innae's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
I loved this second in the series more than the first. Cute and fun. But!! It again ends with things in a mess for our monsters…I don’t know how they will fix this one.
disconightwing's review
3.0
LOL
Okay, so this picks up more or less immediately after the first Monster High book. It wraps up Frankie's never allowed to talk to people ever again storyline pretty neatly and then launches directly into Cleo being the main protagonist, alongside Melody. And just LOL... I halfway liked Cleo in the first novel just because she seemed to have personality behind the icy exterior but in this one, I could not seem to reconcile her as any sort of role model for preteens or teens or any sort of person, really.
This is Cleo basically in a nutshell. Her father, Rameses, brings back a bunch of Nefertiti's jewelry from Egypt and gives it to Cleo, along with a card from Anna Wintour, the editor of Teen Vogue. Cleo convinces him to set up a photoshoot with her as the main model, to show off the jewelry, and then lies to her friends Clawdeen and Blue by telling them they are also okay to model (even though she hasn't cleared it yet) and to Lala by saying she could help with makeup (since she can't show up on film). She manages to remember to get this confirmed a few days later, but only because she thinks Clawdeen, Blue, and Lala think Frankie and Melody are cooler.
Meanwhile, Melody and her sister whose name I still can't remember (edit: Candace) set up a society to help get RADs out of hiding and into mainstream society. (It's called NUDI). They, along with Frankie's normie boyfriend Brett and his friend Heath (a normie who just discovered he's really a RAD) are making a documentary which Brett is told can be aired with the RADs faces blurred so that they can tell their story.
Cleo then not only decides her friends can't be her friends anymore because they support this cause, she also helps the enemy camp in their attempt to sabotage, which (even though she didn't know this part) ended up with their faces being exposed. For her photoshoot. She shows absolutely no remorse for this whatsoever.
I mean, it's bad when your token shallow character says "man, even I wouldn't even do that, it's that low."
also, the audiobook switched narrators on this round, and I never got used to the new one. Everyone basically sounded like the same variation of valley girl (even the guys) and it got really, really annoying. They had no personality, just the same repetitive stupidness throughout.
Okay, so this picks up more or less immediately after the first Monster High book. It wraps up Frankie's never allowed to talk to people ever again storyline pretty neatly and then launches directly into Cleo being the main protagonist, alongside Melody. And just LOL... I halfway liked Cleo in the first novel just because she seemed to have personality behind the icy exterior but in this one, I could not seem to reconcile her as any sort of role model for preteens or teens or any sort of person, really.
“O Hathor,” Cleo began, “why bless me with an abundance of gorgeousness and then deprive me of people to envy it? Especially on a Saturday night?”
This is Cleo basically in a nutshell. Her father, Rameses, brings back a bunch of Nefertiti's jewelry from Egypt and gives it to Cleo, along with a card from Anna Wintour, the editor of Teen Vogue. Cleo convinces him to set up a photoshoot with her as the main model, to show off the jewelry, and then lies to her friends Clawdeen and Blue by telling them they are also okay to model (even though she hasn't cleared it yet) and to Lala by saying she could help with makeup (since she can't show up on film). She manages to remember to get this confirmed a few days later, but only because she thinks Clawdeen, Blue, and Lala think Frankie and Melody are cooler.
Meanwhile, Melody and her sister whose name I still can't remember (edit: Candace) set up a society to help get RADs out of hiding and into mainstream society. (It's called NUDI). They, along with Frankie's normie boyfriend Brett and his friend Heath (a normie who just discovered he's really a RAD) are making a documentary which Brett is told can be aired with the RADs faces blurred so that they can tell their story.
Cleo then not only decides her friends can't be her friends anymore because they support this cause, she also helps the enemy camp in their attempt to sabotage, which (even though she didn't know this part) ended up with their faces being exposed. For her photoshoot. She shows absolutely no remorse for this whatsoever.
