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pilgrimgossip's review against another edition
4.0
Very light on the M /M, but otherwise very good.
So I don't know if I would consider this to be a M/M romance. I sure there was some of that but the romance wasn't the most important aspect of the book. It kept my interest at a pretty high level of and the characters are were all compelling and with impressively good dialog to boot.
I liked the romance but I was left wanting more. I know this is a trilogy and assume we will get more in subsequent books, but but this book could have thrown in a little more.
If you need a lot of spice you will not find it here. For a book full of demons it was very tame. I you really only get the beginning of 1 sex scene and it quickly fades to black. The HEA or Happy for now was resolved too quickly. Ii hope the next book makes up for that.
The semi cliffhanger did leave me wanting more than a
So I don't know if I would consider this to be a M/M romance. I sure there was some of that but the romance wasn't the most important aspect of the book. It kept my interest at a pretty high level of and the characters are were all compelling and with impressively good dialog to boot.
I liked the romance but I was left wanting more. I know this is a trilogy and assume we will get more in subsequent books, but but this book could have thrown in a little more.
If you need a lot of spice you will not find it here. For a book full of demons it was very tame. I you really only get the beginning of 1 sex scene and it quickly fades to black. The HEA or Happy for now was resolved too quickly. Ii hope the next book makes up for that.
The semi cliffhanger did leave me wanting more than a
nalry's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
aehmyers's review
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I really want to label this book cozy horror, which seems like an oxymoron. But while there are some dark/creepy things, largely it’s got a lovely cast of queer found family and plenty of humorous moments. Very enjoyable.
melitta's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
pilgrimgossip's review
4.0
Very light on the M /M, but otherwise very good.
So I don't know if I would consider this to be a M/M romance. I sure there was some of that but the romance wasn't the most important aspect of the book. It kept my interest at a pretty high level of and the characters are were all compelling and with impressively good dialog to boot.
I liked the romance but I was left wanting more. I know this is a trilogy and assume we will get more in subsequent books, but but this book could have thrown in a little more.
If you need a lot of spice you will not find it here. For a book full of demons it was very tame. I you really only get the beginning of 1 sex scene and it quickly fades to black. The HEA or Happy for now was resolved too quickly. Ii hope the next book makes up for that.
The semi cliffhanger did leave me wanting more than a
So I don't know if I would consider this to be a M/M romance. I sure there was some of that but the romance wasn't the most important aspect of the book. It kept my interest at a pretty high level of and the characters are were all compelling and with impressively good dialog to boot.
I liked the romance but I was left wanting more. I know this is a trilogy and assume we will get more in subsequent books, but but this book could have thrown in a little more.
If you need a lot of spice you will not find it here. For a book full of demons it was very tame. I you really only get the beginning of 1 sex scene and it quickly fades to black. The HEA or Happy for now was resolved too quickly. Ii hope the next book makes up for that.
The semi cliffhanger did leave me wanting more than a
eesh25's review
2.0
1.5 Stars
This was mostly terrible, and the only reason I got through it is because I didn't want to have two DNF's this month. And because it didn't get unbearably bad till like 70%. Until that point, I still had hope.
For a book called Lesser Known Monsters, there’s surprisingly little focus on the monsters. Sure, monsters exist, but we don’t get much lore about them. The focus is on the protagonist and his two friends. And all three of them are the worst. Let’s start with our MC Oscar (a great name he does not deserve).
The synopsis says that Oscar is “not a hero.” He’s essentially not special or brave or any of that. But he’s put in extraordinary circumstances and I thought that meant he would step up at some point. Turns out, nope, he pretty much stays “not a hero.” He doesn’t do a single fucking thing in the entire book. Except have sex with a guy he shouldn’t trust and insult creatures by calling them monsters. Anything plot-related just happens to him and he freaks out and watches other people deal with it. I can understand him not being able to fight but he doesn’t even both to think. He’s like a male Bella Swan, boring, and a passive participant in his own life.
I also didn’t like Oscar’s two friends, though at least they were helpful. Zara is just annoying, which puts a damper on her being the only person showing a healthy level of mistrust. Marcus is one of the most inconsistent characters I’ve seen. He switches between paranoia, eager excitement and making jokes about a guy hurting children in his spare time. It’s later revealed that he has ADHD, and if that’s supposed to be representation, it sucks.
Then there’s Dmitri, the love interest. The guy barely has a personality beyond simping for Oscar for unexplained reasons. The entire romance is based on how attracted they are to each other and how intense their connection is. You see how this is just Twilight with better writing and world building, right? But at least Bella figured out that Edward was a vampire. If we waited for Oscar to figure anything out, this series would be longer than the Wheel of Time.
