I had a long journey with Ordinary Monsters. The audiobook narrator just wasn't for me so I paused at the 25% mark and waited until the book was published so I could get a paper copy. It still took me a very long time to read. Overall I liked the characters, the setting was very atmospheric, and the magic system very cool and unique. The end was fantastic. But my overall grievance with this book is its length. I feel like it really could have been edited down quite a bit and still kept the core plot. There were a lot of flashbacks and scenes that I didn't feel added any real value or plot progression. This is the factor that will keep me from picking up Volume 2.

he book itself was very long, there are so many characters, and so much world-building that at times I did get a bit bored, especially in the first half. However, there was something about the story that made me want to keep listening. It helped that after Marlow and Charlie finally made it to the school, the action, and intrigue really picked up. Friends were made, secrets are ferreted out, and everyone is desperately trying to figure out a way to stop Jacob Marlow. Other than the children you are not sure who exactly we can trust, everyone except maybe Alice, Colton, and Brin. All the others seem to have ulterior motives and they are acting super suspicious. I really liked most of the perspectives we follow, the children especially who are making friends, and learning how to use their powers. When they realize there is a separate mystery going on in the halls of the schools they do whatever they need to solve it.

It's hard for me to give a good review for this book, there was just so much going on that I feel like most things I want to say would spoil it in some way. but if the synopsis sounds like something you are interested in and you can hang on until the action really begins I think you will find this a very enjoyable story, that when you were finished were itching to get the next book in your hands ASAP to see what could possibly happen next, and how the kids and Alice are going to tackle the problems left behind when Ordinary Monsters ended. (according to Goodreads at the moment it looks like it's going to be a trilogy.) If you like audiobooks the narrator Ben Onwukwe did an amazing job.

Great book.
would definitely recommend to anyone who likes their fantasy to be horrific or their horror to be fantastic.

First, I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book. I am leaving this honest review of my own will.

This wasn’t at all what I was expecting. It wasn’t bad, but I did find myself struggling to get into the story.

I struggled to listen to this on audio and unfortunately did not finish the book. . The narration fell flat for me. I may try again with physical copy.

DNF at 28%

I was really excited for this book. From the description it seemed like a dark victorian Xmen school. If I had realized the story was over 20 hrs long I doubt I would have requested.

I kept going anticipating it to get more interesting. It took over 20% for one of the main characters to finally make it to the school and then nothing was happening.

I initially put it down with the intention to continue it. But it has been over a month and I have had no motivation to pick the story back up. I may decide to give it another try at a latter date but for now it is a DNF.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an advanced audiobook for review.

I was so excited for this one. I tried for months to get a copy. I was even more excited to finally get an audiobook copy. Aaaaannnnnddd, unfortunately it fell flat for me. It was hard for me to get into and the narration wasn’t my favorite. To be fair sometimes NetGalley’s audiobooks are a little less clear sounding than other audiobooks. That combined with the narrator’s heavy voice just didn’t work for me.

I listened along with reading this book, and I preferred reading. The narrator felt a bit monotone to me. However, I did thoroughly enjoy the writing. The characters were complex, and I liked the different chapters being told from different perspectives. It was a gothic tale of children with "Special talents" being brought to a special school for them. I still felt a bit of hope, even when the story got quite dark.

Audiobook review.
I loved this at the start. I was immediately drawn into the story and the intrigue was built from the first minute.
As it went on, the plot dragged and I found myself losing interest and the urge to listen.
This is a mammoth book at over 22 hours, and after 2 hours, the narrator has become very monotone and I realise I've not been listening for minutes at a time.
For such a long audiobook, the narrator and and the plot need to be engaging. I don't expect to hang on to every word, but I know I can do long audios having listened to Harry Potter just last week.
This took me weeks to finish.

Special thanks to MacMillan Audio and Netgalley for the audio version of this book.

Saying the voice that boomed out of the audio version scared the heck out of me is an understatement. I am being totally honest, this book is 24 hrs of audio and 700 pages and a genre I don't even like the genre of fantasy and too many long listens. I can't say how many times I have to go back and re-listen, but something about this book amazes me.

I know shouldn't rate before I'm done reading but I just can't help it. More to come but give it a chance I knowalready its ateast a solid 4 stars.

