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The Musician and the Monster
Hatred is a spell only true love can break.
Ángel Cruz is a dedicated session musician, until loyalty to his estranged family forces him to work for the feared and hated envoy from the Otherworld. Overnight, Ángel is taken from his life, his friends, his work, and trapped in a hideous mansion in the middle of nowhere, under constant surveillance, and with only the frightening fae for company.
Oberon’s poor understanding of humans combined with Ángel’s resentment and loneliness threaten to cause real harm to the pair. Then a long winter together in the mansion unites them in their love of music. Slowly, Ángel’s anger thaws, and he begins to realize that Oberon feels alone too.
Gradually, these two souls from different worlds form a connection like none other. But hate and prejudice are powerful things, and it’ll take all the magic of their love to stop the wider world from forcing them apart.
Word 80,000; page 300
Ángel Cruz is a dedicated session musician, until loyalty to his estranged family forces him to work for the feared and hated envoy from the Otherworld. Overnight, Ángel is taken from his life, his friends, his work, and trapped in a hideous mansion in the middle of nowhere, under constant surveillance, and with only the frightening fae for company.
Oberon’s poor understanding of humans combined with Ángel’s resentment and loneliness threaten to cause real harm to the pair. Then a long winter together in the mansion unites them in their love of music. Slowly, Ángel’s anger thaws, and he begins to realize that Oberon feels alone too.
Gradually, these two souls from different worlds form a connection like none other. But hate and prejudice are powerful things, and it’ll take all the magic of their love to stop the wider world from forcing them apart.
Word 80,000; page 300
300 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 30, 2019
21 people are currently reading
849 people want to read
About the author
Jenya Keefe
3 books58 followersJenya Keefe was born in the South. She has an advanced degree in European history, and has spent much of her life working the kinds of jobs a history degree qualifies you for: gift shop employee, lumber grader, classifieds clerk, hot glass artist. She currently lives in the Seattle area, where she works at a library. She has always written stories.
Website: www.jenyakeefe.com
TikTok: @JenyaKeefe
Website: www.jenyakeefe.com
TikTok: @JenyaKeefe
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 175 reviews
January 15, 2020
I'm generally a sucker for Fae stories, so I was excited to read this one; however, I only really ended up "liking" the story, instead of it being true lurve.
I found that I kept putting the book down, instead of rushing back to read more, so it took me 7 days to read, which rarely happens.
Both Angel and Oberon were likeable characters, but the story's 300 pages could've been edited down a bit to help speed up the pacing, and I would've probably enjoyed it slightly more.
Once the major attack on Oberon happened, the pacing improved, but the tone also seemed to turn slightly more... Disney?
The scene at the end, well, that may’ve also come very close to giving me a huge convulsive eye-roll, and came across as uber-cheesy.
The angst and steam were both pretty manageable, but the tip-to-taint “oozing” dick lube thing? *shudders* That was approaching an MPREG birthing “membrane” moment for me there, so eww. No bueno.
The book was loosely based on "Beauty and the Beast", but it also seemed as if the very ending scene was a sugary recreation of "All the Who's in Whoville".
Overall, I liked the story, but there were some things I would've changed for sure, so I'd rate it at around 3.5 *Stretch-Armstrong-penis-and-mobs-with-pitchforks* stars.
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My ARC copy of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair, unbiased review.
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September 30, 2019
5+++ I’m standing on a pedestal, two hands on my mouth, screaming “READ THIS”
I don’t even know where to begin. It was an overwhelming, intense, heartbreaking, breathtaking, emotionally devastating story.
I’m in awe, where does this come from? It’s almost unearthly.
It’s about vibration, tones and timbres, melodies, music, and scent. It has beautiful voices, chanting nine syllables, which got right into my center. I felt it!
I was flabbergasted by this concept. It was delicate, intimate and had a whole sphere of different levels. It was immensely intense!
The lovemaking was an art, the sensuality thick, erotic of the highest level, it felt like spiritual tantric sex.
Ángel has to pay for his father’s faults. He has to stay with Oberon for four years.
Oberon is a fae send from the Other World to explore and exchange music. Only the world doesn’t want him, he can’t go back to his own. He stays in a house far far away from civilization, surrounded by security, where no one can hurt him.
Ángel is afraid of Oberon, with his exceptional features. Afraid, until he isn’t anymore.
My heart exploded by the beauty what happened in this story!!
One of a kind story. It kept me awake till 3:35 am. I should sleep for hours but I couldn’t put it away till I was finished... crying warm and satisfying tears. Thank goodness my heart survived it. I’m out of words... just read this!!
I don’t even know where to begin. It was an overwhelming, intense, heartbreaking, breathtaking, emotionally devastating story.
I’m in awe, where does this come from? It’s almost unearthly.
It’s about vibration, tones and timbres, melodies, music, and scent. It has beautiful voices, chanting nine syllables, which got right into my center. I felt it!
I was flabbergasted by this concept. It was delicate, intimate and had a whole sphere of different levels. It was immensely intense!
The lovemaking was an art, the sensuality thick, erotic of the highest level, it felt like spiritual tantric sex.
Ángel has to pay for his father’s faults. He has to stay with Oberon for four years.
Oberon is a fae send from the Other World to explore and exchange music. Only the world doesn’t want him, he can’t go back to his own. He stays in a house far far away from civilization, surrounded by security, where no one can hurt him.
Ángel is afraid of Oberon, with his exceptional features. Afraid, until he isn’t anymore.
My heart exploded by the beauty what happened in this story!!
One of a kind story. It kept me awake till 3:35 am. I should sleep for hours but I couldn’t put it away till I was finished... crying warm and satisfying tears. Thank goodness my heart survived it. I’m out of words... just read this!!
February 14, 2020
$2.99 through 16 Feb 2020 @ https://riptidepublishing.com/collect...
Jenya Keefe builds an incredible world of fantasy and romance in her novel The Musician and the Monster. A twist on a favorite fairy tale, this captivating story has its roots in myth and folklore. Ms. Keefe goes deep into exploring these characters, and her insights into intolerance, self-knowledge, and love, make The Musician and the Monster absolutely un-put-down-able!
A fae from the Otherworld, Oberon crossed the veil into the human world eight years ago. Feared for his differences and viewed as a “monster,” Oberon’s presence is not well received here on Earth. Everywhere he goes there are riots and assassination attempts, so to keep himself safe, Oberon sequesters himself in a remote, secret location. Unable to survive without interacting with others, Oberon’s health is declining and he’s desperately lonely.
When Ángel’s parents are caught trying to swindle Oberon, he offers to forgive their debt if Ángel agrees to be his live-in companion for the next four years. Giving up his job and his friends, and cut off from everything he knows, Ángel has to find a way to survive his new life with this monster.
Ángel’s upbringing and previous relationships have damaged his self-esteem, and he believes he is unlovable. Over time, Oberon’s constant attention and praise gradually build up Ángel’s confidence. The sensation that Oberon is grooming Ángel is subtle. Because the story is told from Ángel’s perspective it’s impossible to know for sure, but given Ángel’s fragile emotional state and the fact that he’s mostly cut off from his support network, it often appears to be Stockholm Syndrome.
As the story progresses their attraction builds, and the anticipation is incredible. Jenya Keefe writes a spectacular love scene, and she makes the most of the taboo eroticism of physical intimacy with a magical being. Oberon has some unique and enviable bedroom skills, and Ángel dives happily into the world of hot and kinky elf sex.
Jenya Keefe’s writing is expressive and it flows so beautifully. I got completely wrapped up in her descriptions of the fae and their world. Their language sounds like music and they communicate through touch. The details of Oberon’s physical characteristics, and the breathtaking narrative of their lovemaking truly helps us understand what Ángel’s experiencing.
The Musician and the Monster held me captive from the very first page. Truly unpredictable, the twists and turns the story takes are absolutely thrilling! The way the book ends definitely sets up the possibility for another episode of this amazing tale, and I’ve got my fingers crossed we’ll get to see where Ángel and Oberon go from here.
