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Graphic: Torture
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Alcoholism
Kadra is an actually morally grey character who often times does serious violence. He's amazing! And Sarai's journey from victim of a horrific crime to badass defender of the powerless and herself is supremely satisfying. Her anger is palpable. Surviving has left her permanently altered, both mentally and physically. The effects of her trauma and her life in poverty are depicted very well.
I think what I most like about "This Monster of Mine" is that it acknowledges that you cannot make necessary changes by working within the rules of a corrupt system. Violence isn't condemned for it's own sake, but for how it is used. The depiction of class conflicts in the setting is also appealing. The themes and subject matter of the book feel topical and relevant.
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Classism
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Transphobia
LOVED our morally grey mcm and the fmc was written in such a believable way, using real world naivete rather than crafting a plot driven fmc that does things out of stupidity only to further the plot. The diversity in characters is something we need more of.
I would only say that at times the narrative could be hard to follow between all the jargon and the writer's unique use of dialogue tags. Sometimes I felt confused by what she was trying to convey.
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Sexism, Slavery, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship
Minor: Alcoholism, Sexual assault
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Slavery, Vomit, Death of parent
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Themes/Tropes: Enemies to lovers, fantasy, mystery, magic, slow burn, magic, romance
Holy crap holy crap holyyyy crap. First (non-reread) 6 ⭐️ read of 2025, this was phenomenal! I am blown away that this is Shalini Abeysekara’s debut novel because it was so incredibly well thought out and written. It’s marketed as a romantasy but I’d say it’s more fantasy with a romance subplot. The romance is AMAZING but it is an incredibly slow burn and takes a backseat to the riveting plot.
I absolutely fell in love with this world and the complexities of this society Shalini created. The complicated relationship and power dynamics between a Petrarch and their petitor was so interesting to explore, and the overarching theme around questioning and dismantling the corrupt legal systems in place was so powerful and um super important considering today’s political climate...
And the characters!! The love, the hate, the friendships, the betrayals. I cried for Sarai, I raged at Cisuré, I swooned over Kadra, cheered on Sarai for her bravery and determination, then cried some more, for Kadra this time. I felt every emotion so powerfully reading about these characters because they were SO well rounded and felt so incredibly real.
Sarai and Kadra are my new favorite book couple, no exaggeration. The way they are willing to burn the world down for each other time and time again had me a gooey blubbering mess. The slow burn was so incredibly good, the tension and the banter and the pining my god I was DYING. I have a million things I want to gush about with these two but I want to try and keep things somewhat spoiler free here. All I’ll say is I never thought I’d sob over a ribbon.
This is a huge win for Shalini, I cannot wait to see where she takes this story next. I hope to see so many more works from this author, I am blown away!!
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Transphobia, Kidnapping
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Transphobia, Blood, Medical trauma, Murder, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol