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hannahhbic's review against another edition
3.0
DNF. Unfortunately it doesn't captivate my attention.
Thank you to NetGalley for a preview copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley for a preview copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not entirely sure why I added this book to the wishlist as soon as I saw it. I guess it's partly the title. I'm a textbook Scorpio and therefore always find myself attracted to the darker side of life. If your title has monsters in it, there will always be curiosity in me. But it's for sure also the cover in this case and mostly the colors and how they are used. I was gonna order online, but then we visited Waterstones in Amsterdam and there the book was! Today it was finally time to read it.
What surprised me the most about this, especially because it's a middle grade, is the writing style. The sentences are beautiful, there seems to be a certain rhythm to the story and especially the Piglet chapters are so incredibly beautiful to read. The writing style partly sets the atmosphere. It makes the book a little timeless, as if it's not entirely set in the here and now, it also gives the book something enchanting, even though the stars are monsters.
I also really loved the plot and the way Kenny played with the word monster. What makes someone a monster? When is a monster a monster? When is a monster dangerous? What makes someone dangerous? What do we need to have more understanding towards each other? It seems a fun middle grade at first glance, but it does have that deeper layer I as an adult love so much when reading middle grade novels. It's fun for the kids too. They can reread the book and discover new things.
Of course, the true stars of this book are the characters, especially The Family. Kenny has certainly been creative when creating his monsters, but even though they were different from us humans, even though they had certain powers and even though at times they crossed lines, it was impossible not to fall in love with them all. I mean, as someone with some form of fear of spiders I never thought I'd be rooting for an aunt literally made of countless little spiders. BUT I DID!
I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel!
What surprised me the most about this, especially because it's a middle grade, is the writing style. The sentences are beautiful, there seems to be a certain rhythm to the story and especially the Piglet chapters are so incredibly beautiful to read. The writing style partly sets the atmosphere. It makes the book a little timeless, as if it's not entirely set in the here and now, it also gives the book something enchanting, even though the stars are monsters.
I also really loved the plot and the way Kenny played with the word monster. What makes someone a monster? When is a monster a monster? When is a monster dangerous? What makes someone dangerous? What do we need to have more understanding towards each other? It seems a fun middle grade at first glance, but it does have that deeper layer I as an adult love so much when reading middle grade novels. It's fun for the kids too. They can reread the book and discover new things.
Of course, the true stars of this book are the characters, especially The Family. Kenny has certainly been creative when creating his monsters, but even though they were different from us humans, even though they had certain powers and even though at times they crossed lines, it was impossible not to fall in love with them all. I mean, as someone with some form of fear of spiders I never thought I'd be rooting for an aunt literally made of countless little spiders. BUT I DID!
I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel!
leschroniques_delea's review against another edition
3.0
3,5/5
J'ai bien aimé ce premier tome mais je l'ai trouvé très introductif pour de la jeunesse. Je reste un peu mitigée sur ma lecture car j'ai beaucoup apprécié l'univers assez différent de ce qu'on peut voir en générale et les personnages qui sont très attachants.
Cependant, l'intrigue est très longue à se mettre en place et on attend un moment avant de comprendre quel est le problème et qui est "l'ennemi" de la famille. En effet avant qu'il apparaisse personne ne parlait d'une quelconque personne qui pourrait être dangereuse pour leur vie.
La fin pour moi a été un peu précipitée par rapport au dérouler de l'histoire et je me suis un peu ennuyée pendant ma lecture mais je pense que je lirai la suite pour avoir la réponse à une question qu'on a en fin de lecture.
Le point positif de l'histoire reste les personnages, comme je l'ai dis je me suis attachée à eux, l'auteur a réussi à montrer les différences et les peurs que peuvent connaître les enfants ou les adultes. A travers Mirabelle et sa famille de monstres il nous montre les différences. Jem et Tom sont deux humains orphelins qui ont subi pas mal de violence de la part de leur oncle et Mirabelle va les accepter parmi sa famille et devenir amie avec Jem. On a une belle histoire d'amitié et d'acceptation entre les personnages qui se crée ce que j'ai apprécié. Tom suite à un événement va prendre conscience de pas mal de chose et son comportement va changer, il va devenir plus altruiste et il va vouloir aider la famille à survivre face à leur ennemi.
