I still think about this book at random moments. It's engrossing and haunting and beautiful and murky and I just love it. The characters nurture the experience with their authenticity and the ones you're not meant to like scratch and claw at you and leave you with a rotten taste in your mouth...just as they ought to. There are moments where the story is slow and gradual, but once those moments pass, you realize that you're better off for them. Should you choose to listen to this one, you won't be disappointed. The narration is fantastic.
I fell headlong into this one on a plane ride across the country from VA to NV and it didn't disappoint during that flight. I lost my stride when I returned home to the hustle and bustle, but once I picked it up again, a couple months later, I fell right back in as if I never left off. The characters are interesting and varied and often ethically/morally gray–save for the children–who in most cases are just trying to survive what is such a confusing mess of an existence (as far as we're made aware). It's like X-Men meets Harry Potter, with a twist of Lord of the Rings, in a dark and murky Victorian-era, steampunk world where there are gifted children, monsters and dead things and portals that are locked tight to keep these things apart.
My only front of mind criticism here...if I'm comparing this to Harry Potter and the final showdown there...the final showdown here (in Ordinary Monsters) seems so much less earned. Without giving anything away...so much sh&% hits the fan at the end of this first book (in what is going to be a series) that you wonder how much more could possibly go down in some endgame? I remember feeling so much sadness at the end of the Harry Potter series when you see the destruction and the lifeless bodies strewn across the floors of Hogwarts. You knew those characters. You had moments with them–and all of it across a rich and expansive series. However here, in this book, there's a great deal of death and destruction at the end, but a lot of the casualties are of those whom the reader never has the good fortune to meet or develop an attachment. And at one point in the story, one of the main characters (Charlie) says as much when he refers to these other (now dead) people as “nameless talents” or some such almost as a way to tidy up that bit of lazy plot/character development. That's the only thing that sits with me in a weird, unsettling way. Otherwise, I enjoyed this a great deal.
This was so much fun. My husband and I read it (aloud) together and we enjoyed every page. Creepy, murky, funny, and emotional. Such a great retelling of Poe's classic...which, I will admit, is foggy in my memory, but still present. I need to reread it.
Ok...let's see. I enjoyed this. I turned the pages happily, wanting to know how things would turn out. And actually, that's the main motivation for turning the pages. It wasn't some sense of wanting to get lost in the world (it's not that kind of book), or needing to spend more time with each character (they're not that kind of characters)...it was really very much about wanting to see how the whole thing would end. And the ending was satisfying...not the MOST satisfying...but satisfying.
So, sure, Molly is written to seem somewhat “on the spectrum” (Autism), but I argue...now after reading the whole thing and spending time with Molly...and knowing a fair bit about autism and how it manifests across a range of people (from my experience as an elementary school teacher and Gifted Ed. specialist with much professional development on the topic and experience with autistic students), I do not believe Molly is necessarily autistic. I believe she is neurodivergent in some ways...most notable socially as it relates to her ability (or lack thereof) to identify non-verbal cues and gauge the climate of a social situation, however there are many things she says, nuances she identifies (when a smile reaches the eyes), pop culture references to which she alludes (not from a place of hyper-fixation, but rather casual awareness), and physical interactions she welcomes and actually yearns for that would not be something a person with autism would welcome. Now, I'm assuming here, based on experience, and Molly would probably remind me about the trouble with ASSuming, but it's these reasons (and several others) that I feel that either Molly is not autistic, but rather severely socially inept and ignorant due to her seemingly sheltered existence or the author missed some key behaviors that are VERY commonly identified in people with autism, incorrectly inserting others (behaviors and situations) that would not be seen in, or welcomed by, people with autism (having a full face of makeup applied rather on the spot, initiating an across-the-table kiss).
So there. My thoughts on that matter. And honestly, I don't feel that the author had any obligation to label Molly's uniqueness. The book is compelling as is and the plot does not rely on her having some specific developmental disability, but rather peculiar idiosyncrasies.
Of course, I may be wrong...
Overall, if you're interested in this book, read it. It's a good time.
I enjoyed this story despite its darkness and somewhat obscure characters. In fact, that may be the very reason I clung to it as I did. The murky environment and unusual characters kept me entangled in the story. I highly recommend reading the prologue again after finishing the book.
3.5 Stars
MILD SPOILERS AHEAD (I'll let you know when):
I enjoyed this quite a bit. Each time I sat down to read, I looked forward to the story and the character development (for the main players, in particular. There are a lot of characters here and many are not interesting or seem sort of flat and predictable...a few though could have used more air time because the potential was there: Quiteria Escárcega, for example). The love story was interesting and I found myself most invested in this aspect of the story and found that it was what kept me coming back (which makes sense as this is the main part of the story...). The political aspect of things as it relates to King Phillip and Antonio Pérez was tepid. Like, oh yeah...we have to talk about the King and Pérez and the Inquisition (which wasn't portrayed as all that intimidating here) because this is what's supposed to raise the stakes...ok, let's get on with it. However, predictable the love story was here, it was still satisfying and enjoyable. Sort of how ice cream is satisfying and enjoyable. You know it's going to be yummy. And when it is yummy, you're happy that it was yummy, but you also expected it to be, soooo....yeah. Know what I mean?
MILD SPOILERS AHEAD:
Valentina is interesting. Probably my favorite character in this whole thing and I felt like her story...especially where it ends up...could be its own tale. What a gray character, but one you find yourself rooting for some (not so) inexplicable reason. And that scene in the woods with the horse and Marius? It could have been longer because it was so well-placed and so important for the development of both Marius and Valentina...a lost opportunity in my opinion, but not bad by any means...I just wanted more.
As for the setting and atmosphere, I wanted this to be more “fleshed out” (if you can say that about things like atmospheres and settings). I knew when this was taking place only because of the events closely preceding and during the story (defeat of the Spanish armada by Queen Elizabeth I, Inquisition), but other than that, very little in the story reminds you of when this takes place or what the environment was like or even how the environment actually does its own work to raise the stakes. I think I need to think on this one more...but I just didn't visualize the environment a lot with this one...and I am GREAT at visualizing a story. It's what I LOVE about reading. But with this, Bardugo didn't ask much of you in that respect...and for me, that's a let down.
Ok, this is a lot for a standalone “romantasy” of 379 pages, but I had thoughts. Overall, I rate this a 3.5. I enjoyed it. I looked forward to picking it up and for what it's worth, if this were to become a series (which based on the ending, I don't think it would), I'd spring for the next one.