Title: Ordinary Monsters
Author: J. M. Miro
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4.0 out of 5

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.

This took me a long time to read. It’s long, and I didn’t find it very fast-paced, even though there’s a lot going on. I thought it was fairly dark and a bit depressing, and there are echoes of other books I’ve read in there. There were a few loose threads, too, like Alice’s backstory, that just kind of stopped and I didn’t feel were resolved. Possibly for the rest of the trilogy?

J. M. Miro is from the Pacific Northwest. Ordinary Monsters is the first book in The Talents trilogy.

(Galley courtesy of Flatiron Books in exchange for an honest review.)

The writing in this is so perfectly suited to themes of misfit, superpower children in gaslit Edinburgh, traveling across the seas with a smoke-man pursuer, tragic backstories, weathered detectives, and impending doom.

This is a sweeping historical, urban fantasy. There are a lot of different characters, some of them the main focus, and some of them showing up here and there, but given their own backstories and plot points. The main focus, however, are on the two orphaned boys - Charlie and Marlowe.

This book is loooong. I don’t say that as a negative, but as a warning. I read the e-arc of this and hadn’t realized how long this book was until I got to the halfway mark and it felt like I’d been going on an all day hike, only to realize I had miles more to go.

More to come when I've processed.

Ordinary Monsters is the first book in a trilogy about a group of children called Talents, those who are born with special skills (kind of like the X-Men). As the story progresses, we meet, among others, a girl who can become invisible (Ribs), a boy who can heal himself (Charlie), a girl who can manipulate dust (Komako), and a particularly special boy who glows blue, among other things (Marlowe). All of these children have been brought together from their respective original homes (as it were) to an estate in Scotland called Cairndale, a refuge and gathering place and educational home for the Talents of the world. However, there are secrets at Cairndale that make it not *quite* the safe space for Talents that its proprietor, Dr. Berghast, and assistant, Mrs. Harrogate, advertise (and believe). There is a power threatening to breach the walls of Cairndale and unleash the world of the dead into the world of the living, assisted by a “turned” Talent, Jacob Marber. The children, Mrs. Harrogate, and two grizzled old detectives (Coulten and Alice Quicke), must work to save themselves and the world from this dark power incarnate.

Well, this book was all about the vibes. From the very first page, the reader is plunged into a deeply gritty, violent underbelly of the world we think we know (starting with a murder and rainy night escape and foundling babies). From Victorian London streets to a midwest traveling circus to the deep south in Reconstruction-era United States to Meiji-era Tokyo to the countryside outside Edinburgh, this novel served atmosphere. It was in the seedy settings, gloomy descriptions, mysterious Dr. Berghast/Mrs. Harrogate and hidden purpose behind Cairndale, in the creepiness of the monsters (all the unnaturally pale skin and skittering-crawling movement, ooof), the slow reveals of true intent and covered-up details, in the quality of the Talents gifts, the gory violence, the small details like the clockwork bonebirds, and the bleeding through of the world of the dead into the world of the living. All in all, just a wonderful dark and gothic supernatural feel that, despite how long the novel was, I couldn’t get enough of.

As far as the plot….I mean wow, this novel covered a lot of ground. For all that it was over 600 pages, I never once felt like things were dragging. Getting the backgrounds of all the characters and gathering of them all together, along with the setting of the scene, was a large chunk that spanned a great deal of both time and distance. And at not infrequent intervals, there were scenes of conflict and violence and drama that kept the reader on their toes, including a very fun (in the “I enjoyed reading it” sense) train battle scene, and quite a bit of build to the mystery of Cairndale and our secretive Dr. Berghast’s motivations. I was expecting was expecting a sort of “dark magic school” situation and while Cairndale did act as that, it did not spend much time in that role, specifically, within the plot. I actually loved that misdirect, as, though magic schools are a trope for a reason, it definitely fit this story better to hold space as more of a setting for other conflicts, as opposed to the “education” taking place there as its primary role.

