Monstrous

by MarcyKate Connolly, Skottie Young (Illustrator)

Overview

Reminiscent of Frankenstein and tales by the Brothers Grimm, this debut novel stands out as a compelling, original story that has the feel of a classic.

The city of Bryre suffers under the magic of an evil wizard. Because of his curse, girls sicken and disappear without a trace, and all live in fear. No one is allowed outside after dark. Night is when Kymera comes to the city, with a cloak disguising her wings, the bolts in her neck, and her spiky tail. Her mission is to rescue the girls of Bryre. Despite Kym's caution in going secretively, a boy named Ren sees and befriends her . . . but what he knows will change her world forever.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062272737
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	02/10/2015
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	432
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

MarcyKate Connolly is a writer and arts administrator living in New England with her husband and pugs. She's a coffee addict and voracious reader. This is her first novel.

Skottie Young is an award-winning cartoonist and writer who illustrates New York Times bestselling adaptations of L. Frank Baum's Oz novels for Marvel Entertainment. His unique art style and sensibilities have drawn acclaim worldwide, earning him multiple Eisner Awards. He has worked in comics, toys, and animation for Marvel, Warner Bros., Image Comics, Mattel, Cartoon Network, and many more. Skottie lives in Illinois.

Editorial Reviews

11/01/2014
Gr 4–7—Kymera lives with a man she calls "Father" in a hidden compound outside of Bryre, a city threatened by the dark magic of a murderous, jealous wizard. When she first awakens, Kymera slowly begins to recognize that she is different than her so-called father, Barnabas; he has no tail or wings, his skin isn't mottled, and there are no bolts on his neck. He explains that Kymera is special, one of a kind. Barnabas tells his creation that he saved her from the wizard to help the people of Bryre and liberate the girls who fall ill from the wizard's evil curse. Soon Barnabas feels that Kymera's education is complete—she knows how, where, and when to fly; how to use her stinging tail; and more—and she is sent to the city to free sickened girls. Barnabas contends that they will be found in a beautiful place called Belladona. Kyrmera begins to satisfy her curiosity about the people of Bryre and fragments of memory emerge. As she gradually befriends a boy named Ren and connects with Batu, a rock dragon, the truth about Barnabas, Bryre, and all those around Kymera begins to become clear. Tension builds as Kymera's innocence fades, gradually revealed through her first-person narration. Though slow to start, the action picks up and hurtles along at a breathtaking pace. Loose ends are tied up in the main, although the final battle and Kymera's fate are revealed a bit too quickly. Magic, fantastic creatures, mythology, and a bit of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein combine here for an exciting, if sometimes overlong, tale.—Maria B. Salvadore, formerly at District of Columbia Public Library

School Library Journal

12/22/2014
With echoes of Frankenstein and “Beauty and the Beast,” Connolly’s debut offers a premise both captivating and grotesque. Upon awakening, Kymera learns that she has been brought back to life by her scientist father through a series of experiments that leave her with patchwork skin, cat eyes, claws, wings, a barbed tail, and no memories. Kymera’s charge, to rescue girls in neighboring Bryre afflicted with a curse from an evil wizard, proves difficult as she begins to have flashbacks of her former life. Upon meeting a boy named Ren and a dragon that calls her sister, Kymera discovers that her father is not who she thinks he is and must come to terms with her terrifying body in order to defeat the wizard, save the girls, and protect Bryre’s citizens from a deadly creeping briar. Connolly invokes fairy-tale elements with ease, and although the expansive plot can feel disjointed and hastily drawn at times, the formidable theme of sacrifice resonates far beyond the final page. Art not seen by PW. Ages 8–12. Author’s agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary & Media. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

Like a literary mad scientist, MarcyKate Connolly takes bits from classic fairy tales and legends and uses them to assemble a creation that is wholly original and wonderfully strange. Subversive, bewitching, and whip-smart, Monstrous is a marvel of storytelling alchemy. —Anne Ursu, author of Breadcrumbs — .

