Menagerie

This had such an interesting and promising premise, but ended up being quite preachy and also a lot of the mythology was altered only to fit the plot. You can't completely rewrite a redcaps' mythology without a few raised eyebrows. I found Delilah incorrigible and childish, with such a lack of self-preservation it made her seem stupid despite the reader being told over and over how smart and strong she is. Eyes rolled.
The author wrote that this book was intended for adults but I cannot see any adult seriously enjoying it when some ideas and characterisations are too childish - despite the violence and gore elements presented. It's a solid typical YA read.

Warning: Minor spoilers ahead.

I didn't think it was possible to do so, but Rachel Vincent has created in Menagerie a world that I've never before seen in my reading. While no single aspect of this world is unique, the way that Vincent has expertly woven various mythologies into a single universe left me feeling as if I were stepping into a new universe for the very first time.

While the book takes place in the United States - specifically Oklahoma and Texas - it is not the United States that we know. In this alternate version, every kind of creature you've ever imagined or read about co-exists with humans. Mermaids, minotaurs, fae, sirens, werewolves, skinwalkers, thunderbirds - there are simply too many to name. They have all of the same rights and privileges that humans do. They work with humans, they live next to humans, and they exist peacefully with humans.

Until the reaping.

One night in 1986, millions of human children were systematically murdered by their parents. In every family, a single six year old child remained alive. It was soon discovered that those six year old children were not human; six years prior, some 30,000 children were born but never made it out of the hospital. They were replaced with surrogates.

Because of the reaping, these non-humans - cryptids - were stripped of any and all rights and privileges. Millions lost jobs and homes. They became property. And the world of the Menagerie was created.

Delilah is thrust into this world when she displays some rather unusual characteristics while touring the Menagerie. After twenty-five years of believing she's human, Delilah's world changes in the span of a few seconds.

As I read, I found myself relating to Delilah in ways I didn't expect. I was at once both captivated and disgusted by the Menagerie. Captivated by the mysteries it contained, yet disgusted by the treatment of those in captivity. The monsters weren't the ones locked in the cages.

At it's heart, Menagerie is a story about humanity and whether or not being human is a pre-requisite (spoiler: it isn't). The story that Vincent tells is intense, vibrant, and - at times - heartbreaking. But what I liked most about it is that it wasn't predictable. I thought I knew exactly what was going to happen, how the characters were going to interact, and how the first book of this trilogy was going to end. I was wrong.

I like being wrong when it comes to the predictability of what I'm reading.

I do have some concerns about things being “too tidy” - and perhaps a bit too easy... but thankfully Vincent has more books coming to muddy the waters again.

Interesting book. The saddest part is even though this is a fantasy book I could see people denying rights to a group just because they're scared. It's happened in the past it is happening now all over the world including the U.S. I can imagine a scenario which leads to what happens in this book because of fear.
In this book Delilah “Lilah” is visiting a cryptid menagerie when suddenly she transforms into an unknown cryptid. There are cryptids from succuabe, oracles, werewolves, minotaurs, griffins,berserker and ones you've heard less of like werecats, ifrits etc. When Delilah changes she is arrested and the local sherriff is looking to sell her. She has spent 25 years as a human and then suddenly she has no rights and can be bought or sold like property. The animals ie dogs, research monkeys and zoo animals actually have more protections then the cryptids. This is because in 1986 there was a “reaping” Spoiler where people all over the U.S. were dead because there was a compulsion where parents or other family members killed everyone in their whole family minus a child in the house who was exactly 6 years old. It is told like the adults were compelled by these cyptids which are never identified are the 6 year old survivors. So all cryptids including human like cryptids like oracles had their rights and protections taken away. Even if they were as intelligent as 100% humans.
She is sold to the menagerie which is a traveling zoo that displays cryptids. Of course the treatment of these cryptids is so deplorable that you wonder how people can live with themselves. However you're reminded humans do a lot of horrible things as a group or individually especially when they're scared.
Warning there is some violent scenes that are more detailed and rape and of course torture both physical and psychological. However I'd still recommend it to urban fantasy fans. Interesting read.