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Monsters Among Us #1
Hidden Monster
For seventeen-year-old Samantha Campbell, running back woods trails usually means freedom from her less-than-perfect life. That is, until the day a morning run turns into a living nightmare. When Samantha wakes up to find herself bound to a dirty, pinstriped mattress, she realizes she’s anything but free. With a masked abductor repeatedly injecting her arm with an unknown substance while holding her captive, Samantha tries in vain to find out what he wants, but he refuses to speak. Until the day he breaks his silence and his twisted words are worse than what she’d imagined. He promises her one day she will fall in love with him but the best part will be that she won't know who he is... until it's too late.
Finding herself freed from captivity, with her captor still at large, Samantha is on guard against everything and everyone around her. Unfortunately, walling up her heart proves difficult when eighteen-year-old Blake Knightley moves in next door. When Samantha starts experiencing strange changes within her, she realizes her captor may have left her more damaged than she originally thought. Now she must turn to Blake for help in order to unearth the truth behind the monster who started this all... or risk experiencing worse things than just falling in love.
Finding herself freed from captivity, with her captor still at large, Samantha is on guard against everything and everyone around her. Unfortunately, walling up her heart proves difficult when eighteen-year-old Blake Knightley moves in next door. When Samantha starts experiencing strange changes within her, she realizes her captor may have left her more damaged than she originally thought. Now she must turn to Blake for help in order to unearth the truth behind the monster who started this all... or risk experiencing worse things than just falling in love.
298 pages, Paperback
First published November 4, 2014
304 people are currently reading
1930 people want to read
About the author
Amanda Strong
7 books244 followersBorn in Dekalb, Illinois, Amanda Strong has called Utah, Arizona, Hawaii, Virginia and now New Mexico home. Amanda has been spinning tales since she was a child. Her family still remembers finding young Amanda with her bright pink glasses, hiding in random corners of the house while scribbling away in one of her many spiral-bound notebooks. You could say that some things never change since Amanda is still writing today. Amanda began her writing career when she uploaded The Awakener, her first full-length novel, on Wattpad where it received over 430,000 reads in four weeks. She was blown away and humbled by the reader support and feedback she received. Because of The Awakener's success as a non-published book, she was asked to talk on 1400 KSTAR about her story.
In September 2013 Amanda Strong signed with Clean Teen Publishing for publication of The Awakener, which is scheduled to release in late October of this year. The Awakener is the first book in an all-new young adult paranormal romance series called: The Watchers of Men.
When Amanda isn't writing, you can find her chasing her three rambunctious children around the house and spending time with her wonderful and supportive husband. On some occasions you can still find Amanda with her not-so-pink glasses, hiding in a corner reading her favorite young adult fantasy novels or working out only to blow her diet by eating ice cream.
In September 2013 Amanda Strong signed with Clean Teen Publishing for publication of The Awakener, which is scheduled to release in late October of this year. The Awakener is the first book in an all-new young adult paranormal romance series called: The Watchers of Men.
When Amanda isn't writing, you can find her chasing her three rambunctious children around the house and spending time with her wonderful and supportive husband. On some occasions you can still find Amanda with her not-so-pink glasses, hiding in a corner reading her favorite young adult fantasy novels or working out only to blow her diet by eating ice cream.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 164 reviews
April 26, 2016
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Clean Teen Publishing and NetGalley.)
This was an okay story, but it wasn’t what I was expecting.
Sam was an okay character, but I just couldn’t relate to her very well. I also didn’t really believe that she acted like someone who has been kidnapped, and was maybe a little too trusting of people.
The storyline in this wasn’t what I was expecting, I was expecting a kidnapping story, and that only last for the first chapter and then it was over! Instead we got a story about Sam post-kidnapping, with a weird paranormal element of people with dragonfly wings. We did also get the mystery over who Sam’s kidnapped was, and some romance thrown in there as well but this story just didn’t really do it for me.
6 out of 10
This was an okay story, but it wasn’t what I was expecting.
Sam was an okay character, but I just couldn’t relate to her very well. I also didn’t really believe that she acted like someone who has been kidnapped, and was maybe a little too trusting of people.
The storyline in this wasn’t what I was expecting, I was expecting a kidnapping story, and that only last for the first chapter and then it was over! Instead we got a story about Sam post-kidnapping, with a weird paranormal element of people with dragonfly wings. We did also get the mystery over who Sam’s kidnapped was, and some romance thrown in there as well but this story just didn’t really do it for me.
6 out of 10
September 28, 2015
This book pissed me off for a lot of reasons. First of all, it is very poorly written. It violates just about every single grammar rule there is.
But most of all, the worst for me was that it perpetuates many gender stereotypes, such as the idea that men have high sex drives and that women don't understand these sex drives, or the idea that men are the pursuers and women are the pursued. And there's the (hopefully unintentional) metaphor for rape victim-blaming: the protagonist's scent is supposed to be the reason that all of these "dragon fae" (male fairies) are coming after her. At no point is it said that they can control themselves. Rather, it is suggested that her pheromones, her scent, are to blame: males simply cannot help themselves, so she must go hide indoors. Those males will leave her alone only once they know she belongs to another male, because of course it doesn't matter what the female wants; she's only an object to be possessed by a man. This mentality is depicted but never criticized, and that is a huge problem, seeing as virtually all contemporary societies are permeated by rape culture. Even literature authored by women often passes along this mentality.
The whole theme of the book is the damsel in distress trope: the weak girl that must be saved by a big, strong man. Near the end, you almost think she might save herself - but no, alas, she is weak and fails. She is the protagonist, but not the hero, because she is a woman. Leave the saving to the men.
The author has painted stalking as romantic, as a real way to fall in love with somebody. This also strikes me as being symptomatic of rape culture.
