA VAN VLEAR]

Loved this book! I always enjoy historical fiction blended with fantasy, and retelling of Frankenstein is excellent. The author did a great job mixing historical facts with some fantasy/gothic fiction, and I liked the first-person narration. The main character is strong but still realistically feminine, and also that she doesn't get to keep her lover the whole time.

[D.D. Croix]

The Shade Trilogy is a beautiful imagining of how Mary Shelley came to write her most well-known novel, Frankenstein. The author's lush and vivid prose is mesmerizing and carries the reader through a deliciously creepy tale full of captivating characters and good, old-fashioned gothic horror. Highly recommended.

[Danny Chavez]

This was an interesting re-imagining. Personally, I was thrown off thinking that this was going to be Frankenstein's monster from beginning to end. It had a nod to it once in the beginning but as the story unfolded, I didn't see how that related to any of the other horrors that were playing out. It wasn't until the 3rd part where I figured out how that would come into play. This was more of a vampire book than anything. Sort of similar to 30 Days of Night, imo.

I wish that certain things would have been explained as to why they were happening. You're more left with just accepting the fact that it does happen.

The one detail I did appreciate was getting into the mind of someone while enchanted. I think the author did a great job describing how difficult it would be to be snapped out of a situation like this.

Overall this was a good book. It was just interesting enough to keep me wanting to know how this would be resolved.

[Kristina Seleshanko]

Masterfully written, this tale is tough to put down. The Shade series is leaps and bounds beyond any vampire novel I have ever read and is worthy of far greater attention and appreciation than it has received. Undoubtedly, this is a new classic.

[Donna]

This is a thrilling read, combining a reimagining of Frankenstein and Dracula, and had me up reading all night! Full of drama, vampires, monsters, a twist of romance and enough tension to keep your heart beating at 100bpm, it's an awesome story and I'd highly recommend it to all lovers of the genre.

[Maureen]

Chilling! Read this book!

What was going on in Mary Shelly's head when she wrote Frankenstein?? I bet you never thought of THIS! Shade is incredible, dark, twisting, all-encompassing, and riveting. Do not pass this up. I'd love to say anything about the actual story, but you've got to read it for yourself to get the full experience.

[Nancy]

Well Written

Shade is a wonderful imagining of how Mary Shelly got the inspiration to write Frankenstein. The writing is often lyrical and beautiful. The story is intense, sometimes horrific but also very compelling. Worth the read.

[Jackie]

Unbelievable retelling of Frankenstein. The plot, and the characters were absolutely outstanding. Impossible to stop reading.

[Ian]

This was a fun scary hide. Wow, the author threw her readers into the thick of the action from the very first page and didn’t let up through the ‘3 novellas’. Her story world is fantastic with a very clever story based on a fictional account of how Mary Wollstonecraft (or Shelley) created her novel Frankenstein. In this fictional account, Wollstonecraft created it out of surviving her own horror story of firstly, losing her new born child and, having to survive the brutal ‘invasion’ of her holiday with friends by the paranormal sangsue, demonic creatures formed by humans being bitten by wolves whose blood is infected by a rare enzyme that transforms them into violent terrifying creatures.

The tension was terrific, the fact not one of her characters was safe kept you on your toes. Would any of them survive the sangsue apocalypse?

In comparison to the classic Frankenstein, the story themes were fairly basic, unlike those explored in the former that make it such a compelling novel and I struggled to really like any of the characters except for demon-fighting grandma Hannah. The antagonist was immensely powerful, however, his intentions were obvious and even though he had some ‘romantic’ seductions added to his personality this too was a little obvious and lacked the allure of a true psychopath.

This is a tremendous almost slasher-fest horror story that plenty of people would love to see made into a graphic movie like the classic old Dracula and Werewolf movies. Even though I’m not a fan of such movies I’d be intrigued to see what it was like on the big screen.

[Teddi Deppner]

I'm so glad Merrie decided to put these three books into a box set like this! Here's my review of each installment:

SHADE - This "retelling" was such a refreshing read. I enjoyed immersing myself in the historical fiction aspect of it, while getting that same sort of "eerie happenings are around the corner" feeling as the original tale. I especially liked that the author didn't just take the story of Frankenstein and tell it again. She told a story woven around that original tale by telling the story of the person who wrote it and turning THAT into a horror tale. Much more interesting! Looking forward to the next book in the series!

