Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Who doesn't love a little monster hunting! This is a fast-paced action-packed dystopia novel, that you will really enjoy! Clara was such a strong lead and really took you on a ride. You could see how strong she was because of everything she had to overcome. I think many students could connect to this book and really get into this story. I will totally be adding a monster genre to my library!

I first heard of this book because I saw Amie Kaufman raving about it on Instagram. I'll admit I have been staying away from dystopia lately because of the general state of the world and I overdid it during the Divergent rush a few years back. It takes a lot then for me to appreciate something and see it as unique. This story had a great heroine, strong dialogue and tons of action to keep you going. I did enjoy the monster hunting aspect, which was something different from what I've read before. It makes me want to read more in this sub-genre.

In a world being endangered by scrabs (human killing creatures), Clara is ready to do anything to get away from her abusive father, so she decides to join a scrab fighting army. The privately funded army has recruits across the globe. Clara goes to Paris and London with her team. She trains, battles scrabs and builds relationships. One of her relationships turns out toxic while others feel like she belongs to a good family. Dynamics between characters and the world-building create a mix of intrigue, danger and suspense. The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger so I’m struggling to wait for the second book of this duology. 5 stars for a dangerous adventure ride!

This was a decent read. As always, i enjoyed Tintera's writing, but something was missing. It just wasn't as epic as her other books. I still applaud you, Tintera, for coming up with yet another unique and astonishing story. It's not easy these days. I feel like most books i read have that same old plot, cliche characters, especially in YA. It also could be challenging for an author to write multiple books that aren't similar. Tintera writes 'em like a pro!

Sure, the concept is great and even if the rest disappointed me, I’m glad I read it just to experience such a cool idea.. We can see the story evolve in front of our eyes, follow the action-scenes meticulously. Her books are entertaining, the short chapters that always end in cliffhangers make you want to read on. It’s fast-paced and action-packed. Yes, there is the execution of the concept and the world-building. It just didn’t do it for me. Honestly, the world was kinda generic. It felt like any other dystopian novel. The characters were underwhelming. I found both the main and secondary characters to be quite flat and rather dull.

It's still a pretty strong novel, and I will read the sequel because the enjoyment is still there. Would recommend this totally.

4.5 stars
Team Seven is my new team! What a great group of characters. Clara was such a strong female character. She goes from being abused by her father to fighting these legit monsters (because death by monster is better than death by her own family, right?). Madison was one of my favorite characters. I love the characters who seem so superficial and like a "dumb blonde" character in the public eye, but are 100% different once you really get to know them. Edan was another of my favorite characters. Our first encounter with him is as a pickpocket, and I immediately liked him. Edan and Clara had the best meet cute, but that ship sunk right away (lol).
Let's get to these monsters. The scrabs (which originated in Scrabster, Scotland). They are portrayed as so scary and creepy and gross, and something I would definitely not want to sign up to kill. While I feel like not a ton happened in the first half, I was never bored for one single page. A lot of the half was about the training, but there were always the crazy action scenes thrown in when you were least expecting it. The second half just took off and was non stop complete action.
SPOILERS
A big theme in this book was abuse. Clara's father abuses her, and her mom and (for the most part) her brother do nothing to stop it. The whole reason Clara joins Grayson's team is to get away from her father (which she had a hard time doing in the first place since he tried to lock her in her room so she couldn't go). I think this was dealt with very well, although I am speaking as someone who has never had to deal with anything like this, so I can't say firsthand if this is how these people act when they are abused. Everything Clara did was so believable, she didn't want to tell anyone, she didn't want to end up like her mother in a relationship like this, and it just made me so proud of everything she accomplished in this book. Now. Julian. I had no idea he was going to end up how he did until probably halfway through the book, but from the moment Clara met him, I just didn't like him. I can't even say why. But I'm almost glad he ended up as this giant jerkhole with a huge temper because I did not want Clara to end up with him. And I absolutely loved how Edan contrasted this. They were both abused, but you can easily see how Julian is following in his father's footsteps, but Edan is making conscious choices to not become his mother (who is the one who abused him).
DONE SPOILERS
If you are looking for a fast paced, action, monster book with all sorts of twists and turn and conspiracy theories, this book is for you! I immediately requested the second book when I finished this one!

