I really enjoyed this one. It has a Brother Grim meets Frankenstein vibe, with a heroic main character that you can't help but love, even though you know she's making one mistake after another. The romance element gives it a YA or at least tween flavor, though I think it is marketed as middle grade. I don't care much for books written in the present tense, but it worked in this case, since the author seemed to be in touch with the heroine's feelings. I do think that at 448 pages, the book is too long. The pace drags, especially in the first half, and the story seems to go round and round in circles. It could easily have resolved all the loose ends and been a real stand-alone novel, and I do kind of wish that it had. But still, a great read. ( )

It was an interesting magical take on Frankenstein. Unfortunately, I found the ending dis-satisfying, violent, with several loose ends. For example, how did the evil king survive being thrown into the sea? I was slightly disturbed by the story (young girls killed and kept in cold storage) but read the whole thing because I wanted to know how Kym was going to adapt to normal life after defeating the Wizard. Turning her into a rose bush seems kind of like cheating. ( )

Kymera is brought to life Frankenstein monster-style by her father who tells her that she needs to break girls out of prison to save them from the wizard. Kym befriends Ren in the city of Bryne. When she meets Ren and his family, she begins to question all that he father has been telling her. A slow moving read that takes a long time to reveal what is clear to the reader. ( )

I've looked forward to reading this for quite a while and it was worth the wait! Monstrous was an epic adventure that was filled with dynamic characters you both loved and hated. I absolutely adored Kym and was deeply invested in everything she went through. I did find the pace near the end a tad rushed but overall this was a fantastic and emotional read that kept you guessing. ( )

Ending was a bit of a disappointment, but a good middle grades read. ( )