“It’s not endings that give stories meaning. It’s the forever-full-of-nows”

What to expect:
- Gothic fantasy
- Sapphic romance
- Dracula reimagining
- Vampires and billionaires
- Cult-like family

Plot:
Lucy Westenra is one of Dracula’s first victims, and she has a story to tell as she searches for answers, finds love, and topples an empire. This book starts out with three different timelines and two POVs, Lucy’s and Iris’s. I think it was so well done the way the past and present of both women are woven together and there were several moments that I audibly gasped. While the pace was initially slow, it picked up quite a bit towards the middle and end! I also thoroughly enjoyed the different adventures and the overarching plot and how it all culminates, the writing is beautiful and the story was superb.

Characters:
Lucy and Iris and amazing, but I think the side characters deserve a shoutout, there was a fantastic cast of both endearing, funny and intriguing characters to go along with the different stories and I found myself getting really attached. Of course Lucy and Iris’s romance was really lovely to read about and I could feel the build up and the love through the words!

Overall this felt akin to something lie The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue but make it gothic and with vampires. So worth the read!

✍️ Quote: “And if a home wasn’t safe, we can’t shake the scars of that violation. We never forget the violence of losing a home, or the pain of never having been given one, or the comfort of having lived in one filled with love and community. The longing for home is a universal human experience; there are few of those.”

The story Lucy Westenra always deserved!

As an OG Dracula fan, I always wondered about poor Lucy and why she was so hard done by. Well it looks like Kiersten knew the whole time and FINALLY gave us her story
♾️ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ♾️

Gothic and decadent and gripping! And the cherry on the cake … it’s SAPPHIC maybe one of my favourite sapphic books ever! I ATE up the romance that was in this book. Spread across 3 timelines, and multiple POV’s we really are kept guessing the whole way through and the ending had me in the biggest knot! My favourite vampire book of the year … maybe ever?!

𝙑𝙄𝘽𝙀𝙎:
* 𝘿𝙍𝘼𝘾𝙐𝙇𝘼 𝙍𝙀𝙏𝙀𝙇𝙇𝙄𝙉𝙂
* 𝙎𝘼𝙋𝙋𝙃𝙄𝘾 𝙍𝙊𝙈𝘼𝙉𝘾𝙀
* 𝙁𝙀𝙈𝘼𝙇𝙀 𝙍𝘼𝙂𝙀
* 𝙂𝙊𝙏𝙃𝙄𝘾 𝘼𝙏𝙈𝙊𝙎𝙋𝙃𝙀𝙍𝙀
* 𝙈𝙐𝙇𝙏𝙄𝙋𝙇𝙀 𝙏𝙄𝙈𝙀𝙇𝙄𝙉𝙀𝙎
* 𝙈𝙐𝙇𝙏𝙄-𝙋𝙊𝙑

I wanted to love this book so bad! Queer vampires are my favourite, and Lucy is easily one of my top vampiric characters. I've read my fair share of vampire novels, but sadly, I had to DNF this one because I just couldn’t bring myself to want to pick it up. This was my first Kiersten White book, and I'm fairly certain it will be my last, as I simply didn’t connect with the writing style.

I found the book unnecessarily slow-paced and somewhat predictable. The potential was there—the concept and material were promising—but the execution fell flat. The dialogue often left a bad taste in my mouth, and I just couldn't push through to finish all 400+ pages.

If you're drawn to the premise of this book, I’d recommend exploring more authentic and beautifully written vampire fiction, such as S.T. Gibson's work (which has abundant queer representation) or ‘House of Hunger’, a unique vampiric tale by a WOC author. For a retelling that specifically features Lucy, I’d recommend giving ‘Reluctant Immortals’. And of course, if you haven't already, I’d also recommend checking out ‘Carmilla’ and ‘Dracula’

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the e-arc. All opinions are my own.

2.5*

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

This book just missed the mark for me. I loved the characters and getting to know Lucy and Iris throughout the first half of the book. I definitely enjoyed the first half of the book more than the second. The book did drag on a little bit for me, the story could probably have been told in less pages.

I did love that Lucy got to be more than this timid character she was made out to be in Dracula itself.

