This is a gripping story that I found myself really getting into and I thoroughly enjoyed it, even though I'm 30 and not the target audience! I do however know and teach kids who are, and I'm getting a copy for the reading corner for sure :)

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the premise of this book and the Paris and Prague settings but the story didn't quite gel for me. I found the grandfather a little frustrating and would have liked to have known more about their enemies. Having said that, the second half was much more gripping and I really enjoyed the golem scenes.

This book was an exciting magical adventure, though it does have pacing issues. The plot is good and intriguing but sometimes the characters spoke less like children and more like adults which could be jarring at times.

There is plenty to enjoy about this book. A boy and his grandfather, hurrying away on the train to Paris in winter. A toy robot which seems just a bit, well, different. Unusual events happening to Alex at school (and the bullying not playing too large a part in the overall book, thank goodness....)

The story is well written. There is plenty of description, which brings some strange things to life, without making it feel padded. Particular turns of phrase are exquisite, but I didn't stop to highlight them.  It feels gothic and steampunk all at the same time. There is mystery, there is a legend, and it unfolds almost like a junior James Bond movie.

And yet... it is very uneven. Several times I wondered whether I had to pick it up again (usually after a particularly distasteful episode) only to find the next piece charming and exciting, really driving the story forward.  Much is not explained. Some is explained in ways that ten year old boys will probably love. I tried comparing it to Lockwood & Co, but it seemed crueller, yet not as sophisticated. I tried to compare it to Artemis Fowl, and got much closer to the feeling I had.

There is plenty to enjoy about this book, but somehow I didn't find the whole satisfying. Very much like my feelings for Artemis Fowl, in fact. I wish it the same success, but I won't be reading any more of this series.

One of my favourite themes being in here, I still enjoyed the story for that aspect, but I admit that otherwise, I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I expected to.

While it definitely deals with cool concepts (the aloof, badass grandpa; the robots; the mysterious men wanting Alex’s just as mysterious robot; their magic, both awesome and gruesome), plot-wise the story was also completely over the place. In a way, it reminded me precisely of the way I envisioned stories myself when I was a young reader: “Something mysterious! A bully! School woes! Something else happens! Grandpa arrives! Mum is not happy with him! Something else happens! Let’s run away!” And so on. So perhaps this would appeal to a 10-year old audience? I’m not entirely sure either. (To be clear, it’s not the fast pace itself I found problematic—such a pace can be very powerful indeed؅—but the disjointed way in which it was handled.)

“Monstrous Devices” also contains a very specific pet peeve of mine, a.k.a “I’m not telling you anything because for some reason, I think it will protect you, yet I completely fail to see that it actually endangers you more.” I don’t know why this trope is so prevalent. Just talk to your kids, people, they’re not stupid, and if you think it’s OK to take them traipsing all over Europe while pursued by murderous robots, then why not equip them to deal with it better, hm? (And as a result, the reader is none the wiser either. Having a few things left open at the end, for the next volume or two, is cool; having too many is not.) 

Conclusion: 2.5/5. Cool themes, and this will probably work for part of the intended audience at least, but not so much for me.

When young Alex receives a toy robot in the post, from his Grandfather, things take a strange and rather bizarre turn. He finds himself under attack from lots more of these robotic creatures in his own bedroom, his Grandfather saves the day and whisks him away to Paris where the adventure and danger continue until the fast-paced and action-filled conclusion.

A fun book with an imaginative and action-packed plot with a cast of interesting and well-rounded characters. The dialogue, particularly between Alex and his Grandfather, was excellent and frequently made me laugh. 

Monstrous Devices' target audience is children but I feel that it could be enjoyed by a much wider audience. 

This is a fabulous debut by Damien Love. I hope there will be a sequel and I very much look forward to reading more by this author.

(I’m sorry this review is late: I read this back in Oct/Nov and thought I’d posted something. I lost my father to COPD in November and I’m only just starting to get back on to NetGally.)