I was also into the kind of winding path to get to the bottom of the real “big bad.” First, because for the most part our character perspectives are just as clueless as us as readers, like Alice Quicke (new to her role with Cairndale) and the young Talents, so it made sense for their puzzling through the details they have and dawning understanding to be slower. Second, because that sort of high action, slow mysterious reveal, fit the book’s overall vibe spectacularly. Related, I loved the guessing of who was actually the “bad guy.” That so many things happened to make picking any side mean rooting for some level of bad/evil…big yes. I am so here for those grey spaces and morally questionable characters. Spot on plot-character development in combination.

I have to be honest here and say that there were a few points from which I wanted more. This may sound contradictory because I just said that I liked the slow unrolling of the “truth,” but I have to say that a few times, I felt like more background/detail was necessary. There were a few times that characters, particularly Mrs. Harrogate and Alice, went from being confused and knowing nothing to being confident and in control over the space of one scene/POV transition. I just felt like their seemingly sudden understanding and capability felt a little too easy at times, without what even felt like enough time passing “off-screen” for them to have worked through/tested what it seemed like they had figured out. This was particularly apparent in regards to the keywrasse (who, as a character, I deeply hope we see more of, though that is not the point at hand here.)

Also, while I felt that all the characters were individually really well developed, I wish I had been able to buy into their connections with each other a bit more. Perhaps this is because I was just reading so fast that the time passing didn’t seem like long enough for robust connections to grow. However, though the book was long, there was also a lot of action and I am not sure that much objective time actually passed. Anyways, I felt like it was worth mentioning, to be transparent. (And because based on where it ended, with a reasonably wrapped-up cliffhanger situation, I’m hoping the next book is able to delve even deeper into this off-the-wall, found family, interpersonal connections aspect.)

Well, this was a fantastically unique and entertaining mix of old-school penny dreadfuls, X-Men, and found family. There were twists and turns, myriad locations and action scenes, mysteries raised and solved, and a great supernatural dark gothic atmosphere in this (unexpected for its length) page-turner of a start to a trilogy. If you like a novel that serves major vibes and enjoy getting lost in a story, then I would definitely suggest giving this book a try.

This was such a phenomenal reading experience.

With an incredibly vivid world and so many fantastic characters, I had such a fun time reading this.

Such a beautifully dark world was painted for us in Ordinary Monsters, with richly crafted characters and such an engaging plot. I really enjoyed the gifts that each child had and the magical system that seemed effortlessly but also painstakingly brought to life.

I loved the good and evil aspect. I love the slow spiral into villainy for some characters and the flow of the back and forth timelines.

This book was creepy as all get out, but in the best way possible. I felt drawn to each of these characters. I had the overwhelming urge to protect these children at all costs. What some is then had gone through broke my heart. This book ripped out my heart on several occasions, but I could not stop reading. There were times I def had to turn a light on that was brighter than my reading light to just to reassure myself there was nothing else in the room with me. I would say I am joking but this book seriously messed with my head. The villain was terrifying and definitely kept me up at night. Although this story is pretty thick, I do not feel like it dragged. I felt the flow of the story very fluid and engaging. The plot was well developed and these characters will crawl under your skin and stay with too long after you are done reading.

Thank you so much for the ARC of this book, it gave me chills, it stirred my soul, it was incredible. I'm not a very fast reader but I couldn't stop myself from just pushing on to one more chapter night after night!! The characters, the setting, the tone all just created a spooky, gothic experience that I will be recommending for years to come.

The nitty-gritty: A dark fantasy world, compelling characters a lively plot combine in this beautifully written and executed series opener.

I usually hesitate when it comes to long books, as I haven’t had a very good track record finishing them. Also, as a review blogger, I want to read and review as many books as I can, and taking the time to read anything over five hundred pages limits the amount of books I can read each month. But I’m very glad I decided to tackle Ordinary Monsters, which turned out to be anything but a hardship. From the very first page I fell into J.M. Miro’s seductively dark tale about a group of children with special abilities and the adults who either try to keep them safe—or try to destroy them.

