Our Monsters

Terat #1

by Jemma Topaz

Rosemary Dulahan, answering a strange job posting, arrives in Monstertown – a place inhabited by magical beings from another world.

Navigating the politics of sphinxes, lamias, and secrets, she must learn how to get along with her non-human coworkers and maybe romance a few monster girls along the way.

There's nothing she wants less than getting caught up in a murder mystery troubling all of Monstertown... but the mystery doesn't care what she wants, and she's about to discover the darker side of her new world.

Genres: Queer, Transgender, Fantasy, Lesbian, Romance, LGBT, Fiction

175 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 1, 2022

About the author

Jemma Topaz is someone who is still really bad at writing profiles/bios. She's a trans lesbian living in Britain, and writing spicy lesbian fiction to escape from unspicy environs.

Reviews

[Lila Gwynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

the most weird & unique book I have ever read

This novella is clever and genuinely hilarious, weird and horny, endearing and captivating. Monstertown has really interesting worldbuilding and Topaz brilliantly sets up things early on that solve conflicts later even when they seem unimportant or extremely silly. It’s a murder mystery, it’s urban fantasy, it’s erotica, it’s comedy. And it was just perfect.

[Aster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes monsterfucking erotica is not what I usually go for but this was really fun with a dynamic writing and narrator's voice. Also trans and t4t rights

[Liz Montag · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, truly I did. There's so little trans representation anywhere in fiction, and I just want to see myself in the things I read, but I just could not get more than halfway through the book. The characters are forgettable and same-y lacking much of any real characterization, the story wasn't engaging, and perhaps the greatest sin: the sex scenes are tame, boring, and way too rushed. I really want good smut centering trans character, but this just isn't it sadly.

[Anne, V · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing read! I loved the setting and story and I am fascinated by the different "monsters" and how their abilities shaped their personalities. More please!

[Dan Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun monster-loving romp with strong, touching trans themes. There's a plot--human goes to Monstertown and gets embroiled in a mystery--but the main plot is her romancing one monster after the other from the monster council. Each encounter has intriguing trans symbolism, which is the main strength of the book. It's lighthearted and funny, but there are moments that hit hard as well. As long as you go into it with the right attitude (this is a Fun, Smutty Fantasy book, not a Serious, Frowny Fantasy book), you'll have a great time.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the different monsters and I found parts of the book funny. The sex scenes were more creative than in a lot of monster erotica books that I have read, but I think the author could have gone further with creative anatomy. I liked the solution to the murder mystery at the end, but the mystery wasn’t well built out and the author focused way too much on politics and world building. I would have liked it better if the author focused on the murders rather than Terat politics. But overall, I would read more from this author, especially as they write more and grow their storytelling skills.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick, fun read. It was much more focused on the protagonist and her life in the monster world than on the mystery, which I wasn't expecting. Sometimes it felt a little too lighthearted considering that people were getting murdered (I wasn't a big fan of the memes) but it might make for a good palate cleanser after reading darker works. I found the scenes to be a little vanilla all things considered but they were fine and affirming to the transgender protagonist. It sort of felt like an indie visual novel (something like Hardcoded) if you like that kind of writing.

[Dream Fractal · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's cute lesbian monster girl erotica with a trans woman protagonist. Jemma Topaz's writing is funny and hot. There's a murder mystery plot, sure, that's fun too, but that's not nearly as important as the making out.

[Reader of Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main story (there are two related short stories at the end) was really funny and cute, and I liked the characters and the different monsters very much.

[Ellery Graves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engaging, well written, overall delightful t4t escapade. Loved it!

[Ana S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super fun, lighthearted and quirky. I loved every aspect of this book and the story was quite engaging!

[dănuț]

I can get behind any genre if it's queer

[Zoë Zahariadis · Rating 1 out of 5]

i guess this is some people’s jams. unfortunately, it is absolutely not mine.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The "I'm not racist" bits thru me off A LOT. Because the only people who say they aren't racist, are almost always racist.

Anyway. The world was cool.

[Littlebookterror · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a silly little story.
It really doesn't take itself too seriously which makes the murder mystery even less a plot point than I originally thought it would be.

(I might also have skimmed over the second Appendix; I did not care enough to read the extra content.)

[Celeste Cash · Rating 4 out of 5]

funny and hot and occasionally insightful. unserious in the best way. sometimes the world is a bit hard to make sense of at times, but a fun read

[Nicola Trano · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is *very* funny.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the premise but I would have preferred fewer politics and more about the logistics of slime girl procreation.

[maia · Rating 3 out of 5]

kinda reads like a crossover between a poly monster-fucking book and douglas adam's hitchiker's guide to the galaxy