Reluctant Immortals

  

I received a copy of this release from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Reluctant Immortals 

Author: Gwendolyn Kiste

Publisher: Gallery / Saga Press

Release Date: 8.23.22

Publisher’s Summary 

For fans of Mexican Gothic, from three-time Bram Stoker Award–winning author Gwendolyn Kiste comes a novel inspired by the untold stories of forgotten women in classic literature--from Lucy Westenra, a victim of Stoker’s Dracula, and Bertha Mason, from Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre--as they band together to combat the toxic men bent on destroying their lives, set against the backdrop of the Summer of Love, Haight-Ashbury, 1967.

Reluctant Immortals is a historical horror novel that looks at two men of classic literature, Dracula and Mr. Rochester, and the two women who survived them, Bertha and Lucy, who are now undead immortals residing in Los Angeles in 1967 when Dracula and Rochester make a shocking return in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco.

Combining elements of historical and gothic fiction with a modern perspective, in a tale of love and betrayal and coercion, Reluctant Immortals is the lyrical and harrowing journey of two women from classic literature as they bravely claim their own destiny in a man’s world.

My Review

I can always visualize a story as I read it, but this one reads like a true horror film. The near-constant scenery/setting changes as the main characters run from their nemeses keeps tensions high and rather than a singular climax, the multiple altercation/climaxes raise more questions than answers. Feminist retellings of classics are all the rage in recent years and while this novel focuses on Lucy Westenra from "Dracula" and Bertha Mason from "Jane Eyre," I felt they both fell flat as revived characters. They are far from the fierce and powerful women but this campy spin might be enjoyed by readers looking for an upcoming "spooky" read.