This book was everything I wanted; now and as a kid. It was a world that I fell into from the very first page. The characters, relationships and action slipped right off the page and welcomed me home.
I cannot wait for more.

Monstrous Devices is cut from a similar cloth to the Skulduggery Pleasant series of books. Perhaps not quite as richly embroidered but good cloth nonetheless. It was certainly gripping when we were coming to the crux of it but I felt a little let down by Alex being a bit of a nimwit at times. I certainly wasn't all that clever or brave when I was 13 so maybe I'm being harsh but "strange people are trying to get something you own and may have killed your grandfather" seems like the directive you need to do the plan your grandfather had told you about not much earlier, instead of faffing about moping for a few hours. But then, Alex realises what he's supposed to, gets on with things and we manage to get on with the rest of the story at a good pace.

My only other critiques are pet peeves of mine: a) characters revealing little to no information ever and b) characters making choices that they know are wrong but do it anyway for personal gain. But maybe that's just me.

I'd picked Monstrous Devices by Damien Love to review as I often think children's fiction can be tricky. It can also be tricky to recommend good books for teenagers that are not the ones I used to read 'back in the day'. This one is full of adventure and also science fiction too. Did I mention there were robots? For a debut book it's great but some of the action does get it bit confused at times and some of the dialogue is quite advanced for a teenager at times but thoroughly enjoyed it. Hope there is more as I'd love to know more about his Grandad. 

I'd compare it to Indiana Jones and I absolutely love the cover of it too!

This book was a fun yet creepy adventure, involving robots, dramatic escapes, fights in alleyways, a lot of suspense, drama and mystery! This would be a fun, easy read for someone who is looking for a bit of  thrill, and a unique middle grade fantasy.
Though the plot was interesting and drew me along, I found I struggled with the characters. The grandfather was so distant and his lack of explanations ended up meaning that I found I didn't quite click with the book, and it took me a while to read. He was eccentric, yes, and at first I found him very intriguing but that unfortunately didn't continue. Like Alex, I wanted to know more about what was going on. While the suspense worked well for a bit, as Alex is also frustrated, as time went on, it meant I stopped enjoying it as much as I didn't know what was happening!
This said, while I found that frustrating, this book was still very enjoyable, and I enjoyed the different places Alex and his Grandfather explored, the workings of the robots, the fights and high jinks, as well as it having some funny moments, beautiful ideas and brilliantly nasty bad guys.
This was a clever concept, and not something I had seen done before, and I would recommend it as a suspenseful mystery, for those of you who don't mind being kept a little in the dark!

This was a lot of fun. A boy's thrilling adventure racing across Europe with his grandfather to save the world from evil villains... plus killer robots! What's not to love!!

It needed a wee bit of fine tuning: some of the action scenes were clunky; children's dialogue had an adult voice; and what crazy person is continually giving a 12 year old coffee, but it was still an enjoyable ride and I'm keen to see if this becomes a series.  There is no such thing as too many killer robot / biblical monster stories.

Reminiscent of Young Indiana Jones and sure to delight Rick Riordan fans.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers, Rock The Boat, for the ARC.

This is a great story. 
Full of excitement, robots and of course  goodies and baddies! Great for younger teens!

It was an entertaining and engrossing story, perfect for cheering up in this bleak times.
I loved Alex and his grand as much as I loved the well crafted plot.
There's a lot of character development and the cast of characters is interesting.
It was an excellent read, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This is Damien Love's debut novel, aimed at older children and teenagers but thoroughly enjoyable for everyone who likes science fiction and fantasy novels. The story starts with Alex receiving a package from his grandfather, when opened this proves to be an old robot toy to add to his collection. There is something very unusual about this particular robot and strange things begin to happen. An essay which Alex had started writing but was unable to complete is there in his printer the following morning – not just finished but finished to a very high standard. The robot, which Alex had left on his desk at home, appears in his backpack when he is on the school bus.  Alex’s grandfather turns up unexpectedly after school and asks him if he can take the robot when he goes to visit his friend in Paris so that he can get a second opinion on it's provenance. Later that night  Alex is attacked by vicious little robots who are being controlled by some very unpleasant characters who want to steal the robot for themselves. Alex and his grandfather beat off the attack and run off to France together to see Harry, the old man's friend. 

