Hey everyone! I’m back again! I hope you didn’t miss me too much in between reviews. This book was short so I figured that this would tie everyone over until I post one of my longer reviews. I started my first Brandon Sanderson book so that is going to take me a bit to get through. I used to love really long books but my attention span has shifted over the years. I have been wanting to get back into books that are 500 or more pages. That doesn’t mean I’m going to stop reading novellas. Now, let’s talk about this novella, Eynhallow.

Content Warning: Domestic Abuse, Traumatic Childbirth, Death due to Traumatic Childbirth, Murder, Cannibalism, Some Sexual Content, Harsh Language

Agnes Tulloch lives a sad existence on the tiny island of Eynhallow. Her husband is a terrible man and she is struggling to raise her four young children. The quiet island is thrown into chaos when a wealthy stranger arrives on the island. His motives for arriving are unknown, which worries the islanders. Agnes is hired by the stranger to clean his cottage and bring him dinner. Despite her reservations, Agnes finds herself drawn to the enigmatic, amateur scientist named Victor Frankenstein. Where Frankenstein goes, death follows and Agnes is caught in the middle.

I have probably said this before but I’ll say it again: I am a huge fan of Frankenstein. It was a major part of my Master’s studies and I have re-read it several times. It goes without saying, then, that I was immediately drawn to this novella. I absolutely loved Tim McGregor’s take on Mary Shelley’s classic gothic horror. McGregor captures the unsettling yet compelling atmosphere that Shelley had so well crafted. I particularly liked Agnes’ perspective in this book as it shows just how terrifying and fascinating both Frankenstein and his creature were. I could do a whole five-page analysis on this book, honestly. It was also a truly tragic tale that I couldn’t look away from. You see the characters’ tragic fates from a mile away but you can’t look away and I thought that was a testament to McGregor’s understanding of Frankenstein. I desperately need other people to read this book. It is good on its own but you’ll appreciate it more if you are familiar with Frankenstein. Go read it immediately. You won’t regret it.