The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
booksandlemonsquash's review against another edition
4.0
I finally got to this much later than planned and worried that I wouldn’t remember much of the first book, but I soon found myself caught up with the activities of the battalion and remembering all the ins and outs of the relationships.
I liked that we get to see some of those relationships fracture in this book, and get the complexities of all the events. It was also fun to travel outside of France - I’m not sure I was expecting quite so much of this to be set in England as it’s a series about the French Revolution! But it was good to see the wider impact of politics.
4 stars.
I liked that we get to see some of those relationships fracture in this book, and get the complexities of all the events. It was also fun to travel outside of France - I’m not sure I was expecting quite so much of this to be set in England as it’s a series about the French Revolution! But it was good to see the wider impact of politics.
4 stars.
colleen987's review against another edition
5.0
With thanks to Head of Zeus and Kat Dun for an Advanced Readers Copy of this book.
4 1/2*
I gave the first in the trilogy 3*, this instalment is a wonderfully welcome step up. Now i can't wait for the concluding book.
In Monstrous Design the Battalion of the Dead are separated. Ada and Guil remain in an unsettled Paris in which the revolution looks set to collapse. At the same time Cam and Al have travelled to England in search of Olyampe. This gives us a very well executed multi POV story telling style that held me on the edge of my seat racing to finish.
I got completely lost in this world with this book and faced that horrible mix of I need to know what happens but i really don't want it to end. I've added both to my tbr to read again before the year is out.
4 1/2*
I gave the first in the trilogy 3*, this instalment is a wonderfully welcome step up. Now i can't wait for the concluding book.
In Monstrous Design the Battalion of the Dead are separated. Ada and Guil remain in an unsettled Paris in which the revolution looks set to collapse. At the same time Cam and Al have travelled to England in search of Olyampe. This gives us a very well executed multi POV story telling style that held me on the edge of my seat racing to finish.
I got completely lost in this world with this book and faced that horrible mix of I need to know what happens but i really don't want it to end. I've added both to my tbr to read again before the year is out.
helenamt's review
Just not in the right frame of mind to enjoy this right now but will definittely come back to it
kris7's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sillypunk's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent sequel https://blogendorff.com/2021/08/23/book-review-monstrous-design/
planetbeth91's review against another edition
5.0
An absolutely outstanding follow up to the equally incredible debut Monstrous Design will have you gripped as you follow the twists turns heartaches and betrayals of Le battalion des Morts.
Honestly, I didn't think I could love this series more but I do.
Honestly, I didn't think I could love this series more but I do.
3mmaloulou's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
althea's review against another edition
4.0
After reading and loving the first book in this trilogy at the end of last year, I have been dying to read the sequel after the explosive ending we were left with, and I was not disappointed!
Monstrous Design starts pretty much where Dangerous Remedy left off, with Camille and Al heading to England to chase down James and Olympe, while Guil and Ada stay behind in Paris to keep an eye on the Duc. The first half of the book was, admittedly, extremely slow and I found myself trudging through it at times, and I think that it definitely suffered from second book syndrome at times, but the second half of the book was just so good and really brought me back to the exciting action that we saw in the first book! I also, once again, really enjoyed the vibes from this one - it really gave me Frankenstein meets Les Mis vibes and it was so, so atmospheric!
I can't really say much about this without giving any spoilers, but Monstrous Design does feature some of my all-time favourite tropes in it (as well as a great My Chemical Romance reference...no I'm not joking!), and I loved how morally grey and complex the characters were. But saying that, I do really wish that this series was told through Guil and Al's perspectives too, as the found family aspect fell a little flat since the two of them aren't really developed all that much. Though we do get to understand a bit more of Guil's past in this book, I really could not tell you all that much about him other than he deserted from the army, so I wish we'd got to read some chapters from his perspective too (and honestly, reading from Al's perspective would just be amazing!).
Overall, though, I'm really excited to see where the trilogy ends, though I know it'll be in pain, and I can't wait for the third book's release hopefully relatively soon!
Want more sapphic books? You can find me here: Book Blog | Twitter | Instagram
Monstrous Design starts pretty much where Dangerous Remedy left off, with Camille and Al heading to England to chase down James and Olympe, while Guil and Ada stay behind in Paris to keep an eye on the Duc. The first half of the book was, admittedly, extremely slow and I found myself trudging through it at times, and I think that it definitely suffered from second book syndrome at times, but the second half of the book was just so good and really brought me back to the exciting action that we saw in the first book! I also, once again, really enjoyed the vibes from this one - it really gave me Frankenstein meets Les Mis vibes and it was so, so atmospheric!
I can't really say much about this without giving any spoilers, but Monstrous Design does feature some of my all-time favourite tropes in it (as well as a great My Chemical Romance reference...no I'm not joking!), and I loved how morally grey and complex the characters were. But saying that, I do really wish that this series was told through Guil and Al's perspectives too, as the found family aspect fell a little flat since the two of them aren't really developed all that much. Though we do get to understand a bit more of Guil's past in this book, I really could not tell you all that much about him other than he deserted from the army, so I wish we'd got to read some chapters from his perspective too (and honestly, reading from Al's perspective would just be amazing!).
Overall, though, I'm really excited to see where the trilogy ends, though I know it'll be in pain, and I can't wait for the third book's release hopefully relatively soon!
Want more sapphic books? You can find me here: Book Blog | Twitter | Instagram
readwithanna's review
3.5
While the story feels pretty mediocre, and the characters aren't as fully realised as I think they could have been, the writing glow-up is remarkable.Â