The Shape of Monsters

by C L Hellisen, Omari Douglas (Narrator)

Audible Originals are proud to present, The Shape of Monsters by CL Hellisen, narrated by Omari Douglas, star of Black Doves and It's a Sin.





In a world where power is everything, Aleks and Vaira Kercheval have rejected their magical heritage. The lives they have carefully constructed for themselves are torn asunder when they inherit Aubrey House, their family's ancestral home. When the siblings cross the threshold, a long-dormant magic awakens, thrusting them into a world of ancient feuds and twisted powers.





As Vaira embraces her magical heritage, determined to claim her rightful place among the Mage Houses, the powerless Aleks accidentally summons Ilea, a monstrous prince from the Void, thereby binding himself to a creature of immense power and insatiable hunger.





Aleks and Vaira find themselves on either side of a magical divide. But dark forces are at work, threatening to tear apart the fragile peace between the ancient families.





When Vaira's quest for power leads her into the depths of the Void, Aleks must make an impossible choice - betray his sister to save her from corruption, or watch as she becomes something monstrous and inhuman. As the lines between human and monster blur, each must decide how far they'll go to survive in a world where even gods can fall.





The Shape of Monsters is a treasure trove of dark magic and family blood, where the price of power is paid with the ultimate sacrifice.

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook

Audible Audio

Published July 3, 2025

Reviews

[Amber Chatwin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Became boring and didn't feel any strong connection to the characters.

[Marianne Pritchard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this more than I was expecting. Dark fantasy with gritty tale of romance woven through. Really good to see non-typical genders moving out with the tokenistic role and being represented in more mainstream fantasy.
Youll enjoy this if you like off beat dark fantasies.

[Melissa Crowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Superb performance that kept me engaged . The story was slow and ended poorly.

[Martha van Zyl · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Shape of Monsters is a spellbinding dive into a darkly magical world where bloodlines hold power, and ancient feuds simmer beneath the surface of carefully constructed lives. CL Hellisen’s writing is rich and atmospheric, pulling you in with lush detail, emotional depth, and a narrative that expertly balances tension, heartbreak, and wonder.

At its heart, this is a story about family, identity, and the cost of power. Aleks and Vaira Kercheval, siblings who have tried to escape their magical legacy, are thrown back into the treacherous world of the Mage Houses after inheriting Aubrey House. What follows is a beautifully tragic unravelling as each sibling takes a different path: Vaira embracing her heritage with steely ambition, and Aleks stumbling into a dangerous bond with Ilea, a chillingly seductive prince from the Void.

Hellisen’s worldbuilding is intricate without being overwhelming, filled with layered politics, eerie lore, and morally complex characters. The dynamic between the siblings is particularly compelling, portraying both love and conflict in equal measure. As the story progresses and the divide between Aleks and Vaira grows, the emotional stakes rise, and so does the sense of impending doom.

Omari Douglas’s narration adds another level of brilliance to this Audible Original. His performance is nuanced and expressive, perfectly capturing the haunting beauty of Hellisen’s prose and the emotional turmoil of the characters. He brings each scene to life with subtle intensity, immersing the listener completely in this dark fantasy world.

The pacing is perfect and Hellisen has a way with words that adds depth to an intricately woven story. Even as someone who doesn’t often reach for dark fantasy, I found myself completely enthralled. The Shape of Monsters is a standout listen; an intoxicating blend of family drama, dark enchantment, and emotional complexity.

I’m already eagerly awaiting the next installment. This is a must-listen for anyone who loves beautifully written fantasy with teeth.

5/5 stars – Haunting, heartfelt, and utterly unforgettable.

[John-Ross Chambers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story and world. Quite light to get into and interesting themes.

Would have been interesting to build the world and lore out more.

[Robin Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightfully spiky, delicately spiced tale of nascent wizardry and unlooked-for inheritance in a darkly modern world where the shadows are not what they seem. Magical forces coalesce around Vaira and her brother Aleks when Vai's inheritance of a family mansion turns out to come with strings attached. Ties, in fact, that bind them both to a past they did not understand, and a future that turns out to be ugly, brutish and - potentially - short.

There isn't a nice character in the whole story; everyone has an agenda, Vai and Aleks included. The warring siblings can hardly break off sparring with each other long enough to defend themselves, their home and those that they love from the malevolent families clustering around them, looking for some weakness to exploit, a defensive gap at which to strike.

Even when trying to protect each other, or do what they think is right, Vaira and Aleks come to blows. Not a good idea when they should be contending with demons, spirits and rivals both in the human plane, and beyond the veil of reality.

Ripping stuff, in which darkly gothic drama abounds, and raw emotions sting like the burns from magical fire.

