xqueenybee's review against another edition
4.0
Not what I was Expecting
I thought I was going to read a straight up modern suspense thriller. I wasnt counting on the dragon fairies. :) Loved that twist though, and I want to read the sequel.
I thought I was going to read a straight up modern suspense thriller. I wasnt counting on the dragon fairies. :) Loved that twist though, and I want to read the sequel.
flat_castle's review against another edition
1.0
Putting plot holes and the hand waving of nonsense and everything else aside, the edition I had on Kindle included a passage mentioning "Gene Gray."
You know, Gene. From the X-Men?
Is editing dead or what :|
You know, Gene. From the X-Men?
Is editing dead or what :|
erinstar87's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like this book. The premise was intriguing and I was very optimistic going in. There were almost too many twists though. When the story would take yet another turn I felt exasperated. Really?! We’re going to add THIS to the plot too??
ironside85's review against another edition
When I began reading this book I didn’t know what to expect. From reading the blurb I thought it was going to be a kidnapping story but as I read on it took on a paranormal take. As a person who loves to read paranormal books I was happy with the turnaround. One thing that irked me about the book is how trusting Samantha was as a kidnapping victim. From the moment, she met Blake she instantly trusted him even though he gave her no reason to do so.
Aside from that I really enjoyed this book, it had everything I love to read in a book, tension, suspense, romance, and a great twist at the end as to who the “hidden monster” is.
Aside from that I really enjoyed this book, it had everything I love to read in a book, tension, suspense, romance, and a great twist at the end as to who the “hidden monster” is.
singh_reads_kanwar2's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't know what to expect... The book is not upto my expectations from the book
I felt sorry for Sam at the start of this, but I can't say I really liked her character.
We start with Samantha, in an unknown cabin with a strange guy drugging her. From the first page the mystery of who her captive was starts and you are kept guessing till the very end of the book. This is something I much appreciate in a book as I am the sort of person who guesses correctly of what will happen in a book next .
The story then turns into a rollercoaster full of suspense, mystery ana interesting new species; part human, part dragonfly. This book puts an interesting spin on our favorite fantasy creatures.
This started out alright, but it went downhill rather fast unfortunately. I found the whole thing quite weird, and it just couldn't keep my interest, so I felt bored for the majority of it.
I felt sorry for Sam at the start of this, but I can't say I really liked her character.
We start with Samantha, in an unknown cabin with a strange guy drugging her. From the first page the mystery of who her captive was starts and you are kept guessing till the very end of the book. This is something I much appreciate in a book as I am the sort of person who guesses correctly of what will happen in a book next .
The story then turns into a rollercoaster full of suspense, mystery ana interesting new species; part human, part dragonfly. This book puts an interesting spin on our favorite fantasy creatures.
This started out alright, but it went downhill rather fast unfortunately. I found the whole thing quite weird, and it just couldn't keep my interest, so I felt bored for the majority of it.
nightingale's review against another edition
2.0
The song No of Megan Trainor comes to mind...
This book is :
The rating is:
The story is :
And :
By the middle of this book, I was just begging it to please stop. Please let it just end.
I’m sorry to say my experience was not one I would like to go through again. I had very high hopes for this book. Abduction by a mysterious man and then she would eventually fall in love with her captor without realizing it!? Sold!
It started off so well.
I could immediately identify with the character. I could sense a good flow of the story. I could hear her breathing I was caught up in her fear. I was captured in the story tied down to each word. The first hint of danger came with the introduction of Blake. There was an awkwardness in the way Sam and Blake spoke to each other and a forced friendliness. Out of nowhere I was surrounded by so many characters and their physical descriptions that I had to search for the story. However, I thought it was a false alarm especially with an element of supernatural emerging out of the story. I told myself just keep going Snow you are being paranoid.
I kept waiting for the story to get back on track to go back to that soft spot of thriller and mystery but it was like I had accidentally picked up a new book. This new book a young adult novel emerged in high school drama. I could barely see the characters anymore their dialogue had transformed into that of a badly dubbed Latin soap. Any indication of the previous chapters had disappeared. Yes, it was still there but more like a pimple than anything else. Making the character self-aware and concerned about what others thought.
