Strange Star by Emma Carroll
Published by Delacorte Press on March 20th 2018
ISBN: 0399556052
Pages: 240
Goodreads

This novel intertwines Lord Byron, Mary and Percy Shelley, Dr. John Polidori, and Claire Clairmont with fictional characters for an interesting story concerning a scientist, a wolf, and two sisters. Lord Byron and his guests are gathered at his villa at Lake Geneva in June 1816 for dinner with ghost stories to follow. It is a dark and stormy night. One of the guests screams that someone is outside. There are a variety of noises and then silence. A young girl is found outside. She appears to be dead and has an unusual scar. The story goes on to introduce Dr. Francesca Stein and her experiments with electricity. The fictional character Felix, a black servant, plays a large role in the story as well as the girl discovered outside. Some of the same themes of Frankenstein are explored in this well written and fast moving novel. In the afterward the author explains how the story of Frankenstein inspired this novel. It was previously published in the UK in 2016. This is the first U.S. edition. Reviewed by Kris Zuidema, retired school librarian, Standish