The characters are extremely simple, what you see is mostly what you get. In my opinion, the teenagers are written in a way that is not at all believable. They're written with the skill of a high school student but the perspective of a 50-year-old.
The protagonist was lied to by every single person in her life, and she forgave them all within 30 seconds of discovering it. And these were not little white lies, these were massive, devastating lies that ruined her life. Because apparently, for the author, even the most disgusting violation of personhood can be forgiven if it is committed in the name of love. The whole book is simply ridiculous.
The book is full of weird chapter and page breaks, as well as awkward word choice. Had I seen that this was put forth by a company called Clean Teen Publishing, I wouldn't have bought it, because their priorities are all in the name.
But most of all, the worst for me was that it perpetuates many gender stereotypes, such as the idea that men have high sex drives and that women don't understand these sex drives, or the idea that men are the pursuers and women are the pursued. And there's the (hopefully unintentional) metaphor for rape victim-blaming: the protagonist's scent is supposed to be the reason that all of these "dragon fae" (male fairies) are coming after her. At no point is it said that they can control themselves. Rather, it is suggested that her pheromones, her scent, are to blame: males simply cannot help themselves, so she must go hide indoors. Those males will leave her alone only once they know she belongs to another male, because of course it doesn't matter what the female wants; she's only an object to be possessed by a man. This mentality is depicted but never criticized, and that is a huge problem, seeing as virtually all contemporary societies are permeated by rape culture. Even literature authored by women often passes along this mentality.
The whole theme of the book is the damsel in distress trope: the weak girl that must be saved by a big, strong man. Near the end, you almost think she might save herself - but no, alas, she is weak and fails. She is the protagonist, but not the hero, because she is a woman. Leave the saving to the men.
The author has painted stalking as romantic, as a real way to fall in love with somebody. This also strikes me as being symptomatic of rape culture.
The characters are extremely simple, what you see is mostly what you get. In my opinion, the teenagers are written in a way that is not at all believable. They're written with the skill of a high school student but the perspective of a 50-year-old.
The protagonist was lied to by every single person in her life, and she forgave them all within 30 seconds of discovering it. And these were not little white lies, these were massive, devastating lies that ruined her life. Because apparently, for the author, even the most disgusting violation of personhood can be forgiven if it is committed in the name of love. The whole book is simply ridiculous.
The book is full of weird chapter and page breaks, as well as awkward word choice. Had I seen that this was put forth by a company called Clean Teen Publishing, I wouldn't have bought it, because their priorities are all in the name.
June 8, 2016
The song No of Megan Trainor comes to mind...
This book is :
The rating is:
The story is :
And :
By the middle of this book, I was just begging it to please stop. Please let it just end.
I’m sorry to say my experience was not one I would like to go through again. I had very high hopes for this book. Abduction by a mysterious man and then she would eventually fall in love with her captor without realizing it!? Sold!
It started off so well.
I could immediately identify with the character. I could sense a good flow of the story. I could hear her breathing I was caught up in her fear. I was captured in the story tied down to each word. The first hint of danger came with the introduction of Blake. There was an awkwardness in the way Sam and Blake spoke to each other and a forced friendliness. Out of nowhere I was surrounded by so many characters and their physical descriptions that I had to search for the story. However, I thought it was a false alarm especially with an element of supernatural emerging out of the story. I told myself just keep going Snow you are being paranoid.
I kept waiting for the story to get back on track to go back to that soft spot of thriller and mystery but it was like I had accidentally picked up a new book. This new book a young adult novel emerged in high school drama. I could barely see the characters anymore their dialogue had transformed into that of a badly dubbed Latin soap. Any indication of the previous chapters had disappeared. Yes, it was still there but more like a pimple than anything else. Making the character self-aware and concerned about what others thought.
It was absolutely enraging. I have read my fair share of abduction and abusive novels. This was almost offensive to the genre. How can a character that was just abducted and tortured for 3 weeks develop an instant crush on the boy next door?! How can a family who’s daughter just came back after being missing for 3 weeks continue as if nothing happened?
If the family was in the media calculated about their actions, not a loving family or perhaps a family of assassins, I would understand the lack of reaction. This is a normal family I expect change, drama, at least a bit of shouting.
Multiple times I wanted to throw the virtual copy against the wall and rage. I groaned out so many times at the horrible inner monologues and reactions of the characters, it became impossible to read in public.
Read the rest on my blog here
This book is :
The rating is:
The story is :
And :
By the middle of this book, I was just begging it to please stop. Please let it just end.
I’m sorry to say my experience was not one I would like to go through again. I had very high hopes for this book. Abduction by a mysterious man and then she would eventually fall in love with her captor without realizing it!? Sold!
It started off so well.
I could immediately identify with the character. I could sense a good flow of the story. I could hear her breathing I was caught up in her fear. I was captured in the story tied down to each word. The first hint of danger came with the introduction of Blake. There was an awkwardness in the way Sam and Blake spoke to each other and a forced friendliness. Out of nowhere I was surrounded by so many characters and their physical descriptions that I had to search for the story. However, I thought it was a false alarm especially with an element of supernatural emerging out of the story. I told myself just keep going Snow you are being paranoid.
I kept waiting for the story to get back on track to go back to that soft spot of thriller and mystery but it was like I had accidentally picked up a new book. This new book a young adult novel emerged in high school drama. I could barely see the characters anymore their dialogue had transformed into that of a badly dubbed Latin soap. Any indication of the previous chapters had disappeared. Yes, it was still there but more like a pimple than anything else. Making the character self-aware and concerned about what others thought.
It was absolutely enraging. I have read my fair share of abduction and abusive novels. This was almost offensive to the genre. How can a character that was just abducted and tortured for 3 weeks develop an instant crush on the boy next door?! How can a family who’s daughter just came back after being missing for 3 weeks continue as if nothing happened?
