really interesting story. It was well written and compelling the whole time. I really hope to read more of the author's books in the future.

This was a quick read, and probably the perfect choice for that spooky feeling you're seeking at Halloween. I found the story somewhat confusing at times, but think the Author did an amazing job at creating that unsettling feeling for the reader.

Murderous and weird but watching two different kinds of monsters connive and plot together makes for decent entertainment for a commute. Violent, vengeful, unsettling. Should have read in October.

A really interesting novella. Plenty to entertain and creep readers out, but it didn't *quite* live up to my expectations. If you're looking for something a little different, a little gloomy and more horror-tinged, then I'd recommend you give this a try. I'll definitely keep my eyes open for Giesbrecht's next book.

This was a very quick, but entertaining read. If you want a short read, this will meet that as it is basically a novella.

The Monster of Elendhaven hit the bookshelves right around Halloween and this seemed like the perfect excuse to burrow deeper into your night sheets, dim the lights a bit and snuggle down to devour this perfectly wicked, deviously plotted horror novella from Jennifer Geisbrecht.

It's a fascinating piece of work, in all its perfect allure - balancing character, plot and masterful world building on a razor thin platter, building up into a bleak crescendo of horror and violence. It's the kind of rare book that comes along once in a while and the writing is so sharp and lucid that the wounds linger far beyond that last page turned, forcing you think about the subtle contexts hinted to, around social injustices, homophobia, the power-play and even capitalism to some extent.

So Johann is the 'monster' of Elendhaven, a foul dying city birthed out of magical violence, which never was able to sustain the industrial revolution that swamped over and is now, just in its last throes of death and decay. And Johann represents the city itself, being the merchant of death dealing out sentences at his whim and fancy. Because Johann, from the moment he is 'aware' of himself, is content to living out and experiment with life, including the end of such. But Johann meets his match in the frail noble Florian Leckenbloom, a survivor of one of the oldest families of this city, who claims this city as his true home. For beautiful fragile Florian is actually blessed with magic and has a long-hatching sinister plot of revenge, for which Johann seems to be the perfect instrument. Their plans however, run into a hitch as a southern mage-hunter turns up. Will they follow through or die trying?

I was initially nonchalant about the characters. Despite being morbidly fascinating, Johann as the 'monster' who hugged the shadows and experimented with people's lives, quickly became a little boring. Until of course Jennifer introduced Florian's character. His character had a great backstory, fed to us drip by drip skilfully by Jennifer. I was intrigued and quickly kept up with the bread crumbs to figure out where Florian was headed, with his devious plotting to save or destroy his city. The city of Elendhaven itself is a very strong presence throughout the story, beautifully sketched out by Jeniffer's lyrical, superb prose that danced and thrilled across the pages. The elements that make up the dead decaying facade of this city, including the backstories and the myths that are strongly rooted in the backstory of Florian's character was fascinatingly portrayed. Add to this already explosive mix, a third element in the form of a 'mage-hunter' on an agenda, the fuse was just ready to blow.

My only complaint would be in resolution of the issues itself, as the climax between Johann, Florian and their opponent(s) felt a bit too rushed. I understand the limitation of a novella and perhaps, in a full length novel, the. lurid descriptions of the violence and creeping horror would have quickly become a bit too dragging. But I still would have liked things to linger on, just for a bit longer. Revenge saga aside, Jennifer teasingly brings in mysterious elements tied up with the overarching mythology of Hallandrette, the sea Goddess that keeps the page turning as we race to the finish. The big reveal does come a lot later than expected and the climax follows soon after, kind of disappointing the reader.

But overall, The Monster of Elendhaven is an enticingly sinister tale of chilling horror, written in beautiful poetic prose that cuts and slashes deep into your psyche. Packing a powerful wallop in its slim 150-plus pages, this novella is a dark fantasy fan's dream.

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2020 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2020/01/2020-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

This is a horrific novella though I'm not sure I would call it a horror novel... But to say more on that subject would kill a certain delicious (horrific?) moment of surprise. All in all, a fascinating read with wonderful world building. I find myself longing to revisit this world. 4 stars.

Overall, I enjoyed this story. It took me a little bit to decide how I felt about this book and I'm still not quite sure. There were times that I felt confused while reading. But, I enjoyed the writing and the story was definitely a gory, dark fantasy. The story involved magic, murder, and revenge. But, it also involved a relationship between two characters that found comfort and solace in one another. I also found parts throughout this story humorous. I enjoy novellas but the only issue I have with them is that most of the time I wish they were longer, as with this one. I wanted more from the story. I wanted more history and back story of these characters. This is a quick read that would be ideal for the fall, especially October.

