Angelmonster
Today’s review of the day comes courtesy of Mindy Rhiger, creator of propernoun.net, and our own Cybils MG and YA Non-Fiction coordinator. Mindy started her blog way back in 2003 (the dark ages as far as the kidlitosphere is concerned), as a way to help her to remember more about the many books that she reads. She works for Sagebrush Books as a collection development coordinator helping to assist school librarians in their collection development efforts. She also volunteers at a school on a weekly basis to stay more connected with kids.
Mindy reads and reviews an impressively broad array of titles, and has a knack for suggesting a particular audience for each title. Today, we bring you an excerpt from her review of Angelmonster by Veronica Bennett.
With a name like Angelmonster, I was expecting something supernatural when I picked up this book. Much like with Incantation, I was surprised to find it historical fiction without supernatural elements. Angelmonster turned out to be historical fiction based on the life of Mary Shelley, especially her marriage to Percy Shelley. The title refers to Mary’s view of Shelley, varying as it did between the two…While this story is based on fact, it is certainly fictionalized quite a bit. Mary’s creative works are pushed to the back of the story. She is made to be more of a hanger-on in the creative/intellectual group than what I’ve read about her would imply. Though that disappointed me, I must admit that the story was an engaging and deeply felt psychological narrative. Honestly, it reminds me of the books I devoured as a teenager.
The rest is here.