Hello, reader!
It’s time for another blog tour for one of the Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA) 2022 finalists! Today, I finally get to share my thoughts on one of the books I actually got to read in full as a panelist last year. Lesser Known Monsters by Rory Michealson is a new adult urban fantasy that had me absolutely hooked! I’m so excited to get to share my thoughts.
But, before I go on, let me tell you more about this award. 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.
And, now, let me tell you more about this book!
- Title: Lesser Known Monsters
- Author: Rory Michaelson
- Publisher: Self-published
- Publication date: October 31st, 2020
- Genre: Urban Fantasy
- Age group: New Adult
- Content/Trigger Warnings: Violence, blood, blood ritual/sacrifice, depression, mental health struggles, death
Book Links
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.
Author Links
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.
Thank you to BBNYA, The Write Reads, and the author for providing me with a free e-book in exchange for an honest review! All opinions contained within are my own.
Though I’m very much a fantasy reader, a genre I don’t talk about nearly enough on my blog that I love is horror. So getting to pick up an urban fantasy that leans heavily into horror sounded like my perfect cup of tea. Thankfully, I was not disappointed with this genre mash-up!
Lesser Known Monsters follows a young man named Oscar. Oscar is very much a man that tends to exist on the sidelines. He is anxious and awkward and usually lets his best friends, Zara and Marcus take the lead. But Oscar is about to learn a very disturbing fact from the hot doctor that he’s developed feelings for: monsters are real and they’re after him. And the fate of the world might actually rest in his anxious hands.
Y’all, I was absolutely sucked into this book! The story immediately pulled me in and I found myself either reading this book or thinking about this book until I turned the last page. I loved the dark, twisting tale that Rory Michaelson weaved. It does a fantastic job of giving chills at one moment and making you laugh out loud the next. That’s a fine balance to maintain, but Michaelson knocks it out of the park! The atmosphere in this story is top-notch and probably one of my favorite aspects of the story.
But my favorite part has to be Oscar. Oh, sweet, anxious Oscar. He needs to be protected at all costs and not just because he’s apparently the chosen one. Which, can we talk about how the author took that trope and added just the right bit of flair to make it feel fresh? I’m a fantasy reader… I’m a little burnout when it comes to Chosen Ones, but this book did it in a way that I was absolutely on board! Back to our boy Oscar, though. He is such an incredibly imaged character! His flaws are on full display and not in a quirky “Oh I’m so clumsy but somehow also the best at everything” way. No, Oscar is a straight up mess but that is part of his charm. It’s part of what makes him come alive on the page. The other characters in this book were well-written, as well, though there were several moments I wanted to fight his friends to make them treat Oscar better, lol. Zara and Marcus grew on me, but it did take a hot minute. Still, I think that’s another sign of a good character! And, of course, I love the diversity in this cast. More of that forever and always.
Overall, I had such a great time with this book. It’s dark, yet funny. The atmosphere is incredible, as is the worldbuilding when introducing all the different monsters poor Oscar has to deal with now. And Oscar is probably one of my favorite characters that I read last year! This is a fascinating, diverse genre-bending novel that stars a gay man and I adored it. I definitely need to continue on with the series!
Star rating:
Kerri McBookNerd 