Dubi reviewed Monstrous by MarcyKate Connolly
Review of 'Monstrous' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Wizards, dragons, monsters, wars, dark magic, true love... What more can you want?
This is a modern fairy tale, part of the current trend of re-imagining classic narratives from the point of view of the monsters or villains. I sometimes wonder how kids today handle all this post-modern stuff, given that they barely get used to the classic narratives before they have to figure out their deconstruction.
But never mind that. Kymera was brought back from the dead to help her father rescue the cursed girls of Bryre from the secret prison the evil wizard keeps in the centre of the city. If you can see the big reveal of the story already, don't worry - the story is not about the not so shocking revelations, but about the innocence (and ignorance) of Kymera, and her (external) transformation from monster to hero. Maybe there's a lesson there for today's youth …
Wizards, dragons, monsters, wars, dark magic, true love... What more can you want?
This is a modern fairy tale, part of the current trend of re-imagining classic narratives from the point of view of the monsters or villains. I sometimes wonder how kids today handle all this post-modern stuff, given that they barely get used to the classic narratives before they have to figure out their deconstruction.
But never mind that. Kymera was brought back from the dead to help her father rescue the cursed girls of Bryre from the secret prison the evil wizard keeps in the centre of the city. If you can see the big reveal of the story already, don't worry - the story is not about the not so shocking revelations, but about the innocence (and ignorance) of Kymera, and her (external) transformation from monster to hero. Maybe there's a lesson there for today's youth that it's not really just the thought that counts. When you mess up, you have to do what it takes to clean up your own mess.
The book is aimed at 9-12 year olds, and its language is appropriately simple (which I sort of like. I'm not one for flowery language). The narrative, however, doesn't cut the reader much slack. While most of the plot twists won't surprise a weathered reader familiar with the tropes of the genre, it does contain a few brave decisions plot-wise, that are more in line with classic fairy tales and the dark world they reside in, rather than today's mostly Disnified storylines.
The tropes themselves are used well by Connolly in a way that allows the story to go beyond their original breadth, without being contrarian and creating merely a mirror image of the cliche, which would itself be a cliche.
My own kid's reading level may not quite be up to scratch for this book, but in a year or two I'm sure he'll love it. It's an exciting story with strong (female!) characters that children can relate to. I hope its monster theme will help it evade mischaracterization as a book for girls just because its main character is a girl. That would be very unfortunate, as this story would appeal to both boys and girls.
This is Connolly's first book, and I look forward to her next. An impressive debut and a recommended read for anyone who likes smart children's literature that doesn't look down on kids.
Also, this should totally be made into a movie.