I enjoyed the story but just didn't love it. It could be because I wasn't the biggest fan of Dracula when I read it last year.

**Book Review: *Lucy Undying: A Dracula Novel* by Kiersten White**

Kiersten White reimagines Lucy Westenra, one of Dracula’s original victims, in *Lucy Undying: A Dracula Novel*. No longer a tragic, forgotten figure, Lucy becomes the star of her own story—an immortal vampire seeking freedom from Dracula’s control and exploring her identity in modern-day London. Her journey intersects with Iris, a woman also desperate to escape her corrupt family’s legacy. The two women form a powerful connection that drives the emotional heart of the novel.

White masterfully brings depth to Lucy’s character, portraying her not just as a victim, but as a resilient, complicated woman. Through flashbacks and diary entries, Lucy’s centuries of struggle and self-discovery are revealed, making her one of the novel’s most compelling aspects. The gothic atmosphere adds rich tension, especially with Dracula still looming over Lucy’s life.

Overall, *Lucy Undying* is a fresh, engaging take on Dracula’s lore, breathing new life into Lucy’s character. Fans of gothic fantasy and vampire fiction will find much to enjoy in this atmospheric, sapphic story.

Lucy was a side character in the Dracula story, even though a pivotal one to the events, her tale was over too quickly... or was it....

Lucy gave her life for what she loved and is determined to do the same in her afterlife. Abandoned by her maker she ambles along setting her own path over the years, and we learn all about this with Iris

Iris has inherited some properties after her mothers death, one being a little bit rundown but she is hopeful it'll have some profitable items hidden inside. What she finds, in the form of Lucy's journals, will prove priceless to her as she learns her history and sees a lot of herself in the girl Lucy was

Aided by new friends, and possibly someone who could be more, will Iris be able to step out on her own and out of her mothers shadow... and what else is in the shadows that Iris needs to learn about to keep herself safe...

Amazing take on the Dracula tale we all know. Lucy really did deserve better and she gets it in this story.

Out 10 September so still time to get ordering! Thanks to NetGalley and DelRey for the review copy, all opinions my own

This premise of this book was such a good one. The gothic atmospheric vibes were spot on which I loved.

The character arcs are brilliant - my favourite characters were Lucy and Iris. I feel like throughout the book, we got to know Lucy so well and I really enjoyed this aspect of the story.

In places I found this book too long and I think it could have benefited from being a bit shorter. I think this along with the slow pacing of the story meant that I found it a bit hard to get into to begin with although this definitely improved as a read on.

This is a book filled with plot twists and as a reader I could never get too comfortable in thinking I had things figured out but this kept it interesting

When I saw this book on Netgalley for the first time, I decided to skip it. That's firstly because the cover, although very authentic, is not very attractive. It's also because I did read some Kiersten White books before and I remembered them not being easy and fast reads. However, I eventually got an invitation from Del Rey and my curiosity won. I accepted the digital review copy from Netgalley and last week it was time to start reading.

This was one of the best books I've read this year. Everything about it worked. I don't want to give that much away, since the blurb is a little vague and is so with reason, but I especially loved how well the different parts of the story worked. We had Lucy's diary from when she was human, we had transcripts of her talking to a therapist, we had chapters from Iris' point of view and even Dracula got his own point of view chapters.

And, normally when we read from different points of view, there are points of view I prefer over others, but in this case I liked them all. Because each of them added something. Each of them was exciting. Each of them was leading somewhere. And of course that somewhere was eventually one and the same place. The author really did a great job having everything come together in the end and giving this story a satisfying ending.

What I liked most, though, is that Lucy really gets her own storyline and personality. In the original novel she's just Lucy, but after reading this book I will never be able to read the book in the same way. I will always notice how horribly Lucy is treated. This story makes us care about Lucy, makes us see her in a different light and makes us root for a happily ever after for her. I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this book!

Thank you to Random House UK and NetGalley for providing me an eARC to review!

I've had mixed success with White's books in the past, but how could I say no to picking up something with a cover like this??? Sadly I think this was a case of the book having a bit of an identity crisis and trying to do too much.

