Ordinary Monsters, J. M. Miro
Ordinary Monsters, J. M. Miro
34 Rating(s)
List: $44.99 | Sale: $31.50
Club: $22.49

Ordinary Monsters
A Novel

Author: J. M. Miro

Series: Talents #1

Narrator: Ben Onwukwe

Unabridged: 25 hr 34 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/07/2022


Synopsis

MOST ANTICIPATED SFF BOOK of 2022 by Tor, The Nerd Daily, CrimeReads, BookBub and more!

"Ordinary Monsters is a towering achievement: a dazzling mountain of wild invention, Dickensian eccentrics, supernatural horrors, and gripping suspense. Be warned... once you step into this penny dreadful to end all penny dreadfuls, you'll never want to leave." —Joe Hill, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Fireman and Heart-Shaped Box

A STUNNING NEW WORK OF HISTORICAL FANTASY, J. M. MIRO'S ORDINARY MONSTERS INTRODUCES LISTENERS TO THE DARK, LABYRINTHINE WORLD OF THE TALENTS

England, 1882. In Victorian London, two children with mysterious powers are hunted by a figure of darkness—a man made of smoke.

Sixteen-year-old Charlie Ovid, despite a brutal childhood in Mississippi, doesn't have a scar on him. His body heals itself, whether he wants it to or not. Marlowe, a foundling from a railway freight car, shines with a strange bluish light. He can melt or mend flesh. When a jaded female detective is recruited to escort them to safety, all three begin a journey into the nature of difference, and belonging, and the shadowy edges of the monstrous.

What follows is a story of wonder and betrayal, from the gaslit streets of London, and the wooden theatres of Meiji-era Tokyo, to an eerie estate outside Edinburgh where other children with gifts—the Talents—have been gathered. There, the world of the dead and the world of the living threaten to collide. And as secrets within the Institute unfurl, Marlowe, Charlie and the rest of the Talents will discover the truth about their abilities, and the nature of what is stalking them: that the worst monsters sometimes come bearing the sweetest gifts.

Riveting in its scope, exquisitely written, Ordinary Monsters presents a catastrophic vision of the Victorian world—and of the gifted, broken children who must save it.

A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books.

About J. M. Miro

J. M. Miro is the author of Ordinary Monsters (Flatiron, 2022), the first in the Talents Trilogy. He lives in the Pacific Northwest with his family. He also writes under the name Steven Price.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jordan (Jordy’s Book Club) on May 16, 2022

QUICK-ISH TAKE: Stick with me here.⁣ ⁣ Ordinary Monsters is a f*cking mess. It’s epically long at 672 pages, with a sprawling cast of characters, an unwieldy system of magic, a school for gifted youth that feels very familiar, and some muddled character motivation. I could list all the things that I s......more

Goodreads review by jessica on September 04, 2022

very long winded but, gosh, marlowe sure is the sweetest little thing. he made pushing through worth it. this is a weird review because my after reading thoughts are completely different from my during reading thoughts. whilst i was reading this, i thought the concept was a little unoriginal, the wri......more

Goodreads review by Katie on August 03, 2022

I'm not sure how to articulate my feelings toward this book and the reading experience. I want to start off by saying that there are so many things I really enjoyed. - The narrator's voice is phenomenal. Highly recommend the audiobook (though it's a longer experience than physically reading) - Alice an......more

Goodreads review by Becca on December 28, 2022

Had potential with a great atmosphere through the beginning but ultimately I felt that it wasn't holding my attention past the 200 page mark. Reading Vlog with in depth thoughts - [URL not allowed]......more

Goodreads review by Chelsea on May 22, 2022

This is one of those books that lingers with you. I’ve seen it compared to pretty much all stories about children with supernatural gifts; The Umbrella Academy, X-Men, Miss Peregrines, etc and then crossed with the atmosphere and time of Penny Dreadful. That was enough to make me pick it up and it d......more


Awards

  • NPR Best Book of the Year
  • NYPL Best Books of the Year
  • Hudson Booksellers Best of the Year