2.5/5 stars rounded down.

I've only read Austen's Pride and Prejudice as of this point in this, but even I can tell how loosely this book follows its inspiration Sense and Sensibility.

I can appreciate a good Victorian writing style, where the descriptions and inner thoughts construct page-length paragraphs for the majority of the book. But the way Gregovic goes about it feels very overwhelming and overwritten. It just felt like she was writing as such so to fit the time its set in / based off of rather than it being her natural way of writing. There's also some portions that felt more contemporary, too, so I have no idea if the author was trying to strike a balance or if the modern language of today snuck in there without her really noticing.

The characters are either stupid or bland, particularly Merrick. The narrative tries to hype her up as this cunning, gun-trained woman who don't needs saving, but she's constantly making stupid decisions (i.e., agreeing to let an obvious enemy neighbor occupy her land because some guy batted his eyelashes at her) and conveniently forgets her gun when the narrative needs her to so the male love interest can come save the day. There's multiple times in the story itself where Merrick or someone else, like her cousin-in-law and sister, who specifically called her an imbecile, acknowledged her stupidity, but that really didn't make it better. There's a reveal regarding the immunity that comes accidently because she was trying to expose something else, and the fact she never released it when it was so painfully obvious made me wanna roll my eyes into my skull. The rest of them I could care less about. Killian, the love interest, wasn't really prevalent figure in the story except for, like, one mystery hunt he went on with Merrick and the aforementioned times he'd swoop in to save her. Otherwise, he was just a nothing burger of a character.

All in all, I'm very sad I wasn't able to enjoy this more, since I've been wanting to read some more good gothic YA. I'm sure this will have its audience when it releases, but I will not be amongst them.

Firstly I loved the prose of this author. Gregovic has written a chilling and spooky mystery with a regency background and a little bit of romance slipped in. I dove into this story not know that much about it and although it started a little slow it very quickly had me hooked and I devoured it. I loved all the twists and turns and there were a few I definitely didn’t see coming. I really hope we get more stories from this author! I’ll definitely have a cozy cup of tea waiting when we do.

I was immediately drawn in by the title and cover of this book. I loved the Gothic vibe this book had going for it. The world building was done well, but I felt like it was a bit overdone. Some of the time spent on it didn't always pan out as being necessary, and it didn't feel like it added to the story. The pacing was off for me and I struggled to keep focused while reading. The characters were the biggest disappointment for me, as I could not connect to any of them. Overall I enjoyed this though I had some issues with it. Loved some of the writing passages a lot.

The premise of this book is so unique, and the world building is rich. I enjoyed the descriptions, until it was so constantly overdone. Every single thing is described in detail, leaning more on telling instead of showing.

That makes it a hard book to get into when I’m wondering when I’m going to get to the point. The praise by Ava Reid was a sign this might be the case for me, considering her last book was also much of the same.

Thank you for the arc! It’s one I liked, though didn’t love, so it’s not one I would read again.

The Monstrous Kind has a serpentine twists and turns that with keep you engaged .
It has Great Banter with a layer of Charm and wit which off sets the dark side to the story .
If your a Fans of Jane Austen-inspired stories with a gothic romances you will like this debut novel.

For fans of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies!
In an alternate reality of regency-era London, aristocratic Merrick is the daughter of a Manor Lord - families chosen because of their immunity to the fog that surrounds the countryside and the monsters who inhabit it. Unfortunately, her father has declared her sister Essie as his heir, so it's now Merrick's job to marry and secure her future. But just as Merrick debuts in London's social circles, her father dies unexpectedly and Merrick has to return for Essie's ascension to Manor Lord. But the family estate seems besieged with bad luck and their position in the Lord's hierarchy becomes unstable.
A great historical romantasy!

“Power, I am learning, dulls the lines of good and evil until they are nothing but a blur.”

Thank you netgalley and delacorte press for the gifted arc!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✨love triangle
✨multiple villains
✨twisty plot

This book was such a surprise to me! I love a good dark fantasy, and this had such a fun twist on it! The writing is outstanding with gorgeous, poetic prose similar to Sarah A. Parker and Rachel Gillig.

I really loved this world! I really enjoyed seeing the regency setting mixed with paranormal and horror elementals. I love a book with political intrigue, so this definitely hooked me!

