I wanted to like this book so much. In fact, my co-worker, when I told her I didn’t like it said, “What? But it seemed right up your alley!” Monstrous Devices is a cool concept but the book is a bit of a mess. There is too much going on and none of it gets fully realized. The grandfather in the book is constantly doing things that set a bad example for children. He says “Don’t do what I do” but the characters only survive because of what he does. A lot of things are brought up but never resolved. Is the grandfather immortal? He is a greater being? Is the bad guy Alex’s father? Is the little girl his sister? I didn’t believe it for a moment when he said that he didn’t care to know by the end of the book. It felt like Love didn’t feel like making a decision one way or the other. And then religion come in out of nowhere. The characters need to know the true name of god to gain unlimited powers that come in the form of a golem. It’s way too much stuff for such a short children’s book. I am so disappointed that I didn’t like this one.
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