If the family was in the media calculated about their actions, not a loving family or perhaps a family of assassins, I would understand the lack of reaction. This is a normal family I expect change, drama, at least a bit of shouting.
Multiple times I wanted to throw the virtual copy against the wall and rage. I groaned out so many times at the horrible inner monologues and reactions of the characters, it became impossible to read in public.
Read the rest on my blog here
April 26, 2016
(I received a copy from Netgalley, In exchange for an honest review.)
Actual rating - 2.5
I felt sorry for Sam at the start of this, but I can't say I really liked her character.
This started out alright, but it went downhill rather fast unfortunately. I found the whole thing quite weird, and it just couldn't keep my interest, so I felt bored for the majority of it.
Overall, Not a book for me.
Actual rating - 2.5
I felt sorry for Sam at the start of this, but I can't say I really liked her character.
This started out alright, but it went downhill rather fast unfortunately. I found the whole thing quite weird, and it just couldn't keep my interest, so I felt bored for the majority of it.
Overall, Not a book for me.
August 3, 2014
I didn't know what to expect... The book far exceeded my expectations from the blurb, which is saying a lot as I read the blurb and started the book 5 minutes later ;)
We start with Samantha, in an unknown cabin with a strange guy drugging her. From the first page the mystery of who her captive was starts and you are kept guessing (about this and much more) till the very end of the book. This is something I much appreciate in a book as I am the sort of person who guesses correctly (most of the time) of what will happen in a book.
The story then takes us on a rollercoaster full of suspense, romance, mystery and the discovery of an interesting new species; part human, part dragonfly! This is not your average supernatural/fantasy book; where if you have read some you have read most of them. This book puts an interesting spin on our favorite fantasy creatures.
I won tell you about the other characters or more about the plot because that would mean depriving you of discovering it yourself, gradually, which was one of my favorite things about this book. I am much anticipating book 2 and I can't wait to see how Amanda continues the plot :) Happy reading everyone!!
We start with Samantha, in an unknown cabin with a strange guy drugging her. From the first page the mystery of who her captive was starts and you are kept guessing (about this and much more) till the very end of the book. This is something I much appreciate in a book as I am the sort of person who guesses correctly (most of the time) of what will happen in a book.
The story then takes us on a rollercoaster full of suspense, romance, mystery and the discovery of an interesting new species; part human, part dragonfly! This is not your average supernatural/fantasy book; where if you have read some you have read most of them. This book puts an interesting spin on our favorite fantasy creatures.
I won tell you about the other characters or more about the plot because that would mean depriving you of discovering it yourself, gradually, which was one of my favorite things about this book. I am much anticipating book 2 and I can't wait to see how Amanda continues the plot :) Happy reading everyone!!
November 22, 2014
Another one to add to the list for this weekend!!
May 8, 2017
I kindly received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I'm going to be upfront with you all. I only finished this book for two reasons: 1) I received the book for free from NetGalley, and I wanted to do right by them by finishing the book; and 2) train wreck syndrome.
That's right, this book was so bad it was good. If only in the sense that I had to keep sending snippets to my friend because I was laughing so hard at the horrible writing and thought she needed to share in my pain. One of my favorite lines include: "I cleared my throat and I quit breathing." Oh, honey. I wish you stopped breathing about 200 pages ago.
The premise of the book was very interesting: girl gets kidnapped and comes back with magical powers. However, I didn't realize that author had a checklist of tropes she wanted to include and merrily checked off items as she wrote the book. Including the super special Mary Sue, excuse me, Samantha, that all the boys fall in love with. Her and her - SPOILER WARNING - other personality. Which, then, leads to Samantha taking the blame for everything bad that's ever happened to anyone in her life because she has mental health issues. Which nearly led to me throwing the Nook across the room. Honey, it's not your fault you're in a shitty book.
I'm not sure if I'm prouder for finishing the book or for not throwing Matilda (my Nook) across the room upon coming to the end of the book.
Also, author, commas exist. Use them. Thanks.
I'm going to be upfront with you all. I only finished this book for two reasons: 1) I received the book for free from NetGalley, and I wanted to do right by them by finishing the book; and 2) train wreck syndrome.
That's right, this book was so bad it was good. If only in the sense that I had to keep sending snippets to my friend because I was laughing so hard at the horrible writing and thought she needed to share in my pain. One of my favorite lines include: "I cleared my throat and I quit breathing." Oh, honey. I wish you stopped breathing about 200 pages ago.
The premise of the book was very interesting: girl gets kidnapped and comes back with magical powers. However, I didn't realize that author had a checklist of tropes she wanted to include and merrily checked off items as she wrote the book. Including the super special Mary Sue, excuse me, Samantha, that all the boys fall in love with. Her and her - SPOILER WARNING - other personality. Which, then, leads to Samantha taking the blame for everything bad that's ever happened to anyone in her life because she has mental health issues. Which nearly led to me throwing the Nook across the room. Honey, it's not your fault you're in a shitty book.
I'm not sure if I'm prouder for finishing the book or for not throwing Matilda (my Nook) across the room upon coming to the end of the book.
Also, author, commas exist. Use them. Thanks.
June 1, 2022
Now I can finally give a review-
I was stuck between 3 and 4 stars for this book. I had decided on 4 because I’ve not read a book about dragonfly origins before so I feel like it’s unique.
BUT Oops as I was writing this review for it to be 4 stars, I made points which made me realise it’s actually 3 stars.
I did guess one part of the kidnapping part but didn’t see the split personality. I don’t know how I feel about it. Once you read it, it put together little bits of the story. But it was also so left field? Like the little bits I just mentioned were too little for you to come to this conclusion. I mean it was interesting but a little random.
Overall a good read.
I was stuck between 3 and 4 stars for this book. I had decided on 4 because I’ve not read a book about dragonfly origins before so I feel like it’s unique.