“Kym’s bravery shines, as she fights against the menacing forces in Bryre and also struggles to figure out where she, a self-described monster of a girl, belongs. This remarkable, absorbing debut will enchant readers. —Rebecca Behrens, author of When Audrey Met Alice — .

“Pays tribute to classic fairy tales while turning the tradition on its head. A smart, ambitious adventure, led by a heroine whose differences only enhance her humanity.” —Emma Trevayne, author of Flights and Chimes and Mysterious Times — .

Readers seeking a lengthy, thoughtful novel, particularly those who appreciate careful world-building, will find this worth their time. — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

A likely read-aloud that has its share of guts, blood, and grim reality within this fantasy land, Monstrous will keep young readers thinking about trust, good and evil, friendship and loyalty, and devotion to community. — Booklist

Magic, fantastic creatures, mythology, and a bit of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein combine here for an exciting…tale. — School Library Journal

Connolly invokes fairy-tale elements with ease, and... the formidable theme of sacrifice resonates far beyond the final page. — Publishers Weekly

“This is a dazzling and unique once-upon-a-time about a girl who is part dragon, part bird, part cat, all hero.” —Natalie Lloyd, author of A Snicker of Magic — .

From the Publisher

Like a literary mad scientist, MarcyKate Connolly takes bits from classic fairy tales and legends and uses them to assemble a creation that is wholly original and wonderfully strange. Subversive, bewitching, and whip-smart, Monstrous is a marvel of storytelling alchemy. —Anne Ursu, author of Breadcrumbs

.

A likely read-aloud that has its share of guts, blood, and grim reality within this fantasy land, Monstrous will keep young readers thinking about trust, good and evil, friendship and loyalty, and devotion to community.

Booklist

Readers seeking a lengthy, thoughtful novel, particularly those who appreciate careful world-building, will find this worth their time.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Readers seeking a lengthy, thoughtful novel, particularly those who appreciate careful world-building, will find this worth their time.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

A likely read-aloud that has its share of guts, blood, and grim reality within this fantasy land, Monstrous will keep young readers thinking about trust, good and evil, friendship and loyalty, and devotion to community.

Booklist

Weaving allusions to Frankenstein, magic, and fairy tales, MONSTROUS is a hypnotic listen. Narrator Brittany Pressley excels at balancing the protagonist’s innocence and questioning as she slowly uncovers her true purpose and her past. The city of Bryre is under the curse of a dark wizard who makes girls take ill and disappear. Kymera has been brought back to life and given wings, cat eyes, claws, and a tail in order to help save the girls and stop the wizard. Pressley's Kymera has just the right amount of emotion to tug at the heartstrings. The supporting characters are well voiced, and Pressley subtly changes her portrayal of each one as true identities and motives are uncovered. With excellent pacing, Pressley keeps listeners engaged all the way to the breathtaking climax. S.B.T. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2015 - AudioFile

2014-11-04
A monster's search for identity and redemption, with betrayal, lies and madness at its core.Having wakened with no memory, patchwork Kymera knows only what her kind-faced creator, Barnabas, tells her—that the girls of nearby Bryre are being stolen by a deranged wizard, and she has been assembled from gathered parts of victims and magical creatures to rescue them, one per night. But as Kymera pursues her nocturnal mission, aided by wings and a stinging tail that (in overt homage to Frankenstein) are bolted on, exchanges with an intrepid lad named Rendall and other puzzling clues gradually lead her to question her assumptions. The horrific truth at last revealed, devastated Kymera sets out to rescue the dozens of girls she has taken. More betrayal awaits, though, along with considerable slaughter, before just deserts are fully paid. Connolly makes her conflicted narrator so slow on the uptake that readers, who will twig to the true villain's identity far earlier, may grow impatient waiting for her to get on with it. Not that the plot is particularly compelling, what with its dependence on conveniently overheard conversations and stylized battle choreography, plus Kymera's angst-y frets about her true inner nature to slow it down further. The story may be spun with classic DNA, but in the end, it's sluggish and overwrought. (Fantasy. 12-14)

Kirkus Reviews