I'm always seated for sapphic vampires! And, I guess, Dracula retellings too, after this.

Lucy Undying was a read I thought I'd need a bit longer to get through, because the pacing seemed so slow, but I literally read 70% of it in one day because I couldn't stop reading, so how slow was it really? I can't say. What I can say though, is that this story gripped me, and kept me hanging on every single word.

I feel like most people probably found Lucy's chapters more interesting, but for me, Iris was the character I kept wanting to go back to every time I was reading about Lucy, or the secret third PoV.

That's not to say I disliked Lucy, I still found her history entertaining, and I liked the romance between her and Iris. I could feel the longing through the pages, and kept wishing for them to finally be happy.

My favourite thing about this book, is the never-ending number of twists. We get the majority of them in the second half, which is, no surprise, the half I enjoyed reading the most.

I saw only a few coming, but when Iris started putting things together in her head (and with all those pages), I was in shock. And then I kept getting surprised all the way until the end.

The gothic atmosphere was on point, I enjoyed the writing style as well. This is actually my very first book by Kiersten White, even though I've had her books on my tbr for years. Now I know I'll probably like the others too.

The plot is very well crafted (if a bit unbelievable at times), but I do think it's stretched out more than it should be. Especially in the first half where we didn't get as much action as the second.

Aside from that, I don't really have any other negatives. It was such a fun read, and I'd love to have a sequel of some sort, because there's definitely more story to tell.

*Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

this book was good but unfortunately not great.

i particularly enjoyed lucy’s diary and the talks with her therapist, and even the bits in the house with iris were interesting to me.

however the story went a bit downhill when they left london. it was what should have been a brilliant plot, but it just felt slightly lacklustre and vaguely confusing to me. there was also issues with the pacing throughout the book as a whole, and some details that were kept back (presumably for the plot) that would probably had made it better if revealed earlier. it also just wasn’t very memorable to me.

Romantic, and slightly dark. Not my favorite book of the year but a great pov of lucy and her relationship and experience of the poetic world of dracul.

Once I got into this book I could not put it down. I love a Dracula book and a sapphic version was bound to be awesome and it was! I couldn't wait to read more about Lucy and this did not disappoint!

Kiersten White has such a fantastic way of world building. It's gritty and gothic and utterly immersive. Fell into this story from the first page and couldn't stop once I had started,

This was such a unique book

I was expecting something totally different but in a good way I totally loved it,
I loved how the story was told by different characters in different years and the use of letters,

I was a way of exploring Dracula story I’ve never seen before and I was totale intrigues from page 1

3 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2024/09/30/review-lucy-undying-by-kiersten-white/
My FIve Word TL:DR Review: Started Well, Went Off Track

I was really excited to pick up Lucy Undying for various reasons. I seem to be enjoying the recent resurgence of vampire novels, I love Bram Stoker’s Dracula and I was so looking forward to a retelling from Lucy’s point of view. She’s such an undervalued character, the spoilt rich girl who becomes a victim of Dracula as he attempts to get to Mina.

To be fair this gets off to a really good start. We have a few different POVs. Primarily Iris, a young heiress who is trying to break free from the clutches of her overbearing family and Lucy – who has a number of different storylines. One that is told in journal format and covers the years before she falls victim. One that takes us back to her long haul through history as a vampire. And finally, Lucy in the current modern day world.

Iris has arrived in London, with her family’s approval (although they are still observing her not so surreptitiously), she is visiting on the pretext that she’s going through family property. As such she spends time in a dilapidated mansion where she is putting things in to order – or more to the point searching for anything small and valuable that she can sell for quick cash to help her finally disappear. She requests help from a museum in relation to the valuation of certain items and the next day a young, beautiful and elusive woman turns up on her doorstep.

Anyway, let’s take a look at what did and didn’t work for me.

Firstly, I didn’t mind the different POVs and quickly got into the groove. I enjoyed that we had Lucy’s journal to take a look back at her life prior to becoming one of Dracula’s victims, this is a great reflection of the original novel and was a good way to get an insight into Lucy’s true inner thoughts.

I loved the way the story started and the time spent in the old mansion, this had such great gothic vibes.

The writing was good, it was easy to read and in actual fact I had no problems completing this. I was curious and always keen to get back to the story. BUT.

Well, firstly, as a reimagining White turns a lot of the characters on their heads. To be honest, I have mixed feelings about this, I don’t really mind the characters having different and new motivations, just that it all felt very flimsy.

