This book had been on my wishlist since it came out. I didn’t actually get it until earlier this year, only to read it a couple weeks ago. But I wish I would’ve read it sooner because this book was so helpful and encouraging to me!
I was in a reading slump and wanted some YA contemporary but didn’t want to reread Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (I will later on this month, don’t get me wrong). So I picked up Eliza and Her Monsters, just thinking it would be another book I didn’t finish. I was pleased to be proven wrong!
The premise of this book is that Eliza Mirk, a high school senior, has a secret online identity as LadyConstellation. She created the story and subsequent fandom of an original webcomic named Monstrous Sea. The synopsis of Monstrous Sea is that there are these people called “the Nocturnians” who live on a planet, Orcus, and chart the constellations, and their names are derived from such. The main character’s name is Amity and she is an orphan, meaning she doesn’t know the meaning of her name like all the other Nocturnians do. She becomes a host for an energy spirit and finds out there is only one other person who has an energy host, but he’s evil and she must defeat him. The comic follows her journey and throughout the book there are drawings of scenes from it.
Anyway, Eliza Mirk has a secret online identity and is “the mother of a fandom.” She has two online friends that help her with her website and the forums that know her real identity. Moreover, IRL Eliza is a social pariah at school. Everyone thinks she’s weird, but it’s never fully explained why. Apparently, she had friends in middle school and when freshman year began she became The Weird Kid. Her homeroom teacher, Mrs. Grier, gives her the assignment of showing new student, Wallace Warland, around the school. Eliza is pretty much like “heard you sis, but it’s a no from me” and just ignores him. A week later, she ends up saving him from being tormented by guys she was friends with in her middle school. And Eliza finds out that low and behold Wallace is a fan of her webcomic. She’s never met a fan IRL and as they become friends she has to navigate not giving away her identity as LadyConstellation.
There were many things done right and that I liked in this book. For instance, the pacing of the book was well done. It wasn’t too slow or too fast and the middle didn’t lag. Not to mention, the writing style was smooth and easy to understand. There were some good metaphors sprinkled throughout as well. Another thing I liked about the book, is the character development of Eliza, her family, and Wallace. (I feel her brothers, Sully and Church had some of the best character development. However, their names did bother me until they were explained later on.) At first Eliza seemed like the stereotypical loner and selfish-yet-misunderstood daughter, but the more time she spent with Wallace she would be introspective and check her privilege. That was very refreshing for a YA character to do! The way her mental disorder was handled was very positive and helpful.
However, there were a few things I feel Eliza and Her Monsters lacked. The minor characters served their purposes, but I felt they could’ve had more development. Additionally, there was no backstory for them. For instance, her old friends were mentioned but there was no explanation as to how or why they drifted apart. Just BAM! high school starts and Eliza is dropped, ignored, and lightly teased. Additionally, the opening scene was a little too exposition heavy for my tastes, and I would’ve like some more dialogue.
I felt the diversity was alright from such a popular book and the young adult genre. As a person of color, I would’ve liked to see a major character of color because I consider those who were minor characters. Although, I did like that Monstrous Sea did have people of color in it. Moreover, I would have also like to see LGBTQ+ representation besides being hinted at through fanfiction. #sorrynotsorry
Overall, I gave this book four and half stars on Goodreads! It definitely was an easy read and I quickly got lost in Eliza’s world, as well as involved in the story of Monstrous Sea. Everything was wovenly nicely together. I definitely did not see the plot twist coming and I felt it was very realistic. Furthermore, I felt that Eliza’s mental health issues were portrayed accurately and coped with appropriately. I would recommend this for anyone who suffers from depression or anxiety, however, there is a small scene towards the end that may be a little triggering. Although, nothing life-threatening or serious happened, and the incident was handled with love and care!
