Scan barcode
bubblybelle's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Chronic illness, Body shaming, and Bullying
Minor: Gun violence
library_m0use's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual content, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Sexism and Misogyny
Minor: Body horror and Lesbophobia
attolis's review
3.5
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual content, and Kidnapping
oceanwriter's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Gun violence, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Body horror, Misogyny, and Cursing
always_sundae's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Sexual content
torrentsofhayl's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Blood, and Alcohol
Moderate: Misogyny and Cursing
Minor: Lesbophobia
gummifrog's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
As someone who absolutely loves all romances of aliens, monsters, and ghouls, I was very excited to read this cute and fluffy mothman story, and it delivered on all fronts! It reminds me of some of the more low-stakes fanfictions I've read, which I promise is a compliment. It's pure escapism at its finest.
Influencer main character Heather decides she's burnt out and tired of social media, packs up all her stuff and moves to a cheap cabin in the woods in the middle of nowhere. She meets a small cast of locals her age and - you guessed it - mothman, who winds up with a broken wing and sleeping on her couch. What ensues is pure hurt/comfort slow burn romance, and a series of silly but increasingly concerning with local believer and self-proclaimed monster hunter, who wants nothing more than to kill Mothman, who embarrassed him at a party once.
Mothman has a humanoid form, which is probably my least favorite part of the book??? As someone who enjoys monster fuckery, I don't necessarily enjoy my monster also happening to be a white guy. However, there is effort put into making his humanoid form interesting and engaging for more spicy scenes.
The prose is extremely casual and I do think another once-over with an editor for grammar and typos could have gone over well. However, considering the protagonist is a true internet-swamped millennial, her internal language makes sense, and I found the insta-centric portions were rather believable compared to most books that try a similar thing. It took a moment to settle into, but ultimately helped with the ease of the read.
I read this book in roughly three or four hours - just a long, lazy morning on the couch. It was a lovely palette cleanser and I'll be keeping my eye out for the sequel!
Graphic: Sexual content, Gun violence, and Bullying
Moderate: Stalking and Medical content
Minor: Homophobia
cozyreader9752's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Sexual content, and Bullying
the_vegan_bookworm's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, and Violence
inkdrinkers's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Heather is a 22 year-old influencer burnt-out on the constant of being online. Growing up with a mommy-blogger mother, she's used to sharing every instance in her life, but after a bad breakup and a seriously poor choice in a brand-deal post, Heather feels like she needs a break. So she quits it all, buys a little cabin, and moves into the forest. It's only there that she stumbles on an ancient cryptid that she may be catching feelings for.
Oh man, this is exactly what the doctor ordered. A silly, lighthearted mothman romance with a heroine who was equal parts ridiculous and wonderful. I really loved Heather by the end of the story - despite her bad decisions and unwavering way she trusted the people she met in the town. There are moments she really shows her age, being only twenty-two, she's definitely not young, but I really looked at her mistakes fondly because I, too, was entirely too trusting at the same age. She's just an incredibly well-rounded character and I loved the inclusion of her disability (Hashimoto's) and her bisexuality!
Now let's talk about MOTH. I'm going to keep this vague so it isn't full of spoilers, but WOW I loved this version of Mothman! I think Lavoie made some incredible choices with his characterization and it really ties up nicely in the end. He's also just such a swoon worthy lead, he has the perfect mix of gruffness at the beginning that fades into a nice, warm and fuzzy feather-covered man who is too cute. I'm so eager to read more about these two in the sequel, the snippets and hints for the overall world Lavoie has created has made me so excited.
My only issues with this book was the fact it feels so short! I understand why the pacing is what it is - but the epilogue really frustrated me with how it glosses over a certain someone's entire arc that the book brings to a head in the ending chapters. I feel like this book wasn't sure if it wanted to fully commit to the lighthearted tone, or address the harder topics included (like hunting, misogyny, and homophobia) but I wish it had. I feel like it could have packed such a punch to make a firm statement on those topics instead of brushing it away with a paragraph at the end. This book did have a ton of charming moments, and while I loved it for that, I wished it had committed a little more to the harder topics too.
Overall, I'm so excited for Lavoie's other installments in this series. I can't wait to get into the backstory in book two and see where Heather and Moth end up next. This is also me begging for an eventual Scottish Loch Ness Monster cryptid book PLEASE.
Content warnings: gun violence (present in discussions about hunting, ending chapters), kidnapping (ending chapters), sexual content (one to two pepper spice, no graphic descriptions but a handful of scenes!)
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Gun violence and Sexual content