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sagelee12's review
4.0
changed my rating to four stars, bc idk how to rate short story collections (Idek if that’s what this is) but it was rlly great and interesting. the addition of the family tree was cool too!
reaperreads's review against another edition
4.0
I've tentatively decided to give this book four stars, but I might change my mind and go higher. It's difficult to rate because the stories I enjoyed, I truly loved. Others that didn't work as well for me were still decent. I'm so conflicted!
I'd first like to discuss the genius of this title. It sounds like it's telling you that it's a book full of "man-made monsters," which is completely true. On the other hand, there's actually no hyphen, so "man made" is in fact subject-verb. Man made monsters. So, not only is this title telling you of the type of monsters you'll find, but it is also delivering the thesis of this novel to the reader before they even open it to the first page. Man created monsters. Everyone else ... endures the consequences.
This isn't to say that each story delivers the same message, however. Each story has a core theme all its own while the Man Made Monsters (MMM) of it all looms over the novel as a whole.
I say "stories" as if this were a short story collection. I'm not sure that that's entirely accurate. I would liken it instead to a work of anthology horror many, many years in the making, especially thanks to the through-line of the family tree. The chapters are organized in chronological order, spanning 1839-2039, and each one follows a different descendant of a family tree that is outlined in the first pages of the book. Usually, I cringe at the sight of a family tree at the beginning of a novel because it typically indicates some sort of royal lineage that I'll be forced to keep track of with few cues in the text, but MMM is different. The family tree is about heritage, not politics. Because each chapter follows a different family member's perspective, it gives the family tree a personal treatment, leaving very few relations unexplored. This approach made it much easier to remember who was who and how they were all entangled in each other's narratives.
Moving on to the stories themselves, the style is straightforward enough to be approachable to a young adult audience, but many of the themes are still relevant to adult readers in my opinion. The first (and in my opinion, the best) story, "An Old-Fashioned Girl," is a perfect example of this with its bloody historical realism as well as its focus on the perspective of a 16-year-old girl. There is little that I can discuss about the book without giving too much away since each story is pretty much self-contained, but the character who survives "An Old-Fashioned Girl" becomes a sort-of easter egg throughout the novel, and she is as much an icon for me as Jade Daniels from Stephen Graham Jones's Indian Lake trilogy. (Anyone who knows me knows that that's a huge compliment because I'm a massive Jade Daniels fan.) She is basically an anti-hero who persists as a static member of the family tree as its generations bloom through the years, and knowing that I would continue to see her pop up in other stories was bittersweet for reasons you'll understand if you read the book--she's awesome, but she shouldn't have to do what she does.
I also would like to mention that the design of this book is fantastic. The illustrations from Jeff Edwards are minimal and impactful, and their use of the Cherokee syllabary, and the Tsalagi language more generally, truly fits with a core ethos of this book--the cultivation and preservation of heritage and how this is an ongoing battle against systemic erasure. The illustrations also gave me an image to latch onto as I read each story, adding to the experience of enjoying the narrative.
Overall, this is just a great book. There were many stories that made me geek out as a horror nerd (e.g., the eponymous story "Man Made Monsters," which has references to Frankenstein and galvanism) as well as made me rethink my own way of telling my personal story. "Happily Ever After" in particular got me where it hurts with its focus on an abusive teenage relationship yet left me with a new way of examining my past:
There are worse feelings than lonely.
I appreciate that this message will find its way to young readers through this book. I hope it convinces them that being in a romantic relationship is not the only way to feel valued like misguided little Carrie thought for too many years.
I still hesitate to only give this book four stars when there's so much to rave about. There were just a couple of stories that (for me) weren't as strong or memorable as others, and a few stories toward the end of the book were a bit too straightforward in delivering their moral in their last paragraph or two. I'm not sure if that was a storytelling method choice, but it felt unnecessary for the age of the audience the book is aimed at. But that's literally all that I have to say that's remotely negative about this fantastic book. I highly recommend it for emotionally mature middle-grade readers and anyone older. I'm thirty, and I read it in three days. I could barely put it down. It's friggin' good.
Can't wait to read Andrea Rogers's adult fiction in the future!
For fans of: My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones, Ginger Snaps (2000), Scream (1996), The Lost Boys (1987), Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle, Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova, The Babysitter Lives by Stephen Graham Jones, Bad Cree by Jessica Johns, Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century by Kim Fu
I'd first like to discuss the genius of this title. It sounds like it's telling you that it's a book full of "man-made monsters," which is completely true. On the other hand, there's actually no hyphen, so "man made" is in fact subject-verb. Man made monsters. So, not only is this title telling you of the type of monsters you'll find, but it is also delivering the thesis of this novel to the reader before they even open it to the first page. Man created monsters. Everyone else ... endures the consequences.
