My Five Word TL:DR Review : Where to Begin?  Simply Brilliant

Ohh.  I am undone.  I loved this book.  I loved everything about it.  The story is exquisite, the writing is mesmerising, the characters are amazing.  It gave me the goosebumps (good goosebumps these!), it filled my eyes with tears.  The ending was magical.  I want to read it again.  I am undone. Send help.

Seriously, when I read the description for Once a Monster I was a little unsure, I do like a good period story, especially anything Victorian, on top of that I am loving my greek mythology retellings – but, you know, the two seemed to make unlikely playmates.  How wrong I was.  Put simply I requested this because I’ve read and enjoyed two books already by the author and so I just thought ‘what’s the worst that can happen, really?  Maybe I won’t like it, it’s not the end of the world.’  But, this author has some writing chops.  Dickens meets the Minotaur.  A story filled with good and evil, bravery and villainy sitting cheek by jowl with the impossible search for answers and finding oneself all whilst holding such fragile hopes alive and kicking.  This is a story where actual monsters might not necessarily be the real monsters of the piece.  Are you not intrigued?

Set in the early 1860s the story is brought to us by Nell.  An orphan since her seamstress mother passed away she dreams of becoming a dancer since visiting the ballerinas whose slippers and costumes her mother helped to stitch.  The grim reality couldn’t be further from the truth.  Nell is a mudlark, one of a small gang who have almost become family to each other, although there is still jostling for favour.  Each day they search the mud banks for small treasures to give to their master until one day Nell uncovers the body of a strange man, hurt and in need of help, Nell is compelled to help him and to keep him secret from the master who would exploit him.

The writing has a Dickensian feel as does the period and, I think, in recognition of this the author gives little nods here and there to Dickens works (although I haven’t read them all so can’t speak with authority).  We have this grimy version of London, a collection of barely surviving orphans and their master – it’s positively Oliver Twist(ish) but with scavenging rather than pickpocketing. It  brings other classics to mind such as Jekyll and Hyde and Dorian Gray and also incorporates the sad tale of Giselle.

Nell has a heart of gold.  She becomes attached to Minos, the strange man she rescued, and the two share a bond of loyalty, each helping the other to enjoy small glimpses of hope in an otherwise grim landscape. Minos is tortured. He has nightmares that speak of his past in which he is constantly running, until he hears a small voice in the dark that helps to guide him to safety.

The entire story is magical.  We have Minos, of course, and the mythology surrounding his story.  We eventually follow him to a labyrinth of tunnels beneath the city of London.  On top of this there’s a kind of fairytale quality in Nell’s hopes and desires that eventually lead her to the theatre to pursue her dreams of becoming a dancer.

Nell and Minos are really stand out characters.  We discover their stories and, in the case of Minos, I particularly loved the way his story works backwards to unravel the mystery of who he is.  On top of this the two are supported by a very good cast of characters.  Benjamin Murdstone, the villain of the piece and Nell’s master.  He once rose above the muddy banks of the Thames but has since been brought low again and longs for another opportunity to rise above it all.  We have the other mudlarks, they don’t have as much page time but still play a great role.  And, we have Sophia.  A celebrated dancer who has herself fallen on hard times but who becomes involved with Nell when a strange deal is struck.

Everything about this book worked for me. The pacing was good.  I pretty much read this in three days which tells you how much I enjoyed it and I couldn’t put the book down at all towards the end.  In fact I found myself racing a little towards the conclusion which is something of a shame because I would have liked to savour it all a little more.

Anyway, a very unique way indeed of reimagining an ancient myth and shining a new light on one of its monstrous characters.  There are elements of dark and light in most people but this story takes a more direct route by bringing to the page a much more physical representation of a monster but then allowing us to take a deeper look to find the man beneath the surface.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher,for which my thanks.  The above is my own opinion.

My rating 5 of 5 stars