The plot was CRAZY! There were so many turns and secrets revealed, that only led to more questions. It was so creepy and had my heart pounding 🤭

Our FMC, Merrick, is Archdaughter of the Darling manor. She spent her life fighting for a chance at becoming heir to the manor, leading to a poor relationship with her sister. I think Merrick has a lot of depth to her character! She knows what she needs to do to survive in this world and remains cunning and sharp throughout the book. She is quite naive, but she is young so it’s expected!

“I believe your father decided a very long time ago that your sister would be his weapon, and you his jewel.”

The character depth in our side characters was so outstanding to me. There are so many secrets in this world and it feels like everyone is hiding their true self behind a mask.

I will say that I definitely don’t believe this is a romantasy. The romance is definitely a subplot, but I do think it’ll develop further as the series goes on! The little love triangle was so fun though, and had me screaming at the FMC to pick the good guy (you’ll know 😌).

“My pride is gone, Merrick; I will beg you if I must. I… I am afraid of what it will do to me, leaving you.”

I do think this had potential to be a 5 star read for me, but there were a few points I felt the plot lagged slightly and the pacing was slightly off.

I've just finished this book, and I am OBSESSED. It's not at all what I expected, and I am so glad. I definitely took "inspired by Sense and Sensibility" to mean that this would be a dark romantasy retelling of S&S. It is not. There are slight influences in that there are characters one might trace back to Elinor, Marianne, and Colonel Brandon, and that this is supposed to be Regency? but the similarities end there. Actually, in terms of vibes, I would much rather put Pride and Prejudice and Zombies as a comp, though it's maybe a decade too old to be used. This is an AU England, and I kept forgetting that it was supposed to be Regency-ish but that did not detract.

So here's how I would describe this plot: "Long ago, a deadly fog came to England, bringing death and monsters that are kind of like fog zombies? There are a few families who were immune to the fog, so they are now the manor lords of each county, to which commoners pay taxes in exchange for safety. Merrick (the Marianne character) is in London, doing her best to fulfill her role and marry well. But when her father suddenly dies and her sister Essie (the Elinor character) calls her home, she quickly learns that something is going wrong. Her father's death was weird, the zombies are invading more, and Essie is clearly afraid of something in the house. Marianne must team up with her family's sentry, Killian Brandon (obviously a Colonel Brandon character) to investigate."

This is a YA gothic novel with vibes, an innocent maiden, monsters, and a conspiracy. I was completely surprised by the big reveal, and I really hope that we're going to get a sequel so I can find out what happens next. Some of my favorite elements would be a bit too spoilery for a review of a book that hasn't come out yet, but nevertheless, this had some of my favorite fantasy elements. I just loved the mystery, and I am excited for the cosplay opportunities that can come from this. Now we can fight zombies in Regency gowns like a Bennet or a Darling.

Apparently this is a debut, which hopefully means that we will get many more wonderful fantasies from this author in the future. I will definitely buy a copy of this book and would recommend it to my friends who love reading about Regency era monsters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Randomhouse/Delacorte for an excellent e-ARC.

I enjoyed! Some of the pacing was odd. It had a strong and interesting start, but then there was a lot of world building that didnt really actually come into play and some immediate action that could have been fleshed out a little more. I enjoyed the sister dynamics and overall setting. Interested to read whats next!

The Monstrous Kind by Lydia Gregovic was a delight to read. You have a ghostly enemy that doesn’t get too much “air time”, and a female main character who is neither obnoxious or overly talented in every aspect of life.

A troubled relationship between sisters
Initial buds of romance (no spice)
No lengthy internal monologues
Beginnings of world building
Delectable ending to lead into a sequel

Thank you NetGalley, Lydia Gregovic, and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I probably shouldn't admit this but I never read "Sense & Sensibility" so any inspiration, allusion or connection to that story was lost on me when reading "The Monstrous Kind". With that being said, I thought the concept was interesting and unique. The first quarter or so was definitely intriguing with the mysterious fog, magical immunity within the lords' bloodlines and zombie-like monsters set against the backdrop of regency England. Watching a socialite focused on securing a match try to solve the mysteries plaguing her realm was exciting. The worldbuilding was engaging and easy to follow.

However, the story started to lose itself. The book started off with a rundown of the 12 manors who rule, but most of them didn't even come into play so it felt like a lot of unnecessary worldbuilding. The Phantoms, which have been threatening the lands for over a century, weren't that present within the story overall. A lot of the scenes just end and the story picks up a few hours/days later without really following through. It made the flow of the narrative feel disjointed and jumpy. And lastly, Merrick was a hard FMC to like because of all the hasty and naive decisions she made throughout the story.