Okay, so I absolutely loved the vivid, visceral writing. So much of this was gross and gory and deliciously written. I also really loved the aesthetic, which is a kind of Victorian-era industrialized Germany/London. It's fab. The worldbuilding is also fascinating, with Elendhaven being a rather eerie city with an unsettling origin story. I also very much enjoyed the toxic relationship between the two main characters.

But??? The ending?? I'm so confused? I don't even know if I was supposed to understand what happened at the end or if it's meant to be left ambiguous. I feel like I'm not sure what the point of the story was or where it intended to go, and I have no idea what the ending means, so I'm mostly kind of frustrated.

If you had to read a book during the spooky season, let it be The Monster of Elendhaven. This novella is weird and dark and ALL sorts of twisted, and I still don't know if I loved it for its unusualness, or simply liked it well enough.

I can't really summarize this novella. The plot twists and bends and weaves in and out of the present and the almost distance past that's consequences are finally coming to light. The bite of vengeance nips the air, murder walks the street in the form of an almost-man, and beneath it all hangs a weird and twisted almost-romance.

Almost, for I hesitate to really call it what you would likely consider a love story because that is not this world, this book. The Monster of Elendhaven makes me think of an end-of-the-world setting where humanity reverted to a previous era (in this case something akin to the Victorian era meets a bit of the industrial age). In this world, a poor boy (Florian) is left alone in an empty house, the perfect setting for him to concoct a revenge so determinedly dastardly and twisted that only the most inhuman of companions (the monster, Johann) could possibly understand. Theirs was a companionship of mutual destruction and a weird lust that made this book all the stranger.

And the first part of the novella sets all this up quite beautifully. If I had to recommend this book for one thing only, it would be the intricately descriptive writing. It's beautiful, there's no question about it, and while I'm generally not one for flowery writing, something about this book in particular continued to draw me back.

That said, the writing saved it, in a way, by the end. I mentioned I can't really summarize the plot because it's all over the place. I didn't understand some of the character motivations or connections between characters and past events in general. It's all a bit convoluted which adds to the mysterious atmosphere but also made the story hard to follow as a reader. 

Yet, it didn't really matter? I finished The Monster of Elendhaven and my first thought was everyone needed to read this book. Does the story always make sense? No. Did it speak to my fondness for all things dark and twisted (without falling head first into horror)? Absolutely.

It's a strange little book with strange little characters that take "morally gray" to a whole new level. And it definitely wasn't what I expected when I picked it up (I was expecting more Jack the Ripper type vibes, to be honest).

I would recommend The Monster of Elendhaven, yes, but it's definitely not for every reader and if you're not a fan of more gruesome stories and graphic deaths then perhaps avoid this one. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy meeting the Monster.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

4.5 stars

My first thoughts upon finishing this book: Wow! But... what did I just read?

This book is creepy, atmospheric, and amazing. I loved every minute of it and have serious plans to re-read it.

This novella focuses on a man who no one seems to remember and can't die. He does bad deeds to survive and have fun. Then he "introduces himself" to another and gets involved in a complicated plot revolving around their desolate, dying town.

The whole time I sat there trying to figure out their connection, the magic behind what was going on, and what exactly they would do. And yes, I read this novella in one sitting. While the length is perfect, I totally could have used so, so much more.

Now, I will admit that I usually don't like short stories, I need more -- and while I felt that here, it was in a different way. I wanted more because I wasn't -- didn't want to be done with the story. There is so much mystery here, so much story told between the lines. I cannot wait to read this again and see what new tidbits I glean from it.

Let me spare a few lines for the two characters -- our monsters. They are creepy and gritty in different ways with backgrounds and motives that shape what they do. I adored them and their gory ways. The thing is, I wasn't sold on there being a romance. Do they have a relationship? Sometimes I thought yes, other times I felt like Johann was just pushing limits, as he does.

I completely enjoyed reading this book, but I'm saying 4.5 stars because there were totally parts I didn't understand or may not have understood correctly. But the vibes, the writing style... beautiful. While this is the first book I've read by this author, it will not be the last.

This book is creepy AF. I loved the relationship between the two main characters and how messed up it was. I loved the spooky murderous vibes that the entire story emits. It's a quick read, but I found myself wanting to read it again to pick up on all of the nuances and little morsels you don't catch the first time reading through the story.

This short novel will pull you in to the point that you’ll want to finish it in one setting. I loved the dark atmosphere and creepy villainous characters that you can’t help but root for. Definitely a great October read.