It was absolutely enraging. I have read my fair share of abduction and abusive novels. This was almost offensive to the genre. How can a character that was just abducted and tortured for 3 weeks develop an instant crush on the boy next door?! How can a family who’s daughter just came back after being missing for 3 weeks continue as if nothing happened?
If the family was in the media calculated about their actions, not a loving family or perhaps a family of assassins, I would understand the lack of reaction. This is a normal family I expect change, drama, at least a bit of shouting.
Multiple times I wanted to throw the virtual copy against the wall and rage. I groaned out so many times at the horrible inner monologues and reactions of the characters, it became impossible to read in public.
Read the rest on my blog here
This book is :
The rating is:
The story is :
And :
By the middle of this book, I was just begging it to please stop. Please let it just end.
I’m sorry to say my experience was not one I would like to go through again. I had very high hopes for this book. Abduction by a mysterious man and then she would eventually fall in love with her captor without realizing it!? Sold!
It started off so well.
I could immediately identify with the character. I could sense a good flow of the story. I could hear her breathing I was caught up in her fear. I was captured in the story tied down to each word. The first hint of danger came with the introduction of Blake. There was an awkwardness in the way Sam and Blake spoke to each other and a forced friendliness. Out of nowhere I was surrounded by so many characters and their physical descriptions that I had to search for the story. However, I thought it was a false alarm especially with an element of supernatural emerging out of the story. I told myself just keep going Snow you are being paranoid.
I kept waiting for the story to get back on track to go back to that soft spot of thriller and mystery but it was like I had accidentally picked up a new book. This new book a young adult novel emerged in high school drama. I could barely see the characters anymore their dialogue had transformed into that of a badly dubbed Latin soap. Any indication of the previous chapters had disappeared. Yes, it was still there but more like a pimple than anything else. Making the character self-aware and concerned about what others thought.
It was absolutely enraging. I have read my fair share of abduction and abusive novels. This was almost offensive to the genre. How can a character that was just abducted and tortured for 3 weeks develop an instant crush on the boy next door?! How can a family who’s daughter just came back after being missing for 3 weeks continue as if nothing happened?
If the family was in the media calculated about their actions, not a loving family or perhaps a family of assassins, I would understand the lack of reaction. This is a normal family I expect change, drama, at least a bit of shouting.
Multiple times I wanted to throw the virtual copy against the wall and rage. I groaned out so many times at the horrible inner monologues and reactions of the characters, it became impossible to read in public.
Read the rest on my blog here
shanbreads's review against another edition
5.0
Received for review from netgally and the publisher this has in now way effected my review
Hidden Monster is the story of Samantha a 17-year old girl who is kidnapped and held captive for several weeks. She is kept drugged and tied to a bed by her masked kidnapper and that's just the first chapter! The story really gets going when she escapes and tries to return to a normal life. Her new neighbour Blake is more than happy to try and help her but he's got secrets of his own. I cant say too much more without some major spoilers and one of the best things about this book is the "What the what?" moment when the real story comes out. It's a lot of fun and keeps you turning pages.
This was such an enjoyable and surprising book! I did not know what to expect when I started it and it turned out to be so much fun. Strong's forte is in creating complex, imaginative plot lines and Hidden Monster takes you on a roller coaster ride from the very first scene. Her characters are wonderful, as well. Samantha is strong protagonist and I as rooting for her until the very end. Blake is a truly swoon worthy book boyfriend and I look forward to seeing how life turns out for them in the rest of the series which I hope Ms. Strong will hurry up and write.
If you enjoy YA fantasy with more than a touch of romance this book is definitely for you.
Hidden Monster is the story of Samantha a 17-year old girl who is kidnapped and held captive for several weeks. She is kept drugged and tied to a bed by her masked kidnapper and that's just the first chapter! The story really gets going when she escapes and tries to return to a normal life. Her new neighbour Blake is more than happy to try and help her but he's got secrets of his own. I cant say too much more without some major spoilers and one of the best things about this book is the "What the what?" moment when the real story comes out. It's a lot of fun and keeps you turning pages.
This was such an enjoyable and surprising book! I did not know what to expect when I started it and it turned out to be so much fun. Strong's forte is in creating complex, imaginative plot lines and Hidden Monster takes you on a roller coaster ride from the very first scene. Her characters are wonderful, as well. Samantha is strong protagonist and I as rooting for her until the very end. Blake is a truly swoon worthy book boyfriend and I look forward to seeing how life turns out for them in the rest of the series which I hope Ms. Strong will hurry up and write.
If you enjoy YA fantasy with more than a touch of romance this book is definitely for you.
lovesbooksandtea's review against another edition
2.0
The beginning showed promise and I stuck with it until the end so I could find out the solution to the mystery. All the bits in the middle though...there was a little too much victim-blaming for my liking, both by the supporting cast and by the main character. There was also this toxic idea of “well my boyfriend is lying to me and controlling me, trapping me on an island so I can’t escape but it’s ok because he’s just trying to protect me” which I can’t stand in YA novels as they give young girls the wrong idea of what a relationship should be. I also hate the perpetuation of girls being bad friends/bad people and only boys being trustworthy. So many issues with all of the characters. There were also issues with the text itself, the author thanks a proofreader in her acknowledgments but that person really did not do a thorough job.
The ending was a total twist that I didn’t see coming and that’s why this book is getting 2 stars instead of 1.
The ending was a total twist that I didn’t see coming and that’s why this book is getting 2 stars instead of 1.
nixwolfwood's review against another edition
3.0
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
It was actually really hard for me to get into this book. It wasn't the editing, but the content. It felt unrealistic, to a level of silliness. An example: The mother is a horribly selfish person that cares more about her daughter's appearance and interest in boys than she cares that her daughter was KIDNAPPED AND MISSING for a while.
As someone who has suffered abuse, I found the actions of the main character and those around her to be very unrealistic.
The story picks up about 30% in. By that point I was glad that I had decided not to call it a loss. I absolutely loved how dragon flies were incorporated into it, and the twists and turns that went on in the story.
There were still a few issues, mostly with the main character's family. They didn't feel realistic. But they were really such minor characters by this point, that I hardly noticed them.
Lots of drama happened. I ended up staying up way past my bedtime because of it all. It was really freaking awesome.
Until it hit about 90%. Then it just got silly. It was definitely a plot twist... Also, "Gene Gray", seriously? First of all, "Jean" second of all "Grey".
This book took me almost a third of it to keep me interested, and if it wasn't for review I doubt I'd have stuck around that long. Although the majority of the book was pretty awesome, almost half of it was not.
http://www.platypire.com/j-hooligan/hidden-monster-by-amanda-strong
It was actually really hard for me to get into this book. It wasn't the editing, but the content. It felt unrealistic, to a level of silliness. An example: The mother is a horribly selfish person that cares more about her daughter's appearance and interest in boys than she cares that her daughter was KIDNAPPED AND MISSING for a while.
As someone who has suffered abuse, I found the actions of the main character and those around her to be very unrealistic.
The story picks up about 30% in. By that point I was glad that I had decided not to call it a loss. I absolutely loved how dragon flies were incorporated into it, and the twists and turns that went on in the story.
There were still a few issues, mostly with the main character's family. They didn't feel realistic. But they were really such minor characters by this point, that I hardly noticed them.
Lots of drama happened. I ended up staying up way past my bedtime because of it all. It was really freaking awesome.
Until it hit about 90%. Then it just got silly. It was definitely a plot twist... Also, "Gene Gray", seriously? First of all, "Jean" second of all "Grey".
This book took me almost a third of it to keep me interested, and if it wasn't for review I doubt I'd have stuck around that long. Although the majority of the book was pretty awesome, almost half of it was not.
http://www.platypire.com/j-hooligan/hidden-monster-by-amanda-strong