I won’t give anything away, suffice to say that there are attacks and chases across rooftops and in the streets and alleyways of Paris, followed by chases across Europe to Prague.This novel really is a thrill a minute and has kept me up reading when I really should have gone to sleep hours ago, there’s humour as well as thrills and spills. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to further novels from Mr Love. Perfect for fans of Anthony Horowitz (the Alex Rider and Ravensgate series of books). Monstrous Devices is published on Thursday March 19 and is available for pre-order on Amazon and all good booksellers now.

This is a great, fast paced, exciting story. It has a bit of everything in it, Goodies, baddies (lots!), robots, and a good old fashioned chase.

I loved Alex and his grandad - what a guy. I’d like to hear his backstory...who is he?!!

I very much enjoyed reading this, and it was a pleasant distraction from you know what right now... I can’t help wondering what Alex’s mum thought of all this though..we never found that out!!

My thanks to Netgalley and Oneworld Publications for the advance copy.

Alex is about to discover that the dinky robot his grandfather has sent him is more than just a collectible. It’s a catalyst to an adventure of mystical origins. With desperate hunters stalking his every move over Europe, Alex is in great jeopardy.   

Readers will be absorbed at the rapidly unfolding drama and the exciting history of the robot that is sprinkled through the action.  It was marvellous to have a story that involved magic but with a more unusual origin which will pique the curiosity of the target audience.  There is potential here for a successful series exploring the background of Alex & his enigmatic grandfather.

Although I enjoyed the action, it took too long for anyone to tell Alex anything, so we were all flailing around not understanding anything. I started skimming after a while. It's a good read and it probably won't annoy other people as much as it annoyed me. I think it'll do well.

This was an interesting book and i thought the premise was interesting but i didn't love the writing and the main character in places as i found him a bit grating. This was not for me in the end but i liked what it tried to do.

This was a fun read, it was fast paced and had some really interesting ideas. The only problem I found was that it was a little bit unwieldy in places, things didn't flow properly. Other than that I really enjoyed it, especially the nods to everything from Indiana Jones to King Kong, and the whole thing felt well researched. I look forward to a second title from this author.

Thank you NetGalley and Oneworld Publications/Rock the Boat for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Monstrous Devices is a non-stop steampunk adventure story with action at every turn. This story is gripping and will encapsulate a younger reader easily. Unlike an adult book, the action started on the first few pages and didn't stop until the end. 

I really enjoyed the pacing of this book as it kept up with the urgency of the character's mission. I also loved the villains - they were evil, violent and not dulled down just because the book is for children. You also weren't 100% sure who they are which gave a nice element of mystery to the story! The creepiness level was just right - not too scary but not too predictable - I found myself spooked at some points which was quite refreshing!

I found the Grandfather an irritating character who was preachy and know-it-all whilst making bad decisions. This was probably done as a mirror of many children's experiences with adults 'knowing better' and themselves 'being too young for ___', but it became increasingly annoying and distracted me from the plot. As we follow Alex through his adventures, we are only given the same information he is which can be understandably frustrating at some points. He acts like a 13 year old who is thrown into impossible circumstances and isn't forced to act or say anything a 13 year old wouldn't. He isn't a perfect character - he is flawed and has a varied range of emotions that aren't always positive, but this gives him realness in a world of strangeness. 

The book ends with quite a few questions unanswered, which leads me to believe there will be a sequel. I'd be interested to read it, but I think I'd want to know what is was about first! Maybe more Alex and Grandfather adventures and finding out more about Alex's family/Grandfather's past?

I think this book could have been incredible but some aspects didn't work for me. That being said, I think children will enjoy it and find it an exciting and fun read. For this reason, I gave it 3 stars. 

Monstrous Devices is out in the UK on 19th March.