Written by MarcyKate Connolly
Like assembling the Frankenstein monster itself, MarcyKate Connolly has beautifully woven bits and pieces from fairytales and the classic novel Frankenstein to create Monstrous. Kymera (a girl who is also part dragon, part bird, and part cat with bolts in her neck) has been created by her father, Barnabas, to thwart an evil wizard who is sickening young girls in the town of Bryre and slowly destroying the town as well. Then, the girls vanish without a trace. It is up to Kymera to rescue the girls each night from the city so that her father can send them to a safe haven. But in her quest to rescue, Kym encounters Ren, a young boy who smells of fresh baked bread and cinnamon. She has no experience with humans other than her father, and she is intrigued. Each night he leaves her a rose by the fountain. Her father has forbidden her to interact with anyone, but her attraction to Ren soon gives her the courage to reveal herself, although hiding the traces of her creation. The more time she spends with him the more memories are awakened of her former life as a human, and the more memories awaken questions that will begin to change everything that she believed to be true. Now the tension mounts and Kymera must right the wrongs she innocently took part in and risk losing Ren and all that she holds dear. This is a beautifully dark tale that will capture your interest from the beginning. Within the story are also characters of kings, princesses, and a dragon, along with roses and a strong concluding battle of good vs. evil. Although the story is a little predictable, I loved Ms. Connolly’s creative way of using various parts of other stories to tell her own using first person narrative. I also loved her theme of individuality and to not judge by appearances. The cover artwork is perfect and immediately draws your eye to this book. I highly recommend reading Monstrous for grades 5 and up.
Review by Renee Larsen, Hillside Elementary Media Center
Rating: ★★★★½ (4.5 stars)
Interest Level: Grades 5-8
Author Website: http://marcykate.com/
Monstrous
Written by MarcyKate Connolly
Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers
424 pages
Release Date: February 10, 2015
I love the premise of this book, and the idea of creating a “monster” to protect people. Will have to wait patiently to read it, all of the copies at the public library are checked out!
I just stumbled upon this review and I must say, it has me intrigued. Thanks for the well written review.