Adam, Mine
K. Ancrum
HarperCollins Children’s Books
Ages 13+
Available September 8, 2026

Victor Frankenstein is seventeen years old and ready to prove his genius to the world. But no one is willing to let a brash young student experiment with his ideas about reanimation and the extension of life. Desperate to prove himself and his ideas, he stumbles into the world of dark alchemy, taking Elias, a young man from a nearby village as his unwitting test subject. Bound together by alchemical magic neither truly understands, Victor and Elias must reckon with what Frankenstein has done. Which of them is man, and which is monster?

In Ancrum’s self-professed “love letter to Frankenstein,” gothic prose and subtle, smoldering horror take underlie a narrative about grief, love, and loneliness. As the characters travel throughout Europe, looking for answers, their feelings and very senses of self are molded and changed by the situation and by each other.

Older readers interested in exploring gothic fiction with a YA twist might find themselves reaching for this title. Some knowledge of the original text will help eagle-eyed readers pick out references, but isn’t required for a thorough read through.