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A review by gillianw
Lesser Known Monsters by Rory Michaelson
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.