DUSK - The historical feel of these books is just what I like. Not too modern, but immersing me in the feel of the times without making it difficult to understand. Love the way the author weaves this story of the writers around the same mysterious and supernatural happenings of the classic tales themselves. This installment really ratcheted the tension through the roof, with high stakes and growing understanding of the danger they're in. Can hardly wait for the third book!

DAWN - Merrie Destefano wrapped up the story with style and the sort of surreal gothic horror that one would expect from a book described as a retelling of Frankenstein! I enjoyed this whole series.

[Jay Williams]

If you think you know the story about Mary Shelley writing 'Frankenstein," you have a surprise coming. You will recognize all the characters, but this is an adventure that boggles the mind. The writing is clear and direct, and the story flows nicely. The narrative centers around Lord Byron, Shelley, Mary, Claire and John as they vacation at an estate outside Geneva. The suspense develops as they are threatened by creatures from the mountains that come out at night. The excitement never stops as the group becomes deep in danger as Claire has her baby. I don't usually summarize plots, but I have to say this is the most intriguing and frightening story I have read in a while. I received a copy of this book through Hidden Gems. It far surpasses the teaser writeup. Buy the trilogy because you will not be able to stop reading as each of the first two books comes to an end. The story just keeps getting better.

[Lisa Papi]

WOW, I had NO IDEA of the emotional whirlwind, nail-biting expectations, edge-of-my-seat tension, or gut wrenching horror this book was going to inspire!! And in such an AMZINGLY GOOD WAY!!
The storyline is absolutely fantastic, and will have you on the edge of your seat from the first page to the last page. The characters are amazing and so well done, you can't help but to love them. Even the bad guys! The ending has such a surprise twist that it will leave you cheering, and when you finally close the book after finishing it in one sitting (because you will NOT be able to put it down!).....be prepared, you are going to need a stiff drink to recover from it lol.
Forget Vincent Price and Boris Karloff! Frankenstein will NEVER be the same and I will remember this book forever!

[Ashley]

Haunting and atmospheric this gothic tale was full of chilling horror, making it the perfect October read. I was completely absorbed in it from the very first sentence and held captive until the very last word.

Shade reimagines the origins of Frankenstein in a compelling and unique way. It's action-packed and has a lightning-quick, rapid-fire pace that kept me glued to the pages and reading as fast as possible.

This was my first time reading anything by this author and I loved it. I'll definitely be checking out more from her. I highly recommend Shade to anyone looking for a good, scary read.

[Michelle Fritz PA]

Intriguing & Imaginative! This is truly an interesting tale. It's a mix of facts and exaggerated happenings. The scenes are at times grizzly and extremely well told. This is a guessing game as to what will happen next. The characters are all a bit dark and bizarre and at times it's difficult to like them. That's the appeal of this series... will you end up caring for the characters and will they develop redeeming qualities?

[Join the Penguin Resistance!]

A wildly imagined retelling of the relationships of Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, Percy Shelley, and George Gordon,  Lord Byron. 1816, "the year without a summer," due to a volcanic eruption,  is the setting, with upended weather and the dreaded incursion of wild beasts and starvation globally providing a backdrop to the bizarre Paranormal elements which inspired Mary's FRANKENSTEIN. 

[T.]

A thrilling and slightly scary read. I wanted to know more about certain characters, John for example, but also The King. His backstory should be interesting, but I guess that’s not the point of this story. And Mary was confusing at times (not knowing what she wants).
All in all, a pretty good read!

[Kandiemarie]

This was the best book I’ve read yet. I was absolutely engrossed in the story and felt as if I could see it happening as I read it. Once I started reading it I couldn’t put it down. I’m definitely giving this a five star review and recommendation.

[Patricia A. Fuchs]

Couldn't put it down.

Couldn't put it down. If you like scary books or horror movies, you will like this. Contains some historical facts but most is fiction.

[Eleanor]

Review to come

[Candi]

This is a really different spin on the Re-Imagining of Frankenstein. It is original and interesting. I give it 3.5 stars.