Monstrous Beauty

by Elizabeth Fama

[Chelsea]

Cover

Guys. Look at that cover. It's beautiful! That's what originally caught my eye.

Initial Thoughts

I bought a copy of this book on BookOutlet because it was on sale and they're going to be having a discussion about it in June. That was why I bought it. It said it was young adult and fantasy and that's what I read so there was no reason not to buy this book right? That's what I keep telling myself. I'm glad I did buy it though because it was very interesting. I really didn't think I was going to like it when I started it because every other chapter was in a different point of view and time. There was a lot of characters to keep track of though but I eventually caught on.

My New BFF

I really enjoyed that main character Hester. It's a terrible name and very unfortunate for her, but she was really interesting. I found that she wasn't the stupid main character who couldn't figure things out if she tried. She was actually really good at putting the pieces to the puzzle together and I was proud of that. I was upset that she didn't get a happy romance ending but I was ok with it. She could be a little impulsive at times but it made for a good story.

My Crush

Ezra. That's probably what everyone would pick but I really liked him. He had a really sad story but he was also very interesting. I liked how he did research for a living and wasn't at all surprised about the mermaids. He had a really interesting life story too, which was sad but it was fun to read.

Writing Style

The author had a really smart style of writing. She had her facts straight and there was no fooling around. I really enjoyed that style of writing though. It was refreshing. The story was set at a good pace too. It was slow but in a good way. It made it so that you could figure some things out yourself instead of waiting for the main character to figure it out.

Closing Thoughts

I really enjoyed reading this book. I found that I liked the story being told in two different time periods and perspectives. I thought the little bit of mystery was really cool too. Some parts were obvious but I liked that we got to see the whole story. There was nothing left out. This was definitely not a typical YA paranormal book so if that's what you're looking for, this book probably isn't for you. It was kind of a dark story in some ways. It's not a Disney mermaid story, there's some scary parts. I liked that there was some surprises here and there. Nothing too crazy, but they were there all the same. There was a lot about history and myths in this book. Usually that's not for me but this book managed to suck me in. I was really impressed.

Bonus

I thought it was a bonus that this wasn't necessarily a happy ending kind of book. It made for a better ending.