Princess Aurora of Amador dreams of battlefields and freedom, not betrothals and ballroom vows. When an arranged marriage threatens to end her dreams forever, she makes a daring escape—only to be rescued by a creature long believed to be her kingdom’s greatest enemy.
As forbidden powers awaken within her, Aurora begins to uncover dangerous secrets. Her father, once a noble king, now bends to the will of her stepmother—the fae Dorova—whose beauty hides a hunger for power and control. As dark magic tightens its hold on the throne, Aurora realizes the true war was never beyond the castle walls, but within them.
In the heart of danger, trust becomes her sharpest weapon—and love her most perilous choice. For the line between enemy and protector, monster and man, is thinner than she ever imagined.
To Love a Monster is a tale of forbidden love, ancient magic, and a princess’s fight to reclaim both her freedom and her heart.
The premise of To Love a Monster is genuinely interesting, and the plot itself has a lot of potential. Unfortunately, the writing didn’t work for me at all.
I love a quick moving story, but everything moves at such a breakneck pace and major events happen so quickly that reader has no time to process or really enjoy anything. This easily could have been a much longer book, closer to 350, without changing the plot at all.
There’s also a lot of telling rather than showing. Most of the worldbuilding is delivered very quickly through explanation instead of being built naturally into the story, which made it hard to feel fully immersed. The frequent info dumping via the FMCs dreams also felt cheap.
It’s frustrating because the foundation is there. The ideas are interesting, and the plot has a lot of promise, but the writing ultimately holds it back.
Overall I would give this 1.75 stars mostly for the potential it has.
Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This is the first book I've read that would be classified as "monster romance" and I honestly was surprised by how enjoyable it was. We are immediately placed into a world that has tension between the majority of the characters with lore unfolding the further you read into it. Phillip's work has a queer romance involved (not the MCs), friends-to-lovers, hidden identities, outlawed magic and fae system, heroine FMC, and some battle scenes.
When I picked up this book I was hoping for an immersive and deep fantasy world; I was underwhelmed by the book overall, but there was a lot that I did enjoy! We begin to learn more about the different types of non-human entities in this book - around the 50% mark - that mention mages, fae, gargoyles, and others that aren't classified in those specific categories. Due to how short this novel was, we didn't actually get to know much about them, only that they used to exist and have been hunted down by humans. The snippets of Robin's lore that we received really helped expand the world past just Aurora and allowed me to develop a sort of connection to him, which I struggled to find with the others. As for the fight scenes, they are very in depth and immersed me into the book with their detail, but there were only 2 or 3 throughout the novel. The prologue really hooked me into the story and the epilogue has set the book up for an amazing sequel, but they weren't connected very well to the main story.
There were many inconsistencies that pulled me out of the story, which doesn't help since the book is only 139 pages long. On top of us not truly delving into the lore and inhabitants of the world, we hardly get any world building; the little that we do seems very mixed up between a fantasy world and the real world. Aurora lives inside of Amador, but then Asia and Europe are mentioned frequently as places available for conquest. Most of the book displays the disdain for queer people, but suddenly at the 40-50% mark the Bible is mentioned once or twice when it hadn't been prior? We go the majority of the book with only one POV (Aurora's) but halfway through it switches to a book with dual perspective, even though both characters existed from the beginning.
The evil step-mother's objectives were revealed so early on in the book, that it ruined the impact it could be if it was made either half-way or towards the end. Most of the cast was very unlikable and we hardly got to see Aurora's relationship with them, so I felt disconnected to them. Aurora herself acts like a child half the book (she's 16 or 18, I think?), but expects to be taken seriously and then at the end she suddenly acts like an entirely different person. Lastly, the prologue and epilogue didn't connect to the main story as they are set in the future, which there is no mention of. Half of the book I was confused about where the prologue fit in, only to realize how it connected once I read the epilogue, which still didn't add up to the main story.