Jenya Keefe builds an incredible world of fantasy and romance in her novel The Musician and the Monster. A twist on a favorite fairy tale, this captivating story has its roots in myth and folklore. Ms. Keefe goes deep into exploring these characters, and her insights into intolerance, self-knowledge, and love, make The Musician and the Monster absolutely un-put-down-able!
A fae from the Otherworld, Oberon crossed the veil into the human world eight years ago. Feared for his differences and viewed as a “monster,” Oberon’s presence is not well received here on Earth. Everywhere he goes there are riots and assassination attempts, so to keep himself safe, Oberon sequesters himself in a remote, secret location. Unable to survive without interacting with others, Oberon’s health is declining and he’s desperately lonely.
When Ángel’s parents are caught trying to swindle Oberon, he offers to forgive their debt if Ángel agrees to be his live-in companion for the next four years. Giving up his job and his friends, and cut off from everything he knows, Ángel has to find a way to survive his new life with this monster.
Ángel’s upbringing and previous relationships have damaged his self-esteem, and he believes he is unlovable. Over time, Oberon’s constant attention and praise gradually build up Ángel’s confidence. The sensation that Oberon is grooming Ángel is subtle. Because the story is told from Ángel’s perspective it’s impossible to know for sure, but given Ángel’s fragile emotional state and the fact that he’s mostly cut off from his support network, it often appears to be Stockholm Syndrome.
As the story progresses their attraction builds, and the anticipation is incredible. Jenya Keefe writes a spectacular love scene, and she makes the most of the taboo eroticism of physical intimacy with a magical being. Oberon has some unique and enviable bedroom skills, and Ángel dives happily into the world of hot and kinky elf sex.
Jenya Keefe’s writing is expressive and it flows so beautifully. I got completely wrapped up in her descriptions of the fae and their world. Their language sounds like music and they communicate through touch. The details of Oberon’s physical characteristics, and the breathtaking narrative of their lovemaking truly helps us understand what Ángel’s experiencing.
The Musician and the Monster held me captive from the very first page. Truly unpredictable, the twists and turns the story takes are absolutely thrilling! The way the book ends definitely sets up the possibility for another episode of this amazing tale, and I’ve got my fingers crossed we’ll get to see where Ángel and Oberon go from here.
August 5, 2023
**** 4.5 stars ****
This was emotional, touching and beautiful.
Thank you, Nicole. 🤗
This was emotional, touching and beautiful.
Thank you, Nicole. 🤗
January 6, 2020
4.5 Stars!
I really enjoyed this one. It was very different from what I normally read, which was a plus. The writing was really engaging and flowed well.
I really felt the connection between Oberon and Angel. And Oberon being a fae, their sexual chemistry and connection was very sensual and hot.
I thought things derailed a bit towards the end. Just the tone of the story maybe? I guess I wasn't expecting it to go that route. I also didn't care for the addition of Mendel.
Still, as a whole it was a very enjoyable read and this author is definitely on my radar.
I really enjoyed this one. It was very different from what I normally read, which was a plus. The writing was really engaging and flowed well.
I really felt the connection between Oberon and Angel. And Oberon being a fae, their sexual chemistry and connection was very sensual and hot.
I thought things derailed a bit towards the end. Just the tone of the story maybe? I guess I wasn't expecting it to go that route. I also didn't care for the addition of Mendel.
Still, as a whole it was a very enjoyable read and this author is definitely on my radar.
January 7, 2020
Gah! I LOVE this book so hard!
-Magical
-Original
-Sexy. The sex scenes were intricate and smoking hot! I can't explain it.
-Loved the characters
I was blown away by this author's writing. So glad I saw Renee's review for this book.
4.75 Stars!
P.S. PLEASE TELL ME MENDEL GETS A BOOK.
-Magical
-Original
-Sexy. The sex scenes were intricate and smoking hot! I can't explain it.
-Loved the characters
I was blown away by this author's writing. So glad I saw Renee's review for this book.
4.75 Stars!
P.S. PLEASE TELL ME MENDEL GETS A BOOK.
September 1, 2020
While the premise wasn’t exactly unusual or original (it’s one of the many retellings of Beauty and the Beast, after all), the characters and the context were. In between urban fantasy and sci-fi, this take on the old fairy tale was so new and refreshing that for most of the time I didn’t even notice the similarities. Definitely a plus for me, since I decided to read this mostly because of the forced proximity trope and despite the fairy tale retelling.
The writing flew smoothly, so much so that I found myself fully entertained even when the narrative focused on musical technicalities, a subject as far from my personal taste as you can get, and the characters were…well, Ángel was adorably tough and Oberon was charming.
I especially liked the way Oberon’s character was depicted, he had some traits that made him completely alien, other traits aside from the (not that I didn’t appreciate those traits. LOL), but he was so human in a lot of ways and the nature of his situation made impossible not to feel for him.
One of the things I liked the most was the dynamic between Oberon and Ángel, any conflict that wasn’t due to external factors came down to the differences inherent to the MCs’ species and the consequent difficulties in understanding each other, what they needed and why. That’s also why I didn’t mind the twist the story took near the end, even if I could find a few things to be grumpy about if I looked too closely. It was still better than the alternative I was expecting to happen and it came at least as a surprise, since I didn’t see it coming. Also, bonus points because the
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this story, even more because I got to read it with my friends Linda and Rosa after thedepressing mess disappointment that was our previous BR. Definitely the right book at the right time.
The writing flew smoothly, so much so that I found myself fully entertained even when the narrative focused on musical technicalities, a subject as far from my personal taste as you can get, and the characters were…well, Ángel was adorably tough and Oberon was charming.
I especially liked the way Oberon’s character was depicted, he had some traits that made him completely alien, other traits aside from the (not that I didn’t appreciate those traits. LOL), but he was so human in a lot of ways and the nature of his situation made impossible not to feel for him.
One of the things I liked the most was the dynamic between Oberon and Ángel, any conflict that wasn’t due to external factors came down to the differences inherent to the MCs’ species and the consequent difficulties in understanding each other, what they needed and why. That’s also why I didn’t mind the twist the story took near the end, even if I could find a few things to be grumpy about if I looked too closely. It was still better than the alternative I was expecting to happen and it came at least as a surprise, since I didn’t see it coming. Also, bonus points because the
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this story, even more because I got to read it with my friends Linda and Rosa after the
December 30, 2019
This is only the 3rd book I've given 5 stars to this year. I can't explain why it captured my so strongly, but the story was fresh, and I was hooked. Loved it!
June 17, 2024
Easily 5 stars! RTC
November 6, 2019
Transcendent
Alien
Gut wrenching
Joyous
Wondrous
One of the best retellings of Beauty and the Beast, yet utterly original. Beautifully written and edited. If it had any “warts”, I’ll not remember them.
And can I just say, this from a reader who skips most sex scenes because she finds them boring, that this book had some of the most incredible sex scenes EVER. :::fans self:::
Alien
Gut wrenching
Joyous
Wondrous
One of the best retellings of Beauty and the Beast, yet utterly original. Beautifully written and edited. If it had any “warts”, I’ll not remember them.
And can I just say, this from a reader who skips most sex scenes because she finds them boring, that this book had some of the most incredible sex scenes EVER. :::fans self:::
August 22, 2020
I would not change a thing. Not one word. Fucking loved loved loved this story! Straight to my Favorites shelf :)
December 19, 2020
Just wow! I was going to give 4 stars because it was kind of hard to get into because the pacing was somewhat slow but I think it deserves 5 stars because it's such a beautiful story.
I am thrilled to have seen the recommendation and I am not going to lie the blurb and the cover really intrigued me.
Angel was a fantastic character. He was vulnerable and felt like no one really wanted him because everyone eventually leaves. But he was also not meek any stood up for himself and refused to be a victim. His nature was sweet though. He obviously cared about others and fought for his friends fiercely.
Oberon was such an alien character and that's hard to pull off. His face showed no emotions but he emitted an initial "wrongness" to people because he came from another world. His emotions came through touch and and scents his body emitted and I guess there seemed to be some kind of other "power" where he could lash out any hurt using just his mind.
All of that being said, his people couldn't survive without touching each other and I guess they would be considered a poly society unless they decide to be monogamous.
