The Monster's Daughter

by Deborah Bryan

Ginny Connors doesn't believe in vampires. There's totally a rational reason her dad is a lot more bloodthirsty and a lot less interested in food than he used to be. Still, she hangs a cross on her bedroom door. Just in case. When Ginny discovers people aren't the guests but the main course at her father's New Year party, she wishes she could save the day with garlic pancakes. Instead, she must face the limits of her daydreams, and attempt to stop the monster her father has become.

Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal

228 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 24, 2011

About the author

Deborah Bryan is a writer hailing from the Pacific Northwest and, not coincidentally, now living in Long Beach, California. She is the author of several novels, the first of which she is thrilled to have edited in just six short years. She's currently working on more writing and editing projects than she can count, and loving every minute of it.

Reviews

[Poonam · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled with this book a little. I'm giving it 2.5. Overall, the voice of Ginny is believable and well-written. Also, I liked that it was not a paranormal story but really a story about the girl. Yes, paranormal was a big part of it, but it could've also been a mobster's daughter that we were reading about.

Despite, Ginny's voice being natural and accurate. I think the rest of the characters were flat in comparison. However, the flashback chapters heightened the tragedy of the situation very well. There is one chapter written from the perspective of the father, which I think was key. It would have been nice to see more of that. What I really struggled with was understanding the motivation behind many actions. They seemed one dimensional. Also, it seemed to be taken as truth that her father was evil and his actions were eluded to but it would've been really great to see more of what he was doing and how it was affecting his daughter. I was struggled with the blank-ness of the environment as well, e.g. how deaths seemed to not be investigated.

[Rusty Fischer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking at the book cover as I write this review, I see how perfectly it matches the dark, cold and gritty tone of this book; it also beautiful and scary, as is the book itself. I started this book slow and finished it fast; the masterful writing draws you in, slowly but surely, as you wonder where the author is taking you. Often funny, majorly sad, equally scary and powerfully poignant, Ginny is such a great character; one of the most realistic I've read in YA fiction -- and I'm not just talking YA vamp fiction, either! It struck me as I read The Monster's Daughter how without the vampire parts it would still be a riveting, dark and lyrical tale of one dysfunctional family; almost any dysfunctional family. There is just so much going on here; all of it brilliant. (And I almost never use that word!) I would stack The Monster's Daughter up against any of the best YA vamp fiction I've read in the last three years, and then it goes them one better. I can't wait for what happens next...

[E.L. Farris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent first novel from a top-notch writer.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first started The Monster's Daughter, I wasn't sure if I'd like it. I was afraid it would be "just another vampire book"... I was wrong. This isn't your "helpless girl falls in love with gorgeous vampire and they struggle to make their relationship work" vampire book... it's much better.

I was very surprised that the "vampire" aspect of the book was introduced almost immediately. Although I wish there had been a little more elaboration on the reasons behind why Denise chose to change Ginny's father, and the aftermath of that, I don't guess it was that pertinent to the story. I really liked how Ginny was a typical teenager, hanging out with her friends & boyfriend, having sleepovers with manicures and gossip. I find that most female protagonists in "paranormal" novels are written as these weak, frail girls until they meet that "special" someone that somehow makes them better/worse. Not so for Ginny. She was a strong-willed character, determined to do the right thing, even if it meant killing her "father". I also really liked the little flashback "chapters" that showed how Ginny's father used to be, before he became a vampire. Ginny referred to this past person a lot, so it was nice to actually get some insight into how he was. The antithesis of how he is now. I did wish that the Wendy character had been fleshed out a little more, besides the alcoholism and the encounters with Ginny every now & then. I liked the relationship between Joey & Ginny, if felt very real and natural. They complemented each other well, and their relationship was very well written, IMO. The incident w/ Annabelle felt superfluous to me, and I didn't really feel that it fit into the storyline. I didn't really understand the point of it, since we didn't learn much from it, except that new vampires have a hard time not doing what they're told. I wonder what happened to Summer after that... I don't think she was really mentioned much... hmmmm.... I liked the conclusion, that Ginny finally was able to "take care of" her father before he could hurt Joey beyond the point of saving. I'm guessing that after getting rid of her father, Ginny just stayed in that "limbo" state, to enjoy the ocean & sun? I would love to know what happened after that :-)

Deborah, for your first published novel, I think you did a wonderful job! I would love to know if the story goes on! I would definitely recommend this book to people who enjoy non-typical vampire books... it was a great read!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was a well written little short story. I didn't like that it was as fast paced as it was because it left lots of questions.

It focused primarily on Ginny and Ginny was covered well from her view point but she went from wondering about staking her Dad and being afraid to wanting to become a vampire...why? Did she think there was no way to do the explosion to "protect" everyone without becoming one herself?

But what about her Dad? What made him turn so differently than her (in regards to how he lost his "feelings" and she didn't, and how aggressive and focused he seemed to be. What made the power struggle appear? Why did he kill his girlfriend and what made her change him in the first place?

I also wondered what happened to the other girls. The one who was unaffected - did she just continue on her life? What made her Dad decide to take out Belle? Why could Ginny take from a donor and not kill and yet every other vampire couldn't seem to? What made the line so powerful that Ginny and her Dad could "vaporize" and the others couldn't? How did they handle the change so well? (Wake up and everything is now okay?) Are there survivors from the blast?

What was the deal with the insurance and Ginny not being able to claim it? Who was in on the insurance plan? What was the plan for Wendy? Was there any survivors? What happened to Joey?