J'ai bien aimé ce premier tome mais je l'ai trouvé très introductif pour de la jeunesse. Je reste un peu mitigée sur ma lecture car j'ai beaucoup apprécié l'univers assez différent de ce qu'on peut voir en générale et les personnages qui sont très attachants.
Cependant, l'intrigue est très longue à se mettre en place et on attend un moment avant de comprendre quel est le problème et qui est "l'ennemi" de la famille. En effet avant qu'il apparaisse personne ne parlait d'une quelconque personne qui pourrait être dangereuse pour leur vie.
La fin pour moi a été un peu précipitée par rapport au dérouler de l'histoire et je me suis un peu ennuyée pendant ma lecture mais je pense que je lirai la suite pour avoir la réponse à une question qu'on a en fin de lecture.
Le point positif de l'histoire reste les personnages, comme je l'ai dis je me suis attachée à eux, l'auteur a réussi à montrer les différences et les peurs que peuvent connaître les enfants ou les adultes. A travers Mirabelle et sa famille de monstres il nous montre les différences. Jem et Tom sont deux humains orphelins qui ont subi pas mal de violence de la part de leur oncle et Mirabelle va les accepter parmi sa famille et devenir amie avec Jem. On a une belle histoire d'amitié et d'acceptation entre les personnages qui se crée ce que j'ai apprécié. Tom suite à un événement va prendre conscience de pas mal de chose et son comportement va changer, il va devenir plus altruiste et il va vouloir aider la famille à survivre face à leur ennemi.
korennn's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lsparrow's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book about who is the monster. Feels timely in how our fears can cause such distance and violence between people.
br1na's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
jodiesbookishposts's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this up on a whim completely for the cover, and then put it for a year because it felt like an October read.
It took a while to get into this story which effected the rating the most. It was odd, but not surreal enough to have been captivating. Which is a shame because it really came together in the final third.
This felt like a vibe for Miss Peregrines or Wayward Children’s fans. But I preferred the writing style of WC.
It took a while to get into this story which effected the rating the most. It was odd, but not surreal enough to have been captivating. Which is a shame because it really came together in the final third.
This felt like a vibe for Miss Peregrines or Wayward Children’s fans. But I preferred the writing style of WC.
adamskiboy528491's review against another edition
4.0
Sometimes the monsters take us. Sometimes we become the monsters.
[b:The Monsters of Rookhaven|52778475|The Monsters of Rookhaven (The Monsters of Rookhaven, #1)|Pádraig Kenny|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1585566294l/52778475._SY75_.jpg|78861316] by [a:Pádraig Kenny|17179521|Pádraig Kenny|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1559332791p2/17179521.jpg] was not the horror story I was expecting! I got a real sense of these characters through Kenny's writing and sets to work, in the subtlest of ways, weaving motifs and feelings seemingly drawn from classic and contemporary literature. The horror tropes are beautifully deconstructed, like in Shelley's Frankenstein, the 'monsters' are misunderstood, and there is more to them than meets the eye.
It has a pretty straightforward plot, which makes it all the more enjoyable. Mirabelle lives in a strange house with an even stranger family. Members of the family appear from time to time through portals. Nobody knows where they come from or what they will be, but they will forever be family. Their home and way of life are protected from the 'real' world by a glamour which shields them from being hunted by humans, except one day, the glamour wears thin, and humans enter. Things will never be the same again. They are about to find out just what kind of monsters exist…
This book also has beautifully crafted illustrations by Edward Bettison! The designs bring an extra flare of the gothic atmosphere from the different types of spooky animals, the beauty, yet creepiness of the deadly blooming flowers and even the appearance of the "Big Bad" was truly terrifying (also, if you've arachnophobic, you're probably not going to like a few pages)! While most monsters are not so monstrous when shown in the illustration, the darkness is captured, particularly by the black pages with white font and drawing.
One of the enjoyable aspects of this book is that it is a brilliantly told adventure with just enough magic to be believable and precisely the right amount of elaboration to keep a reader guessing whilst feeling like they get it. The way some characters were unable to look the villain in the eye really added to the tension, and the way he so quickly bent others to his will, and there was nothing that could immediately be done to stop this genuinely terrified me. Events escalate from here, snowballing towards a tense and dramatic climax that is shocking and touching. It could easily be compared to Miss Peregrine's Home of Peculiar Children vs The Addams Family. Please give it a read!