Then, the hidden agenda with Iris’s family and the connections to other elements of the story felt so over the top and convoluted. For me, I was rather hoping that this was a new chance for Lucy, perhaps she’d meet Iris and help her to disappear and it would be this exciting relationship between the two as they forge their own story. As it was, I didn’t feel any chemistry between Iris and Lucy, their instalove was a little cliched and the whole inclusion of trips to haunts from the original work, plus the inclusion of Dracula just felt unnecessary. I wanted the story to become its own ‘entity’ but that never really happened. I never felt fear or dread for the characters and I couldn’t help wondering when did vampires become so dull.

I don’t know, on the face of it this book kept me entertained and it might work really well for others, but, it didn’t quite work its magic on me. I was hoping for more and I thought this was Lucy’s real chance to shine.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinioin.

For a while I was worried that this book was not going to be for me, which seemed insane given the it is a Sapphic Dracula retelling which couldn't be more up my street!
I pondered DNFing up until around the 30% point and god am I glad I gave it the chance and kept on reading. This book was everything I didn't know I needed when it comes to the story of Dracula and particularly Lucy's story, because if you have read Dracula you can't deny that Lucy definitely deserved better, this book is her better, the ending she deserved away from the men trying to control her life very much for their own ends, a life she never could have dreamed of in her time period.
Vampires tic
Sapphic tic
Cult behaviour tic
Multi POV tic
Honestly I am now recommending this to everyone I know who enjoys vampire novels and honestly, looking forward to reading it again myself!

“Her teeth are small and white and perfectly sharp, and I love fanged Lucy best of all, I think. We’re going to do great and terrible things together.”

It’s an undeniable fact that Lucy Westenra is the most tragic character in Dracula (Quincy Morris, beloved cowboy, you’re a close second). So when I saw a retelling all about her, I pounced, and I was not disappointed. The book borrows elements of the original while straying far enough to make it feel like a whole new story in the same epistolary style. Its fragmented, mixed-media format was really enjoyable: starting with a second-person, predatory account of Dracula’s hunts; moving to a secret, second version of Lucy’s diaries detailing her life; contrasted against the Interview With the Vampire style therapy transcripts detailing her afterlife; all sandwiched between the main portion of the plot following Iris Goldaming, runaway cult heiress, as she meets present day Lucy. Although I’m not usually a fan of instalove, I thought it was handled very tactfully here and the sapphic vampire/human relationship managed to keep plenty of ups and downs in spite of it. In places the overall pacing felt a little bit wonky, as the opening half—taking place mostly in the past—built up very slowly, then caught up to the present very quickly, then slowed down again, then sped up right at the end. The final plot twist was one I caught onto quickly at the beginning, but so much happened towards the end that I completely forgot all about it, so it still came as something of a surprise. Overall, this was a wickedly fun read perfect for those who, like me, are ready to see the women of Dracula seek their retribution.

Lucy Undying by Kiersten White was a fun and completely unique paranormal book that took the term vampire to new heights. This was a reimagining of the tale of Dracula and Lucy, something I had no knowledge of before reading this book. But we don’t meet Lucy at the beginning, only insight into Dracula’s process of enticing young women.
We then meet Iris, a young woman who recently lost her mother and has travelled across the world to handle some estate business so she can get away from the toxicity her mother left behind. Before we find out she’s dead, Iris consoles her father who thinks he’s seeing his wife clawing at the windows in his assisted living accommodation. Iris is a fun character to get to know. You can tell she’s been through it and her arrival in London is not the happiest event for her. She meets an ethereal randomer when she almost gets hit by a taxi and sparks fly but that’s it and she vanishes. Something doesn’t seem right though. Calls from mystery lawyers, weird culty statements like “the blood is life” and a level of paranoia that doesn’t match the situation she is in. After arriving at a mysterious mansion her mother owned, Iris is determined to sell any valuables, get as much money as possible and then vanish from the clawing grasp of her mothers minions.
The other chapters finally introduce us to Lucy, a young girl approaching adulthood, dealing with the pressures from her mother and the impending forced marriage she will have to eventually face. This is from the perspective of her diary so you can really get to know this young girl. What is a fun time is that Iris also discovers these journals and as a reader we know the information a little before Iris but we can see her reactions to some pivotal moments in Lucy’s life.
And then there’s the interview transcript from a woman who wakes in a cemetery not knowing who she is or where she came from and how she is guided through her transformation as a vampire and the manipulation it entails. I kind of gathered who this was but it was still fun to read. As a reader the diary eventually catches up to the transcript and we can connect the dots as to who’s life we’re learning about. In present day chapters that follow Iris, the ethereal stranger that saved her life has stumbled on her doorstep after Iris requested an appraiser to help sell the valuables. She is thrilled! Their friendship is great and the introduction of Rahul the queer taxi driver and his adorable husband Anthony become integral parts in Iris’s journey to freedom.
Between the diary, the transcript and Iris’s journey it leads to a whirlwind story that I was desperate to continue. The mix of historical and current plot points kept my interest and I’m definitely interested in seeing Kirsten White’s other work.
Thank you so much for providing the eARC for me to enjoy!

