Book Review: Saints and Monsters by Ellen McGinty

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 392 pages
Author: Ellen McGinty
Publisher: Quill & Flame
Release Date: March 5th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

With her crooked spine and reckless heart, Princess Meera always knew she wasn’t meant to become queen of Ezo. But when her sister, the rightful heir, is cursed on the eve of her coronation, Meera must defend her kingdom from ruthless invaders by taking the throne. Yet, while some countries have simple coronations, in Ezo . . .

The princess must first claim a sea dragon.

Only the dragon is vicious, perfect, and whole-everything Meera is not. And if the dragon doesn’t deem her worthy, it will devour her. Turning to the Saints for help, she doesn’t anticipate that her actions will transform the dragon into a mortal, or that she’ll steal his heart . . . literally.

Now, as two hearts beat inside Meera’s chest, she’s reminded that her life is entwined with a dragon, who despises her weaknesses. Despite their differences, they must work together to reverse the curse and save the kingdom before more is lost than their stolen hearts.

Thank you to the author for a gifted e-book.

WHAT A SURPRISE.

I had seen this around a touch and didn’t know if it would be a hit or miss for me. But an opportunity presented itself, I took it, and then proceeded to binge this book in two days. There’s your review, clearly you need to pick this up too.

BUT, I will give you more. I loved Meera. I loved her strength and loyalty to her family and kingdom. Her journey was amazing and I loved how things came together. This is a standalone and while usually a struggle for me, I had none of those issues this time. I loved the world building, the magic, the DRAGONS and all of the characters. I felt like I got enough of everything needed to feel like it was a well rounded story and closed off all of the plot lines by the end.

There’s a subtle romance woven in that was sweet to watch unfurl. I adored the connection and how slowly but surely (through my favorite forced proximity) they started to work together and solving problems. I don’t want to give too much away in the romance aspects so trust me!!

This was truly a gem of a read. I had a wonderful time and it was the fantasy book I didn’t know I was craving. I look forward to more books by this author!

Overall audience notes: