I’m currently reading… the ‘Monstrous’ series by Lily Mayne. I picked up Soul Eater months ago but for some reason didn’t get round to reading it until the beginning of this year – and boy, do I wish I hadn’t waited! This unique series is post-apocalyptic m/m monster romance with a great mix of sweet characters, world-driven conflict, and spicy goodness. I really can’t believe it took me so long to dive in: I’ve now finished 3 books out of 7 (and it looks like more are still being written!) and I’m currently halfway through book 3.5.
The first book, Soul Eater, follows Danny (a reluctant soldier) and Wyn (the monstrous ‘Soul Eater’ himself) on an intriguing journey that goes from terror to attraction and compassion, and also somehow deftly manages to make us forget the trail of dead bodies Wyn tends to leave behind. I will say this book is a little rough around the edges – the plot loses a bit of steam around halfway through and meanders towards its conclusion. HOWEVER I was so hooked by these characters that I didn’t want to let them go. Wyn was a brilliantly enigmatic love interest from the start while Danny is an optimistic, adorable bundle in a fairly grim world.
So, I was thrilled to see both characters return partway through Book 2, Edin. Edin is a big, cuddly purple monster-bro who we first meet in Soul Eater – and I want to take a moment here to praise how effectively Lily introduces and connects us to characters early in the series, who will then go on to become the MCs of later books. She’s also great at giving us a teaser view of future important characters that makes this world feel alive and interconnected. In Edin in particular I’m thinking of the brief, intriguing encounter with Cat, and the brilliant first sighting of Collector Mary. Overall, Edin‘s story has a more rounded plot and a grittier protagonist, and I thoroughly enjoyed the new layers of texture this book added to the world.
I’ve most recently finished reading The Rycke. I feel like Lily truly hit her stride with her writing style in this one. It was great to see her handle a broader cast of characters with a lot of nuance in their relationships – I especially appreciated the portrayal of Anchor and her struggle under pressure to lead a camp full of raiders in the apocalyptic Wastes. The monster romance in this book is possibly both the sweetest and yet the most morally-grey of them all, so far. I won’t reveal too much, so you can make up your own mind about the very affable raider Ghost and his winged monster beau.
Right now, I’m in the middle of ‘Wyn’ which is a bonus novella featuring the first couple of the series, this time from Wyn’s POV. It’s fascinating to get an insight into Wyn’s thought processes this time around, and it’s also our first peek at the monster world beyond the strange tear in reality that caused this apocalyptic scenario in the first place. This story so far has been very low-angst, fairly fluffy (though not without spice 🌶️🌶️) and I suspect will have a sugary sweet ending to cap it all off. While I’m definitely enjoying it (so pleased to get to travel with these characters again) I’m also eager to move onto the next book in the series, Gloam, and find out what’s happened to Rig, a loveable side-character I became attached to in The Rycke.
So far, the world-building in this series has been excellent and my emotional investment in all the relationships is top notch. Plus, ya know, some kinky monster sex on the side is always pretty fun. With the number of books left in this series I suspect it’ll be occupying a top spot in my TBR for a quite a while… but watch this space to find out my most anticipated m/m reads later in the year. 😊📚📖
Edwina Lindsey 