The Monster I Keep

by Shade Owens

Genres: Audiobook, Fiction

363 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 15, 2026

Reviews

[Cecily - MillennialBookGal]

Just as good as the first one but make sure you read the first one first. 😊

It's everything I would hope for with this trope and I have enjoyed every bit of it.

I am excited there is a new one coming because I just want more.

Awesome read.

[Natalie]

A must read book series! Loved both books and can’t wait for book 3!!!!!

[Kayla_Wilson]

Almost as good as the first book. I can’t wait for book 3. 4.5 stars rounded up.

[Melissa ⏾˙⭒]

4.5

[Chris]

Can’t wait for the 3rd book!!

[Danielle]

This one took a turn!

[Twyla]

This was a satisfying sequel… but I wouldn’t be upset if a third book was written!

[Chlo ☆]

another brilliant read :) - this was just the perfect sequel to the first i loved it !!!

[Amy]

Definitely not as good as the first one. And yes you must read the first one. Feels like the characters already set in book 1 and nothing really happens in this book. Really it could be just a few more chapters to the first one and be done with it.

[lusty22]

oh my goodness

This is great!! I was riveted and the way it’s ended has me flipping out. I need to finish this story. Five stars!! It’s a bit violent but it’s a very quick and exciting story!

[Emilie. C]

wow wow wow

The monster I keep had me hooked from booked one and I wish book 3 was already out. Keen to see how it all ends and I liked that not all the characters were the same as book one. Loved all the characters but also allowed for the story and the main characters to evolve further and how and why it all became to be. Didn’t see any of the twist and turns which made me like it more.

[Sue Fedash]

Holy crap, what a ride!! This is the second book in The Monster We Made series and it picks up perfectly right where the first one left off. I was completely hooked from the very first chapter and hated having to put it down just to adult. Every chapter kept me on the edge of my seat, and the suspense never let up for a second.
Shade Owens did it again with another dark, gripping, and absolutely addictive read. The twists, tension, and nonstop intensity had me flying through the pages. I’m really hoping there’s going to be a book 3 because I definitely need more of this story and these characters. I need answers, and I am not ready for this ride to be over!
An incredible follow-up that more than lived up to the first book.

[Caralyn]

Good continuation from the first book! I need to know what happens, need the next book to come out soon!! Again, such a quick easy read with the short chapters and engaging storyline. It didn’t feel as suspenseful as the first only because we knew now what was happening, but still loved it! Definitely felt the rage of the father towards the end & crazy how mind manipulated he was into believing he was a monster.

[Katherine]

This was such a great sequel to the first one. You get multiple POVs and there is some time jumping. The story was just as thrilling a ride to go on with the characters. The story building was top notch like it was in the first book. It was fast paced and such a great read. I hope there will be at least one more book in this series.

[Lauren Randall]

Unsettling in the best way

I love this series and can’t wait for the next book. These characters leave you with so many conflicting feelings long after you finish. I’m really hoping we see Russell/Joel again, and that the Animal begins to grasp the idea of love and sacrifice—even if those concepts remain completely foreign to him.

[Stephanie Gaherty]

Leaves you wanting more

Was another good thriller twist. Leaves you with a cliffhanger wanting book number 3. Really hope it comes out sooner rather than later. Have really enjoyed reading this author for the first time.

[Kelsey Van Hook]

Loved the first book and this one was great too! Such a unique story. I kept wondering how the two story lines would merge and when they eventually did, I did not see the twist coming. Looking forward to book 3!

[Hailey Rae Griffin ✨]

Book two completely blew my mind and tied everything together in the wildest way! 🤯📚

After reading the first book, I was so amazingly surprised to find out that this was actually a series and had a second book. Naturally, I ran straight to my Kindle to get it as soon as I humanly could. And let me tell you something: HOLY SHIT?!

The Mind Blowing Connection 🤯
This story somehow circled all the way back to book one and brought everything together in the craziest ways possible. When that big revelation moment hit, I literally said “no way, no way, no way” out loud to myself. The level of setup and execution here was just brilliant.

Twists That Will Stick With You 🌀
The mind bends and plot twists throughout this second installment are definitely ones that are going to stick with you for a long time. Just when you think a sequel might slow down, this one revs up the engine and takes the entire story to a whole new level.

Final Thoughts 💭
An absolute five out of five stars! Sequel slump where?! Now I get to join the club and impatiently wait for book three to come out. If you loved the first book, you need to go download this immediately!

[Rocki]

The Monster I Keep is the sequel to The Monster We Made so I had high expectations. The premise is very Dexter, but this one feels slightly slower than the previous book; It could honestly be that it lacks some of the excitment since we already know about The Animal. It's told from the POV of Ava, The Animal and JOel. Ava is the victim who is tormentaed at school for speaking up; One person does come to her defense but you don't see anything come from the interaction, I would've liked to see friendship bloom and some more interaction. The Animal and JOel POV is mainly internal thoughts. The Animal is getting impatient and wants to kill more frequently, which causes Joel to make a few screw ups in securing a target, but again those mess ups don't seem super impactful to the story. The twist that ties everyone together is good, slightly predictable, felt a little rushed. If there is a third book, I hope its slightly longer so more can be explored.