The story takes place in 1882 and centers around the Cairndale Institute, a school for children with special abilities called talents. Located in a remote part of Scotland, members of the Institute search the world for these children and bring them to Cairndale to keep them safe. Ordinary Monsters follows several key characters: Charlie Ovid, a teenager who cannot be killed—his body repairs itself every time he’s injured; Marlowe, a young boy with a mysterious past whose skin glows with a blue light; Alice Quicke, a private detective hired by the institute to find Marlowe; Margaret Harrogate who runs the London office of Cairndale; Dr. Berghast, the man in charge of the Institute with his own, nefarious agenda; and Jacob Marber, who used to be a talent but has been seduced by a dangerous monster called a drughr.

Within the walls of Cairndale lies a magical doorway to the world of the dead, protected by a creature called a glyphic, and the doorway must remain shut at all costs. But someone is trying to open it and bring about the ruin of the Institute and all the talents who live there...

I absolutely loved Miro’s writing, which is lush and evocative without tipping over into purple prose territory. Because the story is set in the Victorian time period and takes place London (as well as other locations), Miro does a great job of evoking the squalor and desperation of the poor, the grittiness of the streets, and the horrible lives of those without status or the means to survive. And for such a long book, I thought the pacing was pretty solid. Even though the story is intricately plotted, and the author spends time digging into each character’s backstory, the pace never suffered during these moments. I was so riveted by every detail of the characters’ lives and each bit of world-building that the pages flew by much faster than I expected.

Some of the world-building elements feel very familiar, and I guarantee you’ll be reminded of other stories as you read this book. There are shades of X-Men, with the school for special children; there’s a mysterious ring that was never explained in this book but I suspect will be addressed in future installments, which reminded me a bit of Lord of the Rings. And late in the story we learn about a magical glove that two of the characters are tasked with finding, which really reminded me of the Glove of Myhnegon from Buffy, even down to the spikes that are triggered when you put it on. But there are also some wonderful elements that felt fresh and new, one of my favorites being the keywrasse, a magical weapon that can destroy the drughr. The keywrasse is trapped within two old key-like objects called weir-bents and can only be released when the weir-bents are activated. Alice forms an affinity with the keywrasse, and you guys I loved the keywrasse so much! I’m hoping we get to see it in the next book.

But let’s talk about the characters, because they are pretty special. First you have the kids who are brought to Cairndale for protection, but of course Cairndale turns out to be just as dangerous as the rest of the world. The story mostly focuses on Marlowe and Charlie, but we also meet Komako, Oskar and Ribs, three other kids who are already at the Institute when Marlowe and Charlie arrive. Together these five form a tight-knit group who decide to strike out on their own to investigate the truth. I loved this little gang, which (once again) reminded me so much of the kids in Stranger Things: Mike, Will, Max, Steve, Dustin and Lucas. I also loved Alice Quicke and Margaret Harrogate, who have their own adventures, a wonderful character named Brynt who cares for Marlowe in the beginning of the story, the blind governess Mrs. Davenshaw, and Mr. Thorpe the glyphic, the spider-like creature who protects the orsine. Even the bad guy, Jacob Marber, has a tragic backstory that made me feel sorry for him—and he’s not a very nice man, so I thought it was well done.

Most of the story is told in the present, but the author uses flashbacks to fill in the characters’ backstories, which gave the story a nice richness and depth. For example, we learn that Komako lived in Tokyo before being discovered and brought to Carindale. She and her sister were orphans but were allowed to live in a theater, provided they helped with chores. Alice Quicke grew up on the streets of London and was taught how to be a pickpocket, a skill that shaped her adult career as a detective. Jacob’s story was one of my favorites, since his past involves Marlowe in some very interesting ways. As much as I loved the magical aspects in Ordinary Monsters, I found the characters and their tangled lives to be the backbone of the story.

There are plenty of thrilling action sequences as well. The stakes are quite high throughout, and I was surprised to find the author could write pulse-pounding chase scenes just as well as he developed the setting and characters. One of my favorite scenes takes place on a train, and I could not turn the pages fast enough!