I mean, it's bad when your token shallow character says "man, even I wouldn't even do that, it's that low."
also, the audiobook switched narrators on this round, and I never got used to the new one. Everyone basically sounded like the same variation of valley girl (even the guys) and it got really, really annoying. They had no personality, just the same repetitive stupidness throughout.
returnofsaturn's review
adventurous
funny
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
3.75
chicanodracula's review
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
hailareads's review
5.0
Fun light book, still loving the idea that each one of them is inspired by a true monster character. Can't wait to read the next two books!
kurdish_israa's review
4.0
This book was even better than the first. We follow our main character Cleo and her shenanigans and I really enjoyed it.
Although I hated her in the first book because of her treatment to Melody, I really enjoyed her character in the second one.
This book gets a 4.5 stars from me and that cliffhanger gets me to pick up the third book immediately!!!!!
Although I hated her in the first book because of her treatment to Melody, I really enjoyed her character in the second one.
This book gets a 4.5 stars from me and that cliffhanger gets me to pick up the third book immediately!!!!!
being_stupid's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
originaldoll's review
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
3.5
i haven’t read the first book in the series but i was easily able to pick up everything just from the second book alone. this book is nothing like the actual monster high web series and doll line so you should keep that in mind when reading this series; at first, that put me off but i think it was a good decision because it means the author was able to be a bit more ‘mature’ with things and target it towards a slightly older demographic which i was surprised about. although i disliked the fact that the monsters or RADs had to hide their true selves since the web series and dolls were all about being true to yourself and expressing your individuality regardless of what other’s have to say, i think the way in which they do live among ‘normies’ is pretty beneficial in developing a plot, first and foremost, and i’d say it also helps to develop the ideas of inclusivity by creating solidarity between different groups in a quest to break down discriminatory barriers. of course, just like the web series and the dolls, it very much applies to real life. it’s kinda nice how the monsters are outsiders because it builds a greater sense of community among them and it just felt so heartwarming reading the parts where they sought refuge and comfort and celebration in each other.
it’s also great if you’re feeling reminiscent of the past; was mattel sponsored by different brands because wow, the amount of times they have to mention the iPhone 4, Clawdeen’s Motorola and everyone wearing UGGs. it’s interesting that the monsters didn’t have monster-fied versions of these like in the web series where they had iCoffins, for instance. i guess those names were dropped for a sense of relatability for the reader and perhaps also to show that these monsters are like the ‘normies’ and deserve to be treated as such.
going back to the relating to real life thing, i like how colonialism was kinda hinted at through cleo talking abt how all the antiques from ancient egypt were stolen and fed-exed to be placed in museums for people to gawk at without understanding their true value.
im kinda confused as to why melody felt like an outcast as well. was it truly just because of her asthma? i’m assuming it was also because of her nose since it’s mentioned a few times that it’s been operated on and the ending also alludes to that. i’m not sure how much of melody’s backstory is given in the first book, which i have not read, but is that really comparable to being like a literal vampire? idk the comparisons between the two seem very trivial
this also made be audibly laugh at some points. i feel like that’s kinda embarrassing to admit but i stand by that!
it’s also great if you’re feeling reminiscent of the past; was mattel sponsored by different brands because wow, the amount of times they have to mention the iPhone 4, Clawdeen’s Motorola and everyone wearing UGGs. it’s interesting that the monsters didn’t have monster-fied versions of these like in the web series where they had iCoffins, for instance. i guess those names were dropped for a sense of relatability for the reader and perhaps also to show that these monsters are like the ‘normies’ and deserve to be treated as such.
going back to the relating to real life thing, i like how colonialism was kinda hinted at through cleo talking abt how all the antiques from ancient egypt were stolen and fed-exed to be placed in museums for people to gawk at without understanding their true value.
Spoiler
this kinda mindset was shown again during the photo shoot when cleo mentions how the people referred to her as ‘the egyptian’ and couldn’t pronounce anything and had prints of king tut on their t-shirtsim kinda confused as to why melody felt like an outcast as well. was it truly just because of her asthma? i’m assuming it was also because of her nose since it’s mentioned a few times that it’s been operated on and the ending also alludes to that. i’m not sure how much of melody’s backstory is given in the first book, which i have not read, but is that really comparable to being like a literal vampire? idk the comparisons between the two seem very trivial
this also made be audibly laugh at some points. i feel like that’s kinda embarrassing to admit but i stand by that!