BUT Oops as I was writing this review for it to be 4 stars, I made points which made me realise it’s actually 3 stars.
I did guess one part of the kidnapping part but didn’t see the split personality. I don’t know how I feel about it. Once you read it, it put together little bits of the story. But it was also so left field? Like the little bits I just mentioned were too little for you to come to this conclusion. I mean it was interesting but a little random.
Overall a good read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2016
I received a copy of this for free in exchange for an honest review.
**Also published on my YA Book Blog**
I think this book tried to be too many things at once. Full of convoluted plot points that don't really come together to form a coherent picture, this story starts off as one thing and as the story progresses it shifts into something else entirely. The interest invoked by the shotgun kidnapping, the hints at an overbearing and pressurized family, the twists and turns of who could be the kidnapper get lost amongst a wild, unexpected tale of science experiments and genetics. I found myself wishing the author had picked just ONE theme and stuck with it, because in the end none of them workex well together.
I found the characters to be pretty flat and predictable. Samantha was sympathetic, but ultimately a little annoying. She is just shy of constantly mean to Blake, she spends all this time pointing out how she's a tomboy, yet it's all about the clothes and makeup and boys. And she shows no signs of trauma, despite her terrifying experiences (ignoring the end). I mean, she's supposed to be all messed up about the kidnapping, then it's jumping into Blake's arms? Jeremy's an idiot. Blake's too All-American. Jen the BFF barely ever shows up. Mack the other BFF is about the only likable one and that goes to hell, too. And why is everyone blonde?
The dragonfly stuff is weird and totally out of the blue. Don't even get me started on the whole Sammy thing. I mean, you can't just spring things on us like yhat without any leading evidentiary support! What the heck!
The thing is, the writing isn't terrible. The romance, while instalove, isn't just unbearable. The who done it isn't implausible (entirely anyway). Even the odd sci fi aspect isn't horrendous. Unfortunately, none of it was exceptionally well done on it's own. Thrown together? It's just a headache. There was too much going on for one story and it's a shame, because there's potential. I think the author needs to outline things prior to writing to plot things out and see where some holes might be. And I think she needs editors and beta readers to help point out problem parts. I think her writing needs to mature a little, to explore the world and he characters more, and to mature the overall structure of her writing. And mostly, I think she needs to decide what kind of story she wants to write and narrow her focus to that, because too much in a shorter book like this leaves readers feeling confused and overall a little annoyed.
I wish I could rate this higher, but in the end I have to give this a 2.3 star rating. I wouldn't recommend it until the author cleans it up a bit.
**Also published on my YA Book Blog**
I think this book tried to be too many things at once. Full of convoluted plot points that don't really come together to form a coherent picture, this story starts off as one thing and as the story progresses it shifts into something else entirely. The interest invoked by the shotgun kidnapping, the hints at an overbearing and pressurized family, the twists and turns of who could be the kidnapper get lost amongst a wild, unexpected tale of science experiments and genetics. I found myself wishing the author had picked just ONE theme and stuck with it, because in the end none of them workex well together.
I found the characters to be pretty flat and predictable. Samantha was sympathetic, but ultimately a little annoying. She is just shy of constantly mean to Blake, she spends all this time pointing out how she's a tomboy, yet it's all about the clothes and makeup and boys. And she shows no signs of trauma, despite her terrifying experiences (ignoring the end). I mean, she's supposed to be all messed up about the kidnapping, then it's jumping into Blake's arms? Jeremy's an idiot. Blake's too All-American. Jen the BFF barely ever shows up. Mack the other BFF is about the only likable one and that goes to hell, too. And why is everyone blonde?
The dragonfly stuff is weird and totally out of the blue. Don't even get me started on the whole Sammy thing. I mean, you can't just spring things on us like yhat without any leading evidentiary support! What the heck!
The thing is, the writing isn't terrible. The romance, while instalove, isn't just unbearable. The who done it isn't implausible (entirely anyway). Even the odd sci fi aspect isn't horrendous. Unfortunately, none of it was exceptionally well done on it's own. Thrown together? It's just a headache. There was too much going on for one story and it's a shame, because there's potential. I think the author needs to outline things prior to writing to plot things out and see where some holes might be. And I think she needs editors and beta readers to help point out problem parts. I think her writing needs to mature a little, to explore the world and he characters more, and to mature the overall structure of her writing. And mostly, I think she needs to decide what kind of story she wants to write and narrow her focus to that, because too much in a shorter book like this leaves readers feeling confused and overall a little annoyed.
I wish I could rate this higher, but in the end I have to give this a 2.3 star rating. I wouldn't recommend it until the author cleans it up a bit.
June 5, 2016
WTF did I just read?
This definitely wasn't at all what I was expecting... the premise was there, and it definitely held my interest... but since I was too curious to see if anything progressed between what happened at the beginning and what the heroine's reaction would be at finding out whodunnit. To be honest, I didn't check to see what genre it was going to be, and so I assumed it was going to be a YA, thriller or something along those lines, not actually a paranormal YA. I seriously wanted the heroine to be hallucinating flying and all those creepy things that happened to her, to be a figment of her imagination, but I was actually quite disappointed with the end result. The 'couple' moved way too fast for my liking. And the heroine was absolutely TOO forgiving, after finding out who kidnapped her, and for going through what her 'friends' did to her. Nop. Just nop.
[image error]
I was thinking it would be more along the lines of Stolen by Lucy Christopher, where the heroine goes through a traumatic experience, and comes off as very unsociable, and very believable. Or maybe even Tara Brown's Blood and Bone were the reader doesn't know what actually is the truth and who is trustworthy or not. I was seriously prepared to enjoy this to the max, and it held my attention since none of the books I've been hoping to read has been able to do that, so my disappointment is rather big. Still it's not an entirely bad book, I would recommend it to people that love YA paranormal romance, and that are in it for whatever ride the author wants to take them to.
