Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury (Favorite Quotes & Review)

The Haunting of Hill House meets Sadie in this evocative and mind-bending psychological thriller following two teen girls navigating the treacherous past of a mysterious mansion ten years apart.

Daisy sees dead people—something impossible to forget in bustling, ghost-packed Toronto. She usually manages to deal with her unwanted ability, but she’s completely unprepared to be dumped by her boyfriend. So when her mother inherits a secluded mansion in northern Ontario where she spent her childhood summers, Daisy jumps at the chance to escape. But the house is nothing like Daisy expects, and she begins to realize that her experience with the supernatural might be no match for her mother’s secrets, nor what lurks within these walls…

A decade later, Brittney is desperate to get out from under the thumb of her abusive mother, a bestselling author who claims her stay at “Miracle Mansion” allowed her to see the error of her ways. But Brittney knows that’s nothing but a sham. She decides the new season of her popular Haunted web series will uncover what happened to a young Black girl in the mansion ten years prior and finally expose her mother’s lies. But as she gets more wrapped up in the investigation, she’ll have to decide: if she can only bring one story to light, which one matters most—Daisy’s or her own?

As Brittney investigates the mansion in the present, Daisy’s story runs parallel in the past, both timelines propelling the girls to face the most dangerous monsters of all: those that hide in plain sight.

Genre: Young Adult Psychological Thriller | Publication Date: February 28, 2023 | Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster | Page Count: 512 (Hardcover) | Disclosure: I received a physical ARC in exchange for an honest review!

MY REVIEW

“Earthsong moved across his skin like the lips of a lover.”

Song of Blood & Stone is the first novel in the Earthsinger Chronicles. The Earthsinger Chronicles is a new adult epic fantasy romance. It follows the story of Jasminda, an outcast endowed with Earthsong, and her fateful encounter with the injured spy Jack. Jasminda lives on the border of Elsira and Lagamiri, nations caught in a centuries-long feud separated by a magical barrier called the Mantle. Thrust together one fateful winter night, Jasminda and Jack set off to stop the impending war and fall in love in the process.

“The two sides she’d seen before—soulful Jack and warrior Jack—merged before her, giving a complete picture for the first time.”

Song of Blood & Stone contains the familiar tropes of the hero’s—and in this case heroine’s—journey popularized by Joseph Campbell. However, unlike many entries in the mythopoeia genre, Song of Blood & Stone feels fresh. Folklore and romance are interwoven into Jasminda’s coming-of-age and blossoming romance with Jack. Jasminda, a mix-raced Earthsong practitioner, embodies her divided arcanepunk world. While the novel lagged near the end and introduced the dreaded “jealous childhood friend” female antagonist, the ending will keep readers on their toes. Song of Blood & Stone is a daring epic fantasy romance delivering fresh twists on stale tropes! I highly recommend this novel.

Recommended for Readers who Love:

— a soaring epic fantasy,
— steamy new adult romance,
— and a magical mixed-race heroine