Angel was basically forced to be Oberon's companion 4 years so Oberon will at least have someone to talk to and since they are both passionate about music that seemed to be why Angel was picked (sort of)
Anyway, they fall in love, some angsty stuff happens, and then it's an HFN.
I am thrilled to have seen the recommendation and I am not going to lie the blurb and the cover really intrigued me.
Angel was a fantastic character. He was vulnerable and felt like no one really wanted him because everyone eventually leaves. But he was also not meek any stood up for himself and refused to be a victim. His nature was sweet though. He obviously cared about others and fought for his friends fiercely.
Oberon was such an alien character and that's hard to pull off. His face showed no emotions but he emitted an initial "wrongness" to people because he came from another world. His emotions came through touch and and scents his body emitted and I guess there seemed to be some kind of other "power" where he could lash out any hurt using just his mind.
All of that being said, his people couldn't survive without touching each other and I guess they would be considered a poly society unless they decide to be monogamous.
Angel was basically forced to be Oberon's companion 4 years so Oberon will at least have someone to talk to and since they are both passionate about music that seemed to be why Angel was picked (sort of)
Anyway, they fall in love, some angsty stuff happens, and then it's an HFN.
June 9, 2023
I loved this book & have re-read it multiple times so am reposting my gushing Amazon review here:
I have to admit I wasn't expecting much but, well, free sample ... and it was a generous length, which good move on the author's part, as by the time I was oh 3/4 of the way through the sample I was hooked. The premise was so strange, to begin with! Angel (sorry, I don't know how to make diacriticals when typing online) is brave & smart & his initial terrified, repulsed reaction to Oberon feels real. Ditto Oberon's loneliness, his wish to reach out, their mutual incomprehension. The ways they find to bridge that gap felt organic & believable, which is a very strange thing to say about the relationship between a human man and a fae man, given that fae don't exist, but there you are.
If I listed all the things I love about this book I would wind up telling the whole story so, hey, just read it. Tissues necessary. Happy, happy ending.
I have to admit I wasn't expecting much but, well, free sample ... and it was a generous length, which good move on the author's part, as by the time I was oh 3/4 of the way through the sample I was hooked. The premise was so strange, to begin with! Angel (sorry, I don't know how to make diacriticals when typing online) is brave & smart & his initial terrified, repulsed reaction to Oberon feels real. Ditto Oberon's loneliness, his wish to reach out, their mutual incomprehension. The ways they find to bridge that gap felt organic & believable, which is a very strange thing to say about the relationship between a human man and a fae man, given that fae don't exist, but there you are.
If I listed all the things I love about this book I would wind up telling the whole story so, hey, just read it. Tissues necessary. Happy, happy ending.
November 3, 2023
This didn't work for me at all. The premise didn't make much sense, the author's attempts at worldbuilding felt messy and inconsistent, barely anything interesting happened in the story and I didn't like either MC or their romance.
The only positive aspect was that I liked some of the author's creative ideas regarding fae physiology. I don't read a lot of fantasy books that involve fae characters so I don't know if those ideas are standard tropes or they're unique but they added a cool twist to the interactions between Angel and Oberon. Specifically, I liked that the fae communicate their emotions via touch and scent rather than through visual body language cues (the throw-away line of Oberon explaining that he couldn't move his eyebrows the way humans do was very cool). I also liked how the author dealt with the invasive security camera situation. In fae culture, privacy is an unwanted, scary notion and Oberon had thought that the security cameras would make Angel feel comfortable without needing in-person contact with Oberon. Having Oberon not understand why Angel thought the cameras were invasive and why they made him uncomfortable made perfect sense, given Oberon's view of the situation. Those cultural misunderstandings were interesting.
Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy anything else.
Nonsensical Premise
The blurb states that Angel is forced to go work for Oberon to save his family but the details of how this came about was nonsense.
There were so many other things that didn't make sense the more I thought about them. Why is the US government spending millions of dollars every year to house and protect a fae musician who spends his time researching human music and sending songs to the fae world? Why isn't Oberon being forced to meet with human scientists and other researchers to share knowledge about the fae? The humans didn't invite Oberon to come, yet they're paying to house, feed and protect him while he spends his time on pretty frivolous things. And what about the rose bush that allows Oberon to receive and send things from the fae world? It makes no sense that this thing is the only regular portal between the two worlds, yet it sits in Oberon's office. There's no way the US government would allow such an important device to remain in Oberon's personal possession and for him to just use it to send ABBA songs to the fae world. Nothing about the premise makes sense and I wish the author had spent more time coming up with a better explanation for Oberon's presence in the human world.
Inconsistent Worldbuilding
The whole premise of the book hinges on Oberon being portrayed as The Beast, right? So he's supposed to be scary and hideous looking and Angel is supposed to fall in love with him despite his scary appearance. But the author chose to use a fae character as The Beast when fae are usually depicted as being beautiful and ethereal. So the author had a huge hill to climb (one that could have been avoided if a different fantasy creature had been chosen) but the author's approach completely failed. In an effort to make this tall, gorgeous looking fae character unappealing, the author shifted around between different reasons why Angel is supposedly repulsed by him. Sometimes the lack of facial expressions really creeps Angel out. Oberon's deep green eyes were portrayed as being creepy/weird (I have no idea why green eyes are supposed to be creepy). The main 'creepy' characteristic that the author tried to pull off was connected to Oberon's skin. The author was constantly using different descriptors in an effort to explain Angel's supposed revulsion. At one point, Oberon's skin is described as greasy. At other times, it gives off uncomfortable electric zaps. The problem is that none of these things were consistent and none of them made me believe that Angel or anybody else is actually repulsed or creeped out by Oberon.
The other approach the author tried was to give Oberon a very good sense of smell, which he used to try to decipher human emotions. His voice also sounded 'other-wordly' (the author flops all over the place in an attempt to describe what this actually means). Angel and others are supposedly really, really creeped out by all of these things...but it fell flat because none of it was actually creepy.
Then the author ruined things even more when sexy times started and it turns out that Oberon conveniently has all the nuts and bolts that a human male would have and Oberon is comfortable engaging in human sexual relations. The scenes even veered towards Virgin Gay Porn Star trope territory, which was annoying and pushed the notion of The Beast scenario even further away. The entire thing was badly executed.
Lack Of Plot
Barely anything happened in this story, which surprised me. The set up of having Oberon and Angel live in a huge, remote mansion made me think we'd get lots of cute domestic moments and a slow burn as they got to know each other. Unfortunately, the only connection the author could think of for the MCs was music, which was fine but it got boring after a while. I liked that . But the whole thing became repetitive and boring, especially because conveying music in written form is so difficult. There was so much potential for them to do more together but barely anything happened for the majority of the story. Once the MCs fell into bed at the halfway mark, there were many lengthy, repetitive smut scenes and the MCs veered off into insta-love territory by declaring their love for each other when they barely knew the other person.
The plot picked up steam a little bit in the final quarter but this plotline suffered from being predictable and it contained my other issue...
Angel = Childish And Immature
Angel's exact age is never specified but he's in his early to mid 20s. Unfortunately, he was depicted like a teenage boy in the majority of the story, giving his scenes an uncomfortable YA vibe. The guy was constantly crying, whining, demanding that Oberon listen to him/understand him/etc (as if whining about it leads to better communication) and his woe-is-me attitude was annoying. I get that his situation sucked but he had other alternatives and he chose this ridiculous arrangement so I thought he'd put on his big boy pants and make the best of the situation. Suffice it to say that I wasn't fond of his characterization and in particular, his non-stop angsting and drama-lama tendencies in the final quarter made me skim to the end.
Due to Oberon's weird characterization and Angel's immaturity, I felt zero chemistry between the MCs and I couldn't care less about their romance.
Conclusion
Overall, this didn't work for me. I felt the author's characterization choices for both Oberon and Angel made the entire thing fall flat and I felt the author didn't do nearly enough with this interesting premise.
