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abby_ace_of_books 's review for:
Ordinary Monsters
by J.M. Miro
I have read this before. I knew what was going to happen. I mentally prepared myself for this book but was somehow still blindsided by certain events and almost cried during band practice.
Ordinary Monsters is very similar to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, but the vibes are entirely different. It's definitely very gothic, and it's also much more long-winded, but I didn't mind the length of the book. I really liked the narration style, and even though I've read this before, it felt like a new story (mostly because I forgot everything after chapter three).
The story follows a large cast of characters, but it focuses on Cairndale, a home for "talents," or children with special powers. Alice Quicke is a detective searching for two children (Marlowe, who glows, and Charlie, who heals) to bring them to Cairndale. Unfortunately, Jacob Marber - a former talent - is trying to find Marlowe as well. There are a lot of small subplots that all become relevant in the end, and although the story goes back and forth between the past and the present, everything ties together neatly. There are a good amount of plot twists, some of which are more predictable than others, and while there isn't a ton of action, I still thought the pacing was pretty good for as long as the book is.
As with most multiple POV books, I really love the cast of characters. Alice Quicke is so bold and yet so caring when it comes to Marlowe and Charlie. I also liked her relationships with Coulton and Mrs. Harrogate. Komako reminded me of Ephyra from There Will Come a Darkness, and I also liked Ribs and Oskar. I hope we get more about their backstories in the next book. Charlie is very stoic and also very protective of Marlowe, and I'm so excited to see his character arc progress. Marlowe was probably my favorite, probably because he's literally an innocent child who has never done anything wrong in his life.
Ordinary Monsters is the first book in a new gothic fantasy series about talented children and the adults who either want to protect or use them.
4.5/5
Ordinary Monsters is very similar to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, but the vibes are entirely different. It's definitely very gothic, and it's also much more long-winded, but I didn't mind the length of the book. I really liked the narration style, and even though I've read this before, it felt like a new story (mostly because I forgot everything after chapter three).
The story follows a large cast of characters, but it focuses on Cairndale, a home for "talents," or children with special powers. Alice Quicke is a detective searching for two children (Marlowe, who glows, and Charlie, who heals) to bring them to Cairndale. Unfortunately, Jacob Marber - a former talent - is trying to find Marlowe as well. There are a lot of small subplots that all become relevant in the end, and although the story goes back and forth between the past and the present, everything ties together neatly. There are a good amount of plot twists, some of which are more predictable than others, and while there isn't a ton of action, I still thought the pacing was pretty good for as long as the book is.
As with most multiple POV books, I really love the cast of characters. Alice Quicke is so bold and yet so caring when it comes to Marlowe and Charlie. I also liked her relationships with Coulton and Mrs. Harrogate. Komako reminded me of Ephyra from There Will Come a Darkness, and I also liked Ribs and Oskar. I hope we get more about their backstories in the next book. Charlie is very stoic and also very protective of Marlowe, and I'm so excited to see his character arc progress. Marlowe was probably my favorite, probably because he's literally an innocent child who has never done anything wrong in his life.
Ordinary Monsters is the first book in a new gothic fantasy series about talented children and the adults who either want to protect or use them.
4.5/5