J. M. Miro

The book leans heavily on Victorian ideas of occult spiritualism, mysterious, moneyed clubs that have hidden agendas and... those that no one would miss...orphans. The secret society in question here, run the mysterious "Cairndale Institute", which recruits carefully chosen children to house on its grounds in Scotland. Admission requires special “Talents”, which are the equivalent of undeveloped superpowers. Invisibility and accelerated healing get you a place into the institute, along with some more "unusual" powers, such as the ability to manipulate matter or invisibility. Recruitment is mostly an aggressive rather than a passive process. The Institute’s agents actively seek out children worldwide that no one will miss or question their disappearance, to bring into their program. Overseeing the Institute is Dr Berghast, but his true intentions are clouded to say the least. The story initially follows private detective Alice Quicke, who is employed by the Institute to locate an American "talent", Charlie Ovid, who possesses powers to self-heal. Charlie is incarcerated in a Natchez City warehouse while the local police try to figure out what to do with someone sentenced to death but who can't be killed. The case resolves, but not without some bloodshed, and Alice leaves Charlie with her partner and goes off to find an eight-year-old potential recruit named Marlowe. Soon Alice becomes aware that evil forces are after the boy, and they are both in danger. The Institute, we find out, has a long dark and questionable history, and this history is tied to a disgraced former student...Jacob Marber. Now we have flashbacks involving Jacob now taking us from Scotland to Japan. The story has super-powered battles, supernatural creatures, a portal to the land of the dead and magical artifacts that all make an appearance. The book way W-A-Y too long. After 500 pages with well over 150 more to go...I simply lost interest.… (mere)

A huge tome of Victorian adventure that is darkly imaginative and infused with a sense of Gothic wonder and magic. I see people comparing it to “Miss Peregrines” and “Stranger Things” and I think think comparison really holds up. It’s got a bunch of misfit, empowered orphans discovering the potential horrors of another world along with a ragtag team of adult characters who all have different motives, as well as a (slightly cliche) villain who wants to access that world.

My favorite parts of this book were 1) the fight scenes, which were SO well written and felt cinematic, and 2) the descriptions of the litches- that is literal nightmare material right there and they spooked me so badly! It’s all so deliciously creepy and atmospheric.… (mere)

Ordinary Monsters is a fantasy novel set in the late 19th century. In this book, some people are born with special powers. There is an organization that collects these children to take them to a school in Scotland to help them understand and control their power. But there is someone else hunting these children and he brings violence and death. This is an epic story that takes the reader all over the world. I liked how morally gray a lot of the characters and motivations were. The reader is not given all the information, so they are left with many of the same questions as the children in this book. That may frustrate some readers, but I think it really helped me relate to the children because I was in the same boat as they were in regards to understanding what is going on. The theme of monsters and what makes someone a monster was an interesting one. I look forward to seeing where the author goes with this trilogy. It does end on a bit of a cliff hanger and I want to see what happens next.… (mere)