I ended up enjoying this book. While it did have some quite heavy themes to it, I felt there was enough balance for it not to be overwhelming. I had to go into it knowing that it was a YA and I may not necessarily be it’s main target audience. Although it did have some common tropes, I still found it an enjoyable read.

If Clara Pratt is good at anything, it's taking a hit. She's spent her whole life being abused by her father. Now, she's ready to fight back, and ready to take on Scrabs: hideous six-foot tall monsters with sharp claws and teeth that currently terrorize Europe and Asia, with a few sightings in the Americas. When rich, tech-heir Grayson St. John announces that he--in response to the US Government refusing to send the military to fight Scrabs--is creating his own elite fighting squads to rid the world of Scrabs. It's Clara's ticket out of Texas and out of her father's hands, giving her purpose and freedom. But monster fighting is no joke, and soon the Scrabs seem to be the least of Clara's problems. The biggest, most evil monsters may be hiding in plain sight...

This fantastic first half of a duology is some of Tintera's finest, with truly horrific monsters, phenomenal characters (ranging from 'must protect at all cost' to 'must punch in the face at least once'), and a really cool alternate history/present for our world. And then there's the fight scenes. Amy Tintera is one of the few authors I know who can put a fight scene in just about every chapter and you not feel overwhelmed by the continuous action. It all flows together seamlessly, but also it's kind of like a horror movie. You know they're going to fight Scrabs. They're going to show up. So of course they show up at what is probably the worst possible time. You expect it, but only to a certain extent, so it is still a surprise when they come up out of the ground.

And then there's Tintera's deft handling of two incredibly important but sensitive subjects: parental abuse and abusive relationships. Clara and another character have discussions about breaking the cycle of abuse, and working through the ramifications of her abuse. For Clara particularly, it is having trouble making and keeping friends, trusting people, and feeling a need to keep silent about her past, which also leaves her feeling distant from her teammates. But, slowly, she's making friends, making progress, and living her best life. As she should! I won't get too much into the second topic there to avoid spoilers, however, but it's there and well-written and Clara has an amazing support system to have her back, physically and emotionally.

All These Monsters by Amy Tintera, 464 pages. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing, 2020. $18. LGBTQIA
Language: R (150 swears, 15 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
Seventeen-year-old Clara might not be ready to fight scabs, but she is ready to leave home. And never set foot in Texas again. Clara joins up with Grayson’s group to fight the scrab presence in Europe, discovering more about herself and the kind of life she can have than she knew was possible.
I love Tintera, and I have read all of her books; I was more than excited to get this book to review. My excitement might have been a little over the top, though, because I was disappointed by the slow beginning of this book. Thankfully, Tintera came through for me with relatable characters, skillful balancing of seriousness and humor, and a deeper plot than I at first suspected. I also appreciate that Tintera comments on difficult topics in her books, speaking on the subject of abuse -- and the hope of moving forward -- through several points of view in All These Monsters. The mature content rating is for alcohol use, including underage drinking, and mentions of sex; the violence rating is for domestic violence, child abuse, verbal and physical abuse, gore, battle, and death.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

I really enjoyed the concept of this book and wanted to love the story, but there were a few things that really let this down for me.

Firstly, I felt the world building was really underdeveloped. I understand the author was likely going for a faster pace that isn’t conducive to extensive world building. However, some explanation as to why the monsters were there and what real impact it had on the world would have made the story work more for me. I think the author may be holding back the reason why the monsters exist for the second book, but for me that made the first part of the series frustrating and unrealistic.

