I haven’t read a book like this before, it was so interesting and detailed. I couldn’t put it down after I picked it up. I nearly pulled an all nighter to finish this. The world building and the plot were so interesting and I loved being a part of it !can’t wait for more 5/5.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Children’s for an e-arc of The Monstrous Kind.

Confession time: I’ve never read Jane Austen novel, but I know enough and have read bits that I knew somewhat of what I was getting into.

with that being said… I REALLY ENJOYED this!!!!

I loved the gothic vibes and the mystery at the heart of the story.

Merrick is returning to her family home as her father has died, and also where she left her sister months before to deal with the estate. Her sister was named Manorlord of the estate and Merrick has now taken on the role of finding a husband, since there isn’t much more a woman can have in her status as an Archdaughter. Oh and at her home there are phantoms, supernatural beings who kill humans, along with a fog which turns humans into monsters; both which have been around for centuries.

When Merrick returns home not is all what it seems though - cousins have come to stay and her sister is acting strange. But why have there been so many breaches to the fog as of late? The manorlords are those that rule over the country and are in charge of keeping the people safe, but what happens when things seem to be spiraling out of control and your sister is kidnapped before her ascension to Manorlord?

While I loved the writing and vibes of this book, one thing I was confused about was this being called a romantasy - because it is not, at least by my definition. While there is a touch of romance subplot, I wouldn’t say it’s a romance as the main focus wasn’t on the relationship, but more so the mystery of the Phantoms and murder happening in the story while bits of a romance occur.

All the said though I very much enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend it to people as it was such a mysterious read with so much scheming. I loved how everything came together at the end and really loved the ending!

Now I’m off to read some Jane Austen novels.

I enjoyed the atmosphere of this moody gothic novel but it didn't stick the landing so to speak. I struggled with the plot and characters.

DNF at 20% There was just something about this one I couldn’t get interested in it. It seemed to have all the ingredients for a “good” book but I just didn’t find myself caring about the characters at all.

This book was such a fun and fascinating read. The thrill and mystery adds perfect layers to the story. The main character is relatable and frustrating at times. I loved reading this book and will recommend it to friends.

This book was good! I liked it but didn’t love it. I definitely see potential in it and look forward to seeing what else the author does.

⚠️DNF⚠️
This was one of those books where the idea sounded amazing. And it had moments of greatness… Okay, maybe it had moments of being good, but I was so boreddddddd. It didn’t go anywhere at any rate of speed.
I just couldn’t continue reading it, I’m sorryyyyyyy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Can't decide on my feeling about this book. Overall I enjoyed the writing, the idea, the characters, the mystery and all. But after a while the book stopped grabbing my attention and by the end I was not that interested anymore. That was disappointing because the synopsys is very up my alley. But I do see a lot of potential from the author so I would keep an eye on what she writes next!

The Monstrous Kind is a historical fantasy romance about Merrick Darling, the daughter of the Manor Lord of Sussex, who is immune to the toxic fog that has encroached on England for generations.

I enjoyed the concept of this story, at first it felt like One Dark Window, and since I was reading these side by side, I saw many similarities. I really liked the gothic regency feel, but after a while it didn’t feel as fun. The writing was well done, but the story lacked the pull to keep me interested. I felt like the plot of the Phantoms was kind of lost along the way. It felt like they were just plot devices instead of the point of the story.

This book was classed as a Romantasy, but unfortunately I did not feel like it was at all. There was definitely a romance aspect, but it came in about halfway through the book and I wouldn’t say it merged into “Romantasy” territory. It just felt like a loose love triangle and I knew which was going to be endgame.

This was a good in-between book for me while I was reading a few end of the year reads. It was easy to follow and the world building was done well. This is definitely going to be good for the right person, it just didn’t hit as hard for me.

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

There were parts of this book that I did like, and parts that I did not like. It was a good book, but not the greatest book.

I loved the vibes of this book. It gives major gothic Bridgerton vibes with more death and slight horror and that was something that I thoroughly enjoyed. However, on that point, I didn't like how much of the book didn't play more into this. There were too many "fade to black" scenes where something would happen that would add more to my rating if it played out, but then suddenly, we move to the next chapter and the FMC is waking up in her bed and does a brief "recap" or what happened after the scene faded to black, or something along those lines. I very much would have preferred to read those scenes, rather than the very slow introduction to the romance, which got dragged out way longer than it should have for a romance book.

Speaking of the romance, the blurb states that this is a "romantasy" book, which I feel is pretty far from the truth. We get introductions to two potential love interests, but they aren't really explored at all and the development is basically non-existent for one of them, while the other is just a bit boring and bland. And of course, with that last 10-15% of the book, there's obviously going to be some changes with what was established relationship-wise.