I liked this! I wish it had been a little more descriptively nasty, more lurid, and leaned into the descriptions of the murder and disease and weird sexual dynamic. But then again, it's only a novella and is pretty lush, as much as it can be in so few chapters. But I definitely feel that the author and I are on similar wavelengths and I will be keeping my eye out for future books by them.

I really wanted to like this book, and towards the end, I did quite enjoy it, but I found the first half pretty confusing and honestly, a little boring. It tells the story of Johann, the eponymous monster and Florien, the magician with a deadly mission. I thought that Giesbrecht did a really good job with the atmosphere of the book, with a really Gothic feel reminiscent of Frankenstein, although this was sometimes hampered by Johann's dialogue, which had a very contemporary tone. Admittedly, there is no suggestion that this takes place in our own world, but the dialogue of the other characters is markedly different to Johann's, which was a little jarring. I enjoyed the backstory of Florien and Flora and felt that this could have been explored a little further. I also enjoyed the combat between mage and mage hunter, but again, I felt this was a little under-developed. Florien's motivations were interesting, but I felt that a large section in the middle of the book was a bit wandering and ultimately, felt unnecessary. Overall, I had issues with the pacing and felt the structure was a bit confusing, but I did enjoy the ending quite a bit.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Jennifer Giesbrecht's debut novella The Monster of Elendhaven is absolutely phenomenal.. This was a brutal yet beautiful little book. In a short 160 pages, Giesbrecht paints a world of cold, dark filth. It drips with pain and sorrow.

In The Monster of Elendhaven, a superhuman man named Johann stalks the dark and seedy streets of Elendhaven, acting as the city's own Jack the Ripper of sorts. There's something unique about Johann though: it appears he can't be killed. He's tried. Multiple times. When he encounters Florian, a man from one of Elendhaven's oldest families, he sees a kindred spirit. Soon they team up, Johann acting as the strong arm for Florian's dark revenge fantasies. But even the best laid of evil plans can experience some hiccups. Someone is hunting Florian, and they mean to kill.

What Giesbrecht does in such a short space is so impressive. She gives us a fully realized story, equipped with rich characters, a visceral setting, a deep mythology, and a satisfying end. And while we only get a fragment of the lore this world contains, it is robust and offers the appropriate support to the tale at hand. The story is gory and creepy, but also humorous and touching at times. It definitely isn't for everyone, but for those of us who like it dark and fantastical it's a whole lot of fun! It leaves readers with a lot to chew on, and I wish I could have stayed with the story for a bit longer.

Well in case you had any doubts, I'm here to tell you this is a dark book. At the same time though, I absolutely enjoyed it and I think the main reason for that is the dark and messed up relationship of Johann and Florian. I am a die-hard Buffy/Spike fan, and that dysfunctional relationship paved the way for me to love Johann/Florian. They are both terrible for each other, because of course they are, and yet I loved every minute of their time together. If Buffy had been evil, she would have been the Florian to Spike's Johann.

Beyond that unhealthy relationship, this was a great read and I recommend it to anyone who is fascinated with seedy darkness.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

The Monster of Elendhaven follows two characters – Johann, the eponymous monster, and Florian, a mage that ultimately forces him to do his bidding. Mages are forbidden to exist in Elendhaven, and the locals in power kill Florian’s family, so Florian is out for revenge. And he’ll use Johann to ensure he gets it.

It’s rare that I wish a book was longer, but that’s definitely the case here. The worldbuilding was spectacular, as was the prose, but the plot was pretty basic, and the end jarring. I could have spent much longer in this dark, twisted world with our dark, twisted characters. I kept thinking of Patrick Suskind’s book, Perfume: A Story of a Murderer, as both of our characters were somewhat similar to the protagonist of that book. There’s a romance that I wouldn’t have minded so much, but again, it wasn’t given time to breathe in this short little novel.

TLDR: This book is nasty in that deliciously evil sort of way. If that’s your thing, you’ll love it. I wish it were a bit longer.

3.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and Tor for the eARC, which I received in exchange for an unbiased review.

The Monster of Elendhaven is the upcoming debut novella from Jennifer Giesbrecht, and, boy, it’s a doozie. It is mostly the story of Johann, who washes up on the poisonous black shores of Elendhaven, a foul, little city in the Nord. He is taken in, literally and figuratively, by a fragile little accountant, Herr Leikenbloom, the last of a historic family destroyed by plague, who is both more and less than he seems. When an ambassador from the south comes to Elendhaven with a female companion and a business entourage looking to set up mining and railways, Herr Leikenbloom sees an opportunity he cannot ignore. With Johann’s help he can achieve his life’s ambition. Can anyone stop him? It’s an interesting setup for a novella, but The Monster of Elendhaven is so much more than seems. Yes, it’s a dark fantasy thriller with plagues and monsters and evil people and a beautifully rendered nasty setting, but in Giesbrecht’s deft hands, it’s a compelling, psychologically gripping tale of lust and revenge, told in parallel, twisting narratives that ingeniously leave the reader sympathizing with the most horrible people imaginable.