This isn't to say that each story delivers the same message, however. Each story has a core theme all its own while the Man Made Monsters (MMM) of it all looms over the novel as a whole.
I say "stories" as if this were a short story collection. I'm not sure that that's entirely accurate. I would liken it instead to a work of anthology horror many, many years in the making, especially thanks to the through-line of the family tree. The chapters are organized in chronological order, spanning 1839-2039, and each one follows a different descendant of a family tree that is outlined in the first pages of the book. Usually, I cringe at the sight of a family tree at the beginning of a novel because it typically indicates some sort of royal lineage that I'll be forced to keep track of with few cues in the text, but MMM is different. The family tree is about heritage, not politics. Because each chapter follows a different family member's perspective, it gives the family tree a personal treatment, leaving very few relations unexplored. This approach made it much easier to remember who was who and how they were all entangled in each other's narratives.
Moving on to the stories themselves, the style is straightforward enough to be approachable to a young adult audience, but many of the themes are still relevant to adult readers in my opinion. The first (and in my opinion, the best) story, "An Old-Fashioned Girl," is a perfect example of this with its bloody historical realism as well as its focus on the perspective of a 16-year-old girl. There is little that I can discuss about the book without giving too much away since each story is pretty much self-contained, but the character who survives "An Old-Fashioned Girl" becomes a sort-of easter egg throughout the novel, and she is as much an icon for me as Jade Daniels from Stephen Graham Jones's Indian Lake trilogy. (Anyone who knows me knows that that's a huge compliment because I'm a massive Jade Daniels fan.) She is basically an anti-hero who persists as a static member of the family tree as its generations bloom through the years, and knowing that I would continue to see her pop up in other stories was bittersweet for reasons you'll understand if you read the book--she's awesome, but she shouldn't have to do what she does.
I also would like to mention that the design of this book is fantastic. The illustrations from Jeff Edwards are minimal and impactful, and their use of the Cherokee syllabary, and the Tsalagi language more generally, truly fits with a core ethos of this book--the cultivation and preservation of heritage and how this is an ongoing battle against systemic erasure. The illustrations also gave me an image to latch onto as I read each story, adding to the experience of enjoying the narrative.
Overall, this is just a great book. There were many stories that made me geek out as a horror nerd (e.g., the eponymous story "Man Made Monsters," which has references to Frankenstein and galvanism) as well as made me rethink my own way of telling my personal story. "Happily Ever After" in particular got me where it hurts with its focus on an abusive teenage relationship yet left me with a new way of examining my past:
There are worse feelings than lonely.
I appreciate that this message will find its way to young readers through this book. I hope it convinces them that being in a romantic relationship is not the only way to feel valued like misguided little Carrie thought for too many years.
I still hesitate to only give this book four stars when there's so much to rave about. There were just a couple of stories that (for me) weren't as strong or memorable as others, and a few stories toward the end of the book were a bit too straightforward in delivering their moral in their last paragraph or two. I'm not sure if that was a storytelling method choice, but it felt unnecessary for the age of the audience the book is aimed at. But that's literally all that I have to say that's remotely negative about this fantastic book. I highly recommend it for emotionally mature middle-grade readers and anyone older. I'm thirty, and I read it in three days. I could barely put it down. It's friggin' good.
Can't wait to read Andrea Rogers's adult fiction in the future!
For fans of: My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones, Ginger Snaps (2000), Scream (1996), The Lost Boys (1987), Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle, Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova, The Babysitter Lives by Stephen Graham Jones, Bad Cree by Jessica Johns, Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century by Kim Fu
nataliegoodman13's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
pancake_reads's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
homicidal_potato's review against another edition
Narrator, plus didn't pull me in.
jennybeautifulbook's review against another edition
4.0
You get the usual horror tropes like vampires, werewolves, and zombies. But you also get plenty of the not so blatant but equally horrifying themes of colonialism. Historical trauma and cultural erasure that the Indigenous people have endured for hundreds of years. The parallels between these monsters and men are not lost on me. I very much enjoyed reading this, and I'll definitely have to check out what else Andrea L. Rogers has to offer.
hmcconnell12's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
I love getting to experience indigenous authors, especially ones from my own tribe! This is a book of short stories, with cultural tie-ins throughout either by language, character development, or cultural lore. The whole book is well written, and the majority of the story lines are unique and interesting.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse
lmcoffman's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
alyssacartee's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
19artemis92's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5