I didn’t get much of a sense of setting either, so it was quite hard to picture any of the action with much clarity. The prose in general was fairly simplistic, but I feel I’m maybe not the target demographic for this novel despite liking the sound of the book’s summary.

The characters felt quite flat and cliche and some of the dialogue came across very clunky. In particular things like a cheerleader who equates fighting monsters to cheer camp just came across incredibly wooden and cringeworthy.

The story as a whole felt very familiar, not much set it apart from the swath of dystopian fiction that cropped up in the wake of The Hunger Games and Divergent’s success in the early 2010’s. The romantic love triangle felt unnecessary and outdated.

I commend the author for the way she tackled domestic abuse. For me, this was the novel’s saving grace as she did this with realism and sensitivity.

Overall I think this will work well for a younger reader, but for me it didn’t work.

The premise was intriguing, but ultimately this book was a let-down. The relationships/love interests were a case of insta-love, and the characters weren't necessarily that likable/realistic. The plot was forgettable, and did not hold my attention.

I picked up All These Monsters on a whim after my co-blogger brought it to my attention. I do like a bit of sci-fi now and then, so she suggested this book to me. After reading the synopsis, I was down, it sounded fun and different and just like what I wanted to read. I'm so glad I took a chance on this book, it ended up be such a great surprise.

The monsters were what initially drew me to All These Monsters, and while they were awesome, they aren't why I ended up sticking around. This book is so much more complex that I initially thought it would be. Yes, there are sci-fi monsters attacking cities and wreaking havoc, but there are other monsters who are more hidden. This book shines the light on domestic and child abuse and signs of being in an abusive relationship. The title is so meaningful, the human monsters it portrays are much more terrifying than the beasts. And that's the kind of monsters that readers may have to deal with. I had no idea going into this book just how important it would be, and I think it's going to be such a great story in the hands of young readers.

Clara, the protagonist, is amazing. I loved her voice, her story, all of it. She goes through so much, and is so strong. But she's also just a kid, who has too much on her shoulders, and rises above everything thrown at her beautifully. I felt so much for her while reading her story.

The other characters are great as well. Lot's of diversity, and lots of wonderful friendships. I love when there are "teams" in YA books, and when I got that with this one I was so excited! It was so fun to see how Clara's team interacted, how their relationships built and how they came to understand one another. The characters all felt like they had their own stories to tell, and it added to the book's overall depth.

I thought the world building was good enough. Nothing spectacular, but it was a blend of near-future sci-fi and dystopian that I really liked. It fleshed out the world's situation, gave enough info about the monsters now attacking, and set up some things that are obviously going to play out in the sequel(I. Can't. Wait.). Anyone looking for hard sci-fi might not be happy with this one, but it should be fine for anyone else.

One last thing that I loved was that this book didn't glorify an abusive relationship. There was no "bad boy who's actually kind of bad" trope. It showed the relationship for what it was, showed the signs of abuse, and that was it. I also appreciated that it shined light on the fact that sometimes abuse won't always be obvious to outsiders, that people can put on a good face to hide their ugly side when they think someone else is watching. It's a great lesson in empathy that really stuck with me.

I'm so happy I picked up All These Monsters. It's a fun, important read, with great voice and lots of action. I think fans of the Shatter Me series will absolutely love this one, but I actually think the relationships in All These Monsters had more nuance. I absolutely can't wait for the sequel, and in the meantime, since this is my first read from this author, I'll definitely be checking out their other books!

This review will go live on NovelKnight on 7/30/20.

CW: Child abuse, relationship abuse, physical abuse, victim shaming.