[Maisie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed the story. It had some cool ideas, some compelling parts, mystery, intrigue, cool magic. But I felt it had two major flaws.
Firstly, it just never quite… delivered. At the start, some interesting plot points were introduced and I kept waiting and waiting for some cool twist, but after about halfway, it felt like the same ideas rehashed over and over and nothing really happened or changed. More and more descriptions of the monster, or how Vaira couldn’t wait to be rid of Alex. We get it. I wonder if a good editor would have condensed this - I listened to the second half mostly on 1.5x speed as a lot of the descriptions could be skipped over without missing the plot, and as the pacing slowed.
Secondly, both main characters I never really rooted for as I found them both dislikable, so I can’t say I was too invested when they were in danger, I sort of thought… ‘oh well!’
This should come with a warning that there is one short part of the book with some very adult language - even though the rest of the story reads like a YA or even teen drama/fiction, don’t be fooled.
Also, Cannes Ton? Canesten? The thrush cream for a character name? Seriously?

[Fiona · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting concept, but ultimately not for me

The Shape of Monsters begins with a wonderfully eerie setup, a crumbling ancestral home, long-buried magic, and a sibling dynamic filled with promise and tension. I was intrigued by the idea of two siblings pulled in opposite directions by the legacy of their bloodline. The writing is atmospheric, and there's a strong sense of place, which I appreciated.

However, as the story progressed, I found myself losing interest. Much of the plot unfolds in the confines of a bedroom with Aleks and the entity he summons, and the repetitive, insular nature of their interactions became tedious for me. I also found the darker, necromantic elements to be not my cup of tea. There was a feeling of emotional stagnation that made it difficult to stay engaged.

That said, I can see how others might be drawn to the psychological depth and the tragic, twisted bond between Aleks and his Monster. It simply wasn’t to my taste, but I do appreciate the originality of the premise and the author’s imaginative world-building.

[Chris Limb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a dark urban fantasy shot through with humour and horror in equal measure so that you're kept on the edge of your seat until the end. The narrative plays with and subverts expectations; the characters never conforming to your initial expectations based on how they're coded.

The urban fantasy world itself is fascinating as it feels far more like a fully realised magical world upon which a version of mundane modernity has been overlaid rather than the other way around (as can so often the case with this genre).

Definitely one that leaves you missing the characters and situations at the end – and eager to see what's next in store for them.

The sound design and narration is perfect.

[Shell · Rating 1 out of 5]

A brother and sister inherit Aubrey House, which belonged to their family and where they have not been since childhood. On returning to the gothic property, old magic fueds are awakened, pitting the siblings against each other in a battle to save themselves and their partners.
I suffered through this book club pick to the end. It reminded me of a poorly written young adult fantasy with swearing, drugs and sex thrown in to make it an adult read. Non of it worked and the cringy erotic scenes between Aleks and the corpse-like monster he conjured from the abis were some of the most amateur passages I've ever had to sit through. Imagine my dismay when I found out that every other member of the book club gave up at around 2 hours in? I can't imagine who this book was aimed at.

[Chrystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

The audio production and narration was well done. However, this story wasn't for me. Sadly, I didn't really like or connect with either main character. I also felt like this book was quite a bit longer than it needed to be. The ending was disappointing. I was confused the whole time not really sure what was going on, other than a war was coming. A war that was over in less than 5 minutes. I feel like with the length of this one, so much more could have happened. I didn't end this one with the urge to read any more of the series. Others seem to really like it and I hope you do as well.

[Miss Cecile · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun book. I enjoyed the complicated sibling dynamics. The tension between them felt very real. And the relationship between Alex and the monster.

I enjoyed the magic system. It was interesting, even if not particularly unique.

The pacing and the action were pretty on point. Overall, I felt it was a fun and exciting listen.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a book of magic, fantasy, monsters and turmoil. Even love.
Crossing the lines between human and monster. Sister Varia and Brother Alek haven't seen each other in years. They're total opposites. He's down on his luck and decided to reconnect with Varia. They find out they have inherited the family home but is it safe? There's violence and gore.

[Lyndsey Croal · Rating 5 out of 5]

With a great set up and richly imagined world, The Shape of Monsters throws you right into a story of family secrets, strange magic, intrigue, dangerous bargains, treachery, and dark desires. This was a hugely enjoyable read - beautifully dark, atmospheric and oozing with tension and heart.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up

[Carriann · Rating 3 out of 5]

kind of boring. some parts were good and interesting.

[Shanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

The world building and lore would be more enjoyable where it further flushed out, but all in all this is still a fantastic story!

If there’s not a sequel, I will riot

[Vance Holt · Rating 1 out of 5]

A girl with magic tricks a boy without magic to "play" with her. Then, she breaks all the wards on the house and the place ends up burning to the ground.
Not my cup of tea.

[RedReads · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. given up at chapter 9. too little exposition and characters failing to come to life. not vibing with this.

[Lael Dabney · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐️ | i was pleasantly surprised with this! the story was really intriguing, and i kinda wish there was a second book. i fear i ate this up. i literally could not stand the fmc, though.

[Harriet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did get into it but found the ending unsatisfying and if there's a follow-up I probably won't read/listen to it.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

It stared ok went weird. Then weirder and I didn’t care about the characters

[David Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story has multiple monsters but it may not be who or what you think, and their reasons for being so may actually win you to their side.