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lesbiantoad's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-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? No
5.0
bibrarian_'s review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
thissagreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This was a pretty cool story! The ending felt rushed, but I’m hoping there’s a part 2, because it left me feeling ready for the next part of Latavia’s journey. I really LOVED that Latavia and Allison didn’t end up together. The both of them had too much trauma, and they both needed to do some personal growing- so I appreciate the author not giving the reader an easy romance ending but a realistic one instead! There was so much revenge and I LOVED it!!! Some people got what was coming to them, and it was satisfying. Latavia finds out that Pastor Thomas is Don, who 200 years ago, hunted the monster’s/snake’s son down to test on him and harm him. Obviously the monster/snake is about to kill the entire town but Don/Pastor Thomas makes a deal with the monster/snake to save the town from being eaten, by finding a “willing” body for the snake to eat, once a year, as punishment for harming and shortening the life of the monster’s/snake’s son.
The only way to kill the monster is using another monster’s blood, silver, and plasma. PLOT TWIST! Don/Pastor Thomas evilly spawned Allison without her knowledge, so she could be groomed to become the human sacrifice later at 18yrs old, full of the monster’s blood. Latavia finds out but doesn’t tell Allison, and also discovers that Pastor Thomas has been trapped in the town for 200 years and was trying to escape from the monster because once you make a deal with the monster, you’re tied to it and cannot go too far, ie, can’t leave the town. Well since Pastor Thomas has some of the monster’s/snake’s blood in him, he gains near immortality and the power to shape shift. So he played by the monster’s/snake’s rules but the whole time he was plotting to kill the monster/snake while basically being a cult leader to the town, convincing the people that the sacrifices were necessary, all so he could plot to escape! He’d have Allison killed (because she’s got the monster’s blood and that can kill the monster), and then the pastor was going to skip town because he’d no longer be tied to the snake. But because Latavia was an unwilling sacrifice and told the snake last minute, she made a deal with the snake HERSELF that she’d help find and destroy the barriers for the snake, so the snake could get revenge on Don/Pastor Thomas! And in return the snake would dole out murderous revenge on those who dragged Latavia to the woods to be sacrificed. In the end, since Allison was the last barrier, thus making Latavia weak all the time she was around her, so they decided they couldn’t be together. And since Latavia and the snake were pals by the end of the book, the revenge shifted towards Pastor Thomas, who escaped when the snake was shedding and at his weakest. So Latavia and the snake left town (he can shapeshift into a small garden snake) to find Pastor Thomas. This is a read I’d recommend because it also dive into the understanding of mental illness like depression, PTSD, anxiety, etc and I think the author did a pretty decent job handling those topics.
The only way to kill the monster is using another monster’s blood, silver, and plasma. PLOT TWIST! Don/Pastor Thomas evilly spawned Allison without her knowledge, so she could be groomed to become the human sacrifice later at 18yrs old, full of the monster’s blood. Latavia finds out but doesn’t tell Allison, and also discovers that Pastor Thomas has been trapped in the town for 200 years and was trying to escape from the monster because once you make a deal with the monster, you’re tied to it and cannot go too far, ie, can’t leave the town. Well since Pastor Thomas has some of the monster’s/snake’s blood in him, he gains near immortality and the power to shape shift. So he played by the monster’s/snake’s rules but the whole time he was plotting to kill the monster/snake while basically being a cult leader to the town, convincing the people that the sacrifices were necessary, all so he could plot to escape! He’d have Allison killed (because she’s got the monster’s blood and that can kill the monster), and then the pastor was going to skip town because he’d no longer be tied to the snake. But because Latavia was an unwilling sacrifice and told the snake last minute, she made a deal with the snake HERSELF that she’d help find and destroy the barriers for the snake, so the snake could get revenge on Don/Pastor Thomas! And in return the snake would dole out murderous revenge on those who dragged Latavia to the woods to be sacrificed. In the end, since Allison was the last barrier, thus making Latavia weak all the time she was around her, so they decided they couldn’t be together. And since Latavia and the snake were pals by the end of the book, the revenge shifted towards Pastor Thomas, who escaped when the snake was shedding and at his weakest. So Latavia and the snake left town (he can shapeshift into a small garden snake) to find Pastor Thomas.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Police brutality, Abandonment, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, and Animal cruelty
pinkrvnger's review against another edition
4.0
Monster by Jessica Lewis was one of my two spooky season picks for October 2023. It's the story of a young woman who fights to survive the unrevivable on her own terms.
