Monstrous Beauty

I love the idea of mermaids and romance so when I saw this book I thought I was in for a good ol’ love story. The cover is beautiful and I had read good reviews of the story. I had been let down by a couple mer books like wrecked and sea change, even ripple so I had great hopes for this book. When I began reading Monstrous Beauty I didn’t know if I could finish it. I wasn’t ‘feeling’ it so I stopped reading it. A couple of weeks later, boredom won out and I resumed reading and boy am I glad I did! It wasn’t the typical funny romance I normally read but it draw me in. I wanted to know what would happen next. What was going to happen with Syrenka and Ezra? Would Hester figure things out? How would it end? This is a must read, it is dark and sensuous like the cover says and under the mystery and tragedy of it all, it was still a love story.

Great love story with lots of twists. If you like ghosts, mermaids, sea witches‘, and mysteries, this book is the one for you. The flash back scenes were great and it really tied the whole story together.

Dark and seductive, Monstrous Beauty started out as the perfect mermaid tale - full of immortal beings with razor sharp teeth, claw-like nails and breathtaking beauty. But as the mermaid lore became less important, and the plot centered on Hester and her inexplicable connection to Ezra, I almost lost interest. However beautiful prose and an expertly woven suspenseful tale were able to mostly redeem Monstrous Beauty's few shortcomings.

Told in alternating PoVs across two different periods of time - the early nineteenth century and the present - I was immediately hooked by Fama's ability manipulate so many inter-connecting details. Syrenka was such a completely captivating protagonist, that poor Hester paled in comparison for much of the book. There's something about a character who is destined to perish that is both fascinating and suspenseful, and so I found myself enjoying Syrenka's tragically sordid history much more than Hester's cursed present. As time went on though, Hester was forced into making such heartbreaking decisions that I found myself in admiration of both her courage and tenacity.

The mermaid lore in Monstrous Beauty was fantastic. The scene where Hester is escorted past an underwater doll nursery was hauntingly creepy and deeply disturbing. The tenderness shown to those dolls, evidence of the mermaids' desire for something they cannot have, was also surprisingly heartbreaking. But as soon as I found myself touched by their humanity, I was reminded of their animalistic natures; their inhumane speed and strength during Hester's attempts at escape and their quickness to violent anger were constant reminders of their lack of humanity. I was a little disappointed with Noo'kas (the mermaid queen), because she didn't frighten me; her flaking skin and balding were aging, not intimidating, though her aim with a spear was admirable. I was also hoping for a longer interaction between Hester and the merfolk, but their time together was relatively short-lived.

My only real issue with Monstrous Beauty was Hester's relationship with Ezra. While I completely understand that her connection to Syrenka is the explanation behind her immediate attraction to Ezra, because there was no real development of their relationship, I found myself skeptical of Hester's rejection of everything she had believed in order to be with Ezra. I found myself questioning how such an intelligent girl, a girl who questioned everything and everyone, could be so caught up in her emotions that she would neglect to see what was obvious to everyone else. I also didn't understand how her friends and family just accepted her strange behaviour - she was never held accountable for her irritability or secretiveness.

As Monstrous Beauty's plot unfolded, I actually found myself a little frustrated with Hester's seemingly slow progress, until I remembered she did not have Syrenka's insight into the gruesome details of her curse. And while I did see some of the twists coming, I was still left in awe of Fama's foresight into the intricate details surrounding the deaths and joining of fates of so many different characters. I also couldn't help loving the many different facets Fama let herself work with - hauntings, curses, rape, mythology, history, murder-mystery - she covered it all and handled it flawlessly!

Gripping from its introduction, I really enjoyed Monstrous Beauty. Mermaids, ghosts, curses - it has a little bit of everything! Eerily captivating, it needs to be read for the intricate plot alone!

Background: In the 1800’s in Plymouth, Syrenka is in love with Ezra; the only problem is that Ezra is human and she is not. Current day, Hester is just a teen with a horrible family problem, after having children, all of the mothers die. Hester has sworn off love and children, until one day she meets Ezra and begins to think that there is a chance for her to have everything she dreams of.

Review: Two intertwining stories are told in this wonderful, creepy, and dark take about sea creatures, magic, and ghosts. With alternating point of views we learn about Syrenka and Ezra and about Hester and her modern life. I received this via audio book from Macmillan and was at first a little put off by the audio reader; but as the story progressed, the strength in her voice added to the strength of the female characters and how they interacted throughout the book.
Syrenka and Ezra’s story is full of ups and downs, first I hated her and then I felt for her. Their story is set in the 1800’s in Plymouth and how they came to be together. Alternating is Hester’s tale, a normal history-buff teenager, working/ living in historic Plymouth, trying not to fall in love. Syrenka’s and Hester’s tales start to mold together and the darkness begins with a good portion of the story taking place in a cemetery and an old church. Later, there is drama, murder, trickery, and myth all rolled into one amazing story. Fama did a wonderful job recreating the time periods and the layout of Plymouth, as well as researching extensively to do so. Very well written, in vernacular at times, and overall a wonderful read/ listen. Highly recommended.

Oh. My. Goodness. Go ahead and slap yourself now. This book is phenomenal. It’s almost beyond words.
It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of books featuring mermaids, but this book broke all the molds. It defied all my expectations. I was expecting something like a love story with a little under the sea action, but that is not what I got. What I did find is a fantastic story that had mermaids, an evil sea witch, ghosts, and true love. Wow x 3.
Yep, I said ghosts and mermaids. Epicness. The way the alternating points of view intermingled was amazing. To flip from a story set in 1873 to present day—and to do it flawlessly—was fantastic. I loved every page. EVERY PAGE! And the last few chapters were intense. Speaking of intense, there is this one scene that made my stomach lurch. OMGoodness. It was so awful. It still haunts me.
I honestly don’t know what to say about this book. Read it. That’s all I can say. Read it and love it. Enjoy its epicness. Savor the mystery and the haunting romance of star-crossed lovers. Devour every page. You’ll want this one on your keeper shelf.