Like I said overall, it was a cute little story, but I would really like to read more to know what happens next. (Does Ginny take her Dads spot? Does Joey end up turned? Can Ginny finish school? Does Wendy straighten up and help Ginny acclimate to her new role?)

[Kristin A · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Monster's Daughter tells the story of a young lady who must face the sins of her father and prove she's not like him. He's a powerful vampire who lives on the darkside. Ginny, the favorite daughter, must protect her sister and her friends from his wrath. Sadly, she doesn't win every battle...which is part of the reason I enjoyed this novel so much. It's nice to see everything not go the way it is supposed to...at least sometimes.

Ginny's story isn't a long one, taking only a couple of hours for me to devour once I had time to FINALLY get to it. I enjoyed her boyfriend, Joey. He stuck beside her and helped her in any way he could...even when he didn't know Ginny's secret. The only thing I found somewhat off-putting is Ginny's reaction to certain horrific events. It appeared as if she simply accepted these great losses, with no real WTH?, and moved on. I definitely could have used a little more emotion on her part.

I love the unique spin Ms. Bryan put on the whole YA Vampire Phenomena. Ginny wasn't looking to become a vampire, much the opposite honestly. She did what she had to do to protect humans in general...not just her boyfriend. This novel is definitely told from a fresh and inventive outlook. I recommend The Monster's Daughter for all vampire enthusiasts.

*I received an ebook from the author in exchange for my honest review.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as an author-sponsored read in one of GR groups. It is not one that I normally would pick up, so my rating is much more reflective of personal taste than the book itself.

I found the writing style to be interesting, especially the way the author chose to weave in the back story with special short flashback chapters. I appreciate that while many of the topics make a mother of a teenager uncomfortable, that the book does a really good job of focusing on choice. Action instead of dreaming. Movement instead of wishes. These are all very good lessons for the YA audience, in my opinion.

It also does a wonderful job of looking at relationships. The relationship (prior and post) of Ginny with her Dad, the relationship of Ginny with her boyfriend Joey, and especially the relationship between Ginny and her sister Wendy. Even though Wendy's appearance in the book was minimal, it was portrayed beautifully.

For those that the topic and genre would ring more true for, I would highly recommend this book. I can certainly appreciate the writing and character development even though the story itself didn't grab me in this one.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

We read this book as part of a special author sponsored read in my club One Novel Escape. If you know me, you know that I'm not a fan of YA books first of all, and this is a YA book, more towards the adult level. The author is a member of our group and I really have to give her major props for the character dialogue in the book. It must be difficult to do that. It must be difficult to write from the narcisstic (sp?) teenage viewpoint that comes out at you in this book. I give her major props for that. Personally, I did not care for the story however, I do think it was entertaining and a rather unique viewpoint for many YA books. There's teen angst galore in this book and that part of the story really does nothing for me but, it was well written, well thought out and all in all, a pretty good entertaining read. If that sort of thing appeals to you, you will probably love the story. So take all things under consideration and decide for yourself if you want to pick it up or not.

[Noree Cosper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here is another good vampire book that shows the struggle between keeping humanity when one becomes a vampire. The book was well written and flowed beautifully. Ginny is a typical teen with a not so typical father. She has to come to grips with the fact that the man she knew as her father is gone. I know this is about Ginny and her relationship with her father, but I would have liked to see more of what was going on in their town. There were a lot of disappearances and new vampires. Yet, it really didn't seem to touch Ginny or her friends, except in moments of direct conflict and those moments weren't completely explained.
Overall, the story and themes were touching.

[Mona · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must admit I was ecstatic to have won this book. The title coupled with the cover made the book look rather enticing. Also, the book mentioned patricide and vampire dad and I was hooked. Needless to say, I did finish the book in one go. But the book fell short of my expectations. With such a great theme the plot could have been taken so much further instead it tended to swirl around an average run-of-the-mill teenage girl. The ending however more than made up for it.

[Beth Hoffmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the cover of this book. It gives a sense of eeriness before you even read the book. Once I read the book I found it to be an interesting take on vampires. The flashbacks in this story definitely give you a sense of what Ginny lost and made this seem like an even greater tragedy. I did find parts of it a little confusing and didn't completely follow how all the things happened, but overall I did like it.

[Jasmine Freed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I have ever won from the Goodreads giveaways and I am glad I had a chance to read this book. It was well written which made it an easy and fast read. I had to keep on reading so I could find out how everything would turn out for Ginny. I would recommend this book to YA readers who enjoyed the Twilight Saga.

[Chris Stanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a bit too YA for me, but it is well written and the story has a very different and refreshing take on a vampire story. Ginny, our heroine is a strong character, far from perfect, but likable, however the other characters were a bit flat.
I did like the portrayal of the vampires as dark, and seriously dangerous.
My teenage daughter is now reading it and loves it!

[Donnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of a daughter railing against her father's evil, an evil she almost must embrace in order to triumph over it.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://thejourneyoftwo.wordpress.com/...

[Maryann · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of those books......not horrible but not good, but you have to finish just to see what happens

[Holly Ann]

Tried starting this book and couldn't get into it. Granted I didn't give it much time but it felt more like a chore to read it thank pleasure.

[Mary Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Dealt with hard choices with a lot of heart.

[Mel Raschke]

Here is another good vampire book that shows the struggle between keeping humanity when one becomes a vampire.

[Susanmu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entrancing YA vampire novel

This book kept me glued to the page from beginning to end - I read it in one day! Ginny is a character worth rooting for.