A review by gnomeniche
The Monsters of Rookhaven by Pádraig Kenny

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

5.0

AN UNEXPECTED FAVE? FULL REVIEW TBA, BUT I DID NOT EXPECT THIS BOOK TO GO THE WAY IT WENT, AND I AM PLEASANTLY SURPRISED. I think realistically it is more like a 4.5 out of 5, but for now, I am so pleased with it that I am giving it a 5 until I think it over more. 

Rambling notes from while I was reading, to be reconstituted into something more coherent later: 

• they established that the setting was post-wwii quite quickly. however i was still surprised because the back-of-book summary gave no indication of it
• i have Opinions about monsters in children’s novels and it’s like. the creatures in this novel are firmly nonhuman and firmly dangerous to humans in a very visceral way. but they’re so incredibly other and retain that part of them that is totally alien to humanity while being sympathetic and fully realized people. i like it very much as someone who thinks a lot about how we write monsters reflects how we think of The Other. and seeing it be like “yes, these people are nothing like humans and their ways may even be incompatible with ours, but they are still people and deserve respect and understanding” is very good. it’s done in a really lovely way. 
• i was Sure the horror part of the premise would remain kind of quirky-spooky, almost cutesy, and not delve into genuinely dark territory. but it Has delved. and also monster stuff aside the book is trying to say something coherent about grief and the trauma of war too?
• sitting here stroking my chin like is this novel partially about the lure of the fascistic feeling of strength that comes from finding a scapegoat for your intangible pain and trauma after a war. where am i.
• it’s obviously not the same bc how could it be but there’s a part that is strongly reminiscent of a moment from everything everywhere all at once. with the idea of empathy and understanding being powerful. and i am crying in the club
• ok i was admiring how everything came together pretty well and there was some nice subtle foreshadowing with good payoff but then
  the nature of mirabelle’s hunger
  came out of nowhere for me. i mean i guess it makes sense but it feels really convenient and i cannot think of why this would be something that is true. 
• of course, the ending and the ultimate message are extremely blunt and wrap up very neatly. this is a middle grade book, after all, so that just comes with the age group. but i honestly feel like it pulls it off quite well. even if the ending is very blunt and neat, the writing of the themes before then was deep and complex enough to make the ideas hit as they should without feeling too simplistic. 
• i think the characters were well-drawn and it was easy to get drawn into the struggles of the major ones. and the supporting characters were enjoyable too. also, the imagery was very very good, and i liked that the monsters were not any “type” of specific mythical creature, but they drew from all sorts of ideas that feel familiar as “monstrous.” i liked the time this book took to set a tone and establish its cast. 
• felt real tension as the story ramped up. legitimately sitting there wide-eyed. 
• there’s parts of the writing in technical terms that i do have some quibbles with, but given how much i enjoyed the rest of this book, it’s not a big deal. 
• i’m not sure if we ever found out why the glamour was torn in the first place…? may need to reread
• as lovely as i thought piglet’s whole deal was, i will admit it made some plot points wrap up very quickly. that’s fine, and it’s a theme-setting decision, so i cannot fault it. i do feel like something is a little missing, though.
• i’m thinking about jem… it’s not that she stops being important to the plot, but i feel like she gets pushed to the side a little as it goes on. she does some important things and helps to ground mirabelle’s character as she goes through her struggle, but i feel like i was missing something from her. edit: upon further reflection, i do see what she was doing. jem helps to carry through the theme of grief and trauma. she introduces us to it and she brings it full circle.  
• all in all, though. excellent book that i thoroughly enjoyed. would recommend
• this is a series. however, i don’t want to read the sequel. it feels just fine as a standalone