The only positive aspect was that I liked some of the author's creative ideas regarding fae physiology. I don't read a lot of fantasy books that involve fae characters so I don't know if those ideas are standard tropes or they're unique but they added a cool twist to the interactions between Angel and Oberon. Specifically, I liked that the fae communicate their emotions via touch and scent rather than through visual body language cues (the throw-away line of Oberon explaining that he couldn't move his eyebrows the way humans do was very cool). I also liked how the author dealt with the invasive security camera situation. In fae culture, privacy is an unwanted, scary notion and Oberon had thought that the security cameras would make Angel feel comfortable without needing in-person contact with Oberon. Having Oberon not understand why Angel thought the cameras were invasive and why they made him uncomfortable made perfect sense, given Oberon's view of the situation. Those cultural misunderstandings were interesting.
Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy anything else.
Nonsensical Premise
The blurb states that Angel is forced to go work for Oberon to save his family but the details of how this came about was nonsense.
There were so many other things that didn't make sense the more I thought about them. Why is the US government spending millions of dollars every year to house and protect a fae musician who spends his time researching human music and sending songs to the fae world? Why isn't Oberon being forced to meet with human scientists and other researchers to share knowledge about the fae? The humans didn't invite Oberon to come, yet they're paying to house, feed and protect him while he spends his time on pretty frivolous things. And what about the rose bush that allows Oberon to receive and send things from the fae world? It makes no sense that this thing is the only regular portal between the two worlds, yet it sits in Oberon's office. There's no way the US government would allow such an important device to remain in Oberon's personal possession and for him to just use it to send ABBA songs to the fae world. Nothing about the premise makes sense and I wish the author had spent more time coming up with a better explanation for Oberon's presence in the human world.
Inconsistent Worldbuilding
The whole premise of the book hinges on Oberon being portrayed as The Beast, right? So he's supposed to be scary and hideous looking and Angel is supposed to fall in love with him despite his scary appearance. But the author chose to use a fae character as The Beast when fae are usually depicted as being beautiful and ethereal. So the author had a huge hill to climb (one that could have been avoided if a different fantasy creature had been chosen) but the author's approach completely failed. In an effort to make this tall, gorgeous looking fae character unappealing, the author shifted around between different reasons why Angel is supposedly repulsed by him. Sometimes the lack of facial expressions really creeps Angel out. Oberon's deep green eyes were portrayed as being creepy/weird (I have no idea why green eyes are supposed to be creepy). The main 'creepy' characteristic that the author tried to pull off was connected to Oberon's skin. The author was constantly using different descriptors in an effort to explain Angel's supposed revulsion. At one point, Oberon's skin is described as greasy. At other times, it gives off uncomfortable electric zaps. The problem is that none of these things were consistent and none of them made me believe that Angel or anybody else is actually repulsed or creeped out by Oberon.
The other approach the author tried was to give Oberon a very good sense of smell, which he used to try to decipher human emotions. His voice also sounded 'other-wordly' (the author flops all over the place in an attempt to describe what this actually means). Angel and others are supposedly really, really creeped out by all of these things...but it fell flat because none of it was actually creepy.
Then the author ruined things even more when sexy times started and it turns out that Oberon conveniently has all the nuts and bolts that a human male would have and Oberon is comfortable engaging in human sexual relations. The scenes even veered towards Virgin Gay Porn Star trope territory, which was annoying and pushed the notion of The Beast scenario even further away. The entire thing was badly executed.
Lack Of Plot
Barely anything happened in this story, which surprised me. The set up of having Oberon and Angel live in a huge, remote mansion made me think we'd get lots of cute domestic moments and a slow burn as they got to know each other. Unfortunately, the only connection the author could think of for the MCs was music, which was fine but it got boring after a while. I liked that . But the whole thing became repetitive and boring, especially because conveying music in written form is so difficult. There was so much potential for them to do more together but barely anything happened for the majority of the story. Once the MCs fell into bed at the halfway mark, there were many lengthy, repetitive smut scenes and the MCs veered off into insta-love territory by declaring their love for each other when they barely knew the other person.
The plot picked up steam a little bit in the final quarter but this plotline suffered from being predictable and it contained my other issue...
Angel = Childish And Immature
Angel's exact age is never specified but he's in his early to mid 20s. Unfortunately, he was depicted like a teenage boy in the majority of the story, giving his scenes an uncomfortable YA vibe. The guy was constantly crying, whining, demanding that Oberon listen to him/understand him/etc (as if whining about it leads to better communication) and his woe-is-me attitude was annoying. I get that his situation sucked but he had other alternatives and he chose this ridiculous arrangement so I thought he'd put on his big boy pants and make the best of the situation. Suffice it to say that I wasn't fond of his characterization and in particular, his non-stop angsting and drama-lama tendencies in the final quarter made me skim to the end.
Due to Oberon's weird characterization and Angel's immaturity, I felt zero chemistry between the MCs and I couldn't care less about their romance.
Conclusion
Overall, this didn't work for me. I felt the author's characterization choices for both Oberon and Angel made the entire thing fall flat and I felt the author didn't do nearly enough with this interesting premise.
June 27, 2021
Sabe qual é um dos maiores problemas dos seres humanos? É não saber lidar com o diferente. Muitos estão presos em seus próprios mundinhos sem se permitir amar o diferente. O ódio dos humanos pelo elfo Oberon explica isso, ele veio do mundo dele para pesquisar sobre música humana, fez ótimas doações para crianças poderem aprender sobre músicas, mas mesmo assim os humanos odiavam ele, eles não tinham uma razão plausível para odiar o elfo, odiavam ele só por ele ser de um mundo diferente. Me lembra muito o ódio dos conservadores por nós da comunidade LGBTQ+, eles não conseguem colocar na cabeça que estamos vivendo nossa vida sem fazer mal para ninguém, para eles não podemos ter famílias e tal, não podemos ter crianças cheia de amor explicando sobre uma família LGBTQ+, tudo porque esses humanos ignorantes se recusam a evoluir. É o que acontece com Oberon, ele quer paz, amor e música, mas não pode ter isso por causa de humanos ignorantes. Só que nem todos estão perdidos, sempre tem os evoluídos que vão entender que o diferente merece amor. The Musician and the Monster me lembrou um pouco The beauty and the beast, foi um belo livro ❤ Adorei o Oberon e o Angel, sempre gosto desse clichê de história de amor entre humano e uma outra raça, é um clichê que não irei abandonar!
September 18, 2019
A Joyfully Jay review.
4.75 stars
I’m an absolute sucker for a Beauty and the Beast retelling. Though, I should warn you, this one owes more to Grimm’s Fairy Tales than the sweet and safe Disney versions. The cover echoes the darker, colder themes beautifully with the slate blues and wintery whites, and I really love the font chosen for the title. It — like Oberon — is both familiar and yet not, and I think is perfect for this darker take on the familiar story.
Ángel, when he was outed to his family by his priest, lost both his parents. His mother turned away from him, as if he didn’t matter. As if she either no longer loved him, or perhaps never had. Ángel’s father, on the other hand, was angry, loud, and demonstrative in his rage and his hurt, and it was harder to tell which disappointed him more about Ángel. The fact that the was gay, or the fact that he chose to be a session musician rather than something practical.
Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.
4.75 stars
I’m an absolute sucker for a Beauty and the Beast retelling. Though, I should warn you, this one owes more to Grimm’s Fairy Tales than the sweet and safe Disney versions. The cover echoes the darker, colder themes beautifully with the slate blues and wintery whites, and I really love the font chosen for the title. It — like Oberon — is both familiar and yet not, and I think is perfect for this darker take on the familiar story.
Ángel, when he was outed to his family by his priest, lost both his parents. His mother turned away from him, as if he didn’t matter. As if she either no longer loved him, or perhaps never had. Ángel’s father, on the other hand, was angry, loud, and demonstrative in his rage and his hurt, and it was harder to tell which disappointed him more about Ángel. The fact that the was gay, or the fact that he chose to be a session musician rather than something practical.
Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.
September 3, 2020
3.5 stars
The verdict is in and ... it was a much needed palette cleanser. :D
Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney movies ever (the animated one, thank you) and while this is technically a retelling of the B&tB fairy tale, I often forgot that while I read. It really just takes a few of the standard staples of the tale and then forges on its own path. And it was fun! The writing is engaging, the characters and their dynamics are interesting and intriguing - even the supporting characters - and the world is fascinating. The author even manages to avoid some tired tropes at the last minute by throwing in a not-entirely-unexpected-but-still-refreshing plot twist near the end.
