Shade

The Complete Trilogy, A Re-Imagining of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

By: Merrie Destefano

Narrated by: Katherine Holt

Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's Summary

Shade: The Frankenstein Saga: The Complete Trilogy: Books One Through Three

A dangerous holiday. A deadly curse.

When Mary Shelley visits Lord Byron in the Swiss Alps, she hopes it will be a welcome distraction from her broken heart. Instead, she’s surrounded by enigmatic guests with dangerous secrets. From the moment of her arrival, Mary and the others are forbidden to leave the villa after dark.

But tales of feral beasts aren’t the only dangers. John Polidori, a handsome guest, fervently pursues local legends that the dead can rise. When the group plays a game of storytelling, they weave tales of nightmarish ghouls - and Mary learns their harmless stories have the power to conjure. 

The dead will stalk the villa. And their royal master will stop at nothing to claim Mary as his own.

Dusk: Book Two

Byron warned them of hungry beasts prowling in the woods. Mary didn't believe him.

Then she saw one - after it ripped apart a pack of wolves.

Now Byron is gone, and both John and Percy may have fallen prey to hydrophobia. On top of that, Claire has gone into premature labor and Mary will do anything to save her stepsister's baby.

She'll even ride off to Geneva alone, seeking a midwife, knowing she might not return before dusk, when the vampire-like creatures will begin to hunt again.

Dawn: Book Three

Dawn is almost here. Mary thought they’d be safe. But they may never be safe again. 

She doesn't know who to trust - even John seems different. She worries he may have been bitten by the sangsue.

If she was worried about her own safety, that would be bad enough. But she has Claire's baby to care for, and she can't lose another child. She just can't

She’d be cursed if that happened.

2019 Realm Award Winner in Horror

2019 Moonbeam Children’s Book Award, Silver Medal Winner - Horror/Mystery

©2018 Merrie Destefano (P)2021 Merrie Destefano

The night is dark and full of terrors

Shade The Complete Trilogy is a superb audio production that features three absolutely terrifying novels.

Award-winning author and talented artist Merrie Destefano tells us a darkly gripping and instantly immersive tale of horror, love and loss with Shade, Dusk and Dawn. All three of them depict the author's re-imagining of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and will haunt you for days or even weeks after you finish listening to the audiobook.

Writer, Designer and Voice Over Artist Katherine Holt brings all these deeply troubled and tormented characters to life in a captivating performance. She reads in a soft, pleasant British accent and infuses this gothic horror drama with passion and emotion. Thanks to her narration, the listener is instantly immersed into this bone-chilling story.

Fast-paced, unputdownable, superbly written and completely immersive, Shade The Complete Trilogy - A Re-Imagining of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein by Merrie Destefano will delight and entertain all fans of gothic horror.

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I stayed up way too late listening to this book.

This book is a fast-paced and suspenseful read. I finished the book in a day. It was hard to put down. It is fascinating blend of semi-historical and gothic elements. While it does take some liberties as far a timeline and events, the characters didn't seem out of place and were a believable portrayal what these real historical figures could have been like and what some of their demons could have been. It doesn't have the problem of a lot of gothic story which is to be slow and drawn out. I like the blending of elements and themes from the Frankenstein and The Vampyre with the personal of struggles of the characters. The narrator did a great job and sound was clear. The author was kind enough to give me a copy of the book to listen to but I feel it would have been well worth a credit.

Gothic historical fantasy at its best

The epic combination of these historical friendships, all dark and tortured secluded in Switzerland during the year without a summer. Perfect characters and setting. This gothic horror trilogy was on point from the first scenes,set in historical context to the fantasy scenes with werewolves, vampires, and Frankenstein’s monster reimagined all drawn together in a tight and chilling tale.
The narrator is perfect for this historical fantasy of the Romantic era.

A Story that has it all and more!

Mary Wollstonecroft Godwin goes to Lord Byron’s home located in the Swiss Alps.  The party promises to cure her of her broken heart, but things are not as they seem, there are secrets and deadly consequences for anyone who does not follow the rules or who goes out and about after dark ...

Merrie Destefano, the author, wrote a captivating and beautiful retelling of Frankenstein and Dracula.  I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what would happen next, but I failed to do so.  This story has it all, drama, monsters, vampires, horror, and even a bit of romance to top us off.  This was a captivating story that tells a slightly darker side. 

Destefano does a solid job of building on characters we are familiar with and creating new ones that blend in realistically.  The plot was well-done, and the plot twists were unique and mesmerizing.

As great as this horror story is, Katherine Holt did just as great with the narration.  She has a soft reading voice but fits this story very well.  She spoke clearly and with the perfect amount of emotion.  Her pacing was spot on as well.

Overall, this is a book that I could listen to again and a book that I highly recommend!

Disclaimer: This Audiobook was provided free of charge by the author, narrator, and/or publisher in exchange for a non-bias, honest review.

A Fun Romp into the Origins of Beloved Classics

I enjoyed this listen. It was both chilling and absolutely engaging at the same time, and it was fun to see the ties that connected this retelling with the original tales and the Mary Shelley's life.

I will say that I was glad I got the opportunity to listen to the omnibus version of the story though and not to the separate books on their own.

Why, you ask?

Because I felt like the Omnibus itself all together should have been considered one stand alone novel, and that the story didn't need to be separated into three parts... or rather, didn't need to be separated into three different books (3 parts of one book is understandable). All three books together felt like just the right length for one full stand alone novel... not too long and not too short.

But other than that and a very few very minor details (not really worth mentioning in this review), I did enjoy the book quite thuroughly and plan to share it with my younger sister. I think she'll enjoy it too. :)