After finishing this, my thoughts are hazy and hard to sort. I was confused for the first half and frustrated for the second. It's all just a bit too vague for me.

Being dropped in the middle of a story is usually fine, you pick things up along the way - sadly here I never did, I kept waiting for the world to be explained or get glimpses, but it never happened.

Flowery writing, descriptions, nothing concrete, a sort of lack of information while also having other unnecessary details in excess - lack of substance.

The characters were wholly ununique (is that even a word?). As I type I'm struggling to remember who was who and how exactly they meddled.
I was pulled in by "magical sea creatures" and well, you know what they say about assuming.

Honestly I wish there was some sort of magic rating attached to books so hardcover fantasy nerds like myself would not be misled or disappointed.
All in all, this wasn't for me.

I would give this book a three 1/2 star review. The idea of this book was wonderful. But it didn’t wholly deliver. I think with some extra work it could have been better constructed.

Sadly I could not get into this book at all. It had such promise and the synopsis really had me intrigued but the overly complex magic system and the incredibly slow pace were not for me. I regularly found myself having to go back to re-read certain parts or just skipping over paragraphs due to the complicated language.

I DNF’d at 25% (something I normally never do with an arc) as I could not force myself to continue any further.

Don’t get me wrong it’s not all bad. If you love dark and atmospheric settings then the author does portray this though her writing style.

Personally at 1/4 of the way through the book I wanted more to have happened than actually had, and sadly this book was just not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher (Harper Collins UK, Harper Fiction) for providing a copy of the book for review. All opinions are my own and provided willingly.

I initially struggled with this book - I found the writing unnecessarily flowery. From the beginning I guessed this was a Heathcliff (brooding and misunderstood male) and Cathy type romance, and I was not wrong.

I struggled to understand what, exactly, the magic was about within this book, as there was no explanation, and I wasn’t much wiser by the end of the book.

As the book went on, it did improve and became a relatively enjoyable, if not predictable, read. It is this improvement that has allowed me to give this a 3, as it had been teetering between a 1 (did not finish) and a 2.

I can’t say I would necessarily recommend this book, but I am glad that I persevered with it. Would I read a sequel? Probably not.

This book had potential, but that is possibly the sole positive thing I can bring myself to say about it. The synopsis sounds promising but it ends up becoming yet another fantasy world replete with misogyny and rape culture.

It would be fair to say I knew this wasn't the book for me within the first couple of pages, so I'll get this point out of the way to start with. Me and the writing just didn't get along. It wasn't bad by any means. It just felt very purple-prosey and I don't like that. So, at least some of the following points should be taken with that caveat.

I'll start small and get bigger in this. The characters fell pretty flat for me. Possibly outside of Arden and Riven, everyone else could be summed up by single descriptors. I know they're side characters and all, but some, especially the bad ones (*cough cough* Bellis *cough cough*) were almost caricatures in how one-dimensional they came out. Especially the aforementioned Bellis, who, we are told is cunning and manipulative, but... does not seem it when you meet her. Arden and Riven only really came out a little better because Arden was the main character, and Riven had the whole ooh they think he's a monster storyline going on.

But the real kicker in this book is that somehow, somehow, in a world that seems closer to high than urban fantasy, there is still a hell of a lot of misogyny and rape culture. From the beginning, the Coastmaster is identified as a creep who cannot take no for an answer, and within about a quarter of the book, he has already sexually assaulted the protagonist. And that's not all! It's a constant stream of "women can't do this" "women can't do that". Like if I wanted this, I'd read a fantasy written by a man. There is nothing revolutionary about a fantasy world featuring misogyny, especially when it doesn't get pulled apart in any meaningful way. But it's okay! There's a scene near the end where a woman sexually assaults a man! Equal opportunity sexual assault here! (I'm being sarcastic...just in case you didn't realise.)

And then to top it all off, this is a society that regularly practices in eugenics (there is a handily named Eugenics Society who make decisions on who you can marry!), and still no commentary on it.

So while there was potential to this book, it definitely did not meet it for me.

This one isn’t easy to review or describe - a fantastical, steam-punky version of Jane Eyre, it throws you in at the deep end without a live safer. There are no explanations, no gentle world building in back-flashes or gradual info dumps, no family trees or maps. You have to work out for yourself what’s going on.
Up until a third in I wasn’t sure if I loved it for it’s beautiful writing or hated it because it left so much hard work to the reader.
Half way in I was completely enchanted.
This really is a book that only works if you suspend any expectation of wanting to understand everything right away. You just have to allow yourself to drift on the waves and let it slowly but surely unfold around you.
The world it is set in is weird and wonderful, the tale as old as time - the writing is incredibly atmospheric and, if you allow it, will slip under your skin and leave you with a deep sense of ‘Sehnsucht’, or ‘Saudade’ - a melancholic longing for far-off places and unknown adventures. No small coincidence they are the names of boats in this story.
Unique and ‘deliciously strange’ with a cracking ending - I do hope there’s a sequel soon.