[Roxy]

3,5 ✨ rounded up!
Book one was much more exciting in my opinion, so I went into book two with really high expectations. Unfortunately, the first half felt quite slow, and it took me a while to really get invested. 📖
From Part 3 onwards, though... everything changed. 😮 The story became much more intense, and I genuinely couldn't stop reading until the very end. 🔥
That ending left me feeling so sad. 💔 He really didn't deserve that.
Will I be reading book three when it's released? Absolutely! 🙌 I'm still fascinated by how The Animal is written—so psychotic, cold, and completely emotionless. It's disturbing in the best way.
The only thing that confused me was Chapter 69. 🤔 Who exactly was that person? I couldn't quite connect the dots, so if anyone understood it, I'd love to hear your thoughts! 💬

[Keisha Brown]

I enjoyed this book. So much better than the first one.
Again, it's basically about a serial killer who kills bad people.

I really feel like this one really kept me on edge. I read it in only a few days. It wasn't as back and forth as the first one was and I enjoy the different perspectives a lot better.


Ava goes to a party and gets taken advantage of by three boys. Come to find out later in the book that Ava is actually Penny, the daughter who was taken a long time ago by the mother due to the fear of the "animal".
When the father finally figures out what happens, he releases the animal on the three boys.
However, some crazy things happen and definitely leads up to a third book.

[Mary]

What an unexpected trilogy, or is it duology, of twists...

This book definitely didn't have the same downhill momentum as her other books.

I found myself struggling a bit to get into it. There was like a middle lull that I often find in kdramas.

If you can get past that lull between part one and part three... It's worth it.

Ms Owens doesn't disappoint, even if she takes a little longer getting there.

[Brianna Sanders]

I wanted to love this book but I just couldn’t. First, there were a lot of typos which makes me think they didn’t edit and review it as much as they should have before publishing. Second, it took way too long to combine the story of the animal and Joel with the story of Ava. The entire 3/4 of the book felt like I was reading two entirely different stories. It just played out for too long and the ending seemed very rushed.

[Michelle Lulf]

Disappointed

I enjoyed the first book, " The Monster We Made" but this one just didn't have that wow factor. The ending was very predictable. The storyline felt very rushed but it also seemed to drag on forever. The whole incident that took place with Ava was stupid. There was so much more the author could have done with that particular situation to make it seem justice was served. This story just fell flat. The potential was there but the author couldn't pull it off.

[Gina]

The Monster I Keep talk about a unique journey of self-reflection, problem-solving, determination, and revenge, with a few surprises along the way. I love how Shade kept me intrigued and always wanting more.
My heart broke for Ava and everything she experienced in this story. And the Animal Boy... I sure don't ever want to meet him!
This is a must-read, and I'm already looking forward to Book 3 because I just have to know what happens next. Shade has these characters stuck in my head.

[Kez_After_Dark]

Not as good as the first! 2.75 rounded up.

The first book was pretty high octane. This in comparison, was not.
It read at times like a Y.A novel.
Maybe I just like the 'animal'!! I don't know.
I wasn't totally sold on the plot of this one, and at times I was left scratching my head.
However, it kept my interest, as I enjoyed the 'Joel' and 'animal' chapters.
I'm hoping the 3rd instalment is darker... we shall see.
Anyway TTFN 😊.

[Paige Schultz]

book 3 request

I’m a voracious reader and don’t think I’ve ever left a review in all of my life. Changing that today to implore you (Shade Owens) to have Russell survive and bring him back for the third!!!!
Can’t wait to see what you come up with. So much opportunity here, please don’t waste it!!

[Paul Pope]

Ho. Lee. Feck. 2.0

Ghoulish tension and dark, dark drama make this sequel as exciting as the original.
I’m not a parent, but if I was I’d find this novel 10x as chilling. How do you breeders do it?! Ghastly, grisly, gritty inescapable sociopathy.

Can recommend. (But def start with the first book!)

[Jeanette Bainbridge]

Hooked line and sinkered. Read both book 1 and 2 and well im so excited for book 3. Loved every bit from start to finish. Couldn't wait to get through them but didn't want them to finish if you get me. Absolutely brilliant 👏 i need more of shade owens. Going to read another of this author right now. Wow i highly recommend

[Countrygirl]

NOOOO !!!. I was not expecting a cliffhanger. I hope book #3 comes SOON. I really enjoyed this series so far. But sad that Russell will no longer be included. Unless of course you spring a surprise on us. Until #3, I will check out some more of your work.