Monsters

by Melissa Jane

[Eve1972]

 
 
~WRITING - PLOT - PACE~
While I enjoyed this one a lot, I will admit I was expecting something darker and more twisted. This was pretty much a straightforward psychological thriller with a touch of romance. Albeit a very well written one. It was also very well paced. The plot was very engaging and kept me turning the pages. I will say I figured out what the "twist" was going to be very early on but that didn't take away any from my enjoyment of it. We jump back and forth quite a bit which would usually annoy me greatly but it worked very well in this instance. The past is also where most of the teen romance aspect of this one takes place. 


~MAIN CHARACTERS~
Since this really wasn't a romance there really wasn't a "hero" or "heroine" in the traditional sense. All three of the main characters were intriguing and well developed. I really enjoyed Gemma and Lucas's friendship and budding romance. I would have liked to have seen a little more time spent with Lucas in the present as I felt his and Gemma's reunion and the aftermath was maybe a tad bit rushed. Mason, well Mason was Mason. He was suitably evil and creepy. I think perhaps what he had been up to for the past ten years could have also been fleshed out a bit more.


~SECONDARY CHARACTERS~
There are a lot of secondary characters in this one that all play small roles here and there. They added a nice background and kept the story moving forward. But the plot is mainly centered on Gemma, Lucas, and Mason. 


 

~HEAT LEVEL~
Super Low. There is basically only one semi-explicit sex scene in this one and that isn't until very near the end. Like I mentioned though this felt more like a psychological thriller with a touch of romance. 


~ANGST LEVEL~
Low to Medium. All the angst basically comes from Mason and his behavior towards Gemma. 


~IN THE END~
I liked it quite a lot. Was it exactly what I was expecting (super twisted and dark), well no, not really. That said, it was a very good thriller that was very well written and paced. Had an engaging plot that kept me hooked. Had interesting characters and an ending that perhaps was a tiny bit rushed, but still left me satisfied. Yours truly gives this one two solid thumbs up and I will definitively be checking out other books by this author.