Reviews

Ordinary Monsters by J.M. Miro

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danwyn's review

4.0

I have no idea how to rate this book, but it’s somewhere in the 3 to 4 range for me. It manages to be kind of a mess and way too long while also somehow really good? I’ll definitely give the second one a go when it comes out. Audiobook narrator was also really good.

_reni's review

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

biolexicon's review

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3.0

I think this may be my yearly book that works for almost everyone else and doesn't work for me. Don't get me wrong, I think this is a strong book. It's just not my jam. The world building is excellent, the plot is excellent too. If you're into Gothic fantasy, the heavy dedication to atmosphere building will draw you in. But for me, I really need clear character motivation and for the characters to have internal lives that change and grow. While reading, I felt like any given details about a character's internal life were given to further the atmosphere rather than to further the journey/development of that particular character.

I could be completely out of pocket here, that all of this falls within the tradition of a penny dreadful (which I'm not familiar with) and that I'm in the wrong by reading a book that by definition won't satisfy me. So I'm absolutely willing to be educated if someone feels that way.

All of this being said, the ending really picked up for me. I'm willing to keep reading the series and give the author the benefit of the doubt that they're playing the long game and my continued reading will pay off in terms of character growth and change. Or in terms of satisfaction in the series. Fingers crossed, at least.

lilatov's review against another edition

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1.5

I might change this rating after discussion, but frankly this book is a waste of time.

If you have a day to kill and no other options, binging it may be worth it, but the moment you start thinking about what you're reading, it all goes out the window.

The way women and people of color are treated by the narrative and the way people little literally keel over dead in efforts of protecting the main golden boy is laughable.

Once you start noticing harry potter parallels it's impossible to ignore them and not a single one of them shines a good light on this story.

There are better books to read.

nicksiob's review against another edition

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dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

jenhurst's review

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3.0

I think this is okay but I found that there was so many characters it was a bit confusing. I also found it very similar to miss perigine’s school for peculiar children. I’m still intrigued enough to read the next book.