The Monster of Elendhaven

"The overuse of the “f” word made this come off as very juvenile. A curse word here and there is to be expected these days, but it gets to a point where it gives the impression that it was written by a fourteen year old who just realized they can say curse words and not get in trouble. However, there is a lot of potential here. I see this as a story that would translate well to the screen. I imagine it as a 1980’s style dark fantasy film, a grungy claymation short, or even a 90’s horror anime. "

""Don't you feel it, sometimes? As if the world wants to consume itself?"<br/><br/>2.5⭐<br/><br/>The Monster of Elendhaven is a gothic novella, and it started out so well. At some point, the tone shifts, and everything went downhill for me from there. The writing was gorgeous, but the story didn't totally make sense. It felt like information was missing. I don't have much else to say on it because it was a short novella, but unfortunately, this one didn't work for me."

"This short little novel surprised me more than a few times- the biggest being it's a dark lgbtq romance! Super indulgent"

"The Monster of Eldendhaven is a deliciously perverse read about characters turned monsters from their insatiable thirst for vengeance. I had not the slightest clue of what this book was truly about, however, the synopsis intrigued me and it would have been a mistake on my part had I failed to pick it up. Giesbrecht crafts such a wondrously horrific world on the edge of its disappearance paired with lush and vivid prose. These two constituents were integral to the overall effect of the novel and paired with a wrenchingly depraved relationship made up for the lack of length and relatively abrupt ending. Johann, the literal portrayal of a monster and inhabitant of the shadows, delights in endeavors of turpitude for amusement all the while without purpose or direction. Florian, however, is a delicate man of echelon and thus, an unsuspected monster in his own right. The two are dichotomous but as fate would have it, are parts of a whole. Florian is set on burning the world with everyone in it while Johann ostensibly follows blindly. Although there is a power imbalance, the sheer tenderness of their dynamic conveys the loneliness and incompletion of their own highly flawed characters. I had initially believed that there was simply not enough time to establish a compelling relationship, however, I was confounded that I was nearly able to overlook this matter simply because the relationship was constructed with such a beautiful complexity that it made it riveting. The same can be said for the overall novella and I can confidently state that this book has become a contender for my favorite reads of 2022. "

"Absolutely loved it - so much world building in the short novella. It really feels like it is part of something bigger (but unfortunately is so far a one off) I wished there was a second one. "

"Beautifully written prose with an fantastic aesthetic. If your also looking for a LGBTQ+ book with horror in a Victorian setting this is it. "

"Beautifully written."