Overall, I was so impressed with Ordinary Monsters. The ending made me anxious for the next book in the series, which as far as I know has not yet been announced. If you love dark fantasy and appreciate a skillfully written book, I suggest checking out this series opener as soon as possible.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

When innocent Talented children meet morally grey characters in Ordinary Monsters, the literary journey is EPIC! Every sentence is so strategically placed. There are few fantasy books that have swept me away like Ordinary Monsters. The writing leaves me breathless. I inhale fantasy novels, yet I have not connected with a book like this in quite some time! Ordinary Monsters is unique, extraordinary, and thought-provoking. It is the novel I didn’t even know I was missing from my life.

I found Ordinary Monsters to be a mashup of magical realism and modern and historical fantasy. This novel reads a little like a William Faulkner then merges with elements from The Magicians, The Nevers, Penny Dreadful, the Marvel Universe: particularly, Charles Xavier, Stranger Things, Alice in Wonderland and finally, ends with a Lord of the Rings finesse leaving me in need of book two soon. It takes a while to read this book, but there is so much depth, so many places, people and times. In the end, the characters converge only to leaving you feeling there’s so much more unsaid and more to explore.

London and Tokyo have been on my “bucket list” of places to visit. It’s an incredible journey the Talents and the detectives make to a school deemed a sanctuary for orphaned children with may unique and different “gifts”. Yet, it said there are only 5 types of gifts. The sixth gift does not actually exist.

If this this school really the sanctuary these children have hoped for, why does the headmaster act so strange? Why are children disappearing to? What does Jacob want with the Talents?

Initially, I was concerned about the size of the book. At over 600 pages, it is quite intimidating. Yet, 50 pages into the book, I’m proclaiming J.R. Miro a literary genius and exclaiming “where have you been all my life!?” This book is the perfect mix historical fantasy and magical realism that I didn’t know was missing from my life.
There is no room for speed reading. My best advice is when reading this work of art is to sit back, relax with your favorite snacks, and enjoy every line.

I am very grateful to Turn the Page Tours and Flat Iron Books for providing me with a copy of this epic historical fantasy for review.

If you’re looking for a big fantasy/horror novel you’ll get lost in for a while, this is a book to consider. It combines elements of many other stories — a gothic mansion in the Scottish highlands, a school for “unusual” children, a tormented villain, and brave heroes, both young and old. It’s one of those stories that will remind you of other stories you love, without feeling tired. It does lag at times, and it’s long, but it’s a fun read.

It begins in 1874 with a baby on a train, Marlowe, found in the arms of a dead woman. Marlowe finds himself adopted again and again throughout the story. He has terrifying powers – he can heal others but he can also burn. Since birth he’s been pursued by Jacob Marber, a man made of dust and smoke.

Then the book shifts to Charlie Ovid, a black teenager in Mississippi. Charlie can heal himself, so he’s immortal but he still feels pain. And sadly, the 1880s South has dealt him plenty of that.

Then there’s Frank Coulton and Alice Quicke, who are charged with finding these unusual children (called Talents), keeping them safe, and bringing them to the Cairndale Institute in Scotland where they can be trained.

Much of the story is told through Charlie and Alice, though there are quite a few other characters. Miro writes vividly, and the book is full of terrifying pursuits, travel, and epic battles (maybe even a few too many). This is a book that could easily be made into a movie or series. The characters are complex, facing difficult choices and tragic losses. These are society’s outcasts, coming together and building a family. But at the same time, it’s pretty clear that there’s not much difference between the heroes and the villains in this story.

I always think a fundamental rule of horror is this: that humans are far scarier than any monster an author can invent. That’s true in this book, beginning with the horror of Charlie being repeatedly tortured in a Southern prison for the crime of being black and refusing to die. This idea of human cruelty is woven throughout the book, though there is kindness and bravery as well.

If you’re looking for a fun read (dark, but fun), this is a book that will absorb you into a dark, Victorian world of monsters, ghosts, and magic.

Note: I received a complimentary review copy from NetGalley and publisher Flatiron Books. This book was released on June 7, 2022.