This definitely wasn't at all what I was expecting... the premise was there, and it definitely held my interest... but since I was too curious to see if anything progressed between what happened at the beginning and what the heroine's reaction would be at finding out whodunnit. To be honest, I didn't check to see what genre it was going to be, and so I assumed it was going to be a YA, thriller or something along those lines, not actually a paranormal YA. I seriously wanted the heroine to be hallucinating flying and all those creepy things that happened to her, to be a figment of her imagination, but I was actually quite disappointed with the end result. The 'couple' moved way too fast for my liking. And the heroine was absolutely TOO forgiving, after finding out who kidnapped her, and for going through what her 'friends' did to her. Nop. Just nop.
[image error]
I was thinking it would be more along the lines of Stolen by Lucy Christopher, where the heroine goes through a traumatic experience, and comes off as very unsociable, and very believable. Or maybe even Tara Brown's Blood and Bone were the reader doesn't know what actually is the truth and who is trustworthy or not. I was seriously prepared to enjoy this to the max, and it held my attention since none of the books I've been hoping to read has been able to do that, so my disappointment is rather big. Still it's not an entirely bad book, I would recommend it to people that love YA paranormal romance, and that are in it for whatever ride the author wants to take them to.
February 12, 2016
Wow! 5 stars! No doubt in my mind!
This book was awesome! I loved it from start to finish. This is definitely going in my favorites folder. Such an insanely good story. I can't even seem to get my thoughts in order to write this review. Here's my attempt -
This story was so well written and so complete. I feel like some books leave a lot to be desired. This was NOT one of those books. Lots of info - on the characters, the storyline, the "creatures" - all delivered perfectly. The pacing was magical. Just brilliant! The suspense and intrigue had me turning the pages with lightening speed - reading while walking, while eating, while getting dressed, thinking about it while I brushed my teeth, and made it very hard to concentrate when I couldn't read it (work gets in the way of my reading addiction).
I was so impressed with the writing style, the creativity, the originality, the plot twists and well, just about everything! I loved it!!
I was given an ARC of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. And this is an honest review. I realize I gushed (a lot) and sometimes its hard to believe someone could love a book so much - but I do, I did and I will, again, when I re-read it! I love when books make me this happy. What a fantastic story!! A favorite of mine, for sure!!
This book was awesome! I loved it from start to finish. This is definitely going in my favorites folder. Such an insanely good story. I can't even seem to get my thoughts in order to write this review. Here's my attempt -
This story was so well written and so complete. I feel like some books leave a lot to be desired. This was NOT one of those books. Lots of info - on the characters, the storyline, the "creatures" - all delivered perfectly. The pacing was magical. Just brilliant! The suspense and intrigue had me turning the pages with lightening speed - reading while walking, while eating, while getting dressed, thinking about it while I brushed my teeth, and made it very hard to concentrate when I couldn't read it (work gets in the way of my reading addiction).
I was so impressed with the writing style, the creativity, the originality, the plot twists and well, just about everything! I loved it!!
I was given an ARC of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. And this is an honest review. I realize I gushed (a lot) and sometimes its hard to believe someone could love a book so much - but I do, I did and I will, again, when I re-read it! I love when books make me this happy. What a fantastic story!! A favorite of mine, for sure!!
August 3, 2014
*I received an ARC copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.*
It was AWESOME, EXHILARATING!!!!!!!!!!! I’m speechless. Wow! The whole story line sucked me in. Author kept me on edge and kept me guessing who ‘Hidden Monster’ was. With every step of further reading my guess kept switching to different characters.
The start was ordinary being abducted by a masked kidnapper but author Amanda Strong made the whole story extraordinary. I would have never guessed what it was about in millions of years. I should've learned not to expect what I’m going to read by reading the author’s other story, but now I know not to expect anything. She threw curveballs and captivated me with the whole suspense and mysteries.
I couldn’t stop wanting to read in one sitting late night until my mom scolded me. Next morning I couldn’t stop myself to start reading it first waking up.
It is definitely a must read. You are on one hell of a ride. I so so so want to read what will happen next in the story.
It was AWESOME, EXHILARATING!!!!!!!!!!! I’m speechless. Wow! The whole story line sucked me in. Author kept me on edge and kept me guessing who ‘Hidden Monster’ was. With every step of further reading my guess kept switching to different characters.
The start was ordinary being abducted by a masked kidnapper but author Amanda Strong made the whole story extraordinary. I would have never guessed what it was about in millions of years. I should've learned not to expect what I’m going to read by reading the author’s other story, but now I know not to expect anything. She threw curveballs and captivated me with the whole suspense and mysteries.
I couldn’t stop wanting to read in one sitting late night until my mom scolded me. Next morning I couldn’t stop myself to start reading it first waking up.
It is definitely a must read. You are on one hell of a ride. I so so so want to read what will happen next in the story.
July 16, 2015
This book is brilliantly written with twists and turns you won't see coming, all the way to the end. Samantha goes for a jog one day only to find herself abducted. For weeks she is held captive with no information, and less and less hope and then suddenly she is free. Following the abduction, strange things start happening to her and she's feeling more and more like she's losing her mind and maybe herself. Then there's the new boy, the one she could fall for but how can she, she can't trust him or even herself. Sam will embark on a journey that will take her strange places but teach her about life and love and most importantly about herself. So great, I recommend to everyone.
December 13, 2014
REVIEWER: DANIELLE
4.0 ON THE MASQ SCALE
Hidden Monster by Amanda Strong is a surprising YA read. We begin with a horrific kidnapping that reminds you of Silence of the Lambs and end up with a surprising paranormal with a twist.
Strong does a great job detailing the aftermath of the victim of kidnapping and abuse, Samantha. I must applaud her for that.
So, if you are looking for something completely different, this is a book to pick up.