All these Monster follows Clara Pratt, a 16 year old girl from Texas who desperately wants to escape her horrible home life and her abusive father. She gets her chance to escape her past when she runs away and joins an elite fighting squad dedicated to hunting monsters called scrab which plague the entire world. Soon, Clara finds a new freedom with her squad she's never experienced before, but she finds that the scars of her past run much deeper than she realized. In the midst of the truth and the lies, Clara must figure out who she can trust, or else the world could find itself overrun with monsters.
This book was something I enjoyed more than I thought it would. I had forgotten what a good writer Amy Tintera was, her writing full of action, heart and lots of wit. I loved all the banter between the members of squad 7, and how they came to love and support each other and exceed everyone's expectations. I always love a good underdog story. I also thought that Tintera handled issues of physical, emotional, and mental abuse in relationships exceptionally well. Clara and Julian's relationship is a prime example of how a young woman can be groomed and taken advantage of by men who find themselves in positions of power over them. She also shows how red flags in abusive relationships are so easy to miss, and how they snowball into a serious problem that all to often ends in tragic circumstances. In this book, Clara saves herself and is helped by her support system before it is too late. It is an incredibly important theme here in the "Me-Too" era about the need to stand up and tell one's story, and how that is one of the most powerful ways abused women can fight back against their abusers.

After seeing the cover for this on a fellow Bookstagrammer's stories, I knew I needed to read this. This was my frist introduction to Tinera, and it definitely won't be the last book I read from her.

With Scrabs popping up all over the world, this rag-tag team comes together to fight these monsters off. But for some, the Scrabs aren't the only monsters they are fighting. 

This book is action packed with never a dull moment and a full cast of interesting characters. Tinera approaches abuse in a healthy way that brings so much dynamic to the story.

I absolutely look forward to the next book in this series.

A creature has infested the earth and they are multiplying. Clara would like more than anything to escape her abusive home environment. When a new militia is formed to combat these strange new creatures, Clara jumps at the chance to join. What she doesn't expect is to encounter more than just Scrabs. All These Monsters is more than just the war against earth-dwelling Scrabs but the monsters we face every day. Clara deals with more monsters than just the Scrabs but also in personal life. These monsters are in human form and sometimes harder to spot. Tintera does a great job with the action pact plot that will leave readers out of breath. All These Monsters deals with more than just creatures who want to destroy humanity but also the abuse that can happen in a relationship both mentally and physically. Tintera does a decent job of depicting these relationships and the support networks around Clara. Yet, the heaviness of the issues presented was superficial at best and felt as if stereotypical tropes were relied on to convey some of the abusive interactions. A female bond or ally was greatly lacking. Clara leaned heavily on male counterparts and very dismissive of female interaction. Some introspective of why Clara pushed female interaction away would have made her a little more real and less male-focused.

Between the story, the characters and the Scrabs, I loved everything about this novel! Clara is 17 and running from an abusive home. When her mother takes back her father again it’s the last straw. Clara decides her only way out is to join Grayson St. John’s Scrab killing team.

Scrabs have an unknown origin and depending on the continent can be deadlier, creepier, faster and even smarter. They tunnel underground and erupt without notice slaughtering whoever is in their path. Clara’s life completely changes when she joins the team and sinister plots involving the Scrabs begin to surface.

This was everything I needed it to be. I had Divergent and Maze Runner vibes in my head as I read along. Clara may be a flawed character but her life struggles and situations make it easy to connect with her and see her strength. Her team is icing on the cake. I didn’t find one that I didn’t like. They are all written in a way that makes you want to have them in your life as your own personal monster fighting squad. I honestly can’t say enough about this book.

There are themes of alcoholism and child abuse for those interested in trigger warnings. There are descriptive scenes of violence during attacks as well.

Thank you to Amy Tintera and HMH Books for Young Readers for an advanced reader copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I really enjoy a good monster book. This had similar vibes to Pacific Rim and Cloverfield. I actually like the fact that we didn't get any explanation or origin story to the monsters. We get that they showed up and where but we have no idea why or what they are. It's like Cloverfield in that regard.

The character Clara is wonderfully done as she feels real. Her character did grow on me as the book went on. She really hit her stride about halfway through. The team dynamics are good but they could of been better. This is predominately Clara's story. The abuse aspect of the story and how she deals with it and goes forth is incredibly well done. It was impressive. I have high hopes for the sequel.

