Of Monsters and Madness was an interesting story. There were things I enjoyed and things that fell a bit flat for me but overall this was a book that had me intrigued throughout the novel.

I thought the build of the world that Annabel lives in was done well by Verday. She created this atmosphere that had me from the beginning.

I also enjoyed the characters. Annabel is smart and she is trying to fit into a world she is completely unfamiliar with. I enjoyed seeing her relationship build with her grandfather and the other secondary characters around her. Annabel’s father was definitely someone who was unlikable and although Annabel continues to try to win him over, she doesn’t find much success. I wanted him to show her she was even a little bit important to him and he just never came through on that piece.

The things I wasn’t so excited about in this one revolve around the mystery and plot. I admit the mystery of what was going on was somewhat predictable but the pacing is what hurt the story for me overall as it felt slow. I also thought it felt light on the horror part..not that I need to have this but I guess I was just expecting more.

Overall this one was just ok for me but I wouldn’t rule out checking out another story by Verday. I thought there was a lot of potential with this book and while it did fall a bit flat in places, it was still an enjoyable read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Egmont USA for the review copy.