The plot isn’t very interesting, partially because I didn’t care enough about Oscar to give a shit why someone was after him. But also because we don’t get any answers until a huge villain monologue near the end that I hated. In fact, I hated every fucking thing about the climax and wish it to die a fiery death.
Now let’s get to the few positive. I know I should’ve mentioned positives first but I had I needed stuff to get off my chest.
There are these little excerpts before some chapters that tell us about different kind of monsters. I liked them. And there’s a short story interlude or sorts that was great. Several of the details we get about the world and its monsters are interesting. Basically, anything that didn’t have to do with the main story or characters was actually good to some degree.
Overall, the few positives were not able to redeem the book. I don’t recommend it, and I have no plans to continue the series.
This was mostly terrible, and the only reason I got through it is because I didn't want to have two DNF's this month. And because it didn't get unbearably bad till like 70%. Until that point, I still had hope.
For a book called Lesser Known Monsters, there’s surprisingly little focus on the monsters. Sure, monsters exist, but we don’t get much lore about them. The focus is on the protagonist and his two friends. And all three of them are the worst. Let’s start with our MC Oscar (a great name he does not deserve).
The synopsis says that Oscar is “not a hero.” He’s essentially not special or brave or any of that. But he’s put in extraordinary circumstances and I thought that meant he would step up at some point. Turns out, nope, he pretty much stays “not a hero.” He doesn’t do a single fucking thing in the entire book. Except have sex with a guy he shouldn’t trust and insult creatures by calling them monsters. Anything plot-related just happens to him and he freaks out and watches other people deal with it. I can understand him not being able to fight but he doesn’t even both to think. He’s like a male Bella Swan, boring, and a passive participant in his own life.
I also didn’t like Oscar’s two friends, though at least they were helpful. Zara is just annoying, which puts a damper on her being the only person showing a healthy level of mistrust. Marcus is one of the most inconsistent characters I’ve seen. He switches between paranoia, eager excitement and making jokes about a guy hurting children in his spare time. It’s later revealed that he has ADHD, and if that’s supposed to be representation, it sucks.
Then there’s Dmitri, the love interest. The guy barely has a personality beyond simping for Oscar for unexplained reasons. The entire romance is based on how attracted they are to each other and how intense their connection is. You see how this is just Twilight with better writing and world building, right? But at least Bella figured out that Edward was a vampire. If we waited for Oscar to figure anything out, this series would be longer than the Wheel of Time.
The plot isn’t very interesting, partially because I didn’t care enough about Oscar to give a shit why someone was after him. But also because we don’t get any answers until a huge villain monologue near the end that I hated. In fact, I hated every fucking thing about the climax and wish it to die a fiery death.
Now let’s get to the few positive. I know I should’ve mentioned positives first but I had I needed stuff to get off my chest.
There are these little excerpts before some chapters that tell us about different kind of monsters. I liked them. And there’s a short story interlude or sorts that was great. Several of the details we get about the world and its monsters are interesting. Basically, anything that didn’t have to do with the main story or characters was actually good to some degree.
Overall, the few positives were not able to redeem the book. I don’t recommend it, and I have no plans to continue the series.
gillianw's review against another edition
3.0
3 stars
I hope I’m being fair to this book as it actually took me ages to finish it. I suspect some of it had to do with current events, however, given that elections, pandemics and general non-stop upheaval kept getting in the way. Having said that, I thought it was a decent debut novel with an interesting premise. I enjoyed the different monsters and the little blurbs about them that prefaced each chapter. There was a nice diverse cast of characters and the storyline, which felt YA in parts, moved along quickly but at the expense of the overall plot. One particular event felt so jarring and was barely explained that I’d wished more time and care had been spent leading up to it, rather than thrusting it in at the last minute and during a very vital part of the story. I have some other minor quibbles but in the end, I thought it was a pretty good first book. I’ll definitely read a sequel and have hopes that experience and slightly better editing will improve upon the author’s talent.
I hope I’m being fair to this book as it actually took me ages to finish it. I suspect some of it had to do with current events, however, given that elections, pandemics and general non-stop upheaval kept getting in the way. Having said that, I thought it was a decent debut novel with an interesting premise. I enjoyed the different monsters and the little blurbs about them that prefaced each chapter. There was a nice diverse cast of characters and the storyline, which felt YA in parts, moved along quickly but at the expense of the overall plot. One particular event felt so jarring and was barely explained that I’d wished more time and care had been spent leading up to it, rather than thrusting it in at the last minute and during a very vital part of the story. I have some other minor quibbles but in the end, I thought it was a pretty good first book. I’ll definitely read a sequel and have hopes that experience and slightly better editing will improve upon the author’s talent.
yes_yes's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5