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wardenred's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
"Is it a dragon? Please, let it be a dragon!"
"I don't know how many times I have to tell you, Astrid. Dragons aren't native to Michigan."
"Neither is the Bladenboro Beast, but I have a specific memory of kicking its ass."
I really liked the first book in the series. The sequel was admittedly somewhat underwhelming. I still enjoyed reading about Bridger and his quirky magical found family, but this part of his journey didn't compel me that much. The myth-related plot had an interesting premise that's right there in the blurb: the host of a cryptid-related tv show is coming to the MC's hometown, and the MC has to stop her from learning the truth about the actual cryptids dwelling here. However, the execution was a bit... all over the place. The stakes appeared high enough, and then they weren't, and then Pavel spent 2/3 books discouraging Bridger from taking any action and gently berates him when Bridger does take action, and then Pavel is the one who messes things up, and then the stakes are suddenly high again, and what is even happening here?
Honestly, at some point I just started being a lot more invested in the non-supernatural parts of the plot. The storyline with Bridger's father was painful, but interesting; I wish they had more than 2.5 scenes together before the final confrontation. Bridger and Leo were as cute together here as they'd been in book 1. I loved the importance they both placed on consent and how they were able to talk honestly to each other. Their prom date was the epitome of cuteness, really. Astrid grew on me compared to book 1, and I already liked her. Bridger's relationship with his mother was really heartwarming, especially now that he no longer had any reason to fear losing her acceptance.
So all in all, this is a pretty fun YA novel set in an inventive (sub)urban fantasy world, with a loveable cast of characters, a bisexual disaster protagonist with anxiety who ends up in a safe, self-affirming place, a cute mlm relationship, unicorn poop (you heard that right), and growing up. If I didn't have the first book in The Rules series to compare it to, I'd rate it higher. But I do remember the first book, and how much I loved it, and sadly Monster of the Week falls flat compared to it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Alcoholism
Parent abandonment, anxiety.
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