Scan barcode
vr_alyssa's review
2.0
2017 review:
Though I appreciate the idea and Winters' work, it felt very forced. He has put new elements regarding Sea-monsters around the consisting plot and characters, while failing to make it one concisive tale. The contrast between Austen and Winters in terms of style and register, is very visible and distracting.
Though I appreciate the idea and Winters' work, it felt very forced. He has put new elements regarding Sea-monsters around the consisting plot and characters, while failing to make it one concisive tale. The contrast between Austen and Winters in terms of style and register, is very visible and distracting.
servemethesky's review
3.0
I finally finished Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters! For 50 cents, I couldn't really go wrong, but overall, I didn't love it. It took me awhile to get into it, but once I hit the Sub-Marine Station Beta portion of the book, it moved pretty well from there. One of the problematic parts of the book, I think, is that Winters is so clearly trying to cling to the plot of the original Sense and Sensibility. Not having read the original, I felt a bit lost trying to piece things together. I often found myself wondering "why the hell are we wasting time on THIS?" Those were the parts where the plot really seemed to drag.
So much of the sea monster stuff seemed too far-fetched for my liking. I'm all for suspension of disbelief in a fantasy novel, but this was just silly. And not fun silly, more like roll your eyes silly. Sub-Marine Station Beta was pretty cool, not gonna lie. But the pirates? And the Leviathan? Come on. Plus, the stuff with Margaret was super odd and out of place and felt like just an unnecessary add-on.
Also, I've got beef with Jane Austen and the OG storyline. WHY THE F DO ELINOR AND EDWARD END UP TOGETHER AND MARIANNE AND COLONEL BRANDON? BRANDON AND ELINOR WERE MFEO! Ugh. So not happy with who ended up with who on that one. A friendship built on mutual respect made way more sense to me that Marianne eventually kinda sorta coming around to Colonel Brandon. Oy vey.
At times, this book was solidly entertaining. I was amused. But I wouldn't say I loved it or would highly recommend it. Kinda fun, but kinda annoying too.
So much of the sea monster stuff seemed too far-fetched for my liking. I'm all for suspension of disbelief in a fantasy novel, but this was just silly. And not fun silly, more like roll your eyes silly. Sub-Marine Station Beta was pretty cool, not gonna lie. But the pirates? And the Leviathan? Come on. Plus, the stuff with Margaret was super odd and out of place and felt like just an unnecessary add-on.
Also, I've got beef with Jane Austen and the OG storyline. WHY THE F DO ELINOR AND EDWARD END UP TOGETHER AND MARIANNE AND COLONEL BRANDON? BRANDON AND ELINOR WERE MFEO! Ugh. So not happy with who ended up with who on that one. A friendship built on mutual respect made way more sense to me that Marianne eventually kinda sorta coming around to Colonel Brandon. Oy vey.
At times, this book was solidly entertaining. I was amused. But I wouldn't say I loved it or would highly recommend it. Kinda fun, but kinda annoying too.
izzyizreading's review
1.0
0/0
Dnf pg 34.(37)
Ok. So. I was hoping to like this this better than Pride and prejudice and zombies. I mean different author, right? Yea, no. Hate it. Semi spoils below (bc I didn't get far and it's a character change)
.
.
.
.
.
Spoils
Lady Middleton is introduced as being a "prize" an indigenous woman, whose people worshiped Sir John, but then not... and then he and his men murdered the men and took the woman.
And then next page you have, "She was reserved and cold, as if having been stolen from her native village in a burlap sack and made to be a servant and helpmate to an Englishman many years her senior, for some reason sat poorly with her." This. Is not witty, especially with how in the same paragraph she is also called John's concubine. What's happening here? And why? I was very weirded out and angry. I went to skim bc i knew from pictures that we were going to see brandon. But the anger grew, she is a caricature and it got grosser. Next page, her mother Ms. Jennings is Jennings bc John calls her that because it amuses him and basically her name was Really Long and Hard to English. And I was done and here we are.
Dnf pg 34.(37)
Ok. So. I was hoping to like this this better than Pride and prejudice and zombies. I mean different author, right? Yea, no. Hate it. Semi spoils below (bc I didn't get far and it's a character change)
.
.
.
.
.
Spoils
Lady Middleton is introduced as being a "prize" an indigenous woman, whose people worshiped Sir John, but then not... and then he and his men murdered the men and took the woman.
And then next page you have, "She was reserved and cold, as if having been stolen from her native village in a burlap sack and made to be a servant and helpmate to an Englishman many years her senior, for some reason sat poorly with her." This. Is not witty, especially with how in the same paragraph she is also called John's concubine. What's happening here? And why? I was very weirded out and angry. I went to skim bc i knew from pictures that we were going to see brandon. But the anger grew, she is a caricature and it got grosser. Next page, her mother Ms. Jennings is Jennings bc John calls her that because it amuses him and basically her name was Really Long and Hard to English. And I was done and here we are.
imyerhero's review
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
There was never any doubt in my mind that I would set upon this book as soon as possible, after reading “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.” I was a bit dubious about the addition of sea monsters to a book which, to my recollection, had no mention of oceans in it whatsoever. But the author managed this effortlessly.
The Dashwood sisters and their recently widowed mother are forced to move to a foreboding cottage on the Pestilent Isle after Mr. Dashwood is violently consumed by a hammerhead shark and their own brother turns them from their former home. There, they make the acquaintence of Sir John, a former pirate, his wife and his mother in law who are both captured savages from one of his missions, and his dear friend Colonel Brandon – who is unfortunate enough to have a face covered with tentacles. Elinor, the eldest, has fallen in love with Edward Ferrars, but has been separated from him by his disapproving family. Marianne is determined to fall in love with only one man in her entire life, and Margaret is convinced that something dark and evil is hunting them on their new island home. As the Dashwood sisters do their best to find husbands, they will have to be constantly on their toes not only because of society but because of all the vicious creatures of the deep who only wish to destroy them.
As incongruous as sea monsters and Jane Austen seem (even more so than Austen and zombies!) Ben Winters has managed to create an entirely new environment for the Dashwood sisters to shine in. While some scenes in P&P&Z felt a little forced, this environment felt completely natural. The author seemed to draw from several classic sci-fi/oceanic literature sources for ideas but never completely integrated them in a way that felt like he wasn’t being creative in his own right. Sure, there is something a bit odd when reading about Elinor Dashwood and Lucy Steele fighting a two-headed sea serpent, but you never feel that it’s not completely Elinor Dashwood from Austen’s works who is sitting in the boat battling a monster.
Another aspect of this book I enjoyed was the inclusion of Margaret’s storyline. I always felt she got a bit neglected in the original story, as her sisters took center stage in the plot. However, in this version of the tale, Margaret very much has to do with the story – acting as a barometer for what is going on in the world outside of society. She may not necessarily be appearing at the time but she definitely sits in the back of your mind – something saying “look out for that one.”
Overall, I consider this Austenmonster book a bigger success than Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. An Austen purist may not appreciate these new versions, but as someone who loves both Austen and Austen spin-offs, this is definitely a winner.
The Dashwood sisters and their recently widowed mother are forced to move to a foreboding cottage on the Pestilent Isle after Mr. Dashwood is violently consumed by a hammerhead shark and their own brother turns them from their former home. There, they make the acquaintence of Sir John, a former pirate, his wife and his mother in law who are both captured savages from one of his missions, and his dear friend Colonel Brandon – who is unfortunate enough to have a face covered with tentacles. Elinor, the eldest, has fallen in love with Edward Ferrars, but has been separated from him by his disapproving family. Marianne is determined to fall in love with only one man in her entire life, and Margaret is convinced that something dark and evil is hunting them on their new island home. As the Dashwood sisters do their best to find husbands, they will have to be constantly on their toes not only because of society but because of all the vicious creatures of the deep who only wish to destroy them.
As incongruous as sea monsters and Jane Austen seem (even more so than Austen and zombies!) Ben Winters has managed to create an entirely new environment for the Dashwood sisters to shine in. While some scenes in P&P&Z felt a little forced, this environment felt completely natural. The author seemed to draw from several classic sci-fi/oceanic literature sources for ideas but never completely integrated them in a way that felt like he wasn’t being creative in his own right. Sure, there is something a bit odd when reading about Elinor Dashwood and Lucy Steele fighting a two-headed sea serpent, but you never feel that it’s not completely Elinor Dashwood from Austen’s works who is sitting in the boat battling a monster.
Another aspect of this book I enjoyed was the inclusion of Margaret’s storyline. I always felt she got a bit neglected in the original story, as her sisters took center stage in the plot. However, in this version of the tale, Margaret very much has to do with the story – acting as a barometer for what is going on in the world outside of society. She may not necessarily be appearing at the time but she definitely sits in the back of your mind – something saying “look out for that one.”
Overall, I consider this Austenmonster book a bigger success than Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. An Austen purist may not appreciate these new versions, but as someone who loves both Austen and Austen spin-offs, this is definitely a winner.
loop_laurens's review
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
A laugh-out-loud homage to the original, utterly ridiculous and utterly charming. Bonus points for the great illustrations.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Blood, and Death
librarydragonfly's review
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.5
twitchyredpen's review
1.0
Far more sea monsters than sense or sensibility. Just crammed in. Most paragraphs, every page, even if it has to be shoehorned in by adding someone choking on a fish bone.
I see reviews from people who liked this one and PPZ both, but for me they're apples and oranges. The two new authors take really different approaches. PPZ made Austen more fun, SSSM seems to be making fun of Austen.
I see reviews from people who liked this one and PPZ both, but for me they're apples and oranges. The two new authors take really different approaches. PPZ made Austen more fun, SSSM seems to be making fun of Austen.
mznomer's review
3.0
After reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and loving it, I was really excited to get my hands on this book. It's not quite as good as P&P&Z, but that may be because I like zombies better than sea monsters and I like P&P better than S&S. Winters does a good job of mixing the new Sea Monster parts with the classic Sense and Sensibility. In both this book and P&P&Z, I've been amazed with how easily the two aspects (the classic Austen and the added weirdness) mix. I thought there were a few interjections that were a bit over done with this book (the sub-plot with Margaret was a bit too much), but over all I thought it was a fun read.