There are a couple of things that I was rolling my eyes at, , and some aspects of the world building and plot that I thought could have used more attention or been handled better, , but overall, I'm a very satisfied reader.
Thanks to by BRers, Ele and Rosa, for the awesome BR. After our last one, we were in desperate need of something good and we got it. :)
The verdict is in and ... it was a much needed palette cleanser. :D
Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney movies ever (the animated one, thank you) and while this is technically a retelling of the B&tB fairy tale, I often forgot that while I read. It really just takes a few of the standard staples of the tale and then forges on its own path. And it was fun! The writing is engaging, the characters and their dynamics are interesting and intriguing - even the supporting characters - and the world is fascinating. The author even manages to avoid some tired tropes at the last minute by throwing in a not-entirely-unexpected-but-still-refreshing plot twist near the end.
There are a couple of things that I was rolling my eyes at, , and some aspects of the world building and plot that I thought could have used more attention or been handled better, , but overall, I'm a very satisfied reader.
Thanks to by BRers, Ele and Rosa, for the awesome BR. After our last one, we were in desperate need of something good and we got it. :)
January 5, 2025
2024 re-read: 3.5 stars (rounded up), although I completely stand by my original review.
Why the difference in ratings? Probably because I read almost pure smut back in 2019??! I mean, this is an excellent romance with great fantasy elements, and I really loved it the second time around as well. I'm just also reading a lot of pure fantasy and/or sci-fi and even classics again these days, so my books get judged on a broader scale instead of the romance-only perspective that was happening in my brain 2019.
This re-read was prompted by the author's excellent new release The Uncanny Aviator, one of my favorite reads of 2024, so I was thrilled to find this one still stands up.
I think she gets better every book and can't wait to see what she does next!
Original 2019 review: 4.5 stars (rounded up)
This was wonderful. It feels really special in a way that's hard to find the words for, which is ironic since part of what made it so special was watching Angel and Oberon learn how to communicate with each other :)
The world-building is fantastic, but it takes places solely in our world, so the creativity is all represented by Oberon, the cultural envoy from the Otherworld. Oberon is like no fae you have ever read about, and that was awesome. It had me completely captivated, to the point that any time I had to put the book down to do real life stuff I found myself obsessing about where the story was going and anxious to get back to it!
I don't want to go into too many plot points since part of the joy is seeing them learn these things on their own. Oberon is fluent in English, so it comes as a shock to discover this isn't all it takes to truly understand each other. It is fascinating to see them discover how much we use non-verbal communication cues and how to get past their varying cultural preconceptions.
It also has a true fairytale feel to it. Magical and mystical with the human finding his way through the confusion of this strange situation. I love how much she made this feel like Beauty and the Beast without sharing some of the main hallmarks of that story -- Oberon is a well-known cultural icon, he interacts with many other people, Angel is in contact with his nearest and dearest, Lily the human housekeeper shops in town and they watch TV and play online. And yet, the loneliness and despair of Oberon's isolation is palpable.
I cannot wait to read more by this author. How she manages to create this unearthly feeling right next to conversations about cheesy pop music I will never know! It's a very intimate story, more about the details than the broad brush strokes, which is fabulous. And it never quite goes the way you think it's going to. It's beautiful and nuanced and so impressive. I am in awe of this talent.
My only complaint was that I wanted more, more, more. I think this was one that screamed for an epilogue, and that would have made it a perfect 5 stars for me. The ending was satisfying and heart-warming and very fitting for the fairytale, but it has them going in such a unique direction that I really wanted a glimpse into what that would look like.
A note on the "kinky" sex: I was surprised to see this mentioned as a concern in other reviews, but then I also read tons of paranormal-fantasy-sci-fi m/m. It is definitely interspecies, which is where the fae here vary from the norm. They are not just pale, blond humans with pointy ears. The differences are subtle but enough to overwhelm Angel when he first meets Oberon and enough that he struggles to feel comfortable around him at first. But sexually/anatomically they are basically the same, and by the time they get there, neither Angel nor I found Oberon any stranger than an Orlando Bloom elf would be :) I would compare it more to an omegaverse-type difference than anything else -- without the mpreg -- and I think this would be a good intro to test the waters with if you're not sure about expanding beyond human-human romances.
**This book was provided for free by the publisher in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley**
Why the difference in ratings? Probably because I read almost pure smut back in 2019??! I mean, this is an excellent romance with great fantasy elements, and I really loved it the second time around as well. I'm just also reading a lot of pure fantasy and/or sci-fi and even classics again these days, so my books get judged on a broader scale instead of the romance-only perspective that was happening in my brain 2019.
This re-read was prompted by the author's excellent new release The Uncanny Aviator, one of my favorite reads of 2024, so I was thrilled to find this one still stands up.
I think she gets better every book and can't wait to see what she does next!
Original 2019 review: 4.5 stars (rounded up)
This was wonderful. It feels really special in a way that's hard to find the words for, which is ironic since part of what made it so special was watching Angel and Oberon learn how to communicate with each other :)
The world-building is fantastic, but it takes places solely in our world, so the creativity is all represented by Oberon, the cultural envoy from the Otherworld. Oberon is like no fae you have ever read about, and that was awesome. It had me completely captivated, to the point that any time I had to put the book down to do real life stuff I found myself obsessing about where the story was going and anxious to get back to it!
I don't want to go into too many plot points since part of the joy is seeing them learn these things on their own. Oberon is fluent in English, so it comes as a shock to discover this isn't all it takes to truly understand each other. It is fascinating to see them discover how much we use non-verbal communication cues and how to get past their varying cultural preconceptions.
It also has a true fairytale feel to it. Magical and mystical with the human finding his way through the confusion of this strange situation. I love how much she made this feel like Beauty and the Beast without sharing some of the main hallmarks of that story -- Oberon is a well-known cultural icon, he interacts with many other people, Angel is in contact with his nearest and dearest, Lily the human housekeeper shops in town and they watch TV and play online. And yet, the loneliness and despair of Oberon's isolation is palpable.
I cannot wait to read more by this author. How she manages to create this unearthly feeling right next to conversations about cheesy pop music I will never know! It's a very intimate story, more about the details than the broad brush strokes, which is fabulous. And it never quite goes the way you think it's going to. It's beautiful and nuanced and so impressive. I am in awe of this talent.
My only complaint was that I wanted more, more, more. I think this was one that screamed for an epilogue, and that would have made it a perfect 5 stars for me. The ending was satisfying and heart-warming and very fitting for the fairytale, but it has them going in such a unique direction that I really wanted a glimpse into what that would look like.
A note on the "kinky" sex: I was surprised to see this mentioned as a concern in other reviews, but then I also read tons of paranormal-fantasy-sci-fi m/m. It is definitely interspecies, which is where the fae here vary from the norm. They are not just pale, blond humans with pointy ears. The differences are subtle but enough to overwhelm Angel when he first meets Oberon and enough that he struggles to feel comfortable around him at first. But sexually/anatomically they are basically the same, and by the time they get there, neither Angel nor I found Oberon any stranger than an Orlando Bloom elf would be :) I would compare it more to an omegaverse-type difference than anything else -- without the mpreg -- and I think this would be a good intro to test the waters with if you're not sure about expanding beyond human-human romances.
**This book was provided for free by the publisher in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley**
August 3, 2019
. : ☾⋆ — 3 ★
READ THIS REVIEW ON MY BLOG!!!
https://bit.ly/2YoqKBv
ARC provided from the publisher in exchange for an honest review (thank you Riptide Publishing!!)