I had the audio-version of this story and I feel like I could have liked it more if I could have read it. As it was, I had a hard time understanding the narrator when he did certain voices, though his normal voice was great for narration. I actually didn't finish it because it was hard to understand. But thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity.

I listened to the audio version thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio, and this is my honest and unbiased review.

Let me start out by saying that if I had realized this audio book was 25 hours long, I probably would have skipped it, but I am so glad I wasn't paying close attention when I requested it. JM Miro excels at painting a picture with words. I could so vividly see what was going on in Ordinary Monsters that I often felt like I was watching a movie. The story takes place in 1882, in America, Japan, England and Scotland, and follows several young "talents," children with unusual abilities, and the few tasked with finding them and teaching them. There are your usual evil (or are they?) villians and good (or are they?) guys trying to use the talents to further their own agendas. There is a nebulous monster and a portal to the world of the dead, and a fight to control them. I really enjoyed the narrator, Ben Onwukwe, even though his Mississippi accent was atrocious. His voice is perfectly suited to this kind of gothic novel. No description I can give will do this gorgeous story justice, so I will just stop here and say highly recommended!

Rating: 5/5 stars

I received an audiobook version of this book by Netgalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for my honest opinion and review of the book. All opinions are my own and only my own.

I sit in my local public library, wondering, just where to start with this book review. Mostly because there was just so much. First off, I just hope that there is a follow-up to this book. I believe that the author left it open ended enough for there to be one. Especially with Charlie’s promise to rescue Marlowe.

Ordinary Monsters was a long one. The physical copy of the book clocking in with nearly 700 pages, the audiobook version being over 24 hours long. I guess you could say that it’s quite a commitment. Though, a worthwhile one- as long as you can get past the slow beginning that is.

As stated, the book has a bit of a slow beginning. I mean, in the audiobook version, I don’t think that anything really truly began to happen after nearly four hours of listening to it. And there’s just so much going on, if you don’t pay close attention, it’s easy to get lost. I can’t even begin to count the number of times I had to backtrack because I didn’t pay full attention.

There is a lot of world-building in the book, something that I enjoyed a lot. Some things may not be understandable at first, but once you read more into the book, things start to make sense. There’s also quite a few different POV’s in the novel, meaning that you get perspective from nearly every character that matters or has a huge role in the story.

The school for talented children is a huge component in the novel though, it’s not until the last third of the book that anybody even makes it into the school. For most of the book, it’s just a looming destination- a possibility for both Charlie and Marlowe. But once at the school, that’s when things truly start to go down.

To be quite honest, I’m not even quite sure what to write in this review. Especially considering the whopping size of the book and the fact that it took me over a month to listen to the 24 hour long audiobook. The thing is, that I couldn’t stop thinking about Ordinary Monsters once I decided to commit to it. J.M. Miro truly did an amazing thing, writing a novel where you actually have to pay attention, where you can’t just skim it and put predictable pieces together.

As I continued on with the novel, I found myself wanting more and more. Heck, even now that it’s done and over with, I find myself wanting to get my hands on a second book that I’m not even sure will come into existence- it’s that good.

Miro does a wonderful job building a world full of talents in the mid-late 1800’s. With the settings, it’s not truly what I originally thought that it would be. The main characters quickly form lasting relations with one another once they meet, having both been cut from the same lonely cloth. And I enjoyed the whole “two masters” plotline in it. I mean in the end, was the villain actually a villain or just a misguided, mournful, troubled man? And was the one everyone was meant to look up to and behold truly as good and pure intentioned as he seemed at first glance? The book really makes you wonder and does a great job of drawing you in.

Overall, I can’t help but rate it 5 stars. I mean this was a book that I was recommending to people before I had even finished it and that’s saying something!

Again, a huge thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the chance to read and review this book!

Ordinary Monsters is a fantasy novel that will draw readers deep into the dark corners of its magical world while demanding they consider what they have not been told about it..
There are many things I loved about the story including its use of the school collecting magical children trope. I especially enjoyed the presentation and use of non romantic relationship arcs throughout the story such as mentors and friends
The only real criticism of the book that I have is that it felt like the story took abnormally long to actually start.. This may be more a result of my recent rapid reading of young adult books though rather than a reflection of this story and writer.
All in all Ordinary monsters gets a solid 4/5 from me and I would recommend it to readers of darker fantasy such as master of sorrows by justin t call.

