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astilbe_225's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
I picked this book up on a whim, because the cover looked really pretty and the synopsis was interesting. And I was… disappointed. I don’t even know where I should start with this review, so I’m just going to start off with what I liked.
I’m going to refer to Monster as… Well, Monster, and the young girl simply as “the girl” for the sake of a spoiler free review.
I loved how we found out more about Monster’s life, as she slowly remembered parts about her childhood. Despite this making me not like Monster’s character, I still enjoyed those moments in the book. Another thing I enjoyed about this book is that the writing is so simple, yet there are some sentences that really pack a punch. There’s some sentences that are absolutely beautiful to read.
Though, talking about the writing, there are also some negatives, which is where all the parts I didn’t like come in. With the writing being so simple, it felt repetitive. There were also some sentences that were incredibly weird, for example; “Beyond the diving gulls, where the cliff meets the pregnant sky”, which is on the second page. What is this supposed to mean???
Another thing that really threw me off was the ending. It was incredibly weird. The girl, during the book, was hinted to be young. It feels wrong to have that as an ending for a girl that seemed to be 10-13, and overall very naive. When I got to the part when the girl walked to the clinic, I immediately wanted to stop reading, but I didn’t because it made sense to just finish the book then. I skipped over a lot of pages that I just… didn’t want to read. You may argue that because the girl is very naive that’s why she would do that, but I don’t even get why the author would write this as an ending. It just feels so wrong.
Overall; Simple writing, which was sometimes beautiful but sometimes had weird sentences. I found Monster annoying, and I never really found her likeable. I’m not even sure what to feel about the other girl. Ending was incredibly weird.
Final Rating; 1.5 stars.
// Pre Review Thoughts [SPOILERS]
i never thought i would read a book when a 10-13 year old (probably, it’s inferred but never stated. she’s definitely a child, though) would try to impregnate herself. and succeed.
this book was actually kinda good but the ending ruined it. never again. i’m going to read shadow of the gods rn to cope.
I’m going to refer to Monster as… Well, Monster, and the young girl simply as “the girl” for the sake of a spoiler free review.
I loved how we found out more about Monster’s life, as she slowly remembered parts about her childhood. Despite this making me not like Monster’s character, I still enjoyed those moments in the book. Another thing I enjoyed about this book is that the writing is so simple, yet there are some sentences that really pack a punch. There’s some sentences that are absolutely beautiful to read.
Though, talking about the writing, there are also some negatives, which is where all the parts I didn’t like come in. With the writing being so simple, it felt repetitive. There were also some sentences that were incredibly weird, for example; “Beyond the diving gulls, where the cliff meets the pregnant sky”, which is on the second page. What is this supposed to mean???
Another thing that really threw me off was the ending. It was incredibly weird. The girl, during the book, was hinted to be young. It feels wrong to have that as an ending for a girl that seemed to be 10-13, and overall very naive. When I got to the part when the girl walked to the clinic, I immediately wanted to stop reading, but I didn’t because it made sense to just finish the book then. I skipped over a lot of pages that I just… didn’t want to read. You may argue that because the girl is very naive that’s why she would do that, but I don’t even get why the author would write this as an ending. It just feels so wrong.
Overall; Simple writing, which was sometimes beautiful but sometimes had weird sentences. I found Monster annoying, and I never really found her likeable. I’m not even sure what to feel about the other girl. Ending was incredibly weird.
Final Rating; 1.5 stars.
// Pre Review Thoughts [SPOILERS]
this book was actually kinda good but the ending ruined it. never again. i’m going to read shadow of the gods rn to cope.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Pregnancy
Moderate: Bullying and Suicide
For the suicide warning, a young child sees a woman jump off a bridge. Monster was bullied in school.jamieleepilk's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"I have never believed in spirits or the afterlife, but still they swirl around me like a current, dragging at me as if my survival was somehow a betrayal." p.30
For a fiction debut this book is brilliant! You are completely sucked in from page one with it's train of thought narration and dark circumstance. Covering topics like influence, growing up and being a mother. A lot of the story revolves around memory and specifically what trauma does to our memories, how we remember and process things which in turn effects how we live in the present day.
The first half of the novel is from an adult female whose name is Monster. Monster believes that she is the only person left and is making her way back to her home town after being away while a sickness and a war has killed everyone else. Her chapters are sinister and even though you are reading from inside her brain, it does feel like you are being kept at arms left and she's being intentionally vague which is very immersive and tells you a lot about her character and state of mind. The second part of the book is told from the point of view of a young girl (probably around 12-13?) who Monster "adopts" then giving her the name Monster, she becomes Mother separating herself as "creator" and the young girl as "survivor". Monster 2 has had a hard life and you only get small glimpses of her past. From her perspective you find that Monster 1 has not been giving us the whole truth. The contrast in the two sections is vast, which Monster 1 being set in her ways of survival and Monster 2 wanting to create, grow and explore more not just for food and things to survive.
To be honest there isn't much plot within this story but you do get sucked in regardless. There also isn't very much dialogue, conversations are very brief and often shut down by Monster 1. I'm grateful that the novel changed pov half way through as it did start to get a little repetitive so it was good to get both voices in.
For a fiction debut this book is brilliant! You are completely sucked in from page one with it's train of thought narration and dark circumstance. Covering topics like influence, growing up and being a mother. A lot of the story revolves around memory and specifically what trauma does to our memories, how we remember and process things which in turn effects how we live in the present day.
The first half of the novel is from an adult female whose name is Monster. Monster believes that she is the only person left and is making her way back to her home town after being away while a sickness and a war has killed everyone else. Her chapters are sinister and even though you are reading from inside her brain, it does feel like you are being kept at arms left and she's being intentionally vague which is very immersive and tells you a lot about her character and state of mind. The second part of the book is told from the point of view of a young girl (probably around 12-13?) who Monster "adopts" then giving her the name Monster, she becomes Mother separating herself as "creator" and the young girl as "survivor". Monster 2 has had a hard life and you only get small glimpses of her past. From her perspective you find that Monster 1 has not been giving us the whole truth. The contrast in the two sections is vast, which Monster 1 being set in her ways of survival and Monster 2 wanting to create, grow and explore more not just for food and things to survive.
To be honest there isn't much plot within this story but you do get sucked in regardless. There also isn't very much dialogue, conversations are very brief and often shut down by Monster 1. I'm grateful that the novel changed pov half way through as it did start to get a little repetitive so it was good to get both voices in.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Death, Gore, Blood, Medical content, and Grief
Minor: Homophobia and Vomit