4.5 stars
I loved it. I was hooked from page one. There was nothing specific that drew me to it, it just grabbed my attention and held on. A motley crew of teens fight scrabs, which are monsters that are killing everyone in sight.

Clara comes from an abusive home and runs away from home and school to fight the scrabs. She has little training and know-how, but ends up being a super tough chick who can hold her own. It was easy for me to get lost in the story and not care why Clara is all of a sudden amazing or that I needed more answers. The characters are easy to like and I loved the scrab scenes. Short or long, I liked the fighting and mystery of them.

I needed a bit more info on the scrabs and why they came to be. I imagine that will come in the next book, but for now, it’s a contemporary world that is being taken over by these monsters and people are coming together to fight them. I feel like there’s more to them, something deeper is lurking in their development or existence. I can’t wait to see where the story goes. This is my first Tintera novel and I will be looking into more!

Trigger warnings: physical abuse of a minor, alcoholism.

I have read many books by this author and have enjoyed them all, for their complex characters and world building. I expected this one to be just as complex and was not disappointed. It is a fast read with lots of action and well done fight scenes. But there is a lot of character development and complex themes tackled as well.

Clara is our sole narrator and you feel for her right from the start. She is complex, she comes from an abusive home which colors every decision that she makes. She joins the monster fighting squad because she feels that it is the only way she can get away from her abusive father and weak mother and make a life for herself. To her, choosing to fight monsters, and risking death on a daily basis is better than what she left behind.

But Clara soon finds that there are other benefits to joining a team. Friendship, something she never risked at home, becomes very important even though she doesn’t share much about herself with her teammates. Clara also becomes a very important part of the team, even though her squad is considered the weakest and she one of the weakest members, they really aren’t. Once they become a you-tube sensation because of one of the team members videos of their training and fighting, I think they all begin to see themselves in a better light and not just a bunch of incompetent kids. And this give Clara the strength to do what needs to be done to defeat not only the scrabs, but also the other monsters she finds around herself and the team.

Although we get to know Clara the best, there are some other teammates that we get to know well. I really liked Edan and even though their friendship starts off a bit rocky, he becomes such a good companion for Clara, that I was rooting for him to survive every fight. Patrick is also a good friend and kind-hearted. There are girls on the team as well, but Clara has a harder time relating to them, but eventually comes to respect them all and calls them all friends.

The plot does move quickly and tackles many tough themes, most notably kids from abusive homes and whether or not they are destined to be like their parents. Clara makes some difficult choices, especially when it come to her first romance with Julian. There is also a complex plot around the scrabs and what another group of mercenaries are doing with them. So this is not a light and fluffy read, but it is one that will keep you turning the pages and staying up late to finish.

This was such a good read, with some great characters and a fascinating plot. The scrabs sound truly terrifying and not something I would want to come face to face with. I am really looking forward to the next book and finding out how Clara defeats all of the monsters around her.

4.5* rounded up

Clara's home situation is not the best (by a long shot), so she joins up with a private military force to fight the Xenomorph-esque tunneling critters called scrabs that are attacking people all over Europe - but of course, there's much more to the scrab problem than meets the eye.

This was an excellent book that was essentially about abusive relationships and domestic violence, except for with LOTS of fighting bloodthirsty tunneling creatures. It manages to address these issues in a complex and nuanced manner while also modeling what healthy and positive relationships look like, and in the meanwhile doing an excellent job at being a monster-hunting sci-fi novel. All of the characters were very well developed and both the initial conflict and the twist were realistic, although the ultimate reveal of who the real villain was is a little predictable (therefore the half-star ding).

I would recommend this book to any reader who likes a lot of action with a teeny tiny bit of romance, and especially to teens who have started dating because despite the relative lack of romance, there is a lot of information on how to spot warning signs of an abusive relationship, as well as good modeling for how to handle one.