Scan barcode
rhi's review
3.0
this!! book!! i binged it over two nights and like,,, woah. some parts were confusing with the whole timeline/s but the humour!!! there were some golden lines in this. it's ownvoices for the gay and greek rep, and these are both integral threads to connor's character. (also!! the fact that this book is set in australia.... yeah that checks out re: literally everything about connor and the way he just goes along with it)
overall a really sweet read, and i can't wait for the next one !!!
the other thing i adored was the way connor went to that place and could only think of olly and this is an insight into how!! powerful!! friendships!! and losing them!! can be!! i just,,,, this meant a lot to me and i almost teared up because i have places like this with someone and it's like..... MORE PLEASE I WANT MY HEART TO JUMP OUT OF ITS PLACE
overall a really sweet read, and i can't wait for the next one !!!
firstbreaths's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I found the plot somewhat nonsensical and felt like the characters were way too chill about finding/becoming ancient Gods. This book also sits in a weird place - the characters read like middle grade characters, but the plot and themes were definitely more young adult - so it was hard to know if I even would have enjoyed it 10 years ago.
However, the rep is fantastic in a way that works for middle grade readers - there's a perfect balance between treating Connor and Locky's sexuality as completely unremarkable yet giving them space to talk about what it means to them to be gay. Oh, and yay for an indigenous love interest that actually uses the name of their country to talk about where they're from.
However, the rep is fantastic in a way that works for middle grade readers - there's a perfect balance between treating Connor and Locky's sexuality as completely unremarkable yet giving them space to talk about what it means to them to be gay. Oh, and yay for an indigenous love interest that actually uses the name of their country to talk about where they're from.
areader_reading's review
5.0
The publisher sent me a review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
I can't remember the last time I flew through a book so quickly. Monuments is full of Kostakis' signature wit and snark - almost every line is quotable. The characters are both realistic and hilarious, the concept is interesting and the plot is engaging. Kostakis also manages to deal deftly with some pretty serious topics and to weave in complex familial relationships and friendships. All in all, highly recommended!
I can't remember the last time I flew through a book so quickly. Monuments is full of Kostakis' signature wit and snark - almost every line is quotable. The characters are both realistic and hilarious, the concept is interesting and the plot is engaging. Kostakis also manages to deal deftly with some pretty serious topics and to weave in complex familial relationships and friendships. All in all, highly recommended!
zitongren's review
4.0
I received an early copy(and free at that) from State Library Victoria in preparation for the event What if Teenager’s Ruled the World? with the author of this novel, Will Kostakis. Call me biased since I did receive an early copy of this book but I really enjoyed it and genuinely liked the way that the whole ‘Monuments’ thing was worked out and the whole Gods being statues thing was honestly quite original. Plus the fact that the cast of characters is very diverse with a great representation of both the LGBT+ and aboriginal community here in Australia. I like the fact that it ends on a satisfyingly enough ending that leaves the reader well, satisfied, but also wanting more due to the foreshadowing done towards the end of this novel. 8/10
megandawn's review
4.0
I always knew that I was the kind of reader who would forgive a lot of flaws in exchange for a charming protagonist, but I guess I never realised just HOW many flaws.
Like, this book. This book. Set it Sydney, which was cool. An aboriginal character, which I love to see. And the plot, on paper, is interesting and full of neat reveals. But.
Ok, so, say you're walking down to the shops. And you turn the corner, and there's a parade just parading down the street. Floats and people on stilts and the whole bit. You'd be pretty surprised and you'd wonder what the occasion was, but you'd also just kinda shrug and go with it, right? Huh, a parade. Cool.
This is basically the exact reaction every single character in this book gives to every shocking reveal.
Hey, gods are real! What! Huh, ok.
Hey, you're a god now! What! Huh, ok.
Hey, time travel! What! Huh, ok.
Hey, I've shot you and you're about to die. What! Huh, ok.
Everything is instantly accepted. Also basically instant is the solution to any and all problems. Needed items are found on the next page. These hundred-year-old hidden sanctuaries are found within hours, and the puzzles inside are solved within seconds.