“Scared is just your head telling your heart to be careful. It’s not a bad thing. It’s what you do with it that matters.”

Today is my stop on the Ordinary Monsters by J.M Miro tour hosted by Turn the page tours! I saw somewhere that this book was described as a cross between umbrella academy and penny dreadful and it's a perfect comparison. Between the dark, nearly gothic setting with the nearly 700 pages of the book, there is a LOT of ground to cover but I truly believe that every page was needed. There are scenes in this book that are etched permanently in my head - the train battle for one.

Ordinary Monsters follows The Talents - people gifted with supernatural gifts and a mysterious school, the Cairndale Institute and their ability to protect these people as the line between the worlds of the living and dead start to collide. The school gives. me very much x men vibes. There are VARIOUS settings, including Victorian England, Tokyo and Southern USA. It is simply one of the greatest world building books I've read - Think Night Circus level. (this is a HUGE compliment).

I cannot wait for the sequel - no matter how long from now it takes. I urge you all to pick up a copy of this, it's worth every word.

cw// child abuse, implied rape, miscarriage, death, beating, racism, misogyny, murder, self harm, parental abuse, gore

Talented children at a boarding school in 1800's Scotland? Uh yeah, I'm in.

While this book is no joke at a whopping 672 pages, I still enjoyed it. We have a diverse cast with upwards of 6 PoVs throughout the book, which at times could feel overwhelming. However we need it to truly understand the plot and character motivations. The lines of good and evil are blurred and we're often flitting from one chain of events to the next. Even so, it's an enjoyable romp that manages to merge historical fiction and fantasy into something entirely new.

(Oh and it's a trilogy that doesn't end on a massive cliffhanger, so that's HUGE)

*Thank you to Turn the Page Tours, Flatiron Books, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Listen, the size of this book is intimidating, for sure. But I was really surprised with how well the story flowed and how engaged I was the ENTIRE time. Which is really impressive. There’s a lot of stuff that’s a bit messy here — the magic system alone had me asking a lot of questions — but it works anyway. I’d definitely describe it as Gothic, but it didn’t get as dark as some books that start to feel TOO heavy. It was well balanced and interesting and cool. There are familiar elements, but they’re put together in a way that feels new and fresh. The battle scenes alone are brutally, gorgeously written, and I feel really invested in the series at this point.

🎉PUB-DAY REVIEW🎉Ordinary Monsters
J.M. Miro

Ordinary Monsters is a book that I was highly anticipating, and highly hoping would be a new favorite. Set in the 1880’s, spanning the globe, and filled with mysterious threats, magically gifted children, and unseen worlds- what else could you possibly want?

Perhaps my problem is that I went in expecting this to be groundbreaking. There are some things that this book does well: the “talents” are intriguing, there are some incredible women characters, and some stakes that feel real and lofty. Unfortunately, that is where my praises end, for the most part.

While I did not hate anything about this book, I feel that there were so many missed opportunities within. The prose lacks spirit, leaving me feeling excluded from the world I so desperately wanted to be lost in. The pacing is uneven, dragging significantly after about the halfway point until we reach the climax of the story. But, those gripes are all minor in comparison to my biggest issue with this book: the story here relies heavily upon inspiration from other works of fiction (X-men, Stranger Things, and Harry Potter to name a few), and ultimately fails to do anything that I can distinctly identify as “Ordinary Monsters”. I went into this book hoping to be swept off my feet, and left feeling wanting. While the ending of this story impressed me enough to be casually interested in continuing the series when book two of the trilogy is released, I will enter with lower expectations and hope to be surprised.

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Thank you Flatiron Books for an Advanced Reader Copy of Ordinary Monsters. This book is out now!

