A review by mmccombs
Ordinary Monsters by J.M. Miro

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0

This book was like if X-men, The House in the Cerulean Sea, and maybe Stranger Things had a baby who was alive in the 1880s. The magic and fantasy elements were quite unique and complex, it all made sense mostly and made the backdrop of 19th century London even more dark and spooky. This was almost a horror book in some ways, but the kids definitely balanced out the darkness of the rest of it. There were probably too many characters but I thought all of their talents and backstories were really compelling. I am of the opinion that most books (especially books in a series) do not need to be over 400 pages long, so in some places this story did feel quite bloated. I liked this story enough to be invested in the next books, but I do hope they will be a bit tighter. I would definitely recommend this one for a fun, kind of eerie, low-fantasy adventure!

Thanks for the ARC, flatiron! 

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