Unfortunately, there was a lot that fell short in Phillip's piece and I assume most of it is due to the length of the book. I was made aware by an author note at the end that he has written another series based on this world and set in the far off future. I'd be interested to pick it up to see how the world has changed and what all it entails, but I would hope it's much longer and in depth than this was.
Thank you to Netgalley and Jad Phillip for this ARC copy!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
3.5⭐️!
I’ll be honest—by the time I finished this book, I found myself wishing it had been just a little longer. Not because the story itself lacked, but because I wanted more time with the characters and in the world. The pacing leans heavily into back-to-back action, which kept things exciting but also left me occasionally whispering, “Wait, what just happened?” before being swept into the next moment. Which I like in a book but sometimes some more filler in between action helps. And getting to know the characters on more than just a surface level makes it easier to get lost in the book.
That said, I genuinely enjoyed the book. The ending did tie up some of the questions that I had… while also giving me several new ones. I can’t help but wonder if reading the companion series—set a thousand years in the future—might help offer some clarity?
I went into this fully thinking it was a standalone. The author’s note at the end revealed that this is actually the start of a trilogy. (My commitment issues were not prepared, but here we are.) Knowing there’s more to come definitely helped with me feeling like so much was happening all at once.
Overall, it’s a fast-paced, intriguing story with a world I’m excited to explore further.
Thank you so much for giving me this arc to read ahead of time!
I truly loved the story and all the characters in this book. I mean who doesn’t love princess and Fae?! And add Gargoyles into the mix?! I mean you don’t see that very often. And for a fantasy, this was such an easy and enjoyable read and it kept you coming back for more! I highly recommend for someone just getting into fantasy 💙
I received this arc from NetGalley. Below is my honest review and feedback.
Summary: To Love a Monster is a novel about a princess who manifests magical powers in a kingdom where any magic is punishable by death, but little does the kingdom know that a fae sits on the throne as queen and is hellbent on revenge for the slaughter of her people. Princess Aurora has to navigate keeping her stepmother from killing everyone in the kingdom, the threat of invasion from a warring group of gargoyles, terrifying prophesies, and avoiding an arranged marriage to a man old enough to be her grandfather—the standards sixteen-year-old princess package.
Overall Assessment: I give this book two stars out of five. The concept was really interesting, but the execution was very poor. I assume that there is a lot of exposition, worldbuilding, and explanation that happens in Phillip’s other books, but as a stand-alone, this doesn’t work as well as it could have. The book needed to be longer to accomplish all of the things it was trying to do well.
Plot & Pacing: The plot ideas themselves were good, but the pacing felt extremely rushed and there were a lot of inconsistencies in the plot. For example, going by the synopsis on Goodreads, Princess Aurora is introduced as a warrior, but she only fights twice in the book, and one of those times she had to be rescued because three random boys saw her use magic by accident—and she’s supposed to have been professionally trained enough to want to be a knight! The ending of the story was rushed and confusing. The prophesy, which is a major part of the story and why Aurora has her powers, is not fully explained. The way the story bookends itself in the present, with the majority of the book being events that have happened fifteen or so years in the past, and revealing the characters’ identities was well executed.
Characters: The characters were very shallow and stereotypical. Even the main characters were very lacking in true personality.
Voice & Prose: Phillip’s writing style is poetic and beautiful. This was one of the strongest parts of the book. Some of the dialogue was corny and unbelievable, but the writing itself was very well done.
Worldbuilding: There’s not enough time spent on exposition and worldbuilding. Certain elements of reality, such as religion and geography, can really throw the reader off. It might be easier to craft a separate world and religion for the story.
Romance: The romance in this book doesn’t really play a major part of the plot. It’s honestly more of a subplot and makes the title of the book misleading. The romance was also rushed.There could have been more time spent giving the main characters backstory and scenes to make their romance feel more natural.