Dark, Victorian fantasy meets found family and purpose in this lengthy tale about children from all over the world born with Talents: abilities revolving around the land of the dead, which their stronghold slash school, the Cairndale Institute, stands as a bastion against. This story does toe a line between the familiar and unique, especially in the first half, but is still successfully immersive, mysterious, and even frightening at times - and unlike many first-in-a-trilogy that I’ve tried in the last year or so, has me interested in where the story will go from here.

pros:
time periods excellently done, dark, grimy, and real
distinct, well articulated characters and strong, multifaceted women — this book has a large cast and no one gets lost in the telling, though I’m curious if some will be more fleshed-out as the story continues
POV switching masterfully seamless
fully embraces the morally gray world, describing it as “the third side of the coin”
the idea of abilities only dealing with / affecting dead tissue

cons:
one of the “villains” (the distinction can be iffy) is a bit predictable, outwardly obsessed with doing one thing when it’s clear they have an ulterior motive
around the 55-65% mark this got a bit dull for me .. it’s a long book with overall successful detail density, but around this point some of the escapes and time at the institute became repetitive, though it did pick back up
the deciding moment in one of the final battles with one of the villains felt annoyingly anti-climactic after so much struggle and conflict

I agree with many reviews that this book had a satisfying ending while setting up the series well and leaving you with big questions for the future. Looking forward to the next one to see how our characters will move on and grow - I loved Marlowe and Charlie and know they’re not done being challenged.

Thanks to NetGalley and Flat Iron for a digital ARC of this book! 🙏🏼

A very intricate and immersive first book in a trilogy - the author weaves together a story that feels vaguely familiar with the magical school setting but new at the same time. The characters' journeys feel incredibly personal and it's so fun to follow them around the world as they learn to harness their abilities and take on the greater challenges.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of Ordinary Monsters by J.M. Miro. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for this ARC.

From the United States to Victorian London and Scotland, Ordinary Monsters creates an alternate world where children possessing "talents" are used in a game of life and death. The world-building was brilliant, and the intricate story where you don't know friend from foe was filled with creative twists. I look forward to reading the next in the series and highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys fantasy.

Far outside of Edinburgh is a mysterious estate called the Cairndale Institute, home to people dubbed “Talents”. They have all manner of abilities, from self-healing to the ability to craft golems from flesh and as one might expect, society isn’t all that fond of people with strange gifts. The proprietor of Cairndale is one Dr. Berghast, a Talent himself, who sends out those in his employ to track down Talents from all over the world. He’s looking for a particular boy, one who began his life at Cairndale but was kidnapped in the night and he might hold the key to their salvation.
The story begins with Alice and Coulton tracking down rumors of Talents in America. One is Charlie Ovid, a young black boy who was sentenced to death, but who wouldn’t stay dead. The other is a mysterious glowing boy named Marlowe who’s been traveling with a small circus with his caretaker. As the two detectives make their way across the states, they realize they’re being followed by a dustworker who went rogue eight years ago and tried to steal away Marlowe from Cairndale. Time is of the essence and the race back to Cairndale begins!
There are powers at play beyond even the realm of the living. You see, Cairndale is home to a gateway to the spirit world and it’s beginning to crumble ever since the drughr, a powerful being bent on escape and destruction was aided by the dark dustworker Jacob Marber. There are several sections of flashback chapters that flesh out Jacob Marber and his motivation for assisting the drughr. Surprisingly, I found myself sympathizing with him and understanding his choices, for grief is a terrible thing to hold on to for so many years. These chapters also helped to introduce Ribs and Komako, two of the other young wards of Cairndale that Coulton and Marber picked up during their travels to Tokyo.
This was an absolute tome of a book and it did take me a while to finish it (a solid week!) but I enjoyed every page. Imagine Victorian X-Men with a dollop of Harry Potter themes mixed in for good measure. Marlowe and Jacob Marber have sort of a Harry Potter and Voldemort vibe going on, plus you have a magical school setting in Scotland and a group of kids who get up to endless mischief. I’m sure you can see the parallels! I particularly loved Ribs (whose name is actually Eleanor) thanks to her roguish nature and the total abuse of her ability to become invisible. I mean, she’s constantly snooping around or playing pranks with her ability, which is completely and totally how anybody would use that ability.
Overall, this was an excellent read with a perfectly gloomy setting and creepy villains. J.M Miro wrote some incredible, edge-of-your-seat action scenes and some equally suspenseful scenes. I have to say, I’m going to be counting down the days until the second book is released thanks to the ending!