The tone of Iris' chapters was also strange to me - I think the aim was to provide some levity but the humour fell flat for me and it sat strangely with the other diary/past/Lucy storylines that had a much more serious tone. We also get a lot of the classic "it sucked to be a woman in the olden times but this is a feminist book" being shoved down your throat which wasn't the vibe.

4.5*

Lucy Undying is a dracula sapphic retelling, giving Lucy the story Kiersten felt like she was deserving of and one of these was Kiersten's belief that Lucy in the novel Dracula was queer. I can't attest to that as I haven't read Dracula (sacrilegious I know!) but after reading Lucy Undying I really want to sink my teeth (get it?) into Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Kiersten did an amazing job with taking the story of Dracula and reworking it into something original. I loved the glimpses into Lucy's past and the many people and vampires she meets along her to way to finally meeting Iris who is our other queer character in the story. Iris is a Goldaming, another feature taken from Dracula but Kiersten manages to turn this into something unexpected and wonderful.

I really can't wait to see what Kiersten does next and eagerly await her next novel.

Oh my God okay I heard vampires and sapphics and I was sold, and I am so thankful for this ARC. Was it a little cringe at times and too make-believe? Maybe, but I enjoyed those aspects!! Loved all the characters so much and would kill for more Lucy and Iris.

This was a beautiful book. I adored it from the very first page. It was so close to being a five star read for me and would have been, but I felt that the ending was a little too easy. It didn’t live up to the rest of the book.

It was a good adaptation as well. I can even forgive it for what it did to my beloved Mina, who is my favourite character in Dracula, because of the strength and beauty it gave to Lucy, who was foully mistreated by the original text. Lucy in this book is glorious. It takes her story and it adds more depth to it and it makes her more than just Dracula’s victim.

I really liked how this book was almost a love letter to abuse survivors. It took a bunch of women who had been through so much and gave them the agency and the strength to fight back. It was really a beautiful story.

As I said, I was only let down a little bit by the ending. Other than that this book is well worth the read!

Lucy Westenra has always been one of my favourite fictional characters of all time ever since I read Dracula when I was 17. So reading a story focused solely on her through a feminist lens was really exciting and well deserved since Lucy is a character oftentimes dismissed and overlooked for her sexual transgressive nature. She was the beating heart of the book— I didn’t find myself enraptured with any other character like I was with her. Following her life story was fascinating and surprisingly the romance was my least favourite. I just loved following her character journey alongside her trauma and nuances. The pacing was great and the writing style was perfectly decadent. I truly enjoyed myself as someone who has always loved Lucy.

I found the best vampire book of the year, and it's Lucy Undying. I loved everything about it. The humour, the Gothic vibes, the romance - it was great. Lucy was fantastic. Her narration had me laughing out loud several times, and I loved how Stoker's most maligned character was allowed to shine here.

The book also focused unapologetically on women and the relationships between women, both good and bad. I really appreciated the discussion of abusive mother-daughter relationships, how unsafe women are in society (even as vampires), and stalking. As such, the book is deeply feminist and portrays Dracula in a fresh, modern way. Without spoiling, White did some really fun things with the original characters that now make me see Stoker's story in a completely different light.

All in all, I have nothing to critisize. Lucy Undying was sexy, it was fun, and it was sapphic - what more can you ask for?

I very much enjoyed this book. Whilst I loved the concept of "Dracula", I found the original work itself a wee bit on the boring side. (Sorry, Bram.) The author says herself at the back of this book that the whole notion of "Lucy Undying" is that Lucy gets a girlfriend. Yes! And what a wonderful girlfriend she gets!

Don't expect this to be an action-every-five-minutes type of story, because it certainly is not that, nor is it as slow as "Dracula" was. The storyline is great, the characterisations excellent, and the hauntingly beautiful gothic "feel" spot on. I loved the way it was written, too. I lost my heart in here.

I chose to read an ARC of this work which I voluntarily, and honestly, read and reviewed. All opinions are my own. My thanks to the author, the publishers and NetGalley.

An absolutely unique story about Lucy, Dracula's first english vicitim, searching for revenge and a human girl in the midst of her families vampiric pyramid scheme. A must read for all lovers of Dracula and sapphics!!