This book reminded me of an 18th century X-men. If you are not sold on that premise then it probably won’t get you through it but if that sounds at least somewhat intriguing, then jump on in.

Ordinary Monsters follows a cast of child characters who discover they have some interesting abilities and the school that collects them. There is a villain tied to the school who was corrupted and now chases after the power that comes from the children. One boy may be more powerful than all the rest and his life hangs in the balance.

I actually really enjoyed the premise, plot, and characters within this story which are pretty big points in its favor. My only issue is with the pacing. The book came in on audio at almost 25 hours which is a pretty decent size. While most of it is engaging and forward moving in plot, I couldn’t help but feel that quite a bit could be edited. It almost feels as if the story gets retold from different perspectives at certain points. We are told X happened and then later shown X happening for a good chunk of time. It felt pretty unnecessary and a rehash of already known info.

Again though, I did enjoy the overall story. I really liked the Miro seemed not to pull punches in storytelling. There was a high risk throughout the story for almost all of the characters. Characters that seemed like they should make it to the end get killed early and other twists and turns with character direction. It made for a tense listening experience.

There are numerous characters who are all engaging and vastly different, not just because of their powers. I enjoyed the different magical elements that were brought in at various times. With different layers of supernatural happening constantly. There was a lot of focus on the villain that I didn’t find that interesting though. He was the only character that kind of felt off. His reasoning just felt a little empty.

But there is a magical cat thing. So almost 5/5, right there.

Overall, I enjoyed the experience but think it could have just been a tad shorter and therefore, more tense and engaging.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this audiobook. It was narrated by Ben Onwukwe who generally did a good job but could have used some accent work. I actually had a hard time understanding a few character voices when they were used.

I absolutely love this story. It takes some time to figure out what is happening, but the characters and setting are so fully developed that it’s still fantastic.

Actual rating: 3.5

I will start by saying, I liked this book. It is also very long.

I had started the book a while ago thanks to an ARC from the publisher, and was enjoying it. However, library borrows and book club reads (things that were more time sensitive) came up so I took some breaks from reading this book. I think this had a lot to do with why I got a little confused in the story. However, that being said, I loved the writing style and atmospheric setting that was established. The magic system was particularly interesting to me and I couldn't help but care about the different characters. I'll definitely be reading the next installment.

I was so looking forward to listening to this book , but I really struggled with the audio/ narration. I was having a hard time with the different voices and keeping things straight.
I’m going to get a physical copy and try reading it that way.

This book has a distinctly gothic and adventurous tone. The pacing is wonderful and the action set-pieces iconic.

My video review: https://youtu.be/FECvX3A3Yro?t=196

In 1882, the Cairndale Institute collects talented children. These children have necromantic abilities, and are always inexplicably orphans. But the detectives of Cairndale aren’t the only ones searching for the children, and the stakes are much higher than the lives of a few gifted youngsters.

What blew me away about this book was that the moral twists continued to surprise me all the way to the end. As soon as I thought I knew what was going on, the rug was pulled out from under me. I had to confront a new worldview, as I realized that I was looking at this fight of Good VS Evil too simplistically. And then it happened again. And again. It’s stunningly complex, and an adventure all on its own.

The next best thing in this book are the many relationships (particularly the mentoring relationships). The friendships in this book are so real and tender. You get to watch them blossom, and deepen (and then sometimes be destroyed though betrayal).

AUDIOBOOK:
If you have any opinions on American accents, you will likely not enjoy the audiobook. Though the narrator (Ben Onwukwe) does great with the English accents and general storytelling, the American accents (for several of the main characters) are painfully off. I kept hoping that I would get used to it and enjoy the audiobook anyway, but it only seemed to become more annoying. It was so bad that when I played a clip for my sister, she recoiled and wailed, “Why are they talking like that?” Additionally, the narrator has a large amount of vocal fry in his voice, making all the characters sound old and grizzled. I wish that I had experienced this book without the audiobook, because I think I would have liked it much more.

Thanks to Macmillan and Netgalley for a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own.

Loved this creepy twist on a fantasy book! It dragged from time to time but almost always pulled me back in. It’s a darker fantasy but I very much enjoyed it!