4.0 ON THE MASQ SCALE
Hidden Monster by Amanda Strong is a surprising YA read. We begin with a horrific kidnapping that reminds you of Silence of the Lambs and end up with a surprising paranormal with a twist.
Strong does a great job detailing the aftermath of the victim of kidnapping and abuse, Samantha. I must applaud her for that.
So, if you are looking for something completely different, this is a book to pick up.
December 25, 2015
Ugh
Terrible just because it's fantasy doesn't mean you can just throw any trite crap into the plot or characters' personalities and expect your reader to go along c I struggled to finish this. It was really awful and none of the characters behaved like real people. You could tell they only did things to further the plot rather than being true to who the author wrote them to be. It was awful
Terrible just because it's fantasy doesn't mean you can just throw any trite crap into the plot or characters' personalities and expect your reader to go along c I struggled to finish this. It was really awful and none of the characters behaved like real people. You could tell they only did things to further the plot rather than being true to who the author wrote them to be. It was awful
December 21, 2014
I was one of the first people (if not the first!) to get to read this amazing book!! LOVED IT! Kept me guessing the whole time! :)
February 10, 2017
What started out as an interesting abduction story turned into a surprising fantasy story with some similarities to the Twilight books by Stephanie Meyer, but replacing vampires and wolves with dragonflies.
I didn’t like the main character Samantha, she seemed to cope extraordinarily well with firstly being abducted for several weeks and then suddenly finding out she had wings one day and was actually a female dragonfly. I didn’t really like Blake much, who was Samantha’s love interest, his personality seemed to change on and off during the book, and the other minor characters weren’t that interesting either.
I guessed early on who Samantha’s abductor was, and there was a twist at the very end which I wasn’t expecting, but it did feel like there was a load of information dumped right at the end to explain everything.
Overall, an original idea but flat characters and a plot that goes all over the place.
I didn’t like the main character Samantha, she seemed to cope extraordinarily well with firstly being abducted for several weeks and then suddenly finding out she had wings one day and was actually a female dragonfly. I didn’t really like Blake much, who was Samantha’s love interest, his personality seemed to change on and off during the book, and the other minor characters weren’t that interesting either.
I guessed early on who Samantha’s abductor was, and there was a twist at the very end which I wasn’t expecting, but it did feel like there was a load of information dumped right at the end to explain everything.
Overall, an original idea but flat characters and a plot that goes all over the place.
April 7, 2019
Túl sok volt. Egyszerre több zsáner jellemzőit is megkapta a mű, és ez a végére már katyvaszt etedményezett. Thriller kezdés után, amikor is hősnőnket elrabolják és kiszabadul, jön az ifjúsági romantikus középiskolás vonal. Új fiú, vonzódás, bál, stb. Aztán hopp valami fura történik a hősnővel, szóval átmegyünk fantasyba. De ez kevés, mert egy kis X-man féle genetikai dolog is van a sztoriban, akkor is sci-fi? És egy félelmetes szörny. Mire a végére megtudtam, hogy miért és hogyan történt az emberrablás, majdnem felröhögtem. A kevesebb jobb kedves szerző, nem kell ennyi csavar egy sztoriba.
January 17, 2019
At the beginning of this book, I thought it was gonna be totally different. I loved all the unique twists to the story. It started off like a thriller book but was really a paranormal book with a totally different twist. I can honestly say I was not expecting the ending. Overall, it was a great start to a very unique and interesting series.
January 25, 2024
Unorthodox Fae, divided love and a plot twist you might not see coming.
Rating: 2.5 stars ⭐️
Rating: 2.5 stars ⭐️
November 1, 2017
In the paranormal trope, I've seen most everything, but I haven't seen this. The author takes us on what seems like a normal "hidden identity" story, but ends up being something completely new. I even thought I had the big bad guy figured out by the end. Nope. Huge thanks to the author for the unexpected bit, and the new creature aspects. This was a fun read.
Content warning: Minor cussing. Some violence.
Content warning: Minor cussing. Some violence.
December 17, 2019
I did enjoy this. It kept you guessing and even in the beginning I wasn’t sure where the story was going. Unfortunately where it went wasn’t that great. It seemed to pile on and make less sense and was just too much. Don’t think I’ll continue with the series.
November 18, 2014
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Samantha “Sammy” is a typical girl. She has a wonderful mom and dad along with two sisters. One day while going for a run in the woods, she is kidnapped and held against her will in a cabin. Her captor kept her tied up and injected her with something that made her dizzy and sick. She is in and out of consciousness because of the injections. Samantha tried to reason with her captor but only got the response “she will love him.” Waking up from one of many drug induced sleepiness, she realizes she is no longer tied up and escapes. Samantha is found and returned to her family. Adjusting to normal life is hard for Samantha. Her boyfriend Jeremy broke up with her. Everyone at school whispers behind her back. Having her friends Mack and Jen help but do little for the fact that she is now considered a freak. Blake is the boy new in town and has taken an interest in Samantha. There is an attraction between them and Samantha can’t help the feelings that are developing. Soon strange things start to happen to her that can’t be explained. Samantha fears that it’s probably related to what she was injected with back at the cabin. While trying to figure out what is happening to her, it seems Blake may have some answers for her. For Samantha nothing and no one is what they seem. Who can she trust?
