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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
fatboyinawagon's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
emilywrayburn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Homophobia and Transphobia
andrhyshend's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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
4.0
netslummer's review against another edition
4.0
Oscar is insufferable. The overarching story is interesting. The author is a skilled writer and the book was kind of funny to start. Zara and Marcus are far more interesting characters than Oscar, which is sort of the point, but I should've been encouraged to LIKE Oscar more. Rating this well for plot/world building but I will not be continuing with this series because I didn't care if the main character survived. Also entirely unbelievable "first time" with Dmitri really took me out of the book.
I think this book definitely has an audience that would/does enjoy it (if the reviews on GoodReads are any indication) I just didn't happen to be the proper audience. I wanted more horror less insufferable and timid main character.
3.5/5
I think this book definitely has an audience that would/does enjoy it (if the reviews on GoodReads are any indication) I just didn't happen to be the proper audience. I wanted more horror less insufferable and timid main character.
3.5/5
gmv's review
3.0
It was interesting. I will be reading the next book.
I gave it a three because the consequences felt minimal for such high stakes. Not sure why there was a death warning when no one close to the MC died. It was a cop-out.
I gave it a three because the consequences felt minimal for such high stakes. Not sure why there was a death warning when no one close to the MC died. It was a cop-out.
theonlyusernameavailable's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
amanda_shortman's review against another edition
5.0
This review is for the Audible version:
I've had the Lesser Known Monsters trilogy sitting on my bookshelf for ages, as it had been recommended to me by several people. However my health makes reading paperbacks challenging, and so I was delighted when this came out on Audible.
Rhys does an incredible job of bringing the world and characters of the story to life. As someone who listens to a lot of audiobooks, I appreciate a good match of narrator to story, and this was a perfect match!
The story itself is fascinating - like the main character Oscar and his friends, we have no idea what the world contains for a fair while. Some of these "Lesser Known Monsters" are hidden within plain sight, and nothing is quite as it seems.
I don't normally like stories with too much peril or gruesome details, but Rory created characters whose stories I was desperate to hear, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I cannot wait for the next book in the series to be released.
I've had the Lesser Known Monsters trilogy sitting on my bookshelf for ages, as it had been recommended to me by several people. However my health makes reading paperbacks challenging, and so I was delighted when this came out on Audible.
Rhys does an incredible job of bringing the world and characters of the story to life. As someone who listens to a lot of audiobooks, I appreciate a good match of narrator to story, and this was a perfect match!
The story itself is fascinating - like the main character Oscar and his friends, we have no idea what the world contains for a fair while. Some of these "Lesser Known Monsters" are hidden within plain sight, and nothing is quite as it seems.
I don't normally like stories with too much peril or gruesome details, but Rory created characters whose stories I was desperate to hear, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I cannot wait for the next book in the series to be released.