While the plot was predictable overall, it didn't take away from my enjoyment. As a young adult novel, it worked. This would be a decent choice if you're looking for an easy gothic historical read!

I was looking for something to bridge my bridgerton withdraw and still have a fantasy element to it. I was not expecting a mystery as well! This book is one I will be purchasing for my shelves and looking forward to the next. I will definitely be recommending this one to friends.

Wonderfully written and really draws you in. I can see people that loved series like the selection and luxe really enjoying this as an adult. The slow burn throughout is enjoyable as well.

This was a lot of fun and very interesting.. it had the morbid gothic setting with the creepy evil borders and the competing lords. I loved the sister dynamic and the plot twist for them. I also really like both Ames and Killian they are fun characters and Killian is more unique than the typical romance interest we see. Overall i. Am excited to see how the story continues and what will happen next now that the big secret is out and that everyone is back with their families.

4.5⭐️

Anyone looking for gothic vibes, subplot romance, scheming, & political intrigue? Yes? Ok go read ‘The Monstrous Kind’ now!

I truly believe if you set out to write a gothic tale you need to have very flowery writing. I think Lydia Gregovic does an absolute fantastic job at it. For a debut book, this was well done. I think maybe the pacing could have been a tiny bit better but nothing that took away from the enjoyment of the book.

Heads down I think subplot romances always work the best. This book did just the right amount and I loved it! Be warned if you are thinking this book is a romance book, it is not.

The storyline did a great job of keeping you immersed. I’ll I could think about was how much I wanted to read it! I guessed a few of the plot twist but was pleasantly surprised by one of them! I love when a book catches me off guard.

I thought the England world with fantasy elements was set up great. I wasn’t confused and didn’t feel like there was info dumping. I would like to see more of the whole political system tho!

Overall a very satisfying book that I cannot wait to get a physical copy of!

Thank you NetGalley & Random House Children’s for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This one was a really interesting mix of gothic and regency mystery. It was a bit slow in pacing but overall was really good.

While the presence of this book is incredible, I found that the writing style just wasn't for me. That doesn't mean it was bad at all, as I think this book is actually extremely well written! It's just my personal preference.

I thought this book was well written and I enjoyed the more scary/creepy aspect of it. I personally didn’t enjoy the political side of it when it started really going on about the manors and vessels. Towards the end I was ready for it to be over. I did like the unexpected twist at the end.

4/5 Stars

This book isn’t for everyone, but if it’s for you then it’s FOR YOU. In other words, there may be some who won’t enjoy this novel, but those who do will love it to the end of the earth and back. This story is a blend between Jane Austen novels, One Dark Window and zombies (yes, zombies though in this setting they’re called “phantoms”).

I won’t go in depth on my summary of the story as I believe it is better to go in blind and simply experience the storytelling that is The Monstrous Kind. I will, however, comment on the characters as I found that to be the most interesting aspect of all.

Sometimes in period retelling or even period originals, the personalities of characters fall flat. Not only do the characters all fall into the same archetypes, but I just really struggle to care about them. Fortunately, that was not the case in this novel. Nearly immediately I was drawn into Merrick’s (our FMC) world. Not only was I interested in who she would choose but in the outcome for her future as well. In fact, I cared about every character from Merrick’s sister, to her guard, to her stern mother figure in Cressida, I wanted to learn more about every character.

Not only does this author develop dimensional characters, Gregovic threads an interesting plot into a stunning world. The magic system, while not explicitly explained, was breathtaking in the sense that I would go from intrigued to overwhelmed alongside the characters. Furthermore, Gregovic utilizes beautiful language throughout this novel to illustrate every image. My one concern/possible complaint was that at times the language was too heavy. As a whole, however, I greatly enjoyed this read.

I would classify this novel as YA, with minimal spice (but such wonderful tension!). I would highly recommend to fans of One Dark Window, A Study in Drowning, and Jane Austen novels.

I love a good Sense and Sensibility retelling! It also had A Study in Drowning vibes. I enjoyed it very much. Monstrous Kind was a little slow to start but about 25-30% of the way in picked up and from there it was amazing and difficult to put down.

I was just drawn into this story and I just couldn’t get enough of it. I was so disappointed to turn the last page and I immediately wanted more. I can’t wait to see what's next from this author.