The beginning of the book was a strong start. A kidnapping and then it seemed the captor was someone she knew. So I was analyzing almost every character after that. Like who done it kind of thing. Then there was a twist in the story I didn’t see coming. It was a cool twist however I felt like there was too many things added that needed explaining after that. For me it took away from the cool factor. Towards the end you get answers but it’s like overload and it took me a bit to sort through it. I feel like this could be an enjoyable read for someone else but it wasn’t for me. I give this 3.5 stars
Samantha “Sammy” is a typical girl. She has a wonderful mom and dad along with two sisters. One day while going for a run in the woods, she is kidnapped and held against her will in a cabin. Her captor kept her tied up and injected her with something that made her dizzy and sick. She is in and out of consciousness because of the injections. Samantha tried to reason with her captor but only got the response “she will love him.” Waking up from one of many drug induced sleepiness, she realizes she is no longer tied up and escapes. Samantha is found and returned to her family. Adjusting to normal life is hard for Samantha. Her boyfriend Jeremy broke up with her. Everyone at school whispers behind her back. Having her friends Mack and Jen help but do little for the fact that she is now considered a freak. Blake is the boy new in town and has taken an interest in Samantha. There is an attraction between them and Samantha can’t help the feelings that are developing. Soon strange things start to happen to her that can’t be explained. Samantha fears that it’s probably related to what she was injected with back at the cabin. While trying to figure out what is happening to her, it seems Blake may have some answers for her. For Samantha nothing and no one is what they seem. Who can she trust?
The beginning of the book was a strong start. A kidnapping and then it seemed the captor was someone she knew. So I was analyzing almost every character after that. Like who done it kind of thing. Then there was a twist in the story I didn’t see coming. It was a cool twist however I felt like there was too many things added that needed explaining after that. For me it took away from the cool factor. Towards the end you get answers but it’s like overload and it took me a bit to sort through it. I feel like this could be an enjoyable read for someone else but it wasn’t for me. I give this 3.5 stars
August 9, 2016
(2.5 Stars)
"Hidden Monster" is one of those books that leaves you scratching your head in wonderment and asking, "What just happened?" The premise of the book had such potential but ended up being a convoluted mess.
Samantha loves to jog but one morning while enjoying a vigorous run she is kidnapped. Her abductors keeps his identity hidden and he injects her with some type of medicine that makes her ill. After about a week, she manages to escape but she doesn't reveal to her family all that the abductors promised: that some day, she will fall in love with him.
As Sam tries to deal with the trauma of the ordeal, she meets a new boy, Blake. From the very beginning, she feels an attraction to him. Blake encourages Sam to return to school and attend a masquerade dance at school. She is tricked into attending with a former boyfriend. A costume of a winged fairy suddenly appears and when she puts it on, she finds that the wings are real and are actually sprouting from her body. She also can fly. As Sam attempts to understand what is going on Kory, a boy from her past returns to town bringing confusion and chaos.
Samantha will learn that some of her closest friends have been lying to her. Who can she trust and what does her new abilities mean? Here is where things go haywire and become convoluted. She discovers what she is and she will need to travel to a faraway island to deter her special abilities. Bleh!
This book could have been really interesting but lacked action, tried to include too many concepts that ended up warring with each other and just plain lost all semblance of common sense. This series was just okay and I definitely won't be going on to other books in the series.
"Hidden Monster" is one of those books that leaves you scratching your head in wonderment and asking, "What just happened?" The premise of the book had such potential but ended up being a convoluted mess.
Samantha loves to jog but one morning while enjoying a vigorous run she is kidnapped. Her abductors keeps his identity hidden and he injects her with some type of medicine that makes her ill. After about a week, she manages to escape but she doesn't reveal to her family all that the abductors promised: that some day, she will fall in love with him.
As Sam tries to deal with the trauma of the ordeal, she meets a new boy, Blake. From the very beginning, she feels an attraction to him. Blake encourages Sam to return to school and attend a masquerade dance at school. She is tricked into attending with a former boyfriend. A costume of a winged fairy suddenly appears and when she puts it on, she finds that the wings are real and are actually sprouting from her body. She also can fly. As Sam attempts to understand what is going on Kory, a boy from her past returns to town bringing confusion and chaos.
Samantha will learn that some of her closest friends have been lying to her. Who can she trust and what does her new abilities mean? Here is where things go haywire and become convoluted. She discovers what she is and she will need to travel to a faraway island to deter her special abilities. Bleh!
This book could have been really interesting but lacked action, tried to include too many concepts that ended up warring with each other and just plain lost all semblance of common sense. This series was just okay and I definitely won't be going on to other books in the series.
November 26, 2014
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
It was actually really hard for me to get into this book. It wasn't the editing, but the content. It felt unrealistic, to a level of silliness. An example: The mother is a horribly selfish person that cares more about her daughter's appearance and interest in boys than she cares that her daughter was KIDNAPPED AND MISSING for a while.
As someone who has suffered abuse, I found the actions of the main character and those around her to be very unrealistic.
The story picks up about 30% in. By that point I was glad that I had decided not to call it a loss. I absolutely loved how dragon flies were incorporated into it, and the twists and turns that went on in the story.
There were still a few issues, mostly with the main character's family. They didn't feel realistic. But they were really such minor characters by this point, that I hardly noticed them.
Lots of drama happened. I ended up staying up way past my bedtime because of it all. It was really freaking awesome.
Until it hit about 90%. Then it just got silly. It was definitely a plot twist... Also, "Gene Gray", seriously? First of all, "Jean" second of all "Grey".
This book took me almost a third of it to keep me interested, and if it wasn't for review I doubt I'd have stuck around that long. Although the majority of the book was pretty awesome, almost half of it was not.
http://www.platypire.com/j-hooligan/h...
It was actually really hard for me to get into this book. It wasn't the editing, but the content. It felt unrealistic, to a level of silliness. An example: The mother is a horribly selfish person that cares more about her daughter's appearance and interest in boys than she cares that her daughter was KIDNAPPED AND MISSING for a while.
As someone who has suffered abuse, I found the actions of the main character and those around her to be very unrealistic.
The story picks up about 30% in. By that point I was glad that I had decided not to call it a loss. I absolutely loved how dragon flies were incorporated into it, and the twists and turns that went on in the story.
There were still a few issues, mostly with the main character's family. They didn't feel realistic. But they were really such minor characters by this point, that I hardly noticed them.