The Monster of Elendhaven features three main characters. The ‘monster’, Johann, is a cruel, murderous… monster who cannot die, and whom people seem to forget as soon as they meet. He robs and kills for pleasure and education. He plots to kill the frail and richly attired accountant, Herr Leikenbloom, but falls under the little man’s spell. Yes, he finds out that Leikenbloom has some powers of his own, one of which is a preternatural power of persuasion that even Johann cannot resist. Leikenbloom entrances Johann and engages him to help plot revenge on all the people who forsook Leikenbloom’s family, fifteen years before, when it became clear they had contracted the plague. The plan moves along swimmingly until a third main character, Kanya, a mage hunter, makes her way to Elendhaven. Each of these characters is created with stunning psychological complexity (Kanya to a slightly lesser degree), physical uniqueness, and irresistible charm. You will cheer for each of them, even when they are pitted against each other.

The main thread of The Monster of Elendhaven is told in Johann’s third-person point of view, and he is one creepy dude. He is addicted to the worst things in life – power, lust, killing, greed. But he is almost tamed by Herr Leikenbloom who seems to be the one person who doesn’t fear him… or anything really. This thread is interwoven with the story of Leikenbloom’s family, his anger at sadness at their downfall, and his deep sense of longing for his lost, plague-dead sister Flora. When she died, he threw her body into the Black Moon, the crescent-shaped body of poisonous black water that washes Elendhaven’s shores, because according to myth she can be washed ashore alive again by the goddess Hallendrette. But instead of getting Flora back, Leikenbloom gets Johann.

The centerpiece of the story is Liekenbloom’s annual party in which all the dignitaries, Nord and south, descend on Elendhaven for a traditional feast of Norden cuisine at a restaurant featuring some local… uh… delicacies. And what a feast it is. But aside from roasted seal eyeballs with caramelized onions and the wine that tastes like hangover vomit, the real delight here is Leikenbloom’s toast, which entrances, literally, all his guests… but one. It’s all downhill from there, as the story doesn’t exactly race to its inevitable conclusion, but more like it slithers there through the muck and blood and black boils and oil slick cobblestones.

As simple as a story with three main characters might be, though, The Monster of Elendhaven is not an easy read. Most of the narrative is restricted tightly around Johann, who doesn’t know much except how to kill and who is further compromised by his mysterious compulsion to serve Leikenbloom. Add to that the strange mystery of the boy who washes out of the Black Moon sea and the body stuck on a rock there dripping pus from its wound, and you have some slightly perplexing backstory to an at times opaque narrative. However, aside from its compelling plot and damnably loveable characters, the real beauty of The Monster of Elendhaven is Giesbrecht’s use of mood and imagery. Her writing is lush and provocative, wanton and daring, and poignantly detailed. She describes Leikenbloom after his toast: “He held his pose—a prince triumphant painted in classical oils, rich and aqueous and just the slightest bit smudged around the edges…” And from the complementary narrative, when the locals trapped the plagued Leikenblooms in their manor, and Frau Leikenbloom locked the servants in their cellar without food and drink: “When the pounding under the floorboards stopped, their mother said, ‘Good riddance,’ and adjusted the fringe of her shawl.” At times Giesbrecht’s language and imagery reminded me of Susanna Clarke’s fantastic Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (the book – I don’t watch TV), but a hundred times darker, which means it is pretty near brilliant and enticingly sinister.

The Monster of Elendhaven is a story rich enough for a full-length novel yet beautiful enough for a poem – a strange, grim, and mesmerizing tale that will leave you wanting to read it again immediately to find out what you missed, which is exactly what I did, and it was even better the second time. It is not a story about grim soldiers and hopeless military campaigns, but it definitely has the grimdark mentality. No one is good or bad—each character has their own agenda and goals, for better or worse. I recommend The Monster of Elendhaven to anyone who likes dark fantasy and horror, as well as anyone who is interested in reading a brilliant character portrayal of a sympathetic yet horrifying anti-hero. Though it has a few perplexing moments, and perhaps that part of its charm, I absolutely loved it, and I look forward to seeing what Giesbrecht does next.

Purchase The Monster of Elendhaven
The Monster of Elendhaven is scheduled for publication by Tor.com on 24 September 2019.