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4.43 AVERAGE
4.43 AVERAGE
My trajectory with this book was like Conor’s… I was okay through most of it, despite knowing where it was going, and then the last chapter hit me like a freight train 😭 really lovely, and heartbreaking, story about accepting death and the grief that comes with it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent
I saw so many positive ratings, I was very excited to read this book. What a huge bunch of meh. Seriously.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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:
Complicated
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Despite learning a lesson from Conor I’m going to ignore my tumultuous emotional state after finishing this book, and instead focus on how enamoured I was by how the author elegantly weaved British myth into this story.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A heartbreaking tale no 13-year-old should ever have to live through, let alone be forced to make peace with. A Monster Calls is not just a book for teens - it's for anyone who has experienced the weight of grief, the aching silence of loss, or the desperate desire to "let go" when letting go feels impossible.
This story doesn’t give you easy answers. Instead, it gives you Connor - a boy on the edge of breaking - and a monster who shows up when life becomes too much. Or maybe Connor found the monster. Or maybe the monster was always inside him. Either way, what unfolds is not just a story, but a raw and unflinching exploration of what grief can do when it’s ignored. It creeps in. It consumes you. It turns the real world into a nightmare where you start looking for monsters in the dark.
Connor never says the words out loud, but it’s clear he’s been searching for healing - for his mum, his life, and himself. But he’s also been hiding. The monster forces him to stop running. Because grief, like the stories the monster tells, will chase you, bite you, and never let you go until you face it.
Here are 3 of the most powerful lessons I took from this book:
This story doesn’t give you easy answers. Instead, it gives you Connor - a boy on the edge of breaking - and a monster who shows up when life becomes too much. Or maybe Connor found the monster. Or maybe the monster was always inside him. Either way, what unfolds is not just a story, but a raw and unflinching exploration of what grief can do when it’s ignored. It creeps in. It consumes you. It turns the real world into a nightmare where you start looking for monsters in the dark.
Connor never says the words out loud, but it’s clear he’s been searching for healing - for his mum, his life, and himself. But he’s also been hiding. The monster forces him to stop running. Because grief, like the stories the monster tells, will chase you, bite you, and never let you go until you face it.
Here are 3 of the most powerful lessons I took from this book:
- There isn’t always a good guy or a bad guy. Most people fall somewhere in between. Sometimes, the person you blame isn't truly to blame, and the person you want to be perfect can’t be. It teaches Connor - and us - that life isn’t black and white, and healing doesn’t come from placing blame, but from understanding.
- Belief alone isn’t healing. Connor has to believe in the future, in a life beyond pain. But belief is only half the battle. The monster teaches him that what matters most is facing the truth, no matter how ugly or painful it is. As the monster says: "What you think is not important. It is only important what you do."
- There are harder things than being invisible. Connor wanted to be seen like any other student-not pitied, not handled gently. When he was invisible to punishments, it hurt, but it was bearable. Once he lashed out and was finally noticed, he expected connection - but instead felt more alone than ever. The monster shows him that being misunderstood, even when you’re seen, can be far more painful than being unseen at all. Grief doesn’t just isolate you - it distorts how the world sees you, and how you see yourself.
This book is special. I don’t think anyone who reads it could disagree. It's gentle but sharp, simple but profound. I found myself wondering what younger readers might take from this, especially in those formative years when emotions are so raw and confusing. To me, it sits alongside things like Netflix's Adolescence - real, impactful, and deeply human.
It’s not a book that tries to be emotional just for the sake of it, although it will wreck you in the best way. It’s more about offering a window into the mind of a boy trying to survive the impossible. And that, in itself, is such a rare and valuable perspective.
The only thing I’d change? I just wish it was longer. But then again, this isn’t meant to be an adult’s book. It is exactly what it needs to be - for who it was meant for.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
An incredibly haunting and sad story with amazing artwork by Jim Kay. This book had me in tears at the end despite the fact that I knew what was coming. Ness and Dowd created a remarkable work about grief and the things we tell ourselves regardless of age to avoid the hard truths.
My favorite lines:
"...your mind will contradict itself a hundred times each day...Your mind will believe comforting lies while also knowing the painful truths that make those lies necessary. And your mind will punish you for believing both."
"You do not write your life with words," the monster said. "You write it with actions. What you think is not important. It is only important what you do."
My favorite lines:
"...your mind will contradict itself a hundred times each day...Your mind will believe comforting lies while also knowing the painful truths that make those lies necessary. And your mind will punish you for believing both."
"You do not write your life with words," the monster said. "You write it with actions. What you think is not important. It is only important what you do."
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
sad
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
Words cannot describe the many emotions this book invokes. Grief, angry, sadness, loneliness, heart-break and empathy to name a few.
The tale of a lonely boy struggling to come to terms with his reality. Trying to make sense of what is happening around him but also within in.
I truly enjoyed this book and will definitely read it again. The book even foreshadows its own ending. Not all stories have a happy one.
The tale of a lonely boy struggling to come to terms with his reality. Trying to make sense of what is happening around him but also within in.
I truly enjoyed this book and will definitely read it again. The book even foreshadows its own ending. Not all stories have a happy one.