The Boy Who Drew Monsters

In this book's defense, I shouldn't have taken a (very long) break from reading it to re-read The Hunger Games series; that was definitely a disservice to the story. That being said, I ended up reading the bulk of it in one sitting, and found myself appreciating the atmosphere and creepy imagery. My main issue was a disconnect from the plot and characters, as neither really worked for me. Again, that could 100% be my fault for taking such a long reading vacation to instead fill my eyeballs with teens fighting to the death and starting a revolution and doing big kisses, but overall I would give this read 3 shipwrecks out of 5.

Fascinating and truly original idea that unfurls its secrets slowly. Bronson Pinchot's narration is absolutely superb.

After looking at the reviews for this, it seems to be a “love it or hate it” kind of book. I very much fall into the “love it” category. Donohue is talented at building up a creepy atmosphere without going overboard. It has the feel of a Japanese horror novel - the very wrong and scary existing in a very real and familiar everyday kind of world. Some complaints say that it's not scary and I'd agree - the monsters are not the scariest part of the novel. What Donohue does, though, is build up the tension between the characters and with their surrounding. A run of the mill New England snowfall is made terrifying when two people are left alone in the house and one doesn't trust the mental stability of the other, as an example. The last page contained such a gasp-out-loud realization for me that I had to go back and re-read the final lines to be sure I wasn't misunderstanding what happened. I was blown away and it was a brilliant twist I didn't see coming. (Disclaimer: other readers said they did, though, so maybe I'm just dull when it comes to foreshadowing?) This is a great read to pick up in the fall and even in the winter, on a snowy day when you can't leave the house.

if you like compelling scary books, this is a fun one. the story line given to you to throw you off track is a little ham handed, but it was still fun.

I really enjoyed Donohue's previous novels, but found this one to be less successful. The ending alone is what pushed it into 3-star territory.