The Monster Within
Author: Kelly Hashway
Series: -
Pages: 220
Publisher/Source: Spencer Hill Press
Release date: 17th June 2014
Synopsis (Goodreads): The moment seventeen-year-old Samantha Thompson crawls out of her grave, her second chance at life begins. She died of cancer with her long-time boyfriend, Ethan, by her side--a completely unfair shot at life. But Ethan found a way to bring her back, like he promised he would. Only Sam came back wrong. She's now a monster that drains others' lives to survive. And after she kills, she’s tortured by visions—glimpses into her victims would-have-been futures had she not killed them. Barely able to live with herself and trying to make things right, Sam ends up a pawn in a vicious game of payback within the local coven of witches. But when the game reveals what Ethan had to do to save Sam, she must make a choice that will change all their lives forever.
Review: 2 out of 5
stars
I love the concept for The Monster Within, I
was curious about what the MC would become and how it would all play out but
unfortunately I was left underwhelmed and disappointed.
Seventeen year old Samantha Thompson died of cancer
and four days later was somehow bought back to life by her long-time boyfriend
Ethan, but when she returns she is different and with the frightening capability
of draining others of their life force and seeing visions of their futures just to sustain herself. Not able to stay in her home town any
longer the two flee and start their lives from scratch with new identities,
jobs, a home and schooling – it was a little far-fetched but I was still
curious about what was actually going on.
The beginning of the book was entertaining, I was
eager to find out how Ethan had revived Sam and what she now was but this
information took forever to come and I’m still unsure completely what had
happened. I found myself skimming through the middle of the book and the ending
is a confusing blur.
I can’t say the characters wowed me, they were
likeable enough but on so many occasions Samantha’s rash decisions grated on my
nerves; she kept too many secrets and to me didn’t show enough remorse for what
she was doing, she was more or less just brushing it off and Ethan wasn’t
forthcoming about information at all, Sam had every right to know what he had
done to bring her back to life but he was too selfish to reveal this important
piece of information, the reveal was dragged out for too long. The villain was
also quite obvious.
Unfortunately, this book had a lot of plot holes; especially when it came to the witches/coven aspect and
despite enjoying Kelly Hashway’s writing this book wasn’t for me at this time,
I think it could have been wonderful but failed in execution.
Thank you kindly to Spencer Hill Press for the
opportunity to read and review The Monster Within by Kelly Hashway.
About the author: I write for children of all ages from picture books up to young adult. My debut YA, TOUCH OF DEATH, released January 15, 2013 through Spencer Hill Press. Also look for my other YA novels: STALKED BY DEATH (Spencer Hill Press, August 23, 2013), THE MONSTER WITHIN (Spencer Hill Press, June 2014), THE DARKNESS WITHIN (Spencer Hill Press, June 2015), and INTO THE FIRE (Month9Books, spring 2014). My debut MG series CURSE OF THE GRANVILLE FORTUNE releases fall 2014 through Month9Books. I am represented by Sarah Negovetich of Corvisiero Literary Agency. For more about me and my published works, please visit my blog athttp://kellyhashway.blogspot.com or check out my Facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kelly-Hashway
Hmm, I do not think I would enjoy this, although like you the synopsis lured me in. Characters that make rash decisions too frequently and don't seem to learn from them tend to make me crazy too. Great review Sharon
ReplyDeleteI hate it when the premise of a book is wonderful, but the way the author carries it out doesn't work. Honestly, I don't think I would've picked this one up anyway. The premise is cool and original--especially the part about flashes of her victims would-be futures, but it's a bit too gruesome for me. Great review though, Sharon ;)
ReplyDeleteSorry this didn't live up to what you expected. I appreciate your honest review.
ReplyDelete