4.5 stars

I was given an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"He is Dracula, and you are young and lovely and vulnerable, and he knows exactly how this dance will end. You will invite him in."

Having spent the duration of my degree building up a reputation as someone who only writes about vampires, I was thrilled when I was gifted this arc.

Lucy Undying takes the story of Lucy Westenra, Dracula's first, tragic victim, and spins it into a world of loss, confusion, and blood. When Iris Goldaming, a young heiress with a mysterious secret, travels to London on family business, she soon finds herself embroiled in a scandal dating back to the 1890s.

I loved how truthful this was to the novel, and how well White plays with different elements of Stoker's classic to provide a compelling, alternative reading. This is clearly written by someone who knows Dracula's story inside and out, and wants to give a voice back to the often silenced female victims. Plus there are some great nods to other classics of the vampire genre!

The multiple POVs were really effective, and each character was exceptionally written. I particularly loved how she reimagines Lucy's behaviour, both before and after she is turned into a vampire, making her so much more than a sexual object. Iris is an equally entertaining narrator, adding a refreshing, modern voice into a novel that darts between the centuries.

It did take me a little while to get fully into the narrative, but once I got a sense of some of the loose ends waiting to be resolved, I was hooked. If you're looking for a poignant retelling of a well-worn classic, this is definitely one to watch.

Books with similar vibes - A Dowry of Blood by S T Gibson, Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törsz, Interview with the vampire by Anne Rice, and Our Hideous Progeny by C E McGill.

This is the first thing I have read by this author, and only read it because it was a story around Dracula, one of my favourite novels of all time. It was written in a very familiar fashion as Bram Stoker’s book, in epistolary diary form, and it really added to what this really is – a follow-on regarding Lucy Westenra, one of the first victims of Dracula when he came to Whitby on the ship Demeter. The prose were vey lush, very gothic, and the love story (in present day) between her and Iris was gorgeous. Lucy is a very maligned character in Dracula, and in this she shines and becomes her own woman / immortal. I do believe the cover for the book should have an award by itself!!

Thanks to Netgalley UK and the publisher for letting me read this early for an honest review.

Lucy Undying is a retelling of Dracula by Bram Stoker, focusing on Dracula, Mina, Lucy and Jonathan. The story is told through journal entries, therapy transcripts and regular narrative but also had multiple POVs - in first second and third person and time jumps.

The idea White had for Lucy Undying is commendable but for me the execution fell flat. At times during the reading of this I wanted to give up, it was quite slow going until about the 60% mark at which point we go from slow pacing to foot on the pedal. Neither of which worked. I found the plot reveals to be predictable which is fine - this isn't a murder mystery but I wish they weren't there. I feel like we had a good thing going till the final reveal at which point it, the whole surprise reveal became a caricature of a plot twist taking away from the novel rather that adding to it. There were other issues, such as the romance between Lucy and Iris, I'm sorry but "butter chicken" freaked me out, and Iris basically fell in love with her at first sight which didn't help the case that there was nothing really between them in my opinion to substantiate a relationship except for maybe three lines.

It's a shame because I liked that Lucy Undying is sapphic and examines what it really means to know ones self and who can provide that for you, which is why it's got three stars but it felt like a chore at time to read and I wish it hadn't.

Thank you to Del Rey, Netgalley and Kiersten White for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow this was breathtaking!! I love when a book has different timelines where it goes back in time so we can learn more about the character and her past. And this book has three timelines!! 🤩

I loved the history of Lucy and how she navigates her life as a vampire, the first half of the book has her personal journal entries and I loved these so much they make the book so much more interesting and vibrant with plot!! My favourite was definitely the timeline of her being turned and navigating her life through Europe.

This book is deliciously slow, taking time with what happens to her and her history, and with the many POVs. loved it this way without any rush to the story and you could really connect with Lucy with the chapters that were about her past and her journal entries.

I also loved how with every journal entry the real story unwinds that Lucy is unaware of as she doesn’t have a third point of view at the time. Loved trying to guess the truth by all the plot twists!

Couldn’t recommend it enough!!😍