I liked this story for the urban fantasy suspense it gave. I liked it for the sapphic romance. I liked it for the monster that remained a monster thorough the end. I liked it for the plot twist, albeit predictable to me since I live for such things. And I liked it for the pain I felt through the author's writing in tandem with the protagonist.
I must say that out of all the reasons I liked this novel for its execution and rendition of the social woes of a rural Alabama town and its boogie men and monsters, I wish I could have liked it more for the fact that the protagonist was an extraordinary, young Black woman. This story wasn't as heavily Black coded as some other Black YA fantasy stories I've read. If not for her name being Latavia and that I was told she was a Black girl-and for the racism that transpired due to that fact-this story could have been about anyone from any culture.
Did that make the story less enjoyable? Certainly not. At some level, I think it allows more readers to put themselves in the reader's shoes with ease. But I think this novel would have found a bigger place in my heart for its particular variety of novelty in its genre if there were more cultural points I could have related to the protagonist about aside from racism. Yet, having spent much time with family in a small, backwoods Alabama town myself, there were still some gems that loosely stuck with me which ultimately tied into the mystery, thrill, and suspense in a way I found enjoyable.
The pacing of the story was perfect for its length. The secondary characters were fleshed out in a way that was satisfying in comparison to what we learned of the protagonist in her first person narrative. And call me crazy, but I liked that this story didn't force an overwhelmingly happy ending for the romance subplot. I'm a big fan of strong women leads who make tough decisions when it comes to choosing between their mission and their love-lives. The author delivered a very realistic progression for a tough situation.
Last but not least, the protagonist spent a lot of the story in physical pain. And sometimes, she caused other characters immense pain. Pain which was perfectly conveyed by the author. Pain that drew me in and kept me in wrapped in the novel and its mystery. If you're a sensory reader who wants to physically and emotionally feel a story without the ultra-flowery prose, this is your read.
I liked this story for the urban fantasy suspense it gave. I liked it for the sapphic romance. I liked it for the monster that remained a monster thorough the end. I liked it for the plot twist, albeit predictable to me since I live for such things. And I liked it for the pain I felt through the author's writing in tandem with the protagonist.
I must say that out of all the reasons I liked this novel for its execution and rendition of the social woes of a rural Alabama town and its boogie men and monsters, I wish I could have liked it more for the fact that the protagonist was an extraordinary, young Black woman. This story wasn't as heavily Black coded as some other Black YA fantasy stories I've read. If not for her name being Latavia and that I was told she was a Black girl-and for the racism that transpired due to that fact-this story could have been about anyone from any culture.
Did that make the story less enjoyable? Certainly not. At some level, I think it allows more readers to put themselves in the reader's shoes with ease. But I think this novel would have found a bigger place in my heart for its particular variety of novelty in its genre if there were more cultural points I could have related to the protagonist about aside from racism. Yet, having spent much time with family in a small, backwoods Alabama town myself, there were still some gems that loosely stuck with me which ultimately tied into the mystery, thrill, and suspense in a way I found enjoyable.
The pacing of the story was perfect for its length. The secondary characters were fleshed out in a way that was satisfying in comparison to what we learned of the protagonist in her first person narrative. And call me crazy, but I liked that this story didn't force an overwhelmingly happy ending for the romance subplot. I'm a big fan of strong women leads who make tough decisions when it comes to choosing between their mission and their love-lives. The author delivered a very realistic progression for a tough situation.
Last but not least, the protagonist spent a lot of the story in physical pain. And sometimes, she caused other characters immense pain. Pain which was perfectly conveyed by the author. Pain that drew me in and kept me in wrapped in the novel and its mystery. If you're a sensory reader who wants to physically and emotionally feel a story without the ultra-flowery prose, this is your read.
ghostlyprince's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Murder, Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Animal cruelty, and Death
Moderate: Child death, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Vomit
Minor: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Fatphobia, Racism, Lesbophobia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Alcohol, Gun violence, and Homophobia
carrie1788's review against another edition
5.0
The only thing I hated about this book is that it was released a month ago and I need more. I picked this up at B&N as one of my BOGO books and honestly, I didn’t know much about it going in, but girl math demanded I buy a second book
riley_rose's review
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
fast-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
3.75
justthatbookishbabe's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
4.5