What's it about (in a nutshell):
Ordinary Monsters by J.M. Miro is a memorable and awe-inspiring epic fantasy tale about children with special abilities (Talents). They are discovered and brought to the Cairndale Institute to protect and learn how to use their talents. The adults who find and transport these children are racing against a dark evil that threatens their very existence. The story that unfolds is enormous and robust and will stay with me for years to come.

Initial Expectations:
The title, the setting, and the dark cover make me think about Dickens' depiction of Victorian England, which is more of the dark side. Children are used for cheap labor in unhealthy settings, and abuse is commonplace. Between disease, living conditions, and work conditions, the life expectancy of any children was sadly not long. The description lets me know there is magic in this world, and some chosen children are the wielders of the magic and must save the world with their Talents.

Actual Reading Experience:
Do you ever read a book that awes you so much that you struggle to find the words to adequately describe your reading experience? Ordinary Monsters is definitely one of those books for me.

The world-building is phenomenal. The darkness is expertly conveyed in every aspect and every scene. It is pervasive and immersive and can be felt with all senses. It sets the stage for a flawed group of characters who have suffered at the hands of others yet whose resilience remains stubborn and strong. It also hides layers and layers of meaning and story that slowly come to light as you realize the story you've been reading is different than the actual story you've been reading.

Magic is my favorite part of any fantasy tale that utilizes it. In this story, a child's talent reflects their very personality, and I absolutely adored that connection. The magic is unique, with roots in magic known to the reader. I love that the story takes tried and true magical abilities, infuses them with unique ones, and turns them all into something fresh and new.

Ordinary Monsters is told in 3rd person omniscient narration. The prose is so rich and compelling that it is impossible to not read and savor each word. The suspense level remains high from the first page to the last, and the plot twists and turns with unexpected surprises and challenges. It is a riveting tale that I couldn't put down even when needed.

Characters:
There are so many characters, and they all are artfully developed and detailed. I agonized with all the children as they faced so much. Still, my favorite character had to be Alice Quicke, one of the adults who finds talented children and safely brings them to the Cairndale Institute. I loved her because she shines without a talent in a world of people with special abilities. She is the most heroic character and humble in her heroism. I loved everything about her.

To Read or Not to Read:
This story will reverberate for years to come. I can't imagine anyone who would not savor and appreciate the world that J.M. Miro has created with Ordinary Monsters.

I knew it from the beginning, there was something special about this novel. I could tell it was nearing 5 star territory and by the end it wound up being an all time favorite. It had all the elements I love in a fantasy novel, excellent characters, found family, intriguing mystery, and plenty of scary don’t read this in the dark moments.

Not only was the writing impeccable, the atmosphere gave me chills. Set in England 1882, we are thrust into a time of the past. This element made the scary parts even more intense. Knowing the characters don’t have access to modern day amenities added to the tension they were feeling.

I feel in love with all the characters in this book. That doesn’t happen often for me. I even liked the bad guy, Jacob Marber. I liked how we got little bits of back story for each of them, but only at the right moments. Everything was revealed in time and that added to the mystery surrounding them. Their stories were complex and they all had hidden secrets.

If you like the found family aspect in books you will love this one! Charlie Ovid and Marlowe have an amazing brotherly relationship. They grow to trust each other and by the end you will be sobbing. In fact you might cry a few times. I won’t say anything else, but don’t get too attached to these characters.

The “super power” parts of this book were perfection. It never felt gimmicky or super heroish. In fact if people really did have special abilities or “talents” this is how I would imagine it. We were there when the characters discover their powers and are able to connect with their wonder and fear throughout as they learn to live with these new abilities.

I will definitely be continuing on in the series.

Ever wondered what a mix of X-Men and the show Penny Dreadful would be like? Ordinary Monsters by J.M. Miro gives you those vibes and so much more. Set in an alternate Victorian London where there are certain people called Talents who have, you guessed it, unusual talents, Ordinary Monsters at its core is a story about the very thin line between good and evil, humans and monsters.

