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isabeltavares 's review for:
The Monster of Elendhaven
by Jennifer Giesbrecht
TW: gore, rape & sexual harrassment
Elendhaven is a city situated near the edge of the world, a city with no morals and full of violence. A city the sun is afraid to visit so they live in Winter most of the year.
The thing I adored about Giesbrecht's writing is how highly atmospheric it is. I felt completely immersed in this wretched city and its evil citizens. I wasn't quite prepared for how gory it turned out to be, and it added to the overall impression of the city and its world.
The first half of The Monster of Elendhaven hooked me and I found it hard to stop listening to the audiobook. I was charmed (as much as one can be with psychopathic main characters) and wanted to learn all there was to learn about this world.
Another aspect I enjoyed was how the relationship between Johann and Florian developed and how unapologetic they were with their actions. Slowly though, I felt off-put by how aggressive Johann was in his advances towards Florian, how he pressured and kissed without Florian's consent. I'm not sure what the author intended to do with their relationship but this was awful to read.
Additionally, the ending was abrupt and unclear. I've seen many other readers unsure about what exactly happened and what was the author's intention with ending things a certain way and the lore it was included.
I read this via audiobook and I enjoyed the experience. I think the narrator did a great job in bringing to life these characters and their viciousness.
Overall, I think it needed to be better plotted and I hated the nonconsensual aspect to their relationship.
No reason to be afraid, Johann thought. Death is kind. It's only life that holds suffering.
Elendhaven is a city situated near the edge of the world, a city with no morals and full of violence. A city the sun is afraid to visit so they live in Winter most of the year.
The thing I adored about Giesbrecht's writing is how highly atmospheric it is. I felt completely immersed in this wretched city and its evil citizens. I wasn't quite prepared for how gory it turned out to be, and it added to the overall impression of the city and its world.
The first half of The Monster of Elendhaven hooked me and I found it hard to stop listening to the audiobook. I was charmed (as much as one can be with psychopathic main characters) and wanted to learn all there was to learn about this world.
Another aspect I enjoyed was how the relationship between Johann and Florian developed and how unapologetic they were with their actions. Slowly though, I felt off-put by how aggressive Johann was in his advances towards Florian, how he pressured and kissed without Florian's consent. I'm not sure what the author intended to do with their relationship but this was awful to read.
Additionally, the ending was abrupt and unclear. I've seen many other readers unsure about what exactly happened and what was the author's intention with ending things a certain way and the lore it was included.
I read this via audiobook and I enjoyed the experience. I think the narrator did a great job in bringing to life these characters and their viciousness.
Overall, I think it needed to be better plotted and I hated the nonconsensual aspect to their relationship.