I’m gonna be honest, this book is a lot. almost TOO much on my pure, faint-of-heart and kink-free life. does that mean I didn’t enjoy it? of course not. but it’s definitely SO out of my comfort zone that I repeatedly found myself almost putting it down because it was just. too. much. if you know what I mean.
surprisingly, though, it was also so meticulously thought-out and well outlined that it was almost baffling. I know I shouldn’t underestimate romance books, but I was genuinely impressed with the level of detail that the world building in The Musician and the Monster has. the fae lifestyle, Oberon’s small traditions and rituals, the whole thing about the skin and communication between their species, the podcast—I was taken aback by it. I’m not about to condone the invasion of privacy Ángel is forced to go through, or the narrator's use of the word “fatless” to describe Oberon’s athletic body (why you would even use such a term is beyond me, it really irked me out), but what I’m trying to say is that it wasn’t all that bad. Jenya Keefe’s writing style was fine and I was genuinely impressed by the world building.
again, though, I’m simply just not sure that this kinky-as-hell book is my kind of deal, so I’m gonna go for the safe route and rate it a very clean three stars. The Musician and the Monster is a fun read, but far too much for my taste. thanks again to Riptide Publishing for providing a free copy of The Musician and the Monster!!
READ THIS REVIEW ON MY BLOG!!!
https://bit.ly/2YoqKBv
ARC provided from the publisher in exchange for an honest review (thank you Riptide Publishing!!)
I’m gonna be honest, this book is a lot. almost TOO much on my pure, faint-of-heart and kink-free life. does that mean I didn’t enjoy it? of course not. but it’s definitely SO out of my comfort zone that I repeatedly found myself almost putting it down because it was just. too. much. if you know what I mean.
surprisingly, though, it was also so meticulously thought-out and well outlined that it was almost baffling. I know I shouldn’t underestimate romance books, but I was genuinely impressed with the level of detail that the world building in The Musician and the Monster has. the fae lifestyle, Oberon’s small traditions and rituals, the whole thing about the skin and communication between their species, the podcast—I was taken aback by it. I’m not about to condone the invasion of privacy Ángel is forced to go through, or the narrator's use of the word “fatless” to describe Oberon’s athletic body (why you would even use such a term is beyond me, it really irked me out), but what I’m trying to say is that it wasn’t all that bad. Jenya Keefe’s writing style was fine and I was genuinely impressed by the world building.
again, though, I’m simply just not sure that this kinky-as-hell book is my kind of deal, so I’m gonna go for the safe route and rate it a very clean three stars. The Musician and the Monster is a fun read, but far too much for my taste. thanks again to Riptide Publishing for providing a free copy of The Musician and the Monster!!
April 6, 2020
I would say this is more sci-fi than fantasy. It does not take place in space or anything, but Oberon is definitely an alien. I mean, he looks and talks like one. The story is in a modern setting. Honestly the beginning is lame. Typical Beauty and the Beast scenario, ugh.
But after the arrangement was made an they whisked Ángel away to meet the monster, I was pretty much hooked. I loved Oberon's characteristics, how his features and behavior was described, definitely alien-like, even though he called himself fae.
I loved Ángel's reaction to him how he tried to understand Oberon. But I'm not sure I was fully on board with the relationship progression, something was missing for me, some kind of explanation.The sex scenes were hot, but a bit weird, and I found one tiny detail laughable.
Towards the end however I was not so entertained. An assassination attempt gone wrong, a misunderstanding, a heartfelt reunion and a forgotten dead body later the story ended on a nice positive note, maybe too nice.
Overall I really enjoyed this story, I read more than half of it in a day, so that's saying something. If only the second part would have been as good as the first.
3.5 stars rounded down.
But after the arrangement was made an they whisked Ángel away to meet the monster, I was pretty much hooked. I loved Oberon's characteristics, how his features and behavior was described, definitely alien-like, even though he called himself fae.
I loved Ángel's reaction to him how he tried to understand Oberon. But I'm not sure I was fully on board with the relationship progression, something was missing for me, some kind of explanation.The sex scenes were hot, but a bit weird, and I found one tiny detail laughable.
Towards the end however I was not so entertained. An assassination attempt gone wrong, a misunderstanding, a heartfelt reunion and a forgotten dead body later the story ended on a nice positive note, maybe too nice.
Overall I really enjoyed this story, I read more than half of it in a day, so that's saying something. If only the second part would have been as good as the first.
3.5 stars rounded down.
September 1, 2020
The perfect book at the perfect time... This was fun and easy to read, just what I needed right now after my last read. As always, timing is everything and this retelling of The Beauty and The Beast was fun and refreshing. I even think the author could have complicated the story a bit more and transform it, but well, not everything has to be dark and difficult, I suppose. So I enjoyed it very much despite, or better said, in addition to my eye-rolling at some of the traits the elves have... so convenient... XD.
So, the story is fun and I enjoyed it even more thank to my fellow BReaders, Ele and Linda. Everything is better in company and this unexpected BR has been so much fun!
So, the story is fun and I enjoyed it even more thank to my fellow BReaders, Ele and Linda. Everything is better in company and this unexpected BR has been so much fun!
Read
December 22, 2025Interesting Beauty and the Beast retelling. It was an engaging read but there was something that made it so the story didn't fully click for me.
July 20, 2023
4 stars
A very clever contemporary queer spin on Beauty and the Beast
Ángel reluctantly agrees to go into service as a companion to Oberon, the lone fae living on Earth, to stop his estranged father from going to jail for fraud. Let me start off by saying that Ángel is a much nicer person than me because I would have let the father rot in jail, but I guess that wouldn't make for much of a story...
Instead, Ángel is taken to the estate where Oberon lives, isolated both physically and psychologically, and kept under constant surveillance by this being who is downright terrifying and inhuman.
The one thing they have in common is music, a time-tested method of bridging cultural differences, which is used to exceptional effect here. It does get pretty technical in parts, but I found the selection of music to be quite inclusive (classical, Cuban, pop, rock, ...) and Oberon appreciates all of this music without any preconceived ideas of what "good" music is, making his own non-judgmental selection of what songs should be sent back to the fae world.
The characterisation was very convincing. The story is told from Ángel's POV so we spend a lot of time in his mind, and it is a dark and lonely place there. While he does have some close friends, his romantic relationships have been generally unsuccessful, and he's been essentially cut out by his family after coming out as gay. To say he has abandonment issues would be an understatement. However he's still a strong character in his own right, and though he's a self-professed people-pleaser, he stands up for himself regularly and pushes to be understood by Oberon.
Oberon is very other, in an uncanny valley kind of way. He's humanoid, but the fae don't communicate with facial expressions which I can imagine would be very unsettling. While Ángel gets used to it, and eventually manages to communicate a bit with Oberon through touch like the fae do, I liked that there's no magic cure where the face of the beast falls away and suddenly no one is afraid of Oberon.
The fae culture is completely different, and it takes quite a while for Oberon to stop being so stubborn, and to accept that sometimes things bother Ángel and while he may not understand why, he needs to respect that. At his core though, Oberon is a sweet and caring person and I really liked his refreshing, innocent ignorance of human customs which allowed all kinds of interesting cultural discussions.
In particular, I appreciated the discussion of Ángel's complicated feelings about sex, how uncomfortable he had sometimes been about his healthy sexual appetite and the dangerous situations he'd put himself in, and how religion and the opinion of others had made him feel dirty and shameful. It was a very touching and emotional conversation that had me tearing up.
So there were a lot of really enjoyable things in this book, and intellectually I think it was spectacular, but there are 2 things that for me prevented this from being a 5 star book.
The first is that I think this lagged in the middle and there was a bit too much back and forth from Ángel about how he was both afraid of and attracted to Oberon. Even though it made a lot of sense for him to feel that way, I ended up a bit frustrated with Ángel's insecurity and refusal to believe Oberon's feelings for him in spite of Oberon being very frank.
The second point isn't an issue with the writing but more a personal hatred of a trope.
All in all though, this was a very well-written and clever novel, and I'd definitely recommend it. Thanks to @ancientreader for recommending this one to me!
A very clever contemporary queer spin on Beauty and the Beast
Ángel reluctantly agrees to go into service as a companion to Oberon, the lone fae living on Earth, to stop his estranged father from going to jail for fraud. Let me start off by saying that Ángel is a much nicer person than me because I would have let the father rot in jail, but I guess that wouldn't make for much of a story...
Instead, Ángel is taken to the estate where Oberon lives, isolated both physically and psychologically, and kept under constant surveillance by this being who is downright terrifying and inhuman.
