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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
This bloody addition to the slasher cannon does a solid job of joyfully referencing the heavy weights while carving out a space for itself.
This novella gets right to the point, and does a good job of giving us a feel for the large cast while giving us a deeper relationship with our main character. The supporting cast are interesting enough, but none get the chance to really shine, and it is hard to really care about them. Whether this is a feature or bug of the slasher genre is up the reader, but I would have liked a little more attention, even if it meant fifty more pages to this quick and dirty little blood-letter. This novella wasn’t as graphic and abrasive as other works by Skelton that I have read, and I kind of missed it, here. There is violence and blood, to be sure, but there is a lot farther he could have gone and it wouldn’t have felt out of place. The story was original, at least in concept, but it didn’t feel like there were a lot of surprises, at least not for someone familiar with the genre. Once the parameters were set it was pretty easy to see the few possible and probable outcomes, but even with that intuition the story was still fun to follow. The plotting is strong enough to pull you along once it starts, and I didn’t want to stop once I started.
Overall, a fun addition to the slasher cannon. Skelton shows that he can write a story that is about more than just shock and gore, and keep your attention and interest even while wading through pretty well-known waters. I want to rate it higher, because it was fun and gave me a new outlook on what directions Skelton’s work can take, but ultimately it was a little too expected and surface level to go above three stars for me. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t a lot of fun to read, and definitely worth the time, whether you’re a diehard fan of the genre or not.
I want to thank the author and BookSirens, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This novella gets right to the point, and does a good job of giving us a feel for the large cast while giving us a deeper relationship with our main character. The supporting cast are interesting enough, but none get the chance to really shine, and it is hard to really care about them. Whether this is a feature or bug of the slasher genre is up the reader, but I would have liked a little more attention, even if it meant fifty more pages to this quick and dirty little blood-letter. This novella wasn’t as graphic and abrasive as other works by Skelton that I have read, and I kind of missed it, here. There is violence and blood, to be sure, but there is a lot farther he could have gone and it wouldn’t have felt out of place. The story was original, at least in concept, but it didn’t feel like there were a lot of surprises, at least not for someone familiar with the genre. Once the parameters were set it was pretty easy to see the few possible and probable outcomes, but even with that intuition the story was still fun to follow. The plotting is strong enough to pull you along once it starts, and I didn’t want to stop once I started.
Overall, a fun addition to the slasher cannon. Skelton shows that he can write a story that is about more than just shock and gore, and keep your attention and interest even while wading through pretty well-known waters. I want to rate it higher, because it was fun and gave me a new outlook on what directions Skelton’s work can take, but ultimately it was a little too expected and surface level to go above three stars for me. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t a lot of fun to read, and definitely worth the time, whether you’re a diehard fan of the genre or not.
I want to thank the author and BookSirens, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to BookSirens for providing a review copy.
This is a fun little slasher homage that I read in two sittings. It's well-written, and I thought the inclusion of the police reports was a nice touch. I did feel like things wrapped up a little too quickly in the end, which I didn't love. I still had a great time with the book, though. 3.75 stars
This is a fun little slasher homage that I read in two sittings. It's well-written, and I thought the inclusion of the police reports was a nice touch. I did feel like things wrapped up a little too quickly in the end, which I didn't love. I still had a great time with the book, though. 3.75 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
This story is fascinating and depressing. It's really well written, full of interesting characters and creepy twists.
In 2013 there is a massacre at a frat house that leaves people dead. Ten years later the survivors are contacted and offered money to come back to the house and tell their story. While they all decide to do so, once again there is a masked madman terrorizing and killing the victims. I do have to say this book was really good. I love how it had pictures of the police reports, that was really cool. The ending definitely took me by surprise. Didn’t see that coming at all!!!
I liked Monomania, but it didn't catch my attention the same way as Skelter's other work.
In terms of plot, Monomania is a pretty straightforward slasher. The first half of the book is spent getting to know the characters' histories and personalities. From the first few pages, I was excited to see the casual queer representation that I've come to expect from this author. I'm also a fan of the interspersed police reports for exposition.
In the latter half of the book, the splatterpunk roots shine through with gory kills that had me wincing! I was hoping more of the exposited details would pay off once things escalated. In that same vein, I would have liked more foreshadowing to really sell the big reveal.
Thank you to Elton Skelter for the chance to check this book out for free ahead of publication. I'm leaving this review of my own accord.
In terms of plot, Monomania is a pretty straightforward slasher. The first half of the book is spent getting to know the characters' histories and personalities. From the first few pages, I was excited to see the casual queer representation that I've come to expect from this author. I'm also a fan of the interspersed police reports for exposition.
In the latter half of the book, the splatterpunk roots shine through with gory kills that had me wincing! I was hoping more of the exposited details would pay off once things escalated. In that same vein, I would have liked more foreshadowing to really sell the big reveal.
Thank you to Elton Skelter for the chance to check this book out for free ahead of publication. I'm leaving this review of my own accord.