Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match

Taking a light, comedic approach to the historical and macabre, Thorne (The Hating Game) delivers laughs, thrills, and heart in this rom-com riff on Mary Shelley’s classic monster tale. In 1814 England, eccentric Angelika Frankenstein, sister of Victor and his partner in crimes against nature, is firmly on the shelf at 24, has more money than she knows what to do with, and is utterly clueless when it comes to relating to people. On the same night that Victor creates his famous monster, Angelika creates Will, stitching together her dream man using carefully chosen parts from the morgue. For Angelika, it’s love at first sight. Will, however, is lost in this new world, with only the faintest clue of who he was before dying and coming back to life. As he searches for self-knowledge, he teaches Angelika about empathy and compassion, putting her on a path to redemption. But the possibility of Will’s imminent demise couples with the loss of Victor’s monster to create a tempest of epic proportions. Thorne does a good job showing the transformation of the Frankenstein siblings from unsympathetic mad scientists into heroes readers will be happy to root for while still maintaining the gothic atmosphere throughout. This is a delight. Agent: Taylor Haggerty, Root Literary. (Sept.)