Sci-Fi & Scary

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Monsters in Our Wake is my second read from J.H. Moncrieff. I just can’t pass up the potential for a good sea monster story. And this one had something other than a giant squid or megalodon on the cover. (Not that there’s wrong with either of this.) So, yes, even though I wasn’t thrilled with my last read from the author, I was more than willing to give this one a go.

I’m normally not a fan of authors anthropomorphising monsters. However, in Monsters in Our Wake, Moncrieff’s humanizing adds just a touch of quirkiness right off the bat that lets you know you’re not going to get a typical monsters attack story. These sea monsters (and I’m not giving anything away that you’re not going to read in the very first chapter) have their own family problems, and humans coming into their territory just exacerbate issues. Family drama at 10,000 leagues and annoying meat bags on the surface. You just know it’s not going to go well for anyone involved.And from beginning to end the author does a great job of twisting things just enough to keep them interesting. Tension builds well on the ship as events progress. The “women are bad luck” thing is a deeply rooted sailor superstition so it was easy to buy into certain parts of the plot.

The pacing was fine, and the dialogue was believable if not exactly exciting.

From beginning to end the author does a great job of twisting things just enough to keep them interesting. Tension builds well on the ship as events progress in Monsters in Our Wake. The “women are bad luck” thing is a deeply rooted sailor superstition so it was easy to buy into certain parts of the plot. The pacing was fine, and the dialogue was believable if not exactly exciting. And there were a suitable amount of gross descriptions to make a gorehound like me happy.

While Monsters in Our Wake lacks the best-seller flair (same problem with City of Ghosts), J.H. Moncrieff is undoubtedly a talented writer. She is definitely an author to check out and support as you’ll get a solid and entertaining read. You’re just not going to get a thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat and leaves you thinking about the story for days afterward.