A review by erinbookbug
The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht

dark mysterious tense

5.0

The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht

Genre: Gothic Horror, Fantasy, Novella

Audience: Mature
Source: Personal Bookshelf

Published: 2019

Tags: Fantasy, Horror, Setting - Industrial City, Violence, Death, Blood & Gore, Murder, Non-Explicit Rape, Self-Harm, Medical Procedures, Swearing, Monsters & Demons, Magic, Sorcery, Witch Hunting, Magical Plague/Illness, Revenge, Necromancy, Queer Character(s), Economics, Political Intrigue, Eat the Rich (but do it subtly with Magic), The Inherent Homoeroticism of Licking Someone’s Blood Off Your Finger, None of the People in this Book are Good People but Somehow You Like Them Anyway

Characters: Johann of Elendhaven, Florian Leickenbloom 

Summary: The city of Elendhaven sulks on the edge of the ocean, racked by plague, abandoned by the South, stripped of industry, and left to die. But not everything dies so easily. A thing without a name stalks the city, a thing shaped like a man, with a dark heart and long pale fingers yearning to wrap around throats. A monster who cannot die. 

His frail master sends him out on errands, twisting him with magic, crafting a plan too cruel to name, while the monster’s heart grows fonder and colder and more cunning. The sorcerer’s work is subtle, changing minds and curdling hearts with barely a trace left behind. But there are signs to read for magic hunters coming up from the capital in the South. 

These monsters of Elendhaven will have their revenge on everyone who wronged the city, even if they have to burn the world to do it. 

I honestly don’t know what to say about this book. 

This is gothic horror at its best. The writing is rich and descriptive with a undercurrent of darkness. There are so many amazing quotes. The setting is very vivid. I love stories that evoke the Victorian Whitechapel feeling of being in the underbelly of a terrible beast where Jack the Ripper is lurking around every corner. 

Honestly, my main complaint about this book is that it’s only a novella. The world is so intriguing and I would absolutely spend more time in it. The ending comes together well, but it also has a rather open ending that just kinda left me wanting the story to carry on longer. 

The vibes for this book are a bit like if The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman and Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo had a monstrous baby, while still maintaining a completely unique feel and amping up the gothic horror aesthetic. I can also see the influence of some of the pioneers of gothic horror, such as Frankenstein and Dracula. The setting definitely evoks a Ketterdam industrialesque atmosphere but the characters themselves are very interesting and deeply entrenched within this interpretation of the setting. 

I would give it 9/10 for the length, but I was so engrossed by it that I read it in one sitting and everything else about it makes it a 10/10 star read for me. I will absolutely pick this book up again. 

If you liked this book, I recommend:
    - The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller
    - A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson
    - Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh
    - Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo