4.04 AVERAGE


this was so adorable and funny and fresh that i genuinely looked forward to my time listening to it everyday and, now that it’s over, i’m mourning the fact that there’s no more homily and shesheshen to start my morning with tomorrow, i’ll miss these girls so much
medium-paced
adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

so sweet and refreshing <3 i wish i had more people to recommend this to

kelshaux's review

4.0
adventurous dark emotional funny medium-paced
dark emotional hopeful tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
nmsunbear's profile picture

nmsunbear's review

3.75
adventurous emotional funny medium-paced

I loved this at the beginning, when we were introduced to Shesheshen and learning about her life as a monster. I started getting bored about 2/3 through as the book began to get predictable. The end, where we see a little of life past the main conflict, I enjoyed again.
slow-paced
Strong character development: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

(3.5 Stars)

This book was weird but not in a bad way. The story was interesting but it was a little slow for me. The audiobook narration was just ok for me. I didn't dislike the book, I just had a hard time getting into it and I couldn't "picture" some of the things being described. 

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I liked this book, but I really wanted to love it. 

Shesheshen's creaturey anatomy and twisted views on humanity and love were fascinating to read about and I loved watching her grow and change her mind once she was more enmeshed into the society of Underlook. Shesheshen's internal monologue was a riot—I am actually obsessed with her. I was consistently rooting for her to learn and grow. 

I'm not sure if my hangup with this one is the conceit of the story being better than its execution or simply a marketing issue. Based on the book's description, I was expecting heavy romance. I was surprised that the romance largely took a backseat to the intricate plot. And the plot was great! But I found myself wanting more scenes where Shesheshen and Homily were interacting and falling for each other. Because to be clear, this is NOT a slow burn by any stretch of the imagination. And it didn't need to be, but I still wish there was more of a build up. 

All in all, I loved the themes and vibes and aesthetics of the read. I really liked Shesheshen as a protagonist. On paper, this one ought to be right up my alley. I just found myself wanting one more push to take this from good to great. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
compassrosa's profile picture

compassrosa's review

4.75
adventurous dark funny hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark funny reflective medium-paced