Firstly that cover.......it is to die for!! What a great gothic and beautifully written book and the fact that Dracula was in the story as well fantastic. A must read for those dark cosy autumn night. Thank you for my advanced kindle copy.

Move over, Dracula. There’s a new vampire queen in town, and her name is Lucy. Lucy Undying by Kiersten White takes one of gothic horror’s most overlooked characters and gives her the spotlight she deserves. And let me tell you, Lucy has a lot to say.

Now, full disclosure: I’ve never actually read Dracula (don’t come for me, horror purists), but after reading this, I’m ready to sink my teeth into the original. Though to be fair, White’s retelling makes Lucy’s story feel fresh and modern.

Most of the novel is told from the perspective of Iris Goldaming, the heir to a multi-million-dollar family business built on corruption and shady multi-level marketing schemes (think vampires, but worse). After her mother dies and leaves the whole mess to her, Iris does what any sensible person would do—she runs for it. She hightails it to London to sell off the family’s assets, hoping to grab some quick cash and disappear into the sunset. Along the way, she picks up some friends, a love interest (because what’s a gothic novel without a little romance?), and stumbles across Lucy’s old journal, which is tucked away in one of the houses.

Here’s where things get interesting. In Lucy’s 19th-century journal entries, we meet a teenager stuck in a world run by men, specifically the suitors who keep buzzing around her like needy mosquitos. What they don’t know is that Lucy’s heart belongs to her former governess, Mina Murray, who’s too wrapped up in friendship to realize Lucy’s hopelessly in love with her. These journal entries are juicy. Lucy’s diary is where she spills the tea on her suitors and vents her frustration at being stuck in this patriarchal nightmare. The more we read, the more we uncover about her tragic death—and her even more tragic rebirth as a vampire.

But wait, there’s more! In the modern-day chapters, set in 2024, we get therapy transcripts from a very different Lucy—one who’s been a vampire for over 130 years. She’s sitting on a therapist’s couch (so to speak), dishing about her past, including how Dracula turned her into a vampire and then ghosted her (literally). Lucy’s been on a quest to find Dracula ever since, and let’s just say it’s been a long, strange trip. These transcripts are a fascinating peek into Lucy’s evolution as a vampire, and honestly, I was as curious as she was to figure out why Dracula did her dirty.

Then there’s the whole theme of female rage, which had me cheering from the sidelines. Both Lucy and Iris are done with the nonsense thrown their way—whether it’s creepy dudes with proposals or corporate greed on steroids. Their determination to take back control of their lives? Absolutely glorious. This book is packed with moments of rage-fueled empowerment, and I was here for every minute of it.

Oh, and did I mention the romance? It’s not just gothic doom and gloom here. The love story is beautifully done, adding a sweet layer to all the bloodsucking and corporate chaos.

Overall, the way White mixes different storytelling formats—diary entries, therapy sessions, modern narrative—feels like you’re piecing together a mystery, one diary page at a time. It’s a clever way to build the story and let us really get inside Lucy’s head (and Iris’s, too).

Even if you’ve never read Dracula, Lucy Undying stands on its own as a gripping, gothic tale about power, identity, and survival. And if you’re a Dracula fan, you’ll love seeing Lucy rise from the ashes—or rather, the pages.

Kiersten White’s writing is sharp, witty, and, at times, poetic. She perfectly balances horror, emotion, and dark humor. It’s not just a vampire story—it’s a deep dive into what it means to wrestle for autonomy and find your purpose, even if you’ve been dead for over a century.

If you’re into gothic fiction, psychological thrillers, or just love a good twist on a classic tale, Lucy Undying should be at the top of your reading list. And if it makes you want to finally read Dracula, well, welcome to the club.

Oh my goodness this was a wild ride!! It’s so interesting because looking back through all the adaptations I’ve seen / read, I don’t think I’ve ever cared about Lucy. Much like our Lucy in this book, Mina was the one I had the hots for (or Dracula depending on which version you’re watching 👀) and Lucy was there just to get to something else? But I am so glad we have this fab, if yet insane, story!

I loved the three different perspectives / timelines and how all the pieces of the puzzle slowly started to fit together. It was super interesting hearing Lucy’s story pre vampire and comparing it to what’s written in her journal told through Iris’s eyes. Though my favourite parts had to be Lucy telling her life story to the therapist!

