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roboxa's review against another edition
3.0
Originally posted on Roberta's Literary Ramblings
Overall Impression: I would say this book is one of those that is a fun, quick, fast-paced read that you will enjoy during your time reading it.
Recommended for: Those who like realistic young adult fiction.
I didn't dislike reading this book, but I wasn't jumping out my seat about it either. It was basically just all right. However, I don't necessarily consider this a bad thing. I was entertained while I was reading it, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a book in the realistic YA genre. Mainly, my lower score comes from the fact that I'm not super in to this particular genre of YA (I focus more on fantasy and sci-fi). In fact I normally wouldn't have read this book, but the description led me to believe that it had some interesting supernatural elements to it. However, these elements are not major points in the book, so I was a little disappointed. Yet despite this, I still enjoyed the book as a whole.
One of the appealing aspects of this book is that you're never really sure how you feel about these characters, and how by the end of the book, you find that you feel very differently about these characters than when you first started out. (This mainly applies to the characters of Sadie and Emerson.) This makes for a rather dynamic group of characters that keep you interested in the story if only to see where they end up.
Sadie is more of an anti-hero. A girl who finds it difficult to relate to others and gets a strange and sometimes disturbing enjoyment from seeing the pain of others. However, as the story continues, we find that she is capable of feeling compassion for other people. A fact that surprises not just the reader, but Sadie as well.
Emerson starts off as a rather likable character, and we start off by sympathizing with him. His life is pretty difficult, and he ends up having to shoulder a lot for a someone so young. Yet as the book goes on, we soon learn that Emerson has some dark secrets. Secrets that he is eventually forced to face when Sadie come back to town.
My main complainant was the handling of Miles' power to see the future. It reads more like an extraneous detail rather than something that acts as a plot driver or character development tool. This aspect of the book is never really examined and at times feels more like Miles is imagining these things rather than actually seeing the future. I also don't think it really added to his character in anyway to the point that if the this detail were to be eliminated from the book, there wouldn't be much a difference. It seemed more like an attempt at trying to put a few fantasy/supernatural aspects in the story, but it just gets lost. I sometimes forgot that this was even a thing at times until is came up again.
I will say that the ending was quite good. It was unexpected, which actually says quite a bit about Stephanie Kuehn's storytelling skills since there are so many YA books that are extremely predictable. This one, not so much. And this was very refreshing.
Overall, Delicate Monsters is an enjoyable book. It's a great book for a quick read since the chapters are short and are skillfully timed so they always end on a cliffhanger that keeps you reading. It's actually pretty difficult to put down once you get started.
Overall Impression: I would say this book is one of those that is a fun, quick, fast-paced read that you will enjoy during your time reading it.
Recommended for: Those who like realistic young adult fiction.
I didn't dislike reading this book, but I wasn't jumping out my seat about it either. It was basically just all right. However, I don't necessarily consider this a bad thing. I was entertained while I was reading it, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a book in the realistic YA genre. Mainly, my lower score comes from the fact that I'm not super in to this particular genre of YA (I focus more on fantasy and sci-fi). In fact I normally wouldn't have read this book, but the description led me to believe that it had some interesting supernatural elements to it. However, these elements are not major points in the book, so I was a little disappointed. Yet despite this, I still enjoyed the book as a whole.
One of the appealing aspects of this book is that you're never really sure how you feel about these characters, and how by the end of the book, you find that you feel very differently about these characters than when you first started out. (This mainly applies to the characters of Sadie and Emerson.) This makes for a rather dynamic group of characters that keep you interested in the story if only to see where they end up.
Sadie is more of an anti-hero. A girl who finds it difficult to relate to others and gets a strange and sometimes disturbing enjoyment from seeing the pain of others. However, as the story continues, we find that she is capable of feeling compassion for other people. A fact that surprises not just the reader, but Sadie as well.
Emerson starts off as a rather likable character, and we start off by sympathizing with him. His life is pretty difficult, and he ends up having to shoulder a lot for a someone so young. Yet as the book goes on, we soon learn that Emerson has some dark secrets. Secrets that he is eventually forced to face when Sadie come back to town.
My main complainant was the handling of Miles' power to see the future. It reads more like an extraneous detail rather than something that acts as a plot driver or character development tool. This aspect of the book is never really examined and at times feels more like Miles is imagining these things rather than actually seeing the future. I also don't think it really added to his character in anyway to the point that if the this detail were to be eliminated from the book, there wouldn't be much a difference. It seemed more like an attempt at trying to put a few fantasy/supernatural aspects in the story, but it just gets lost. I sometimes forgot that this was even a thing at times until is came up again.
I will say that the ending was quite good. It was unexpected, which actually says quite a bit about Stephanie Kuehn's storytelling skills since there are so many YA books that are extremely predictable. This one, not so much. And this was very refreshing.
Overall, Delicate Monsters is an enjoyable book. It's a great book for a quick read since the chapters are short and are skillfully timed so they always end on a cliffhanger that keeps you reading. It's actually pretty difficult to put down once you get started.
nicolekukral's review against another edition
I'm not even sure how to rate this book. It definitely absorbed me and propelled me to keep reading, but it was also one of the most disturbing books I've read in quite some time. The darkness of this book is haunting. So while I was completely drawn in to the story and the writing, I am left feeling like I need to take a shower and hug my family.
michieknee's review against another edition
Despite some very compelling writing, I'm going to cut out early as the subject matter is too heavy for me to deal with at the moment.
emjay24's review against another edition
2.0
Delicate Monsters seems more interesting than it ends up being. It’s about a teen, Sadie, who has been kicked out of so many schools, she’s forced to return home and go to the high school in her town for her last year. She comes in contact with her childhood friend, Emerson, who has supposedly changed from being troubled to being a good kid. Or has he? There is also his younger, also troubled brother who sees visions. The end of this book was very unsatisfying, leaving me to say, this book was just ok.
lrouss89's review against another edition
4.0
It's not everyday you find an author who is brave enough to write something so disturbing yet compelling. Kuehn delivers a novel that isn't for the faint of heart. This book made me uncomfortable and that's exactly what I loved about it. The story isn't pretty, but life usually isn't either. Refreshingly twisted. This one will be on your mind for days, maybe even weeks.
shelfdetermined's review against another edition
3.0
*I won a copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads in exchange for an honest review.*
Review to follow.
Review to follow.
carlyroth10's review against another edition
4.0
4.5. This book was hilarious, sad, straight up depressing, and kind of disturbing. I did expect the ending tho but not what Kuehn did with the ending. The ending was my favorite how kuehn made the reproductions of what Miles do not affect Miles but affect Sadie and Emerson. This book was amazing. I wish it were a little longer tho I felt like it ended short.
kristy_k's review against another edition
DNF at 25%
This book just wasn't for me. Maybe it's because I just finished a psychological thriller that I loved, but I found this to be slow and drab. This could change later in the book. Many reviewers speak highly of it, so I don't discourage others from giving it a try.
This book just wasn't for me. Maybe it's because I just finished a psychological thriller that I loved, but I found this to be slow and drab. This could change later in the book. Many reviewers speak highly of it, so I don't discourage others from giving it a try.