#Lydia Gregovic

[bookaddict24-7]

(New Young Adult Releases Coming Out Today! (September 3rd, 2024)

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Have I missed any new Young Adult releases? Have you added any of these books to your TBR? Let me know!

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New Releases:

Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma

The Monstrous Kind by Lydia Gregovic

When Haru Was Here by Dustin Thao

Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White

Second Chance On Earth by Juan Vidal

The Ghost of You by Michael Gray Bulla

Guava & Grudges by Alexis Castellanos

The Loss of the Burying Ground by J. Anderson Coats

Luminous Beings by David Arnold & José Pimienta (illustrator)

Girlmode by Magdalene Visaggio & Paulina Ganucheau (Illustrator)

Fairy Godmother by Jen Calonita

Us in Ruins by Rachel Moore

Please Be My Star by Victoria Grace Elliott

The Dagger & the Flame by Catherine Doyle

Songlight by Moira Buffini

Mismatched by Anne Camlin

Welcome to Fear City by Sarah Dvojack

This Book Kills by Ravena Guron

Repeat After Me by Jessica Warman

I'm Not Really Here by Gary Lonesborough

A Wreck of Seabirds by Karleah Olson

New Sequels:

Celestial Monsters (The Sunbearer Duology #2) by Aiden Thomas

Shadows of Perl (House of Marionne #2) by J. Elle

Rebel Fire (Rebel Skies #2) by Ann Sei Lin

The Mongol Ascension (A Jump in Time #3) by Andrew Varga

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Happy reading!

[elliepassmore]

The Monstrous Kind review

5/5 stars Recommended if you like: historical fantasy, undead creatures, mystery

Big thanks to Netgalley, Delacorte Press, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book is set in an interesting alternate history version of England somewhere in the 1800s or early 1900s. There's talk of lords and of debuting and of propriety, but there's also a mist obscuring a good portion of the country and which turns most who enter it into Phantoms -- undead, bloodthirsty creatures. I enjoyed learning about the world and the way it worked. The manor houses were interesting, and I liked the way they were organized using 'bloody' terms. The immunity was also interesting to me and it's definitely used as one of those things the manor lords use to 'protect' everyday people but also something they lord (pun intended, lol) over them and use it as their source power.

I'm pretty sure the Phantoms are supposed to be zombies but I actually didn't mind them. It seems like the rot takes them over and leaves them with white eyes and white mycelium-like marks over their body, but there's no decomposition or anything. The Phantoms survive (if it can be called that) in the mist and can't last very long if they leave it. The fires and gas lamps lit around the border keep them out, though sometimes they break through and will attack people and eat them. Guns called ghostslayers kill the Phantoms, but it's never explained if the guns have special bullets or just a special name. I would've liked to learn more about the Phantoms. I know they're commonplace for the characters since they've been around for at least 200 years now, but as a reader I would've liked a more in-depth view of them.

Merrick is the younger daughter of the Manor Lord of Sussex. The inheritance of a manor house is not strictly based on birth order, and women can inherit just as much as men can. Merrick's father informed her she would never be a Manor Lord, hence why she fled to New London in search of a suitor. If she isn't the protector of Sussex, then she needs to ensure their family line continues so there can still be a Sussex. Despite this setback, Merrick still cares deeply for her family and for Sussex, and is immediately interested in investigating the weird goings-on at the mist border. She definitely tries her best, but sometimes she comes across as being naive about people and the world they live in. As someone brought up as a manor lord's daughter, she's not very good with strategy or mind games, two things the other manor lords are very good at. Likewise, she has a tendency to trust and mistrust the wrong people, though this could be a side effect of being isolated. As mentioned though, she does have a deep care for the people of her province and for her family, and genuinely wants what's best for them. She's able to consider that the way things have been running might not be the right way, and also reconsiders the manor hierarchy. I enjoyed reading from Merrick's POV and following on her journey to discover what's gone wrong in Sussex.

To be honest, I don't really see a lot that recommends her sister for the position over Merrick. Sure Merrick can be emotionally hotheaded, but her sister's frightfulness and seeming lack of care for the peasantry doesn't really support the claim that she's better for the position. Since Essie goes missing, she isn't in a ton of the book, but when she is there she seems to oscillate between wanting to keep up appearances and needing someone to help take the weight off her shoulders.

Cressida is Merrick and Essie's cousin-in-law, and she definitely felt off at the beginning. Essie says not to trust her and Merrick seems inclined not to, but at the same time, Cressida does offer help and seemingly wants nothing for it. I ended up liking her even though she can be a bit too much into societal perceptions at times.

Killian Brandon is a newish border guard in Sussex and has bene helping Essie investigate the strange goings-on. After Merrick comes home, and especially once Essie goes missing, he and Merrick team up to continue the investigations, and they have a good rapport. He's got a mysterious past he refuses to talk about, but he's also understanding and pushes Merrick in a good way. I liked the banter between the two of them, but did get frustrated at how closed off he could be at times, especially when it felt like he was just keeping silent because he could.