I had very strong suspicions where this was going, and while I did correctly work out about 2 things, this went even further than I could have imagined and I was hooked! A true whirlwind of a book, reimagining one of my favourite story’s ever into the dream sapphic yearning romance / weird mlm takedown / vampire adventure time book!

Prefacing this by saying that I haven’t read Dracula, nor watched any adaptations, so I was venturing into this book with pretty little knowledge of the story outside of just…media osmosis, and the average vampire ‘facts’. I was fully drawn in by THAT cover, what can I say.

I really enjoyed Lucy Undying. It jumps between timelines and story telling devices - we have Iris in the present day, trying to escape from her family’s blood obsessed cult, a journal from the late 1800’s detailing Lucy’s life before she’s turned by Dracula (and her love for her school teacher, Mina), and a transcript with a therapist where Lucy opens up about her long vampire life.

There’s so many different levels to this story, and I loved seeing how they all ended up tying together. There was almost a mystery element to the book, in that way, trying to fit together all the different moving pieces of the story.

This novel really looks into what it meant to be a women over the past 150 years, albeit it through a fantasy lens - how little agency most women were allowed, and the different dangers they were subjected to (although a lot of that sadly persists even to this day and age). Lucy’s story is quite heartbreaking, and it’s beyond powerful to see her slowly reclaim it as the novel progresses.

Iris is also such a great character. She takes no nonsense, and truly cares for the people around her who show her kindness (but her dead mum, and the cult that she led, can get stuffed). Her story was fascinating, especially as she’ll just throw out a line that makes you go ‘wait, WHAT?!’ as we discover more about the MLM cult that she grew up in, and the strange condition that she has.

This book has a great balance between the horrors of Dracula, people in general, and the controlling nature of the world when it comes to women, alongside just…very sexy sapphic vampires. Like this book is filled with lust, longing, and it’s genuinely quite enticing. Like people can be awful! Cults are terrifying! Being hunted by vampires is also terrifying! But love, romance, and longing still exist, even in times of strife. It was really well balanced, and I’m here for it.

Delving into Lucy’s past was so interesting too - her time spent as a vampire crosses many decades, continents, and world events, and it was fascinating (and quite devastating) to see how she spent that time, and her various relationships with fellow vampires over the years, and how they each dealt with being turned, and their own immortal life, differently.

I loved the writing style, the unfolding romance, the quest for knowledge (and revenge) on both Lucy and Iris’s parts. I just loved this book a lot overall, and the way it was all laid out kept me gripped throughout. Highly recommend if you’re craving a gothic sapphic vampire tale this autumn/winter, with quite a lot of depth and bite to it.

Thank you to the publishers, and Netgalley, for the copy to review.

This book started off really having my attention. I loved the why the book was written. It truly gave that gothic feel. I really like Lucy's character. Her character exploration was fascinating along with her relationship with Iris. Also, the cover is just stunning. There is a lot going on between the different POVs as well as the journal/transcripts as well. I found myself getting a bit frustrated with it. Also, I didn't feel like this book didn't need to be as long as it was. Around the turning point I just lost interest.

This was beautiful and lyrical and just such a different writing style. It follows Lucy from the original Dracula novel, if she got to live an afterlife as a vampire. It has several different narratives woven into each other, it should be confusing following the same person through three different time periods concurrently but somehow it just works. And it’s delightfully queer in a way that just works along with the original text. The modern day main plot is quite out there and weird, but thoroughly entertaining. A surprising hit for me.

I am a huge fan of this author and her works but I will be honest and say that this took me a little longer to get into and I was quite lost to begin with. HOWEVER, once I got my head around the different narratives, this was again fantastic and everything I wanted from it. Honestly, if you are not sold on a queer Dracula retelling I don't think I could convince you (because why not???) but the writing is quick and easy with some very cool and memorable characters!

4.5 stars. This was such an intriguing book, I loved the different styles of writing. Some read like a journal or mysterious third person. Each pov knitted together as the book went on and there were twists I did not expect.. I loved the that it was a different take on Dracula and the cult MLM at the centre of it was so interesting. I loved the queer and sapphic rep in this, it felt genuine and I connected so much to the character emotions. I think this book is perfect for lovers of gothic style vampire stories with a modern twist.

I read this as an advanced copy from Netgalley

Firstly - I loved it. However - I wasnt a fan of every POV being a different tense, it made it feel messy & inconsistent to read.

The writing is stunning - this had all the vibes I wanted An Education in Malice to have. I also wasn't expecting Dracula to be a character, so that was a fun surprise.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance copy. I really loved the book and its characters. I can see that the author spent a long time on worldbuilding and forming 3 dimensional characters. This was already on my wish-list for the year, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy. The writing is lush and atmospheric, perfect for a spooky read. I loved the read and can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next!