Genre: Urban Fantasy
Length: 290 Pages
Goodreads | Amazon
Summary
Being the chosen one isn’t always a good thing…
Oscar Tundale is not a hero. Anxious, indecisive, and awkward, he can barely get through a normal day. Now he’s about to find out monsters are real. Oscar’s friends: brave, stubborn Zara, and hyperactive, paranoid Marcus, might help discover what hunts him, and unravel the truth about the handsome doctor he pines for. But only heroes can save the world, so maybe the best Oscar can hope for is to not end it by accident.
The LESSER KNOWN MONSTERS series is a dark queer fantasy featuring diverse characters on a found family adventure. Perfect for fans of horror and paranormal romance who seek LGBTQ+ heroes.
Review
Lesser Known Monsters by Rory Michaelson has been on a radar for a long while and I’m absolutely thrilled to share my review with you. Because this is by far the best book I’ve read in my three years of judging for BBNYA.
Going in, I was afraid it would be too much horror because body horror is one of the things I don’t handle well. But it was just scary enough to keep reading. With the light on. Because you never know with the monsters. The author takes liberties with the kinds of monsters he created for this book. Some are like the ones we’re familiar with (but never quite the same) and others are totally new to me.
The characters are all lovely. They all have clear voices, but Marcus is my favourite. From the random Mean Girls quotes to the gentleness he has, he’s adorable. Another thing that stood out to me is that every single character has a character arc and actively grows throughout the book. The plot points might not be super original but it’s everything around it that make this book so good, so enjoyable. The writing style also makes this very easy to read.
I highly recommend this one if you like monster books, urban fantasy, and strong friendships. If at all possible, get a physical copy because seeing the art on the pages definitely makes it worth the investment. I would’ve loved to see this higher up on the list because it was one of my favourite reads of last year. Rory Michaelson is one to watch.
About the Author
Rory Michaelson is always doing too many things, and rarely the ones that they ought to be. The Lesser Known Monsters series includes Rory’s debut novel and short story collection. They were born and raised in the UK, love stories in all forms, and are easily bribed with cookies.
You can follow Rory on Twitter (and other social media platforms) for shenanigans @RoryMichaelson, or subscribe to their newsletter at RoryMichaelson.com.
BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists and one overall winner. If you are an author and wish to learn more about the BBNYA competition, you can visit the official website http://www.bbnya.com or Twitter @bbnya_official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.