A dark tale of magic and mystery , Monstrous Heart by Claire McKenna was a book I dived into with high hopes for a gripping adventure and maybe even a hint of romance. The book dives straight into the story with little attempt to introduce the world or magic system, and while that caused a little confusion I was happy to roll with it, assuming that this would follow as I got further into the book, and it did but not to the extent I would have liked.
The book tells the story of Arden Beacon who is sent to maintain a remote lighthouse because of her magical abilities. Since she was late to demonstrate her powers and they are weaker than most of her family, she is determined to prove herself, no matter the cost. Her plans run into a bit of a stumbling block when she encounters her new neighbour, the mysterious Jonah Riven,hunter of monsters of the deep, rumoured to have murdered his family as a teen and now his bride. Despite the rumours she finds herself drawn to the brooding stranger and reluctant to believe the worst of him, no matter how many of the towns respectable citizens try to persuade her otherwise.
I really did want to love this book, from the stunning cover to the intriguing plot summary I really felt it had a lot of promise, but unfortunately for me it felt a little to muddled and so predictable. There were no shades to the characters, virtually all of the secondary characters were blatantly nefarious, and while I could at least see some nuances of character in Arden, Jonah was completely one dimensional. This meant that I never bought into the romance at the heart of the book, and was not surprised in the way I am sure the author hoped for by some of the plot twists. There were moments of humour, mostly involving Arden's assistant Chalice. and the ideas behind the setting and the magic system had promise, they just needed to be fleshed out a little more.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

This Monstrous Heart is a brutal story, and not for the squeamish! A gothic story about sea monsters, it does fairly well at creating a dark and eerie atmosphere.

However, I did find myself completely baffled by the magic system and much of the world. For parts, I wasn't quite sure what was going on and this hampered my enjoyment somewhat.

The characters were good though, and the romance at the centre of the story was believable, helping to make it a slightly more interesting read even in the midst of my confusion.

Beautifully written (especially the descriptions of krakens), unfortunately this book left me with far too many lingering questions and not much desire to know the answers!

This review has been posted to Goodreads and will be sent to Amazon after release.

As soon as I saw the cover for this book and read the blurb I was certain it would be right up my street.  A gothic story about magic and monsters, it sounded wonderful.  But I became confused by the many characters and the plot seemed a little muddled.  I actually found it difficult to pick the book up again couple of times and continue reading.  Sadly I wasn't a fan of this book, even though the description should have made it a perfect fit for me.  I guess we can't love them all.  Sorry.

Thank you NetGalley & HarperCollins for the opportunity to read Monstrous Heart.

This book was described as a gothic, epic, romantic fantasy with monsters, magic & true love, but what it delivered was a confused middle that reduced this storm of a story to a damp shower!

Yes, there were monsters, definitely more of those were human rather than animal. There were plots, machinations & politics. The characters were large in number and for the first half of the book I found myself hopelessly lost Because there were so many and the story was so unclear.

I seemed to spend too much time going back and forth to tie the threads of this story together. This book felt like talking to the author, who has had half the conversation in her head and starts talking to you mid-narrative. There were too many assumptions that I knew the world this story is set in and had already been fully appraised of the society and political machinations that contributed to the tale.

I did work out that the main character is Arden Beacon, a woman with relatively weak magic blood power to light fire and uses this in her role as a lighthouse keeper. Arden lives in a world where blood magic dictates the levels and hierarchy of society.

Arden is given the role of lighthouse keeper at Virgil lighthouse following her uncle’s death, but has to avoid the oily pursuit of the local magistrate cum justice Mr Justinian. All the time being plunged into a world of mythical sea creatures hunted by the mysterious and murderous Mr Riven!

There is gossip, accusation, warnings and so much more to deter Aren from Jonah Riven, but of course these only serve to heighten the attraction that Arden feels for him, triggering adventure, danger and an affair, which I’m sorry to say isn’t one I’ll remember. Jonah could be a Heathcliff, but the story is too confusing to do more than wrap him in chains of confused gossip!

Throw into this mix a mysterious and dangerous society, an assistant for comic relief, who is actually a joy to read about. Chalice is complex, funny, scary, secretive and definitely kept me reading.

There is a lot about this book that is great, the mood, the storyline, the character and sea monster descriptions, but right now the story is too muddled and feels like it starts in the middle.
The world definitely has the mood & storminess that the author is striving for, but please revisit and order it more. Give the reader a clearer starting point and believe me this story will shine.

