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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
This was a well written book. It is a cute read with some heavier parts in it. It is a quick read that’s also a high school romance but with a twist. I enjoyed the double identity and the internal conflict. I also enjoyed the deeper parts. It made me feel a lot and was a great change from typical high school romance books. Highly recommend if you want some laughter, some tears, some romance, and some heartache.
“She drew so many monsters that she became a monster herself.”
This book is so beautiful, timely, and communicative. The first sign that it was clicking with me came when I couldn't stop thinking about it the day after I had first picked it up and had read around the first 100 pages.
Eliza, our protagonist, is complex and human. She can be a little bit repetitive, but the book really reads like a glimpse straight into her mind. She is often blunt about the struggles she faces, which I appreciate, since I think too many books shy away from showing things like mental illness and social anxiety in a genuinely realistic way.
This book really spoke to me, was important for me, and was one I really looked forward to picking it up every time I got the chance. I definitely recommend.
4.5/5 stars
This book is so beautiful, timely, and communicative. The first sign that it was clicking with me came when I couldn't stop thinking about it the day after I had first picked it up and had read around the first 100 pages.
Eliza, our protagonist, is complex and human. She can be a little bit repetitive, but the book really reads like a glimpse straight into her mind. She is often blunt about the struggles she faces, which I appreciate, since I think too many books shy away from showing things like mental illness and social anxiety in a genuinely realistic way.
This book really spoke to me, was important for me, and was one I really looked forward to picking it up every time I got the chance. I definitely recommend.
4.5/5 stars
For anyone who has obsessed over a TV show, film, or book, this story is for you. For anyone who has found solace in fanfiction and fanart, this story is for you. For anyone struggling with their doubts, fears, anxieties, and/or inner monsters, this story is for you.
I don't know what to say other than I absolutely adored this book. I relate to Eliza and Wallace so much, so deeply, I felt like I was actually part of the story. I'm an aspiring author myself, and I got my start writing fanfiction, much like Wallace. I have obsessed over TV shows, movies, books, and more to the point where I began to create my own stories in their worlds. One day I hope to create my own so that I might inspire someone else to create like my fandom inspired me.
I received this book in the May "Comic Explosion" Owlcrate box and I wanted to devour it as soon as possible. Work and real life got in the way a little bit, but I tried to read little by little during whatever freetime I could get. This is the best book I have read so far this year, and I plan on telling all my friends about it. I might even go buy a second copy so I can have both covers (Owlcrate's came with an exclusive cover) and more books and less shelf space. I definitely plan on re-reading this again and again and again. Thank you, Francesca Zappia, for writing a story I can connect with so deeply, intensely, and emotionally. It really hit home for me, and I hope to fight my own monsters to create my worlds so that I may finally look up at the sky and feel peace as I gaze upon the stars.
I don't know what to say other than I absolutely adored this book. I relate to Eliza and Wallace so much, so deeply, I felt like I was actually part of the story. I'm an aspiring author myself, and I got my start writing fanfiction, much like Wallace. I have obsessed over TV shows, movies, books, and more to the point where I began to create my own stories in their worlds. One day I hope to create my own so that I might inspire someone else to create like my fandom inspired me.
I received this book in the May "Comic Explosion" Owlcrate box and I wanted to devour it as soon as possible. Work and real life got in the way a little bit, but I tried to read little by little during whatever freetime I could get. This is the best book I have read so far this year, and I plan on telling all my friends about it. I might even go buy a second copy so I can have both covers (Owlcrate's came with an exclusive cover) and more books and less shelf space. I definitely plan on re-reading this again and again and again. Thank you, Francesca Zappia, for writing a story I can connect with so deeply, intensely, and emotionally. It really hit home for me, and I hope to fight my own monsters to create my worlds so that I may finally look up at the sky and feel peace as I gaze upon the stars.
emotional
funny
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
(3.5 - 3.75 STARS)
Ughhh, I don't know how to rate this... On the one hand, I couldn't put it down. On the other, there were some choppy bits toward the end and I didn't become as strongly attached to the characters as other 4-5 star books I truly love.
