mermaidprincess1129's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
circularcubes's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars
Mermaids! Ghosts! Family curses! Horny teenagers! It's a young adult extravaganza!
I probably would have quite enjoyed this as a teenager. Unfortunately, I came to this a bit too late, and the flaws of the book (lots of insta-love, one-dimensional characters, a narrator who is hard to like) outshone the fun murderous mermaids, creepy ghosts, and attention to detail (you can tell Fama spent time at Plimoth Plantation, and even researched how archivists work with old books). I mean, Hester had no trouble realizing that Linnie was a ghost, but couldn't realize that McKee and Ezra were, as well?
Also, if Hester was a lesbian, none of this can-never-have-sex, can-never-bear-children family-curse stuff would have been a problem. Honestly, Hester, you had options!
Mermaids! Ghosts! Family curses! Horny teenagers! It's a young adult extravaganza!
I probably would have quite enjoyed this as a teenager. Unfortunately, I came to this a bit too late, and the flaws of the book (lots of insta-love, one-dimensional characters, a narrator who is hard to like) outshone the fun murderous mermaids, creepy ghosts, and attention to detail (you can tell Fama spent time at Plimoth Plantation, and even researched how archivists work with old books). I mean, Hester had no trouble realizing that Linnie was a ghost, but couldn't realize that McKee and Ezra were, as well?
Also, if Hester was a lesbian, none of this can-never-have-sex, can-never-bear-children family-curse stuff would have been a problem. Honestly, Hester, you had options!
thearosemary's review against another edition
4.0
4.5
Monstrous Beauty was a haunting tale of love and loss, of curses and magic. This book was amazing. It kept me guessing, and left me gaping at the tragic events.
This book combines the dark and mysterious magic of mermaids, along with creepy paranormal beings, all slowly being tied together as the story flips from past to present.
Fama is a wonderful writer. She creates clear scenery and chilling characters. I could imagine the horror as if it was in front of me, like I was watching a scary movie at times.
This was such a fantastic read, and I plan on reading more from Elizabeth Fama.
Monstrous Beauty was a haunting tale of love and loss, of curses and magic. This book was amazing. It kept me guessing, and left me gaping at the tragic events.
This book combines the dark and mysterious magic of mermaids, along with creepy paranormal beings, all slowly being tied together as the story flips from past to present.
Fama is a wonderful writer. She creates clear scenery and chilling characters. I could imagine the horror as if it was in front of me, like I was watching a scary movie at times.
This was such a fantastic read, and I plan on reading more from Elizabeth Fama.
kjturn95's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
bookmarklit's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars. This was awesome. I LOVED it. Going back and forth in time was seamless and kept things really interesting! I don't read a lot of mermaid stories (maybe one, ever) but this one had ghosts and other really cool elements I didn't predict. Many, many thanks to Carrie for the rec! I would never have picked this out myself and I'm so happy I listened to this one ASAP. I just wanted a book to fill a spot on my bingo card and ended up finding an excellent book that exceeded my expectations. Also, the audio was FANTASTIC. I love this narrator.
effingunicorns's review
3.0
First off: Warning: this book contains a fairly brief rape scene from the rapist's POV.
That being said, this was overall a decent story, with interesting executions of both the mermaid concept and the ghosts involved being held back by unbalanced pacing, over-reliance on some unpleasant clichés, and hints of potentially fascinating world-building being glanced over in favor of drama almost entirely devoid of mystery.
I did sincerely enjoy most of this story, despite its various critical flaws. If you don't have a problem with analyzing things as they're happening and are looking for some interesting ideas about mermaids, grab this one from the library sometime.
That being said, this was overall a decent story, with interesting executions of both the mermaid concept and the ghosts involved being held back by unbalanced pacing, over-reliance on some unpleasant clichés, and hints of potentially fascinating world-building being glanced over in favor of drama almost entirely devoid of mystery.
Spoiler
The Ontstaans' violent, horrifying self-righteousness felt compellingly true, which only made the (literally and figuratively) biggest antagonist essentially being a greedy, fat old bisexual even more of a disappointment. I also feel like Fama wasn't entirely committed to the concept of her title--everything monstrous that Syrenka did herself was either in revenge, self-defense, or grief, only the latter of which afforded her any actual degree of agency. Couldn't Syrenka have coldly seduced and murdered Olaf Ontstaan in a conscious decision to spare Ezra, rather than having to be raped?I did sincerely enjoy most of this story, despite its various critical flaws. If you don't have a problem with analyzing things as they're happening and are looking for some interesting ideas about mermaids, grab this one from the library sometime.
renatasnacks's review
4.0
First of all, the audiobook was an Oydssey honor, and I think I'm probably awarding an extra star here for that. The audio version is really great, with lots of cool accents and voices and stuff. I'd definitely recommend this on audio if you have access to it.
