Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama

Monstrous BeautyMonstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama
Published by: Farrar Straus and Giroux on September 4, 2012
Genre: Fantasy, Mermaids, Romance
Pages: 295
Source: Won
Buy on AmazonBook Details
Rating: ★★★½

Fierce, seductive mermaid Syrenka falls in love with Ezra, a young naturalist. When she abandons her life underwater for a chance at happiness on land, she is unaware that this decision comes with horrific and deadly consequences.

Almost one hundred forty years later, seventeen-year-old Hester meets a mysterious stranger named Ezra and feels overwhelmingly, inexplicably drawn to him. For generations, love has resulted in death for the women in her family. Is it an undiagnosed genetic defect . . . or a curse? With Ezra's help, Hester investigates her family's strange, sad history. The answers she seeks are waiting in the graveyard, the crypt, and at the bottom of the oceanβ€”but powerful forces will do anything to keep her from uncovering her connection to Syrenka and to the tragedy of so long ago.

I have read no other book like Monstrous Beauty. We have mermaids, ghosts, history, lineage, love, heartbreak, and a fascinating story with multiple characters whose lives, deaths, and fates are all intertwined.

I love how Monstrous Beauty is told in two different time periods: modern day and the 1800s. It allows us to follow Hester’s life as she tries to piece together her history, and follow Syrenka’s life as she lives the very history that Hester is trying to uncover. We read about Syrenka’s tragedy, and then switch to Hester trying to figure out her lineage, and what may be a curse that follows her family.

Monstrous Beauty is riddled with a lot of death and sadness. The truth that finally emerges is really devastating.. but I won’t spoil it for you. πŸ˜‰ The mermaids are brutal, harsh, and violent. They earn a very bad reputation amongst the sailor and fishermen’s myths, and for the most part, it is well deserved.

Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama - There is no satisfaction in eternity

I was actually surprised how little romance is in the book. Obviously, the story itself was fueled by romance, but it doesn’t dominate the story at all. The main point of the story is really the mystery aspect—Hester trying to learn about her lineage. She follows clues from the library to the graveyard to the bottom of the ocean. She tries to figure out why all the mothers in her family die after giving birth. The reason behind that is linked to a tragic love story, but we mostly learn about the history of that love rather than actually experience it first-hand.

I suppose the romance was my main disappointment. It was sweet between Syrenka and Ezra, but there wasn’t much romance between Hester and Ezra. Obviously it all gets explained in the end and it makes sense, but the romance between Hester and Ezra was so small, fleeting, and insta-lovey that I didn’t care for it. There is a reason for that insta-love, but it didn’t make it much more tolerable for me.

I think the main problem is that the real romance was between Syrenka and Ezra. But since their story was really the backstory to the main story (with Hester), we don’t see the full development of that romance. We just see tiny bits and pieces of it. Then Hester’s romance with Ezra is like BAM all at once. I was expecting a really hot, intense, passionate romance that defied all odds and time itself; I didn’t quite realize that the main component here was the mystery, rather than the romance. From the little bits that we do see, I’d say the romance is based more on infatuation and the time period (in the 1800s people didn’t date for years before marriage; if it wasn’t an arranged marriage, people often went, “Hmm you’re hot. Let’s get married!”).

But overall, I really enjoyed this story. I loved trying to piece together all the facts and uncover the truth. Once I got about 60 or 70% through, I pretty much already knew exactly what the ending will be, which was a bit of a bummer. But the book was still dark, creepy, and very much worth reading! My favourite part is definitely how all the characters come together at the end. They all play a significant role in the history, and it’s brilliant to see how they overlap and intertwine!

The Verdict

prettygood

Photo of Ashley
I'm a 30-something California girl living in England (I fell in love with a Brit!). My three great passions are: books, coding, and fitness. more »

Don't miss my next post!

Sign up to get my blog posts sent directly to your inbox (plus exclusive store discounts!).

You might like these

9 comments

  1. Monstrous Beauty caught my eye a while ago, but I haven’t read that many reviews on it. I’m glad to see you enjoyed it, as it definitely sounds like the kind of book I’d enjoy. I’m definitely intrigued by the mystery that revolves around the story, although I’m kind of gutted that we don’t experience the romance that seems to be heavily linked to the curse in Hester’s lineage. Fantastic review!

    Hollie @ Music, Book recently posted: January TBR Pile
    1. Thank you Hollie! Yeah I honestly expected A LOT of heavy, sexy romance in this book. I’m bummed we didn’t see more of it. It’s kind of hard to explain why without giving spoilers though. πŸ˜›

  2. I really look forward to this book only because of the cover and the fact that it is a mermaid story.
    Now reading your review I want to read it even more!

  3. I’ve seen this book practically everywhere and so many glowing reviews as well, so it’s refreshing to see a bit of a dissenting opinion that focuses on some of the more negative aspects. I love the concept of brutal, violent mermaids, historical influences and tragic history all rolled into one, but UGHHH insta-love! No! Anyhow, wonderful review Ashley πŸ™‚ I’ll probably read this one eventually..

  4. I’ve been debating whether I wanted to read this book or not because of the disgusting post the author posted on her blog, but I’m thinking that maybe I should after reading so many raving reviews. I’m glad to hear that your enjoyed the book even if you were disappointed by the lack of the romance. I probably would be disappointed to because I’m a romance junkie! πŸ˜‰
    Still, I like how the book seems to mix to different time periods. It seems very interesting.
    Beautiful review, Ashley! πŸ™‚

    Nick @ Nick's Book Blog recently posted: Review : Prophecy by Ellen Oh

Recent Posts

    Random Posts