A review by thewhisperingpages
Once A Monster by Robert Dinsdale

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

 

I liked this book a lot, but it wasn’t special to me in the way that the Toymakers was. The Toymakers tore out my heart and left me thinking about it for years after, but this one didn’t have the same effect as much as I wanted it to.

I love Dinsdale’s characters so much. Obviously the complicated character of Minos is noteworthy, as he’s the central character in the book. His complexity the nice man who befriends Nell and the monster hidden deep deep inside are constantly at war. But actually my favourite character was Nell. Her story of learning what’s right and how to stand up against Murdstone who doesn’t have her, and certainly not Minos’, best interests at heart. I loved her journey and her absolute faith in Minos.

The narrator was good, but not noteworthy. I liked the voice that he did for Minos, as it combined the man and the monster really well together and gave hints about his character, but other than that, none of the characters voices really stood out for me.

I definitely want to read some more of Dinsdale’s novels because I did enjoy this a lot, but I’m sad it wasn’t as good as the Toymakers. 

I received this gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. Cross posted to thewhisperingofthepages.co.uk