Recommendations: I recommend that this book receive an additional developmental edit. The ideas, plot and characters are not poor, just poorly executed. This book was not ready for publication at the time of reading.
To Love A Monster by JAD Phillip, princess Aurora is being forced to marry Lord Alfred a man old enough to be her grandfather when she makes a scene at the announcement her stepmother sits there like a praying peacock while her father does her bidding. He’s nothing like the man she knew before her mom died things being what they are she decides to Dawn her ladies maids clothes and run away she gets as far as authors lake when three local men try to accost her and she gets overly emotional and all of a sudden the water attacks the men and when they start calling her a witch because of it this is when a gargoyle shows up. at first she after he causes the men to flee she thinks he’s going to kill her but after a brief staring contest he turns and takes off into the woods. It isn’t long after this that her childhood friend robin, shows up he’s the skcullery maids son and a boy that was her best friend when she would dress like a boy and play with him just like a regular child and not the child of royalty. it’s been years since they spoke but on this night after he escort her home they both learn many things not just about each other but about the castle her stepmother in many other things. Unfortunately Aurora knows there is something he’s not telling and he wants to know but Aurora has problems of her own such as having visions prophetic dreams and none of them are good. Years ago her uncle was a maj and he attacked the faye and made magic illegal. I didn’t quite understand this part because her uncle was a maj and use magic to kill all the Faye so I didn’t get the correlation between them killing the Faye and the gargoyles attacking the castle they were supposed to be guarding, now there is an explanation further in the book about one of them and it kind of makes some things clear but not everything. In any event it seems there’s more to aurora and robin the each of them thought but are they cursed or blessed faded or doomed. i’m not gonna lie I thought this was a pretty fun read and despite me saying I was confused at one point I did pick up enough to enjoy the book and although there’s a few critiques or things I would say I think those were personal ultimately I do think the author did a great job writing this book especially being a new author. #BookSirens, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview,
I liked the premise of this story. Who doesn't want to read about a magic warrior princess escaping a marriage of convenience?
Sadly, a lot of this story didn't make much sense. Aurora is a warrior princess—or so we're told. She used to train, back when her mother was alive. She wanted to be a soldier, but we don't see any of this on page. She is attacked once at the beginning of the story (and needs to be rescued), and at later occasions she needs to fight, but ends up using magic.
Aurora is supposed to be close with her siblings (she says she practically raised her twin siblings, after her mother died, that they were more her babies than her siblings, and yet she spends almost no on-page time with them Aurora's sister Jana didn't even need to exist. To be honest, I'm not even sure why James was in the story either. I feel like the story would have been stronger with fewer characters, and more time spent developing the relationships between them.
The relationship between Robin and Aurora had the potential to be good, but most of their chemistry seems to come from the fact that they were childhood friends—but we don't see any of that on page; it's all told to us. They got from nothing to declarations of forever love relatively quickly.
I found myself struggling to pick this up, but, on the plus side, it was a quick read.
I got this as an ARC and am leaving an honest review. There were a lot of things I liked about this book, but I found the writing left a lot to be desired.
I really liked the protagonist (since I love a fierce AND smart heroine). So often the genre has leading women who are battle ready and impulsive - but lacking intelligence. I appreciated the lead being smart, passionate for her kingdom, and a true leader. The plot was extremely interesting! I found the dynamic between the various species fascinating and the direction of the story intriguing. The characters themselves drew me in as well.
The thing holding this book back was the writing. I would have liked more SHOW not tell. The book starts with some heavy info-dumping, where the author flat out tells the reader essential information in direct sentences. I prefer when the world building and lore unfolds more slowly throughout the story, instead of being front-loaded. There were instances of character development that the author told us instead of showing us with the character's actions. We get more info-dumping through dreams later on in the story, which felt lazy.
The author overused metaphors, making many of the sentences clunky. There were spots where the writing felt rushed, like the author failed to flesh things out and was just jumping into the next plot point. This applies to the romance too. We did not see much of it building but instead, it flew right into them being in love.