The story itself is... kiiiind of bonkers? It was great for a long drive because I was never bored. There were a lot of twists I didn't see coming (and some I did see coming).
Also I was a little annoyed by the modern-day protagonist's decision that since her family is cursed that the mothers always die after giving birth to their first child, she's not going to ever date because it will automatically end in babies and DEATH. (She briefly mentions that birth control isn't 100%, but like... really?? It's in the 2010s and we're still on dating = babies? I get that it's important to the narrative, but I was pretty annoyed by it.
Content warning for rape! Not recommended for younger teens. Or anyone who doesn't want to read about rape. If you want to read about mermaids AND ghosts AND curses AND witches AND murder, this is a book for you. If you are wondering how many things are all stuck into one book... well, me too, but it mostly worked.
The story itself is... kiiiind of bonkers? It was great for a long drive because I was never bored. There were a lot of twists I didn't see coming (and some I did see coming).
Also I was a little annoyed by the modern-day protagonist's decision that since her family is cursed that the mothers always die after giving birth to their first child, she's not going to ever date because it will automatically end in babies and DEATH. (She briefly mentions that birth control isn't 100%, but like... really?? It's in the 2010s and we're still on dating = babies? I get that it's important to the narrative, but I was pretty annoyed by it.
Content warning for rape! Not recommended for younger teens. Or anyone who doesn't want to read about rape. If you want to read about mermaids AND ghosts AND curses AND witches AND murder, this is a book for you. If you are wondering how many things are all stuck into one book... well, me too, but it mostly worked.
awall14's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
zephyrsilver's review against another edition
5.0
I can't even begin to explain how much I loved this book. I absolutely loved this book.
Hester is probably one of my favorite YA protagonists. She's smart and sassy. She's passionate and logical. She's a history buff and open-minded. I absolutely adored her. I very, very rarely enjoy the main character. Normally I'm indifferent towards them, or can't stand them. But I loved Hester.
Of course, I also loved Ezra. It's really hard not to love him. Ditto Syrenka/Sarah.
The mermaids were fantastic. They had the best of both worlds; horrifying monsters, but loving people. They did not fall victim to YA supernatural romance troupes with monsters. They didn't sparkle. They were scary as hell when they wanted to be. But also compassionate when they wanted to be. It was a beautiful blend.
The past and the present were beautifully interwoven together. It kept the whole story mysterious as the reader slowly found out bits and pieces of the mystery through the two time periods. It made the story very suspenseful and intriguing. And in the end, the whole mystery was wrapped up beautifully.
I absolutely loved the romances in this book. I don't want to spoil anything, so I will just say that I loved the love. It was beautiful and tragic.
This book was my book soul-mate. It was absolutely flawless to me. Seriously, I cannot begin to express how much I loved this book.
Hester is probably one of my favorite YA protagonists. She's smart and sassy. She's passionate and logical. She's a history buff and open-minded. I absolutely adored her. I very, very rarely enjoy the main character. Normally I'm indifferent towards them, or can't stand them. But I loved Hester.
Of course, I also loved Ezra. It's really hard not to love him. Ditto Syrenka/Sarah.
The mermaids were fantastic. They had the best of both worlds; horrifying monsters, but loving people. They did not fall victim to YA supernatural romance troupes with monsters. They didn't sparkle. They were scary as hell when they wanted to be. But also compassionate when they wanted to be. It was a beautiful blend.
The past and the present were beautifully interwoven together. It kept the whole story mysterious as the reader slowly found out bits and pieces of the mystery through the two time periods. It made the story very suspenseful and intriguing. And in the end, the whole mystery was wrapped up beautifully.
I absolutely loved the romances in this book. I don't want to spoil anything, so I will just say that I loved the love. It was beautiful and tragic.
This book was my book soul-mate. It was absolutely flawless to me. Seriously, I cannot begin to express how much I loved this book.
clairewrobel's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5