The one thing they have in common is music, a time-tested method of bridging cultural differences, which is used to exceptional effect here. It does get pretty technical in parts, but I found the selection of music to be quite inclusive (classical, Cuban, pop, rock, ...) and Oberon appreciates all of this music without any preconceived ideas of what "good" music is, making his own non-judgmental selection of what songs should be sent back to the fae world.
The characterisation was very convincing. The story is told from Ángel's POV so we spend a lot of time in his mind, and it is a dark and lonely place there. While he does have some close friends, his romantic relationships have been generally unsuccessful, and he's been essentially cut out by his family after coming out as gay. To say he has abandonment issues would be an understatement. However he's still a strong character in his own right, and though he's a self-professed people-pleaser, he stands up for himself regularly and pushes to be understood by Oberon.
Oberon is very other, in an uncanny valley kind of way. He's humanoid, but the fae don't communicate with facial expressions which I can imagine would be very unsettling. While Ángel gets used to it, and eventually manages to communicate a bit with Oberon through touch like the fae do, I liked that there's no magic cure where the face of the beast falls away and suddenly no one is afraid of Oberon.
The fae culture is completely different, and it takes quite a while for Oberon to stop being so stubborn, and to accept that sometimes things bother Ángel and while he may not understand why, he needs to respect that. At his core though, Oberon is a sweet and caring person and I really liked his refreshing, innocent ignorance of human customs which allowed all kinds of interesting cultural discussions.
In particular, I appreciated the discussion of Ángel's complicated feelings about sex, how uncomfortable he had sometimes been about his healthy sexual appetite and the dangerous situations he'd put himself in, and how religion and the opinion of others had made him feel dirty and shameful. It was a very touching and emotional conversation that had me tearing up.
So there were a lot of really enjoyable things in this book, and intellectually I think it was spectacular, but there are 2 things that for me prevented this from being a 5 star book.
The first is that I think this lagged in the middle and there was a bit too much back and forth from Ángel about how he was both afraid of and attracted to Oberon. Even though it made a lot of sense for him to feel that way, I ended up a bit frustrated with Ángel's insecurity and refusal to believe Oberon's feelings for him in spite of Oberon being very frank.
The second point isn't an issue with the writing but more a personal hatred of a trope.
All in all though, this was a very well-written and clever novel, and I'd definitely recommend it. Thanks to @ancientreader for recommending this one to me!
November 20, 2019
What a pleasant surprise! I love finding new authors who show such promise. This book was inventive, interesting, sexy, and just an overall good read. I look forward to checking out more works by this author in the future.
December 16, 2019
M/M romance retelling of Beauty and the Beast with main character coerced into a contract of companionship to the world's first and only Fae representative in modern day United States.
A unique concept, well-written and adequately paced, with a likable pair of protagonists and an intriguing plot.
My struggles in finishing this were two-fold -
First of all, I couldn't relate to or pick up on any of the multitude of musical references that were made in the exchanges between Angel and Oberon. They are both incredibly talented musicians, to a scholarly extent, and they talk in depth about their musical appreciation the likes of which I can not even begin to understand. Granted, this is nobody's fault but my own, given the TITLE of the book is "The Musician and the Monster" but regardless, not being able to relate to any of the dialogue left me a little detached from the story.
Second, this book touched on a very serious trepidation I have with Fae tropes and one that has turned me off from many popular Fae books in recent years (Enchantment of Ravens included) is when the Fae suitor is written as a Nosferatu-eque styled human/animal or alien-like hybrid with physical features and bodily functions that are so distinctly apart from the human experience that the romance becomes cringey and irksome. Oberon in particular doesn't have muscles in his face to make expressions, his skin is completely white like milk, his fingers are longer and all the same size, and his reproductive system is...………..different.
There's a lot to process, for sure. And a lot of "purring." Even if the intimate scenes are beautifully written, it still couldn't make the Nosferatu imagery in my head anymore palatable. I just couldn't get behind the romance element of this story, which makes up a huge chunk of the narrative.
I received a free copy of this from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
A unique concept, well-written and adequately paced, with a likable pair of protagonists and an intriguing plot.
My struggles in finishing this were two-fold -
First of all, I couldn't relate to or pick up on any of the multitude of musical references that were made in the exchanges between Angel and Oberon. They are both incredibly talented musicians, to a scholarly extent, and they talk in depth about their musical appreciation the likes of which I can not even begin to understand. Granted, this is nobody's fault but my own, given the TITLE of the book is "The Musician and the Monster" but regardless, not being able to relate to any of the dialogue left me a little detached from the story.
Second, this book touched on a very serious trepidation I have with Fae tropes and one that has turned me off from many popular Fae books in recent years (Enchantment of Ravens included) is when the Fae suitor is written as a Nosferatu-eque styled human/animal or alien-like hybrid with physical features and bodily functions that are so distinctly apart from the human experience that the romance becomes cringey and irksome. Oberon in particular doesn't have muscles in his face to make expressions, his skin is completely white like milk, his fingers are longer and all the same size, and his reproductive system is...………..different.
There's a lot to process, for sure. And a lot of "purring." Even if the intimate scenes are beautifully written, it still couldn't make the Nosferatu imagery in my head anymore palatable. I just couldn't get behind the romance element of this story, which makes up a huge chunk of the narrative.
I received a free copy of this from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
December 15, 2020
Where was this book when I was being a Grinch? Oh my God this is so brilliant I have a serious case of book hangover. Thanks to Lori for pointing it out! 🥰❤
Ok, so, the story starts as a simple one, a magic fae went through the magic veil and came to the human world, only one emissary was sent because magic could only bring one. The thing is, people reacted like people would, they got scared and when humans get scared they attack, so Oberon had to seclude himself with the help of the DOR to survive. But faes need to be around people to actually live, like literally, so Oberon gets a deal to bring Angel to his home, a cuban-american musician who only agreed to save his father from going to jail.
Now, on to this point the story seemed to be a simple one, then things started developing and I was like: whut? How is the author doing this brilliant stuff? But yeah, we got more than a weird relationship with two different species, we got understanding, empathy, compassion, lessons about accepting people or things that are different to us, to give a chance to get to know this differences, to learn that we can live with discrepancies if we just are kind and respect one another. And to not let fear rule our perspectives, see? FUCKING BRILLIANT?
I loved the relationship between Angel and Oberon, they were so different but they learned and they loved each other without paying attention to other people, they just felt! And that's ok, love is love! The worldbuilding and the way she explained the faes bodies and how they functioned was magical in itself and so well done I want more from this world! ❤💜
On a side note, I suffered with the spanish, I actually had to look some words and they don't exist so please, please authors look for help when dealing with other languages, thank you.
So yeah, I'm totally enamored with this book, love it and miss it! 🥰❤💜
Ok, so, the story starts as a simple one, a magic fae went through the magic veil and came to the human world, only one emissary was sent because magic could only bring one. The thing is, people reacted like people would, they got scared and when humans get scared they attack, so Oberon had to seclude himself with the help of the DOR to survive. But faes need to be around people to actually live, like literally, so Oberon gets a deal to bring Angel to his home, a cuban-american musician who only agreed to save his father from going to jail.
Now, on to this point the story seemed to be a simple one, then things started developing and I was like: whut? How is the author doing this brilliant stuff? But yeah, we got more than a weird relationship with two different species, we got understanding, empathy, compassion, lessons about accepting people or things that are different to us, to give a chance to get to know this differences, to learn that we can live with discrepancies if we just are kind and respect one another. And to not let fear rule our perspectives, see? FUCKING BRILLIANT?
I loved the relationship between Angel and Oberon, they were so different but they learned and they loved each other without paying attention to other people, they just felt! And that's ok, love is love! The worldbuilding and the way she explained the faes bodies and how they functioned was magical in itself and so well done I want more from this world! ❤💜
On a side note, I suffered with the spanish, I actually had to look some words and they don't exist so please, please authors look for help when dealing with other languages, thank you.
So yeah, I'm totally enamored with this book, love it and miss it! 🥰❤💜
September 2, 2019
why was this that one ‘my parents sold me to one direction’ wattpad
July 2, 2024
A Beauty and the Beast retelling. A complex story and journey that touched on many aspects of human nature and the mixing of totally different cultures. A beautiful story. A beautiful book. I had a few issues for the first half of the book but it really took off past the halfway mark. I enjoyed both the BatB aspect and the inventiveness of this retelling.