I think if the author worked on improving certain aspects of his writing then this would be a much stronger book. The plot, characters, and dynamics of the world are interesting enough to be something really good - if the writing could match.
Princesses, monsters, magic, and feelings? Yes please.
To Love a Monster is a fantasy romance that leans hard into identity, duty, and that delicious internal chaos of wanting one thing while the entire world demands another. Aurora starts off as the classic “do what’s expected” princess, but watching her grow into someone who questions her role, her power, and her heart was incredibly satisfying. Her evolution felt earned and real, not rushed or forced.
The world of Amador is rich with political intrigue and magical elements that give the story weight and texture. It’s the kind of setting where secrets lurk in every hallway and power is never as simple as it seems. You can tell a lot of care went into the world-building, and once you’re in, it’s easy to get lost there.
And let’s talk about the emotional core—Aurora and Robin. Their relationship is layered, tender, and complicated in the best way. There’s longing, conflict, and genuine emotional depth that kept me invested even when the plot slowed down.
That said, the pacing in the beginning does take its time. If you’re someone who wants instant action, the early chapters might feel a bit slow. The plot is also fairly complex, with multiple fantasy elements and backstories woven together, so this isn’t a skim-read—you’ll want to pay attention to catch all the nuances.
Overall, To Love a Monster is a rewarding read for fantasy romance lovers who enjoy strong character growth, immersive worlds, and stories about self-discovery and breaking free from oppressive expectations. A little patience goes a long way here—and it pays off.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
To Love a Monster is billed as a fantasy romance where a princess discovers she has magic in a world where it is outlawed by her father and the Fae have been hunted to near extinction. She falls in love with a gargoyle that happens to be a childhood friend (she does not discover this until almost half way through the book). I like the premise of a badass heroine with a monster/gargoyle love interest but the book never delivered. This may be because this is the first book in a planned trilogy but the prologue and epilogue both occur in the future and you don't understand how they have anything to do with the body of the story until the epilogue Even then it is not clear. The story was convoluted and seemed to jump around a bunch even with the dual narratives of Princess Aurora and Robin. Amador is a fictional place but then there were references to Europe and Asia that did not make sense. Worldbuilding seemed incomplete and choppy. I appreciated that Jad Phillip included LGTBQ characters with Prince Acton & Henry but then there was this whole scene out of nowhere when Henry is banished because their relationship was discovered where Aurora discusses how the Old Testament is different and Jesus did not pass any laws or judgement. Do not even get me started on the unnecessary amount of deaths that even defied continuity from previous scenes. This was a miss for me unfortunately.
1.75/5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This book had a good story, but everything felt rushed. The general arc was good and I liked the characters, but the main plot points just kind of came out of no where. Spoilers ahead: An example of this was the main characters were walking down a road and then all of a sudden they kiss out of no where. There was no build up and it was barely into the story. There should be more yearning. They started kissing and I was very surprised and taken aback. We hadn't even established that the FMC liked the MMC yet. Also, don't get me started on the "making water" part. Just say that she has to pee or something. Another thing that did not make sense to me was like the main characters went on this multiple day journey that happened so fast to just talk to someone that they already knew and had seen in at the castle. I just think that was a little underwhelming. Let the FMC discover the big bad, but don't let the villain know that they are on to them that early in the story.
Overall, the story was there, but there were some things I would change.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
-This was a short and sweet but mysterious book that was great. The setting is very much like a traditional court setting with strict rules, making things more interesting in the romantic aspect. As for the plot itself, with the forbidden magic and the secrets revealed, I had a fun time reading.
-The characters could have been more developed in my opinion but as a short book, there weren’t many pages for that. I still liked them well enough. The romance was really sweet. Childhood friends to then falling in love but that love being forbidden, I’m a sucker for that.
-The ending was where I kind of lost interest at some point. I really enjoyed the magical aspects and how they came into play for the ending. I’m not usually one to enjoy prophecies so I didn’t feel like that was necessary. But overall I enjoyed this short story and would be interesting in reading more.
This book captures your attention from the very first page and keeps you fully engaged throughout.
The author does an excellent job of developing characters with real psychological depth. This is especially evident in the way their inner dialogues are revealed to the reader. You don’t just observe the characters, you feel their emotions, their confusion, and develop a genuine sense of empathy toward them.
I also appreciated how the story connects to the author’s earlier book, The Jade Necklace. The brief but intriguing background between Robin and Aurora in that book is thoughtfully expanded here in To Love a Monster. It was a story that deserved deeper exploration, and the author delivers on that amazingly.
The return of mysterious characters such as Mama Jinguala and Caleb adds another layer of intrigue and continuity that fans will enjoy.
Overall, this fantasy novel is another great read and absolutely worth your time. I highly recommend it.
To Love a Monster is a darkly captivating romance that blends danger, desire, and emotional depth in all the right ways.
Jad Phillip creates tension that smolders from page one. The story is full of suspense, high stakes, and morally complex characters whose choices keep you on edge. The romance itself is intense and irresistible—the kind where attraction is as much about danger as it is about connection.
The heroine is strong and multidimensional, navigating a world that’s unpredictable and sometimes ruthless, while the hero is magnetic, layered, and compellingly flawed. Their chemistry is electric, charged with both tension and vulnerability, making their relationship feel real and high-stakes.
If you enjoy romantic suspense with dark undertones, passionate connections, and characters who are as thrilling as they are human, To Love a Monster is an unforgettable read.
I loved the story and characters of this book. Starting with the fact that it is from the same universe as the previous books from the same writer in the Jade Necklace series, still you can easily understand the story without having read the other books (which i recommend to do anyway). The characters are very relatable and their journey throughout the book unfolds into a nice adventure that is not too straining to follow. I enjoyed the fictional characters and setting but especially the background story and lore that we keep getting along the pages. The ending left me wanting more from that universe, i want to know the fates of the different people who lived to see the end (not spoiling more than that).
I really liked the atmosphere of this read. The story has a sense of mystery and tension that keeps you curious from the beginning. It feels like a journey through a world where danger and magic exist side by side. The emotional conflict within the story is particularly strong. The main character must question what she has always believed, which leads to moments of doubt, growth, and courage. That internal struggle makes the narrative feel more meaningful. I also enjoyed the balance between action and emotion. The story doesn’t rely only on dramatic events; it also explores relationships and personal decisions that shape the characters. This is a thoughtful fantasy story that blends romance, adventure, and personal discovery. It kept me interested from start to finish.
The first thing that struck me about To Love a Monster was the cover, it perfectly captures that dark, atmospheric tension between beauty and the 'beastly' unknown. It doesn't just promise a romance; it promises a story with teeth.
Reading through the description, I was immediately hooked by how Jad Phillip frames the protagonist's journey. Instead of a typical damsel, we see a princess who is a warrior and a sorceress, choosing a 'monster' over a safe, suffocating life. The prose in the blurb alone feels intentional and raw, suggesting that the 'monster' might be more human than the people inside the castle walls. It’s a refreshing, gritty take on the 'Chosen One' trope that feels grounded in real emotional stakes. Can’t wait to dive deeper into this world!
Jad Phillip's To Love a Monster is one of those books that always picks up my interest and it's because of its super interesting genre, which is romantasy. In this book, Jad Phillip brought up a kind of story that dives into love in its most complex form—challenging, intense, and far from gentle. It makes you want to think deeper on what a monster really is, showing that even the most feared can show deepest emotions. As this book leans into dark romance, it makes it even more appealing to me because of how mysterious the plot is. The chemistry between the characters was strong and undeniable. And there was tension that was irresistible. This was not a light read, but it was as good as it gets because of so much emotional depth.