Initially I was worried that Monstrous Heart would turn out to be more style than substance. The writing is exquisite and the themes are beautifully handled, but the story seemed intangible. Thankfully after the 30% mark, everything shifted and I grew to love it. It’s really cleverly and intricately plotted and the setting is gorgeous. I think it suffers from incorrect marketing. It isn’t really at all like Outlander though I’ll concede there may be crossover in the fan bases. I ended up really enjoying the book. It’s repeating on me in a way that makes me think I’ll reread it and bump up my rating. If you like historical novels with magical realism and deep themes and beautiful language, give this a try.

I have to say that I wasn’t a huge fan of this novel.

The premise did not match up to what I had expected when I read the blurb, and I found the authors tone and writing style overly complex which didn’t suit the story.

I really struggled to finish and only did so due to this being an ARC. Just not for me unfortunately.

I wanted to like it. I did like elements, I loved the idea, I loved the darkness, but the writing didn’t flow. It became hard work, and so I stopped. I just didn’t love it enough to struggle past 10%. Sorry.

**Review**
Monstrous Heart by Claire McKenna
When Arden is sent to the lighthouse, she is simply a woman with a job to do. She is to prove herself, but this task comes with its challenges. Then enter a dark stranger she can not seem to get out of her head....
This book had a lot of promise and really caught my attention. I had high hopes but unfortunately I just did not connect with the story. It fell flat for me and although beautifully written, I did not get swept away like I had hoped I would. I found it hard to follow in places. I felt the synopsis actually promised a lot more excitement and intrigue than it actually delivered. I did struggled to finish it, and must admit I did skip through a few pages here and there. Maybe I am just not the intended audience for this one. Thank you @netgalley for giving me to opportunity to review this, but unfortunately this time it just was not for me.

I was really looking forward to this book. With the cover and the synopsis this book sounded like it was right up my alley.

However I could not get into this book. I really struggled with the writing style and I could not get into this story at all. There was no world building and I honestly just felt confused. I ended up dnf-ing this book. It just was not for me.

This book is a difficult one to review. It was very hard to get into the story and I think that was due to the style of language used by the author. The writing was good but the old fashioned language took a long time to get used to. I have to admit, that by 45% I put the book down with no intention of finishing it, but there was something about the story that had me intrigued and kept niggling at me so I picked it up again the next day. I wanted to know what happened and about the mysterious Mr Riven character. I was curious about the blood magic as well. Once I passed the 50% mark, things picked up and there was a lot more happening in the story that kept me reading well into the night. The action scenes were so detailed and real and excellently written. I found that I was rooting for the characters of Arden and Mr Riven and hoping for a positive outcome. The romance, I thought was really well done, nothing too graphic, but yet the emotions were captured beautifully. Things happened that I wasn't expecting and I found the second half of the book really held my attention.

Unfortunately, as is the case with many new releases, the story doesn't end and there will be a second or third book to read to reach a full conclusion. All in all, I have given it 3 stars because the story held my attention, was well written, and there were some really great scenes in the second half.

I was hoping for a monster-boyfriend - instead it's more of a paranormal touched steam punk slash victorian world, that, whilst not what I was expecting, is still engaging and I finished it in one sitting.
Some bloodlines have power - much like the magic system of allomancy and feruchemy in Brandon Sandersons books - that let them harness an element or chemical. Arden is one such, her blood (supposedly) lights fires. This is the centrepoint of the makeup of the society - the people with blood gifts have power over those that do not.
It reads like a mixture of an Austen novel and a fantasy, which can be hard to manage at the beginning, however, the tone and style stays constant across the book.
It's set up as a duology? Perhaps a trilogy? And I would perhaps read the second, but seeing as I wanted something quite different, I am not quite as enthused as I thought I would be.
Three point five stars.
Recommended for fans of gothic romance.

The premise of this book is incredibly strong and it has a plot that keeps you hooked and reading to see what happens. All the hallmarks of a great novel.
Except something feels a little flat with it, The universe described within it needs to be more vivid so that the reader really feels part of it and can full immerse themselves within the story. But overall it's a good read.

Poetic, deep and full of ominous foreshadowing.
Although this book was a lot different from the usual fantasy it had a bit of 'beauty and the beast' retelling about it, only set in a steampunk-ish alternate reality. It was heavy going and bit slow but dealt with racism, sexism and domestic violence in a fantasy setting which was unique and comelling.
I would recommend it to people who want a darker side to their fairytales.

I really loved the ideas behind this book but sadly it fell short for me. More world building is required because as it stands, I just didn't find it easy to vibe with this universe. Not for me.