Marlowe and Charlie are orphans, and they’re also Talents. Marlowe, found on a train as a baby clinging to a dead body and taken in by a woman on the run, can both heal and harm with a mysterious blue light that emanates from his body. Years later, he is being raised by a different woman while they both work as carnival acts when a recruiter for a place called the Cairndale Institute comes calling. Charlie Ovid is a mixed-race teenager trying to survive in the racist South. After charging him with the murder of a white man and sentencing Charlie to death, the sheriff is having a bit of a problem carrying out Charlie’s sentence. Why? Because Charlie can heal himself. Of anything. The Cairndale Institute catches wind of Charlie and his Talent and they come to America to offer him a way out. The Cairndale Institute is a school that cares for Talents and nurtures their abilities in a world that would see them as monsters. But what is a monster? That’s one of the central questions explored in this dark Victorian gothic horror fantasy.


“Her head tilted then, as if giving him a long flat look. Almost like she were human. ‘Evil,’ she said softly, ‘is a matter of perspective.’”

This book gripped me right from the beginning. Miro’s prose was so engaging, her descriptions so visceral. Victorian gothic stories are a dime a dozen, but Miro has managed to not make her story feel like a caricature of the setting. Her descriptions of London are gritty, dirty, and more than a little gruesome, but it was never overdone. It felt real and appropriate and adding in the existence of supernatural powers, monsters, and control over life and death really amped up the creepiness. As I mentioned before, one of the key questions in this story was what makes a monster? What makes something evil, or good? We see the kids at Cairndale grapple with these questions, and it was especially heartbreaking because all they’ve been told throughout their lives is that they are monsters because they are different and can do things that can’t readily be explained. But there is innocence in these children, a yearning to belong and do good in the world. So what about them is monstrous compared to the adults around them who’ve cast them aside? There are a couple of villains in this book, but the main villain was the most interesting. He’s also working from the assumption that what he is doing is the right thing for the world, and at times I found myself agreeing. The line between good and evil, right and wrong, can indeed be quite thin sometimes, and Miro masterfully shows this through the main villain and another of the characters in the book.

Now, there was one thing about this book that didn’t sit right with me. Nothing egregious, but it had me raising my eyebrows as soon as the character of Charlie was introduced. As I said before, Charlie is a mixed race (Black and white) teenager from the American South. He is a victim of racism and abuse, which is consistent with the time. I have no problem with that. No, what rubbed me the wrong way was Charlie being a mixed race Black boy who has the power to heal from being physically hurt, where the hurt more often than not seems to come from white hands. The term “Magical Negro” was whispering in the back of my mind the whole time while reading, especially when Charlie had to sometimes sacrifice his own physical and emotional wellbeing to aid others. I know that Miro no doubt did not have any ill intent when writing this. But making Charlie Black was a choice, and it was one that I’m not so sure I agree with. Is there another character of color that is a Talent that has gone through hardships? Yes. Are there white Talents that have gone through hardships? Yes. But Charlie really hits a nerve with me as a Black reader, and not always in a positive way. Charlie’s character in every other way was beautiful, but his Talent and the way it was used, that it was used at all, bothers me a little. I’m not sure of Miro’s race or ethnicity, and I’m not a gatekeeper who thinks authors can’t write outside of their experience and do it well. If Miro is Black or mixed-raced: the issue for me would be resolved. But if she’s not…it bothers me because Charlie’s character calls for nuance, and I think the mark was missed. I don’t have a problem with Charlie being Black, not at all! What I have a problem with is the only Black character having a backstory full of physical pain that, yes, he can heal from, but why him? It kind of reminded me of my issues with the Marvel character of Luke Cage. I feel like I’m not being clear on what I mean, so tell me if I’m not!

Despite that one little gripe, I really did love this book. I love the Victorian gothic era and the really dark and unique fantasy it has spawned in Ordinary Monsters, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book in the series when it comes out!