This Monster of Mine is a dark, twisty debut that blends political intrigue, slow-burn romance, and a touch of monster-infested horror, all set against a backdrop loosely inspired by Ancient Rome. The story hooked me with its unique premise and kept me invested through courtroom drama, layered power plays, and the magnetic, ever-evolving dynamic between Sarai and Kadra.

Though the opening is particularly dark and heavy (a heads-up for sensitive readers), the narrative soon finds its stride. Sarai, a determined prosecutor with a vengeful agenda, and Kadra, the morally grey judge she suspects of betrayal, have electric chemistry that steals the show. Every interaction crackles with tension, and their enemies-to-lovers arc is deliciously well-drawn.

While the worldbuilding is rich and intriguing, some of the Roman-inspired elements and political terms could have been clearer. A bit more clarity would have elevated the setting and helped ground the reader more firmly. Still, this didn’t take away too much from my enjoyment—it’s a gripping, ambitious debut and I’m definitely looking forward to what’s next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC!

4.5 ⭐️
Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC of This Monster of Mine

Okayyyy hello Kadra. I loved this, if I had had the opportunity I could have sat and lapped this up in a day but time didn’t allow it for me and it took me so much longer to finish than I’d have liked, but it was worth it.

Think dark fantasy, enemies to lovers, morally grey MMC with a little murder mystery thrown in.

Sarai our FMC is hell bent on revenge returning to the place where the ‘died’ 4 years earlier, and ends up being the Petitor to the man she believes was behind killing her… I think we all know how this goes.

.5 stars deducted because apparently this was set in ancient Roman times….. I wasn’t aware until I began reading other reviews lol oops. This wasn’t obvious (maybe just to me though, after researching the titles if you know your stuff about ancient Roman times this probably is obvious) and a few of the terms mentioned I didn’t understand. Had I known I feel I could have built a much better picture of the world and characters but regardless this was great.

3.5 rounded to 4.

A deadly game of deception, revenge, and painfully slow attraction, This Monster of Mine throws you into a world of courtroom battles and monster-infested shadows—but takes its sweet time getting to the payoff.

✨ A prosecutor with secrets sharper than her blade ⚖️ A ruthless judge who makes morality look flexible 🔥 A romance that simmers (and simmers… and simmers…)

Abeysekara crafts an intense, tension-filled world where every glance is a threat, and every touch carries consequences. The slow-burn romance is agonizingly drawn out, which might work for some—personally, I needed just a little more urgency.

If you love enemies-to-lovers with a side of courtroom power plays, this one will keep you hooked—just be prepared to wait for the sparks to catch fire.

Amazing romantasy with great characters and tension! The writing is also super immersive and easy to follow.

Actual rating: 4,5 stars

This was such a unique story, I loved the whole concept and plot so much!
It started quite dark and to be honest, I wasn't sure if I was in the headspace to stomach it, but I'm very glad I kept going (the beginning is also the darkest part for anyone else who might be worried).
I really enjoyed the Ancient Rome-inspired setting with all the unique twists, and I also really appreciated that the form of government wasn't one I've ever seen in fantasy.

The chemistry between Sarai and Kadra was done SO WELL, my initial doubts over whether I want to keep going with this books were eliminated the second they interacted with each other for the first time. I'm obsessed with their dynamic and how their relationship developed over the course of the book.

This book was also filled with intrigues and political power games and explorations of greed. While it wasn't necessarily hard to guess who the true villains were, the book didn't feel predictable and it was hard to stop reading as I wanted to learn ASAP how everything would unfold.

The reason why I'm not giving the book 5 stars is because I found it a little bit confusing at times, and I think some plot lines and the worldbuilding could have been done a bit more elegantly.
Still, I think this is a great debut novel and I'm very interested to see how the story will continue.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC.

Still latest in’ a different kind of fantasy started so so well great premise , however the narrative became very repetitive and it started to drag for me and came to an unsatisfactory conclusion , I wouldn’t continue if it was a series . Still a good debut but not for me

This book was absolutely phenomenal and exactly what I've been craving. It is based on Ancient Rome and I loved the political intrigue, romance, and the plot kept me on my toes. This was an extremely strong debut, well-written, well-plotted, with characters you either love or love to hate.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and Hodder for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect going into this book, especially after the opening was so brutal, but oh boy did I get sucked in! The world building was a little bit intense and confusing at times because I’m not particularly familiar with ancient Roman terminology, but I got through it and figured it out.

Most importantly - the yearning, obvious slow burn was 👌🏻 I also enjoyed watching Sarai learn who was friend and who was foe (although I thought she was a bit naive after being screwed by her “friend” for the umpteenth time 😂)

Overall a really good read!

I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to read this ARC. What a brilliant book.

It is beautifully written, with characters you learn to love and root for, and the romance was perfect, in my opinion. I love a rival/enemies to lovers, which was the vibe for this.

The pacing and overall story kept me hooked, and never felt lacking even when things were calm.

Overall, an awesome book that I adored.

4.5/5 stars!

Hours after finishing and I'm still here, spinning in my chair like Bella in that depressing Edward-less montage...

So this book follows eighteen-year-old Sarai who goes back to where someone tried to kill her four years ago. Now she's a Petitor (basically a magical prosecutor who can spot lies and pull out your memories to show the truth) working with Tetrarch Kadra—this ice-cold, brutal judge who might actually be the person who tried to murder her.

She's planning to get revenge while solving cases with him, but there's one problem—he's annoyingly charming and she's starting to fall for him, even though his voice sounds suspiciously like her attacker's.

For a debut, I am once again absolutely blow away. Every thing, and I mean everything, about this book had me absolutely feral. From the world building, to the character development, it was all sensational and perfect.

There were characters you loved and those you loved. I absolutely loved both our FMC, Sarai, and our MMC, Kadra, their chemistry was off the pages. I can’t even begin to tell you the amount of times I screamed for them to just get together, it was insane. And let me know even start on the villains of this novel. I HATED them, like with a passion of a thousand burning suns. They were so well put together, that if Sarai didn’t do something about them, then I would.

The only thing that I am distraught about is the fact that I have to wait for the second book. (And yes, you might not know this but there is a second FREAKING book).

So if you love a good enemies-to-lovers romantasy, with Ancient Rome vibes, slow burn energy, a morally grey MMC, and of course politics, intrigues and LOADS of deceit, then what are you waiting for, get your hands on this and read it today, you won’t be disappointed in the slightest.

This Monster of Mine is a dark fantasy set in a Roman-inspired world. Think: political intrigue, deception, brutal judgment.
Sarai, a young Petitor with the magical ability to detect lies, is determined on finding the person who tried to kill her years ago. When she’s assigned to work with Tetrarch Kadra—a feared judge and possible suspect—she begins a dangerous double life: solving cases by day and plotting his downfall by night while fighting her attraction to him.

Unfortunately, despite the promising premise and early hype, this one didn’t quite work for me.

The world-building was dense, filled with unfamiliar terms and systems that weren’t well explained. I felt lost, and the use of in-universe phrases without clarification made it hard to stay engaged (the glossary in the beginning didn’t help). It eventually becomes clearer, but by then I was already struggling to stay invested.

The mystery was predictable, and the romance—described as a slow burn—felt more like an insta-lust that suddenly morphed into love without enough emotional groundwork. The tension just wasn’t convincing, and the relationship arc didn’t feel earned.

The FMC frustrated me. Her choices didn’t always make sense, especially the way she repeatedly trusted people who had clearly proven themselves untrustworthy. And while I appreciate flawed characters, her lack of awareness made her feel a bit one-dimensional. Kadra, too, lacked the complexity needed to justify his role as both love interest and antagonist.

The writing style felt awkward at times, and overall the characters, romance, and world didn’t feel fully developed. For a story marketed as exploring female rage, I found it ironic that the female relationships were so underused.

TL;DR (maybe mild spoilers):
All My Sons, but make it dark fantasy and remove the remorse.
——end of spoilers——

While I know this book has resonated with others, it wasn’t the story I hoped it would be.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the DARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book so much! I love Rome and ancient Roman stories so this was such a refreshing and interesting read for me!

Betrayal, intrigue and politics - this book has it all! I loved this book it had all the angst I love for an enemies to reluctant lovers trope! But what I loved is even though billed as romantasy the romance wasn't the key focus of the story and there is plenty of plot that drives the story forward. I was hoping to get more details in the book about how the magic system works and what determines the level of powers in someone and whilst its hinted at there's not much in the way of explanation. However, this doesn't detract too much from the overall story - I'm just a sucker for exploring everything within a book.

And I absolutely love Kadra and his relationship with Sarai - here's to a new favourite book boyfriend.

I had a great time reading it and would throughly recommend this to anyone looking for a historical inspired fantasy romance with a great magic system and a strong FMC.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for sending me the eARC of this book to review!

This Monster of Mine is a dark, mysterious book with lots of layers and mysteries to solve. We follow Sarai, a young girl who has a truly horrifying past that she can't quite remember due to the trauma of it. She returns to the scene of her past four years on in hopes of finding and getting revenge on the people who tried to kill her. She ends up joining an organisation of magical judges and become the Petitor (someone who uses their magic to tell whether people are lying, and who can also probe into someone's head to see their memories) to the cruel and violent Tetrarch Kadra (who was inspired by Ben Barnes as the Darkling, hell yes), who she believes was involved with the attempt on her life four years ago. As she works with him, she uncovers secrets and plots that threaten the organisation and her entire way of thinking.

First off, the world building and magic system here were so unique and complex; at the start I didn't understand what the new words meant, but I got used to it as the book went on. This is Ancient Roman inspired, and I loved seeing the influences from that time reflected in this book. The magic system is unlike most I've seen before and really sucked me into the story when used early on. It's all so rich and complex, just the way I like it, although I was very confused at the start!

Sarai and Kadra, our two main characters, are super layered and complex as well; there's definitely the theme of grey morality in here, and I enjoyed just how grey Kadra was in what he did. He was painted as a villain, but as you read on you understand why he is the way he is. The slowburn between them was EVERYTHING I love in a romance, did someone say yearning? Their initial attraction was a little quick, but the way they yearned for one another for most of the book was great. It didn't quite have me kicking my feet, but it was still amazing.

I'd definitely recommend to read the content warnings for this one if there's anything you're particularly sensitive to; this book is gory, violent and dark in a lot of senses, so if you'd benefit from knowing the themes then definitely look up those warnings, especially as the prologue chapter is horrific and really lets you know the tone going in.

Overall I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves a fantasy murder mystery, who yearns for more yearning in their romance, and anyone who loves a darker tone and morally grey characters. This is your book! Enjoy!

4.5/5 stars from me!

I absolutely loved it. It was such a rich and compelling story and I couldn't help but be enamored by the word that has been created.

Sarai and Kadra are great MCs with so many layers, and I loved seeing where their stories went.

My only fault with it was Sarais childhood best friend and their relationship, I felt that the same thing kept happening and she never learnt from the situation, but apart from that I really really loved he story and world!

This book follows Sarai as she attempts to find out what happened to her when she was almost murdered four years ago. She has the magical ability to tell when people are lying, which was used as a very intriguing plot device, which kept me questioning people’s motives the whole way through.

The twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat, I could not put this book down! The characters are likeable and unique, and the tension between them is off the charts and so well written. I was rooting for them even though I was questioning if he was her would-be murderer!

I cannot recommend this book enough. If you like romance, mystery, magic, and tension then this book is for you! Even if you don’t you’ll probably still enjoy it.

Five stars all across the board. Shalini is so good at the craft, worldbuilding, character development and more. You must read this! The characters make sure to ask for consent before touching and that is always a good thing to see. Sarai is one of the best characters I’ve ever read about. The way her background is written is mysterious and well-executed and the choices she makes in the present are admirable. Stunning.

Well Crafted - But Not For Me‎‎‎‎‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ₊⊹⁀➴ 3.5
─..★.──────────

The setting for this one really appealed to me and I was excited to read another murder mystery set in a fantasy world. This book delivers on the setting and the mystery elements. It was gruesome and tense and wonderfully threaded with feminine rage.

Sarai is an emotionally complex FMC with a truly horrifying backstory that sets you up to be invested in her pursuit of truth and vengeance. I think a lot of readers will like her, and it's so important that we see characters like this represented in SFF genres. I would love to see more books centred around women, and around victims and their experiences, from this author.

Unfortunately Kadra (our MMC) doesn't hold up to Sarai's level of depth, he is a fairly generic and heavily stereotyped pseudo-villain who we are supposed to fear but never really do. It's also clear from his first appearance that he likes Sarai, and that she finds him physically attractive. I think I would have liked more suspense than that (and more groundwork being laid for romantic interest).

If you are a reader who doesn't prefer a slow-burn from your pairings you might have a better experience with this one. I'm demi, and my preferences will influence how I read romance so... YMMV. The setting is lush and the writing is dark and satisfyingly gritty. Please check the trigger warnings provided by the author before diving in.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing an eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

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✦ Content Warnings: gore (descriptive), PTSD w/ panic attacks, transphobia
✦ Rep: queer and diverse cast, PTSD
✦ Mood: dark, historical, tense

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC.

What a fantastic debut from Shalini. You're thrown right into the story, with the opening prologue giving some indication of the violence to come.

The plot follows our fmc, Sarai, a barmaid in an isolated northern village that treats her like shit. She's saving up to head south to Edessa, the capital city, and attend the Academie there to become a Petitor (they can use their magic to discover if people are lying), so she can find out who tried to murder her 4 years ago. A chance meeting has our FMC dashing south to skip the normal years of tuition and become a Petitor straightaway.

In Edessa, she not only has to prove herself worthy of the Petitor position but also has to fight to keep the moral high ground in a pit of vipers. I really like Sarai as a character and following her story as she comes to terms with the violence inflicted on her and the loss of friendship was heartwrenching. Our MMC on the other hand falls into the fairly cliche brooding overpowered mystery, but I love how much respect he shows for Sarai.

Our author doesn't hide the darker side to people, with corruption, violence, salvery, dehumanisation and degradation front and centre of the story. The story is dark and shocking, but you're rooting for Sarai throughout as she fights for justice.

If you're into strong world-building building this may be a pass, while the character development was great, the world-building is very surface level; do not expect much Roman inspiration, other than a few latinesque terms the world itself doesn't feel particularly Roman, both architecture and the clothing had me thinking it was set in a european medievalesque world, so I'd reccomend just ignoring the blurb setting description (additionally I would say this isn't for you if you're expecting standard Romantasy, the romance is slow burn (which I love) and the story is driven by plot rather than romance). The magic system was interesting but confusing at times and massively underutilised, but the plot and well-written prose do make up for these shortcomings.

Overall, a fantastic debut by Shalini. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next

DNF

In recent years we've had a whole lot of books that give priority to tropes over plot and this one's no exception. Unfortunately, I cannot bring myself to finish it, at least at the moment. I don't think this one's for me.