But "Eliza" got me thinking about art and fear and the nature of online vs. in-person relationships.
So...points for making me think.
Ughhh, I don't know how to rate this... On the one hand, I couldn't put it down. On the other, there were some choppy bits toward the end and I didn't become as strongly attached to the characters as other 4-5 star books I truly love.
But "Eliza" got me thinking about art and fear and the nature of online vs. in-person relationships.
So...points for making me think.
2.5 stars // read March 2022
Things I Liked:
-Eliza and Her Monsters really excelled with exploring fandoms. Fandoms can become a significant, even foundational, part of our identity. This book highlights some of the positive aspects- developing online friendships due to a common interest and fandoms are a way to escape. However, it also addresses some of the negative consequences that can happen, such as becoming detached from real life and missing out on relationships because of that.
-The fandom in this book is also based on webcomics, rather than a movie or book series, which I really like.
Things I Disliked:
-Eliza could be a jerk, especially to her parents.
-Kind of a stereotypical contemporary YA plotline.
-I liked Wallace initially, but as the book went on, I didn't like him quite as much?
-The main character deals with anxiety. Personally I felt like the book was a bit haphazard as far as dealing with that.
Content Review:
Language: High. I knew there was going to be some profanity- I didn't anticipate the whole slew of curse words included, including multiple uses of the f-word. Do real life high schoolers actually swear this much? Yes, they do. Does that mean I want to read a book filled with that? No, I don't.
Sensuality: Medium. Reference to sex and some innuendo. LGBT+ relationships are mentioned, and (and one Monstrous Sea character is canonically bi).
Violence: One suicide is mentioned, and a main character contemplates suicide.
Other issues: One character in a popular teen soap opera has an abortion.
Recommended Reading:
For a book that features a famous anonymous Internet sensation who leads a double life, check out How to Disappear, by Sharon Huss Roat.
For the people who wished Monstrous Sea was a real thing, check out these awesome real-life webcomics: Space Boy by Stephen McCranie and The Silver Eye by Laura Hollingsworth. (Purple Hyacinth is excellent too, but be aware of some content concerns such as language and violence.)
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I haven't read in a while (mainly because I've been playing video games) due to of a lack of motivation. Sometimes I look at all of the books that I've bought for myself or books that others have bought as gifts and the pile is daunting. I feel like I'm obligated to read all of them back to back and sometimes it's so much that I take really long breaks away from reading. I really don't like doing it but my lack of motivation controls me in those instances.
However, just like in the book, your creativity and imagination might stop for a while but when you feed it, it comes back with a renewed hunger. It didn't take me very long to finish Eliza and Her Monsters because once I found my rhythm I couldn't stop. Overall, the book was really good, really heartwrenching, and exactly what I needed right now. What I want to do is immediately jump into another book and finish that one but I'm going to wait and let the themes of Eliza wash over me because the former normally doesn't end well.
I honestly recommend this book to anyone who has anxiety and is also a creator of some kind, sometimes the best thing is to know you aren't the only one going through hard times.
However, just like in the book, your creativity and imagination might stop for a while but when you feed it, it comes back with a renewed hunger. It didn't take me very long to finish Eliza and Her Monsters because once I found my rhythm I couldn't stop. Overall, the book was really good, really heartwrenching, and exactly what I needed right now. What I want to do is immediately jump into another book and finish that one but I'm going to wait and let the themes of Eliza wash over me because the former normally doesn't end well.
I honestly recommend this book to anyone who has anxiety and is also a creator of some kind, sometimes the best thing is to know you aren't the only one going through hard times.
“Like life, what gives a story its meaning is the fact that it ends. Our stories have lives of their own—and its up to us to make them mean something.”
Such a beautifully written contemporary book, with incredibly accurate rep for anxiety and panic attacks.
Such a beautifully written contemporary book, with incredibly accurate rep for anxiety and panic attacks.