Monster in My Closet (A Monster Haven Story, #1)

by R.L. Naquin

• ISBN10: 1426894139
• ISBN13: 9781426894138
• Publish Date: 1 July 2012 (first published 1 January 2012)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Carina Press
• Format: eBook
• Language: English

Reviews

[Angie]

Monster in My Closet was so freaking fun! It has the right balance of silly and dark. When it starts, Zoey is being reunited with Maurice, the monster who lived in her closet as a child. Of course, Zoey thinks he was just part of her childhood imagination, but soon learns that her mother did indeed allow him to live with them before she disappeared. Maurice cooks, cleans, and generally takes care of Zoey, so she lets him stay. Then other supernatural creatures start showing up, Zoey learns that she's an empath, and she's being stalked by a sex demon. Needless to say, her life just got infinitely more complicated.

I loved Zoey! She is so cute and funny and quirky! She's a wedding planner with no fashion sense and an aversion to technology, but she gets the job done thanks to her uncanny ability to know exactly how the brides are feeling. Monster in My Closet does a really great job of establishing Zoey's ability. It's not that she's just coming in her power, she just never knew that other people didn't sense others emotions. It was great to see her struggle with that bit of information and see how blocking emotions changed how she interacted. For instance, she has no idea how to read body language, since that often doesn't match up with a person's true feelings. I just really liked how it was handled and explained.

The plot of Monster in My Closet was pretty great too. Zoey stumbles upon Sebastian, the incubus, on the street, and once he got a taste of all those emotions she collects, he can't get enough. However, Zoey is now under magical protection, so he starts going after the brides that she's working for. Now, it's up to Zoey to stop him before he kills all of the women that she knows. There was one part of the plot that I had to roll my eyes at a bit. I couldn't believe that Zoey didn't realize what was happening to her best friend once she starts learning more about Sebastian's abilities and motivations. It's super obvious, but it took Zoey until the very end to see it. Oh well.

Monster in My Closet was just a lot of fun. It did a great job of introducing Zoey and some of the supernatural creatures who exist. There's also a mystery surround her missing mother, which I suspect will be explored more in future books. And there's a blossoming romance! I can't wait to find out more about Riley!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[celinenyx]

Monster in My Closet is the first book in the Monster Haven series, which centers around our eccentric main character Zoey.

Zoey gets the fright of her life when the monster in the closet from her youth is sitting at her table. It quickly becomes more shocking when she finds out his name is Maurice, and that his wife has left him. Zoey tumbles head-first into a world she never knew existed. She always helps people - but who is going to help her?

The best thing about this book is that it's such light-hearted fun. Depending on a chicklit-esque humour, our heroine stumbles through life as a wedding planner slash monster rescue-er. There are some truly laugh out loud funny moments in this book, and the supporting cast of characters is the best. Maurice the closet monster is one of my favourites.

Monster in My Closet could have used some restructuring. The first third is too heavily centered around Zoey meeting all kinds of monsters. The second third kind of abandons the cute monster stuff, and focusses entirely on the main conflict. The problem with this is that the main conflict is mostly absent throughout the first part, and by the time it finally gets going we've passed the half-way mark.

I didn't fully get a read on Zoey as a character - we know she's clumsy, loves quirky clothes, and is extremely helpful. I'm hoping we can get to know her better in the next book in the series, and maybe see a bit more of her best friend Sara. There is plenty of room for character growth in Zoey - something that is lightly touched upon in this book - that I'm hoping will continue in the next.

Don't be put off from this book by the awkward cover. Monster in My Closet will appeal to fans of Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison and Hounded by Kevin Hearne.