{BLOG TOUR} Review + Giveaway: This Monstrous Thing by Mackenzi Lee

Title: This Monstrous Thing                                

Author: Mackenzi Lee

Publication: September 22nd 2015, Katherine Tegen Books

Format: e-ARC, 384 pages              

Source: From author through Fantastic Flying Book Club       
Buy it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | Kobo | National Bookstore / Fully Booked (PH)

Synopsis:                                      

In 1818 Geneva, men built with clockwork parts live hidden away from society, cared for only by illegal mechanics called Shadow Boys. Two years ago, Shadow Boy Alasdair Finch’s life shattered to bits.

His brother, Oliver—dead.

His sweetheart, Mary—gone.

His chance to break free of Geneva—lost.

Heart-broken and desperate, Alasdair does the unthinkable: He brings Oliver back from the dead.

But putting back together a broken life is more difficult than mending bones and adding clockwork pieces. Oliver returns more monster than man, and Alasdair’s horror further damages the already troubled relationship.

Then comes the publication of Frankenstein and the city intensifies its search for Shadow Boys, aiming to discover the real life doctor and his monster. Alasdair finds refuge with his idol, the brilliant Dr. Geisler, who may offer him a way to escape the dangerous present and his guilt-ridden past, but at a horrible price only Oliver can pay…

Misfit Review:

Take the essence of Frankenstein and mix it all up with elements of steampunk, then you've got yourself one interesting rendition of a classic novel.

Alasdair loses his brother and decides to bring him back to life. And with a life that you take, consequences are bound to come for you. I love how edgy and gritty this novel is. It does present a very dark ages of sorts, set in old European bound culture, yet adding the element of clockwork. 

I've always been a fan of adding the steampunk essence into a novel. I think it's a genius feat if you could pull it off. Other than really just making it seem like they are hunks of metal, clockworks can be perceived as something more than that, quite the same with how in our present, robots are deemed to be more than what they are capable of doing.

The characters of this novel are rich and full, bringing incredible depth and flavor into the whole story. Alasdair is quite the surprise. I didn't particularly like him in the beginning of the novel. I just found him to be "the boy who clings to the past" but I guess I could understand that, but he seems really taken by the idea of his brother, Oliver, thus leading him into doing what he did. Oliver, even in his monstrous form, is both mysterious and interesting and you cannot help but to emphatize for him. He adds are real conflict into the novel, and he works just as well as a voice of reason in the novel. Mary is just the perfect person to point your middle finger at because, well, she does a good job at it. Dr. Geisler presents a kind demeanor, but is actually scheming and cunning, which is not far from how mad scientists could act around others. But can we please talk about Clemence for a bit. Now, I love female characters who are not afraid to show their vulnerability but are complete badasses about it, and that's why I enjoy reading female characters that have a lot of spunk on them, and Clemence definitely reeled that in.

What really made this novel standout is how each situation is treated and how issues such as politics and the unjust system of the law is defined. Adding these elements to the already powerful set of characters, just brings more edge into the novel. 

I wish this book has more hype and buzz, because Mackenzi Lee's writing is superb and clear. Though we are presented with the 1800, it's not hard to understand. She brought flair into the novel's, what you'd think, would be an uninteresting loose adaptation of a beloved novel, but it worked definitely, and I think there's more to look forward from her.

This Monstrous Thing may just be the fantasy novel you've been wanting to read for some time. It's suspenseful and gritty and will keep you in your seat for quite some time. 

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About The Author:                                                                                

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Mackenzi Lee is reader, writer, bookseller, unapologetic fangirl, fast talker, and perpetually-anxious badass. She holds an MFA from Simmons College in writing for children and young adults, and her short fiction has appeared in Inaccurate Realities, The Friend, and The Newport Review. Her young adult historical fantasy novel, THIS MONSTROUS THING, which won the PEN-New England Susan P. Bloom Children’s Book Discovery Award, as well as an Emerging Artist Grant from the St. Botolph Club Foundation, will be published fall of 2015 by Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins. 

She loves Diet Coke, sweater weather, and historical fiction. On a perfect day, she can be found enjoying all three. She currently calls Boston home.