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A review by laurathebookhermit
The Monsters in our Shadows by Edward J. Cembal
3.75
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an e-arc of this title for review.
This book is a story set in a world 100 years post viral take over. However, I wouldn't say that it is particularly triggering for those sensitive to post epidemic plot lines. It did feel very different because of the unique nature of the epidemic.
The opening chapter drew me in and was actually super creepy and intriguing. Although this is not a perfect book I do recommend it overall. It was really interesting and actually the flaws were very much something that indicated to me how into the story I was. I really just wanted more description and time in certain moments of the story. Sometimes there were moments that were so quick that I had to go back and re read as I was getting confused with where people came from or went too. I think that these things could have been sorted easily with a little more development time.
Another, point I want to make is that I am predominantly a character driven reader. I think that it is a sign of a great plot that I didn't care about any of the characters particularly, and still wanted to keep reading. I would say this was in parts a 3 star read for me, but the starting chapter and the final 30% really brought the rating up for me. I liked the interesting concepts and mirroring of real life stuff, in a world that feels very much how our world could go in this situation. I also found this book really quotable and if I had a physical copy of it, I would absolutely have been highlighting a bunch. The twists were really good too... again, especially in the last 30%.
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a gory horror, enjoys a twisty plot, and likes to think about the human condition and how it is affected by the world around us and vice versa.
This book is a story set in a world 100 years post viral take over. However, I wouldn't say that it is particularly triggering for those sensitive to post epidemic plot lines. It did feel very different because of the unique nature of the epidemic.
The opening chapter drew me in and was actually super creepy and intriguing. Although this is not a perfect book I do recommend it overall. It was really interesting and actually the flaws were very much something that indicated to me how into the story I was. I really just wanted more description and time in certain moments of the story. Sometimes there were moments that were so quick that I had to go back and re read as I was getting confused with where people came from or went too. I think that these things could have been sorted easily with a little more development time.
Another, point I want to make is that I am predominantly a character driven reader. I think that it is a sign of a great plot that I didn't care about any of the characters particularly, and still wanted to keep reading. I would say this was in parts a 3 star read for me, but the starting chapter and the final 30% really brought the rating up for me. I liked the interesting concepts and mirroring of real life stuff, in a world that feels very much how our world could go in this situation. I also found this book really quotable and if I had a physical copy of it, I would absolutely have been highlighting a bunch. The twists were really good too... again, especially in the last 30%.
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a gory horror, enjoys a twisty plot, and likes to think about the human condition and how it is affected by the world around us and vice versa.