It makes it feel like everything is being rushed through, a feeling that gets worse towards the end of the book. The prose grows choppy and starts to feel more like a cliff notes version of this story than the story itself. And there's this one bit at the end which, no spoilers, but the characters were about do something and I thought, well that's obviously really dumb because 'x' has already happened a bunch of times... And they do it. And 'x' happens again. And, just. Siiiiigh.
And yet. Look up there. Look at those stars. Four of those suckers, and I don't regret a one. Because all of these many, many flaws are delivered to us via the most charming and hilarious protagonist, Connor. Connor easily save this book, and this book needed a lot of saving so that's doubly impressive. He reminded me A LOT of Eliot from Sarah Rees Brennan's brilliant In Other Lands, and I wish this book could have been longer or at least paced slower so there could have been more quiet moments with him. He made this mess completely enjoyable.
So, four stars for Eliot but a whole lot less stars for the rest of it.
Like, this book. This book. Set it Sydney, which was cool. An aboriginal character, which I love to see. And the plot, on paper, is interesting and full of neat reveals. But.
Ok, so, say you're walking down to the shops. And you turn the corner, and there's a parade just parading down the street. Floats and people on stilts and the whole bit. You'd be pretty surprised and you'd wonder what the occasion was, but you'd also just kinda shrug and go with it, right? Huh, a parade. Cool.
This is basically the exact reaction every single character in this book gives to every shocking reveal.
Hey, gods are real! What! Huh, ok.
Hey, you're a god now! What! Huh, ok.
Hey, time travel! What! Huh, ok.
Hey, I've shot you and you're about to die. What! Huh, ok.
Everything is instantly accepted. Also basically instant is the solution to any and all problems. Needed items are found on the next page. These hundred-year-old hidden sanctuaries are found within hours, and the puzzles inside are solved within seconds.
It makes it feel like everything is being rushed through, a feeling that gets worse towards the end of the book. The prose grows choppy and starts to feel more like a cliff notes version of this story than the story itself. And there's this one bit at the end which, no spoilers, but the characters were about do something and I thought, well that's obviously really dumb because 'x' has already happened a bunch of times... And they do it. And 'x' happens again. And, just. Siiiiigh.
And yet. Look up there. Look at those stars. Four of those suckers, and I don't regret a one. Because all of these many, many flaws are delivered to us via the most charming and hilarious protagonist, Connor. Connor easily save this book, and this book needed a lot of saving so that's doubly impressive. He reminded me A LOT of Eliot from Sarah Rees Brennan's brilliant In Other Lands, and I wish this book could have been longer or at least paced slower so there could have been more quiet moments with him. He made this mess completely enjoyable.
So, four stars for Eliot but a whole lot less stars for the rest of it.
danawfaith's review
3.0
This is Kostakis’s first fantasy novel and it shows. The exposition is incredibly heavy (and if you didn’t get it in the first time, you will by the fourth or fifth exposition), a lot of moments weren’t well paced, like jithanta’s death, and befriending the hound, and nuo’s death. Nuo’s death in particular felt like he only had five pages left and knew he needed to kill off the last god so that fighting the rebel gods would be the book two premise, so he just... fudged it. Unless brick girl comes back in the second one as an important antagonist, which wouldn’t surprise me to be honest.
But like, if I had to give up a well paced fantasy in order to get that moment where Connor pulls Greek from the earth so he can speak to his grandfather before he dies, I would happily do so. It was so heartfelt, and the characters are so wholesome. Connor is a character full of so much love and compassion for others and I adore him. Ultimately it’s a fantasy novel where the characters all love and trust each other, and it’s silly and funny, and it does the most important things super well. I’ll definitely read the sequel.
But like, if I had to give up a well paced fantasy in order to get that moment where Connor pulls Greek from the earth so he can speak to his grandfather before he dies, I would happily do so. It was so heartfelt, and the characters are so wholesome. Connor is a character full of so much love and compassion for others and I adore him. Ultimately it’s a fantasy novel where the characters all love and trust each other, and it’s silly and funny, and it does the most important things super well. I’ll definitely read the sequel.
typedtruths's review
2.0
More...