I chose the book Ordinary Monsters by J.M. Miro for my February read. Set in the 1880s, this book is a historical fantasy inviting us into the dark world of the Talents. It is the first book in The Talents Trilogy and also the only book out at the moment with the second coming in 2024. How did I enjoy this book? Keep on reading to see my review of this book.
Everything in this review is just my own personal opinions and ultimately should not let you stop from reading this book if you feel you would still enjoy it. Happy Reading.
Summary: From Goodreads
England, 1882. In Victorian London, two children with mysterious powers are hunted by a figure of darkness — a man made of smoke.
Sixteen-year-old Charlie Ovid, despite a lifetime of brutality, doesn’t have a scar on him. His body heals itself, whether he wants it to or not. Marlowe, a foundling from a railway freight car, shines with a strange bluish light. He can melt or mend flesh. When two grizzled detectives are recruited to escort them north to safety, they are forced to confront the nature of difference, and belonging, and the shadowy edges of the monstrous.
What follows is a journey from the gaslit streets of London, to an eerie estate outside Edinburgh, where other children with gifts—the Talents—have been gathered. Here, the world of the dead and the world of the living threaten to collide. And as secrets within the Institute unfurl, Marlowe, Charlie and the rest of the Talents will discover the truth about their abilities, and the nature of the force that is stalking them: that the worst monsters sometimes come bearing the sweetest gifts.
With lush prose, mesmerizing world-building, and a gripping plot, Ordinary Monsters presents a catastrophic vision of the Victorian world—and of the gifted, broken children who must save it.
My Thoughts:
They advertised this book as a historical fantasy set in the 1880s with the twist of darkness coming from the oddities that are the Talents. Miro has really created an amazing world that you just get pulled into as you read and honestly, it’s one of the best books I’ve read in a while. Nothing seems out of place from the 1880s, and they wove in the fantasy aspect so perfectly that you feel as if you were reading actual history. I appreciate that even though there are mystical elements, nothing felt out of sorts during this time period. The world-building overall was so satisfactory that you just crave more details as you read.
Immediately, you get gripped into the story and start asking questions about the world or about what is happening. That is so refreshing from most books that have such slow starts that you only question if it’s going to get interesting at all. But this book immediately puts you into some action and from there it just flows from front to back. I adored the writing; it was effortless to read, and I never felt like I had to stop to understand what something meant. Also, none of the writing felt simple or lazy. It truly felt like a lot of thought and care went into this book.
Something that I was relieved of from the last book was the characters. Every character was rich and by the end, you really feel for them all. Miro took you back to the childhoods of each character, giving an appropriate setup for the people you are about to go on this adventure with. You get involved with their past, have reasons to sympathize or care about them, and you get to see how they got to be the person you first meet, or for some, see them grow up from childhood. It is that kind of touch that really lets you know the character, and even the antagonists end up being favorites.
My favorite thing about this book was how catastrophic everything felt. This plot is not short of action and I was at the edge of my seat while reading. It is one of those stories where you question when things get better, then you are at the end of the book and left with this bitter-sweet tone. But this is something that I really love in a book, especially one that is the setup for a whole series. The books where everything is peachy and fixed by the end just never feel satisfying because it makes it seem like the story you just read never happened. If these characters are going through traumatic events, then they should become bruised, scarred, traumatized, and changed by the end of the conflict. The story needs to feel like it mattered instead of feeling like a dream or theory. Miro truly delivered on the ending, and there was both heartbreak and relief.
Again, this was one of the best books, one of the best stories that I’ve read in a while. I loved J.M. Miro’s work and I can’t wait for the following book in the series. It seems so promising and I fully intend to give this a second read before I read the second book when it releases. I think you should give this book a read. It definitely exceeded my expectations and has landed among my list of favorite reads. This has been my comment on Ordinary Monsters by J.M. Miro. Thank you for reading till the end and I hope you’ll read my next review as well.
– Morgue
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