Ames Saint, another manor house heir, also comes in and out of the picture during the book. It's clear he and Essie know each other, though she doesn't particularly seem to like him. Ames and Merrick hit it off though and become quick friends. Merrick's inexperience with other manor houses comes into play a bit here as she agrees to his help out of friendship without thinking about how that means her house now owes his. While Merrick's family situation is complicated and at times painful, Ames' is definitely more painful. His father also died recently, but unlike Merrick, who has Essie and their cousins, Ames is alone with his icy, and at times cruel, mother. Ames could be charming at times, and there were definitely moments when I liked him, but I also thought Merrick was jumping into things too quickly and much too naively.

There were definitely some things that were obvious to me from the get-go but which took Merrick a lot more time to figure out. Despite seeming to think she's good at the kind of games the manor houses play, she's easily outwitted by some of the other lords, sometimes in cases where I felt she should've seen something coming from miles away. The reveal around 70-80% was definitely telegraphed in advance and I can't believe Merrick missed all the signs. Like...there were a lot of signs. I also thought one of the reveals at the end was obvious from the second something related to it is brought up at the beginning of the book. However, the reveal was a satisfying moment of congratulating myself on being right and I feel it was very plausible that none of the other characters knew. In that case, there was actually no way the characters could have known prior to the reveal.

There was a bit at the end related to the satisfying reveal that I was a little confused about. I was fairly certain things should've turned out much, much worse for Merrick but it ends up not being an issue when I think it should've been based on that reveal.

Overall I enjoyed this book and liked the uniqueness of the world. Merrick is an interesting character to follow and I liked being in her head. I did think she could be a bit naive at times though.

[haliespages]

🕯~ mini reviews

januaries by olivie blake - 2🌟

snagged the arc from work, and was excited but blake is very hit or miss, i hated masters of death but enjoyed one for my enemy so i decided to give her one last shot. this fell into similar faults as masters of death. it was so surface level and unessecary, ive noticed blake tends to rehash already done tropes instead of adding new to them and it gets grating.

the warden by daniel m. ford - 4🌟

such a fun story with cozy vibes, despite plenty of action and necromancy, with a fun bi mc and sapphic romance at it's forefront. i think the second installment will be my fav but have to see!

the familiar by leigh bardugo - 4🌟

loved the romance in this especially but the message and story was also so well done. it was rooted in depth and heart, and i loved seeing multiple character povs from the various groups represented.

a botanical daughter by noah medlock - 5🌟

loved the viewing of sentience and consciousness through plants, an already living being. the prose was easy to get lost in and i love how the entire message is woven into queer love

the monstrous kind by lydia gregovic - DNF

was sent an arc of this and very excited, the premise sounded great and intriguing. unfortunately the writing was choppy and confusing tenses all throughout and the common ya love triangle was already present and i could tell no subversion of this would occur. all of this prevented it from capturing my attention

[lovelyloveday]

Who can she trust when everyone seems to be scheming, and when all she holds true feels like it’s slipping right out of her grasp?

The Monstrous Kind by Lydia Gregovic (available September 2024) https://bit.ly/3SlBdrl 

[elliepassmore]

The Monstrous Kind release!

Merrick Darling’s life as daughter of the Manor Lord of Sussex is better than most. Unlike the commoners, she is immune to the toxic fog that encroached on England generations earlier. She will never become a Phantom—one of the monstrous creatures that stalk her province’s borders—and as long as the fires burn to hold them back, her safety is ensured. She wants for nothing, yet she will never inherit her family’s Manor. She must marry smartly or live at the kindness of her elder sister, Essie.

Everything is turned on its head, though, when Merrick’s father dies suddenly. Torn from her New London society life of ball gowns and parties, Merrick must travel back to her childhood home, the Darling estate of Norland House, and what she finds there is bewildering. Once strong and capable, Essie is withdrawn and frightened—and with good cause. A recent string of attacks along the province’s borders has turned their formerly bucolic countryside into a terrifying and unpredictable landscape. The fog is closing in and the fires aren’t holding, which makes Merrick and Essie vulnerable in more ways than one. Because the Phantoms are far from the only monsters in Merrick’s world, and the other eleven Manor Lords are always watching for weakness.

Revealing her and her sister’s current state to the rest of the Manors is out of the question, but when Essie goes missing, it’s clear that Merrick needs help. Only, who can she trust when everyone seems to be scheming, and when all she holds true feels like it’s slipping right out of her grasp?

Waterstones

Barnes & Noble

If you're looking for Victorian-esque fantasy but with the ass-kickery of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, then this is the book for you. There's murder and there's undead creatures and there is, of course, romance. I would've liked to see a bit more of the Phantoms, personally, but there is a decently long sequence toward the end of the book featuring them, so I think the three elements balance out well.

Merrick is a headstrong protagonist with few allies on her side. She's a bit naive and doesn't always make good decisions about who to trust or not trust, but overall I enjoyed following her as she tried to save her sister and Sussex as a whole.

Interested? Check out my full review!