I really do think that this book could have been so much better if there was a better ratio of romance to "apocalyptic mist and killer Phantoms". We were exposed to plenty of death, but for being a society, with multiple manors, each worried about the mist and the potential for breaches, I really wish that they upped the stakes in some of the scenes and really explored that more as well.

A very interesting book that definitely reminded me of Austen. I loved the world building and the characters were really interesting! I can't wait to read more from this author in the future.

The Monstrous Kind blends gothic regency vibes with paranormal intrigue in a loose retelling of Sense and Sensibility. While the monster battles and mystery elements were captivating, the slow start and unresolved ending left me wanting more from this standalone. Despite these drawbacks, the atmospheric setting, strong heroine, and unique concept make it a solid pick for fans of spooky, romantic dramas

There were parts of this that were great, like the zombie/monster battles (I am a sucker for anything zombie!) and mystery elements that had me cheering the main character on. I enjoyed that while her goal was to get married and be a lady, she could still fight and hold her own when it came to the monstrous outbreak. This is a loose retelling of Sense and Sensibility, and where I can see that in the political intrigue aspect and sister relationship, I do still feel like this stands on its own. The thing that I did not like about the book was the ending, it felt a little like I was left hanging which is disappointing since this is a standalone. Overall this is a solid read for anyone who likes creepy paranormal mixed in with there romantic and family dramas

Absolutely adored this book. Gregovic is an auto-buy from here on out, I can't wait to see what worlds she weaves for us next!

Fun and refreshing!! Finally seeing original ideas pop up and I loved how this translated. This is a step out of my genre but the plot was so rich and her prose was so good it made me love it immediately. Absolutely must read in my opinion!!

The Monstrous Kind by Lydia Gregovic is a romantasy inspired by Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility and I absolutely loved this concept, and the beautiful cover is very fitting as well.
 
The story is about the Darling sisters, and they live in Regency England that is threatened by a mysterious fog and monsters. The sisters do everything in their powers to protect the Darling Manor and the house itself was such a cool setting with the perfect Gothic vibes.
 
Merrick is a woman who is very modern for the time and very intelligent and curious, but her options are limited. She always does the best of things and stays strong with everything going on in this book. She is a great heroine.
 
The plot is very captivating, and I was immediately hooked by the story. The only thing I wish was different is the romance. But because this is a ya book it wasn‘t very elaborate and barely scratched the surface. My favorite part of this book was honestly the writing. It’s so atmospheric, vivid and hauntingly beautiful and because of it I enjoyed this book so much. I’m already looking forward to reading more by this author.
 
If you’re looking for a fantasy read with a nice historical setting and beautiful writing and atmosphere, definitely check out this book. 4 stars.
 
(Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an arc.)

Not spicy, but the fantasy is there!
The characters were beautiful and Merrick was the perfect brave FMC.

-Spooky and haunting
-Moderate PDF
- easy to follow

GOTHIC REGENCY??? SIGN ME UP.

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the premise of this book, but I do not think it met all of my expectations. I was not sold on the writing, but I stuck through for the ideas and atomosphere of the book.

Merrick Darling and her older sister, Essie live in a world where England is isolated from the rest of the world by a fog that turns those who dare to venture into it into zombie-like creatures called Phantoms. A group of aristocrats who live in large country homes called Manors and together form a council called the Manor Lords (regardless of gender) that rules over the land.

One of these Lords is Merrick and Essie's father. It's well-known that Essie will be his heir and the next Manor Lord, so Merrick heads to New London to try and secure a husband for herself. She's close to landing one, when she's called home suddenly due to her father's death. Merrick returns home to find a house in disarray. There are incursions on the borders of their territory with the fog moving in, her brother and formidable sister-in-law have returned and taken charge of things, and Essie is a nervous wreck - a ball of anxiety and paranoia.

As Merrick meets a dashing soldier as well as another Manor heir, she must decide where her heart lies all while delving into the mysteries in her family, and the upper class in general.

I enjoyed the book, although I didn't find a great deal of the original Jane Austen story of "Sense and Sensibility" in this retelling. There's a few vague similarities, but that's all.

That said, if it's enjoyed as an alternate universe period story, it has enough unique elements and plot twists that it's very interesting and will have you wanting to find out what happens next. The last thing I'll leave you with that is vaguely spoiler-y (?) is this: I don't think the author liked Eleanor much in Jane Austen's book. Her sympathies clearly lie with Mary Anne. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. I'll be happy to return to this world if the author chooses to return to this world at any point. Thank you to Random House, Lydia Gregovic, and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. This is a voluntary review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

While this book was interesting the slow pacing just couldn't hold my attention. I got about 50% of the way through it and realized I was kind of forcing myself to continue reading and that it was feeling a little too much like a chore. Switching to the audiobook helped, but overall it was just feeling a little too much like a snoozefest for me. I'm sure there are others out there who will completely eat this book up, unfortunately I am just not one of them.