Lots of drama happened. I ended up staying up way past my bedtime because of it all. It was really freaking awesome.
Until it hit about 90%. Then it just got silly. It was definitely a plot twist... Also, "Gene Gray", seriously? First of all, "Jean" second of all "Grey".
This book took me almost a third of it to keep me interested, and if it wasn't for review I doubt I'd have stuck around that long. Although the majority of the book was pretty awesome, almost half of it was not.
http://www.platypire.com/j-hooligan/h...
August 3, 2014
I was given an ARC of Hidden Monster by Amanda Strong.
The title of the book thrown me off. I had no idea what to expect with this story.
When it opens up with a girl being abducted, I thought that is what the story was going to be about, but no, it surprised me again...
Samantha is not your typical girl. Many years ago she was involved in a near fatal drowning, and then being abducted had really changed her.
While she was healing, Samantha meet Blake. She had no idea that he knew what was going on with her, but she develops a close friendship with him and feelings.
Throw in her best friend Mack, the story gets interesting. Samantha finally figures out what happened to her and what had caused her to change.
There are many twists to this plot. It changed with characters that I didn't expect to and ended with a twist that I never saw coming.
This is not the typical paranormal YA read. Each one of the characters were well developed. I didn't want to put the book down and was disappointed when it came to an end.
I hope Amanda Strong continues on with this series because I want to know what is going to happen between Samantha and Blake and the rest of the characters.
The title of the book thrown me off. I had no idea what to expect with this story.
When it opens up with a girl being abducted, I thought that is what the story was going to be about, but no, it surprised me again...
Samantha is not your typical girl. Many years ago she was involved in a near fatal drowning, and then being abducted had really changed her.
While she was healing, Samantha meet Blake. She had no idea that he knew what was going on with her, but she develops a close friendship with him and feelings.
Throw in her best friend Mack, the story gets interesting. Samantha finally figures out what happened to her and what had caused her to change.
There are many twists to this plot. It changed with characters that I didn't expect to and ended with a twist that I never saw coming.
This is not the typical paranormal YA read. Each one of the characters were well developed. I didn't want to put the book down and was disappointed when it came to an end.
I hope Amanda Strong continues on with this series because I want to know what is going to happen between Samantha and Blake and the rest of the characters.
April 20, 2016
When I originally read the synopsis for Hidden Monster, I assumed I was going to get a good chunk of ‘terrifying kidnapped situation’ before getting into a greater mystery. If that is the reason why you picked up this book, allow me to enlighten you – it’s not going to happen. One of the things I didn’t like about this book was the fact that the kidnapping, so integral to the plot though it is, takes up a mere handful of pages. The aftermath is what the book is about and, to be blunt, the aftermath just isn’t for me.
I’m not in any way saying this is a bad book. If I were to pick a word to describe the book, I would call it a little goofy. The fantasy concept felt goofy, the paint by numbers whodunnit regarding the kidnapping is goofy (I worked it out in five minutes flat and then spent the rest of the book hoping I was wrong – I wasn’t) and the love story is goofy.
I think perhaps, in the end, I was the wrong audience for this. A younger reader might find a lot to love here. Personally, I didn’t.
I’m not in any way saying this is a bad book. If I were to pick a word to describe the book, I would call it a little goofy. The fantasy concept felt goofy, the paint by numbers whodunnit regarding the kidnapping is goofy (I worked it out in five minutes flat and then spent the rest of the book hoping I was wrong – I wasn’t) and the love story is goofy.
I think perhaps, in the end, I was the wrong audience for this. A younger reader might find a lot to love here. Personally, I didn’t.
November 19, 2014
This was such an enjoyable and surprising book! I did not know what to expect when I started it and it turned out to be so much fun. Strong's forte is in creating complex, imaginative plot lines and Hidden Monster takes you on a roller coaster ride from the very first scene. Her characters are wonderful, as well. Samantha is a strong protagonist and I was rooting for her until the very end. Blake is a truly swoon-worthy book boyfriend and I look forward to seeing how life turns out for them in the rest of the series, which I hope Ms. Strong will hurry up and write. Hint. Hint.
If you enjoy YA fantasy with more than a touch of romance, this book is definitely for you.
If you enjoy YA fantasy with more than a touch of romance, this book is definitely for you.
April 5, 2016
This was a pretty good read. The concept was interesting, and I was really excited about not being able to figure out exactly who it was that kidnapped and drugged her. Even til the near end, I had a hard time choosing, until some things got just too obvious, but by then it was too late. I will say that nearly no one will be able to figure out the real mastermind. BLEW. ME. AWAY.
It was amazingly fun finding out who did it and then going back to look at all the little subtle hints that I didn't even think to investigate. Just wow. Great job.
The plot was pretty good, though some instances were a little eh. Overall it's a recommended read because of the ending.
It was amazingly fun finding out who did it and then going back to look at all the little subtle hints that I didn't even think to investigate. Just wow. Great job.
The plot was pretty good, though some instances were a little eh. Overall it's a recommended read because of the ending.
April 26, 2016
Magical wings in what started off as a kidnapping story. So I'm confused about what the book's actual intentions were but then as I got into the story and started to understand the dynamics and accept the fact that this was a paranormal romance/dragonfly fantasy, I was okay to move on.
The writing pushes the story forward and maintains interest, as do the various characters, including Mack who becomes more important as the story comes to its conclusion. So while I spent most of the middle of the book with furrowed brows wondering where my kidnapping story went wrong, I did enjoy the last third of the book. An interesting fantasy.
The writing pushes the story forward and maintains interest, as do the various characters, including Mack who becomes more important as the story comes to its conclusion. So while I spent most of the middle of the book with furrowed brows wondering where my kidnapping story went wrong, I did enjoy the last third of the book. An interesting fantasy.
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