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A review by annettebooksofhopeanddreams
The Monsters of Rookhaven by Pádraig Kenny
4.0
I'm not entirely sure why I added this book to the wishlist as soon as I saw it. I guess it's partly the title. I'm a textbook Scorpio and therefore always find myself attracted to the darker side of life. If your title has monsters in it, there will always be curiosity in me. But it's for sure also the cover in this case and mostly the colors and how they are used. I was gonna order online, but then we visited Waterstones in Amsterdam and there the book was! Today it was finally time to read it.
What surprised me the most about this, especially because it's a middle grade, is the writing style. The sentences are beautiful, there seems to be a certain rhythm to the story and especially the Piglet chapters are so incredibly beautiful to read. The writing style partly sets the atmosphere. It makes the book a little timeless, as if it's not entirely set in the here and now, it also gives the book something enchanting, even though the stars are monsters.
I also really loved the plot and the way Kenny played with the word monster. What makes someone a monster? When is a monster a monster? When is a monster dangerous? What makes someone dangerous? What do we need to have more understanding towards each other? It seems a fun middle grade at first glance, but it does have that deeper layer I as an adult love so much when reading middle grade novels. It's fun for the kids too. They can reread the book and discover new things.
Of course, the true stars of this book are the characters, especially The Family. Kenny has certainly been creative when creating his monsters, but even though they were different from us humans, even though they had certain powers and even though at times they crossed lines, it was impossible not to fall in love with them all. I mean, as someone with some form of fear of spiders I never thought I'd be rooting for an aunt literally made of countless little spiders. BUT I DID!
I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel!
What surprised me the most about this, especially because it's a middle grade, is the writing style. The sentences are beautiful, there seems to be a certain rhythm to the story and especially the Piglet chapters are so incredibly beautiful to read. The writing style partly sets the atmosphere. It makes the book a little timeless, as if it's not entirely set in the here and now, it also gives the book something enchanting, even though the stars are monsters.
I also really loved the plot and the way Kenny played with the word monster. What makes someone a monster? When is a monster a monster? When is a monster dangerous? What makes someone dangerous? What do we need to have more understanding towards each other? It seems a fun middle grade at first glance, but it does have that deeper layer I as an adult love so much when reading middle grade novels. It's fun for the kids too. They can reread the book and discover new things.
Of course, the true stars of this book are the characters, especially The Family. Kenny has certainly been creative when creating his monsters, but even though they were different from us humans, even though they had certain powers and even though at times they crossed lines, it was impossible not to fall in love with them all. I mean, as someone with some form of fear of spiders I never thought I'd be rooting for an aunt literally made of countless little spiders. BUT I DID!
I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel!