Review: Fun and cute but not long enough
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 07 29, 2013
**Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy**THE MONSTERS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD was a cute but incomplete feeling story. While there were aspects I enjoyed, like the humor and the secondary characters, there wasn't enough for me to really get into it and I really wished it had been longer and more fleshed out. The main character, Natalie, was the one who really got the most screen time and I really liked her as the heroine, because I felt an innate goodness in her which made her very likable and sympathetic amongst some other characters who were a bit obnoxious. Because of the length though, we don't get much time with the other characters.I'm kind of over 200 page novels. Sure, it's a story- but quite frequently, it isn't enough. It's not a short story, but it's not a full length (as I would define it) novel either. It's a shorter story arc, and less time to develop characters, and it seems like a bit of a cop-out that's allowed because we live in a world that wants to have a new book every month. I would gladly wait (and pay more!) for something longer and more developed.My biggest problem with THE MONSTERS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD was the villains. They're total hand rubbing, evil laughing, cookie cutter villains and it was annoying, to be honest. Annoying- and predictable. The upside is the "good guys." Those characters are ones I want to see more of, for example, Pat, the Cthulhu and Kai and Rehu, the mummy couple. They're fun and I feel like a bit of extra length would have allowed for more of their personality to shine. Also, I love the inclusion of social media in a modern day Van Helsing's fight against the evil monsters. Their methods of fighting have been updated and make a lot of more sense in our world today. Even if I was rooting for the monsters to win in the end.I know it sounds like I didn't like the book, but THE MONSTERS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD was fun and definitely a quick read. I really am only complaining so much because I did like it and wished it would have lasted longer! Maybe, had I read the first Monstrosity book, CLUB MONSTROSITY, I would have enjoyed it more, because I would have had a bit more background. Regardless, the idea of a support group for "monsters" and the original take on these monsters (I bet you can't remember the last UF book you read with a Cthulhu monster) is entertaining and I'm willing to take a look at the next Monstrosity book when it comes out.