FMC is not your typical princess nor does she want to be. Challenging her father the king for the right to choose love over politics she comes to find her wicked step queen isn't as human as she seems. MMC has secrets after reuniting as friends from their childhood, they also find love in each other with minimum to no spice. Gargoyles and Far unite to take over the kingdom but the magic from within brings about chaos and an ending that comes from right where the book started with some twists I didn't see coming. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I found this book to be a very engaging fantasy story with a strong emotional core. It blends adventure, romance, and magic in a way that keeps the story moving while still giving space for the characters to grow. I loved the way the novel explores complicated feelings. The characters are faced with difficult choices and shifting loyalties, which makes the relationships feel layered and interesting. It’s a story about understanding people and questioning assumptions. The writing style is easy to follow, and the pacing keeps the reader curious about what will happen next. The fantasy elements add excitement, but the emotional journey is what really holds everything together.
A mix of romance, magic, and personal transformation To Love a Monster is the kind of fantasy story that draws you in with its emotional themes as much as its magical setting. I liked that the book focuses on courage and self-discovery while still delivering plenty of tension and mystery. The story plays with the idea that things are not always what they seem, and that realization becomes an important part of the protagonist’s journey. The emotional elements also work very well. There is a sense of vulnerability in the story that makes the characters feel more human, even within a fantasy world.
One of the things I appreciated about To Love a Monster is its focus on emotional transformation. The story is about the way characters change as they confront difficult truths. And I loved that.
The narrative highlights how fear and misunderstanding can shape the way people see each other. As the story unfolds, those perceptions begin to shift, creating powerful moments of realization.
The fantasy setting adds excitement, but the emotional themes are what make the story memorable. Readers see the protagonist learn to trust her instincts and challenge what she has been taught. It’s a fantasy story that emphasizes personal growth as much as adventure.
To Love a Monster is a dark, mesmerizing romance where danger and desire intertwine from the very first page. Jad Phillip crafts a story thick with tension, high stakes, and morally complex characters whose choices keep you constantly on edge. The heroine is fierce and multifaceted, forced to navigate a ruthless, unpredictable world, while the hero is magnetic flawed, dangerous, and impossible to resist. Their chemistry burns with electric intensity, balancing raw vulnerability with the thrill of temptation, creating a connection that feels both perilous and deeply real.
I enjoyed this story by Jad Phillip because it puts together fantasy with strong emotional storytelling. The novel focuses on courage, loyalty, and the complicated nature of trust. There are moments where the characters must question everything they thought they knew, which keeps the narrative interesting and unpredictable. Also, the story explores how connection can develop even in unexpected circumstances, which adds depth to the plot. This was a very enjoyable fantasy read. It offers a mix of magic, danger, and heartfelt moments that make the story exciting and meaningful.
I feel like for me, I would have enjoyed this more a few years ago - but after reading all the books I have, this one was missing that little bit of oomph that made it stand out to me. This doesn't mean I didn't like it, I really did. It was an enjoyable book for sure!!! Especially one that is from a new author who is still learning what they're capable of. If you're new to the genre, or just want a quick and easy read - then this book is for you.
This book is a lovely afternoon read. I felt like it was too short though. The story isn’t long and I wanted the love story and plot to be fleshed out further and take more time so that I could actually be invested in the characters. By the time I actually started to love them… bad things happened and the book was over. I don’t feel committed enough to read another book. Overall though I did enjoy the plot that was there.
I loved how it ties to The Jade Necklace and other books. I loved the couples in this book. They were written and had lots of chemistry. I also enjoy the storytelling and plot. I felt like I was there right in this book.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This was quite the interesting story. I liked it. Still not 100% sure what Aurora is, but I'm going to guess she's a phoenix. Robin being a gargoyle prince was also very interesting. I was impressed by that concept. I won't lie though - the ending made me sad.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.