*Notes as I was reading: beware SPOILER ALERT🤫🙈🙉🙊
So far I'm surprised at the contemporary setting but the writing is pretty bland and straight forward just 'telling' the story. At this point, to me, Angel feels like more of a monster than Oberon, who has been nothing but cordial. The dialogue and subsequent first argument they have about privacy is 'at least' childish on Angel's side. Walking out rather than explaining was wrong. This type of writing doesn't do the book justice so far.
*All the Beauty and the Beast references cleverly hidden (i.e. tea - teacup, musical instrument library etc.) the ultimate separation and agony to get back to the dying Oberon. And the ultimate cresendo ending in Oberon 'changing', are fun to catch.
There is a lot of symbolism, many metaphors, many worldly issues addressed. A lot of internalised fear and learned bigotry to overcome.
Angel's self depreciation added to the communication barrier between them complicates things so much it is frustrating. I keep feeling that at this point they should both have the words to communicate better and Angel should be better. The problem is that I feel that this is the writers fault, like somehow they are overreaching and missing the mark.
*Almost halfway through the book and I've thought of d.n.f-ing this so many times. I haven't fallen in love with either of them and still find them lacking.
...and then the book got better, when they got together and I took no more notes.
*Notes as I was reading: beware SPOILER ALERT🤫🙈🙉🙊
So far I'm surprised at the contemporary setting but the writing is pretty bland and straight forward just 'telling' the story. At this point, to me, Angel feels like more of a monster than Oberon, who has been nothing but cordial. The dialogue and subsequent first argument they have about privacy is 'at least' childish on Angel's side. Walking out rather than explaining was wrong. This type of writing doesn't do the book justice so far.
*All the Beauty and the Beast references cleverly hidden (i.e. tea - teacup, musical instrument library etc.) the ultimate separation and agony to get back to the dying Oberon. And the ultimate cresendo ending in Oberon 'changing', are fun to catch.
There is a lot of symbolism, many metaphors, many worldly issues addressed. A lot of internalised fear and learned bigotry to overcome.
Angel's self depreciation added to the communication barrier between them complicates things so much it is frustrating. I keep feeling that at this point they should both have the words to communicate better and Angel should be better. The problem is that I feel that this is the writers fault, like somehow they are overreaching and missing the mark.
*Almost halfway through the book and I've thought of d.n.f-ing this so many times. I haven't fallen in love with either of them and still find them lacking.
...and then the book got better, when they got together and I took no more notes.
October 4, 2019
English Below
Gracias a Netgally y a la editorial por regalarme un copia del libro para la reseña. Todos mis pensamientos son totalmente imparciales.
Ok...
Disfrute muchísimo esta historia.
Lo que me engancho al principio fue que era una versión gay de La bella y La bestia. Me encanto.
Luego cuando me adentre a la historia no pude parar. La historia es sencilla, pero atrapante. La autora supo modernizar una fabula tan vieja como el tiempo. Es romance, que fue lo mas predominante fue es exquisito, hubo un excelente balance entre el miedo que ángel al principio sentía por Oberon y como no podía verlo ni estar cerca de el a luego estar que no podía vivir sin el. Fue hermoso. La forma que tomaron la música fue preciosa, la importancia de que fue esta lo que los unió.
Me gusto que hubo representación latina en el libro, pero, siento que cayo en varios clichés. -por ejemplo, Ángel hablaba muchas veces en español, pero sus frases sonaban forzadas como si fueran frases en ingles traducidas en español. También una escena que me irrito, el esta en un lugar y ve personas del piel color marrón y hablando español y piensa "deben ser mexicanos" ¿acaso son los mexicanos los únicos que hablan español? ningún latino tendría ese pensamiento. Caemos en el cliché de que solo mexico es Latinoamerica. *rueda los ojos*
Los personajes a pesar de todo me agradaron, Oberon siendo mi favorito. Es hermoso, un chico dulce y tierno y con tanto amor para dar.
La historia es linda, es sencilla y con un mensaje muy fuerte. El odio es un hechizo que solo el amor verdadero puede romper.
***
Thanks to Netgally and the publisher for this free copy of the book for an honest review. All my thoughts are my own.
Ok...
I Enjoyed this story very much.
What hooked me at first was that it was a gay version of The Beauty and The Beast. I love me some gay shit.
Then when I got into the story, I couldn't stop. The story is simple, but compelling. The author knew how to modernize a fable as old as time. It's romance, which was the most predominant aspect of the story was exquisite, there was an excellent balance between the fear that angel at first felt for Oberon and how he couldn't see or be near him and later he couldn't live without him. It was beautiful. The the music aspect was precious, it's a really important because that's what united them.
I liked that there were Latin representation in the book, but, I feel it fell into several clichés. -For example, Angel spoke many times in Spanish, but his phrases sounded forced and weird as if they were English phrases translated into Spanish. Also a scene that irritated me. He is in somewhere lost and he sees people with brown skin speaking Spanish and he thinks "they're probably Mexicans", Mexicans are the only ones who speak Spanish? We fell into the cliché that only Mexico is Latin America. roll eyes
I liked the characters in spite of everything, Oberon being my favorite. He is beautiful, a sweet and
a tender boy with so much love to give.
The story is beautiful, simple and with a very strong message. Hatred is a spell that only true love can break.
Gracias a Netgally y a la editorial por regalarme un copia del libro para la reseña. Todos mis pensamientos son totalmente imparciales.
Ok...
Disfrute muchísimo esta historia.
Lo que me engancho al principio fue que era una versión gay de La bella y La bestia. Me encanto.
Luego cuando me adentre a la historia no pude parar. La historia es sencilla, pero atrapante. La autora supo modernizar una fabula tan vieja como el tiempo. Es romance, que fue lo mas predominante fue es exquisito, hubo un excelente balance entre el miedo que ángel al principio sentía por Oberon y como no podía verlo ni estar cerca de el a luego estar que no podía vivir sin el. Fue hermoso. La forma que tomaron la música fue preciosa, la importancia de que fue esta lo que los unió.
Me gusto que hubo representación latina en el libro, pero, siento que cayo en varios clichés. -por ejemplo, Ángel hablaba muchas veces en español, pero sus frases sonaban forzadas como si fueran frases en ingles traducidas en español. También una escena que me irrito, el esta en un lugar y ve personas del piel color marrón y hablando español y piensa "deben ser mexicanos" ¿acaso son los mexicanos los únicos que hablan español? ningún latino tendría ese pensamiento. Caemos en el cliché de que solo mexico es Latinoamerica. *rueda los ojos*
Los personajes a pesar de todo me agradaron, Oberon siendo mi favorito. Es hermoso, un chico dulce y tierno y con tanto amor para dar.
La historia es linda, es sencilla y con un mensaje muy fuerte. El odio es un hechizo que solo el amor verdadero puede romper.
***
Thanks to Netgally and the publisher for this free copy of the book for an honest review. All my thoughts are my own.
Ok...
I Enjoyed this story very much.
What hooked me at first was that it was a gay version of The Beauty and The Beast. I love me some gay shit.
Then when I got into the story, I couldn't stop. The story is simple, but compelling. The author knew how to modernize a fable as old as time. It's romance, which was the most predominant aspect of the story was exquisite, there was an excellent balance between the fear that angel at first felt for Oberon and how he couldn't see or be near him and later he couldn't live without him. It was beautiful. The the music aspect was precious, it's a really important because that's what united them.
I liked that there were Latin representation in the book, but, I feel it fell into several clichés. -For example, Angel spoke many times in Spanish, but his phrases sounded forced and weird as if they were English phrases translated into Spanish. Also a scene that irritated me. He is in somewhere lost and he sees people with brown skin speaking Spanish and he thinks "they're probably Mexicans", Mexicans are the only ones who speak Spanish? We fell into the cliché that only Mexico is Latin America. roll eyes
I liked the characters in spite of everything, Oberon being my favorite. He is beautiful, a sweet and
a tender boy with so much love to give.
The story is beautiful, simple and with a very strong message. Hatred is a spell that only true love can break.
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