Book Review: The Monsters in Your Neighborhood by Jesse Petersen

The Monsters in Your Neighborhood by Jesse Petersen

Expected Date of Publication: July 29, 2013

If you ever find yourself with some time on a lazy afternoon, in the mood for a book that's light, funny and just a little silly, I highly recommend the Monstrosity series by Jesse Petersen. They're super quick reads and are like pure fluffy cotton candy for the brain. Anyway, I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This one is actually a follow-up to Club Monstrosity (see my review here), in which we were first introduced to the motley crew of monsters who meets twice a week in a church basement for their Monstofelldosis Anonymous support group. After the events of that first book, however, the topics of their meetings have understandably shifted from more touchy-feely subjects to war planning and preparations for their fight against the descendent of fiction's most famous monster hunter and his family, the Van Helsings.

The old gang is back -- minus the few we lost in the first book, of course, but there are a couple new additions to the cast as well. Speaking of which, why, yes that is indeed Cthulhu you see on the right side of the cover. I admit my inner Lovecraftian horror fan danced a little jig in glee at the appearance of Patrick, even if the thought of an Old One cavorting with the likes of Natalie, Alec, Kai et al. is more than a bit surreal.

This was a cute story, very funny, and quite similar in nature to the first book, except with more casual swearing than I think I remember. If you're in the mood for a "popcorn book" or something to lift your spirits or give yourself a break from the stress, this does the trick. It's told in a very good-humored, teasing way, and doesn't take itself too seriously.

Thrusting the issue of social media into the lives of these characters, some of whom are hundreds if not thousands of years old, is also a nice touch. Dracula with an iPhone still cracks me up, though I think the image of Igor watching Sex and the City might give him a run for his money. Like I've said before in past reviews, it always fascinates me to see authors tackle re-tellings or satirical takes on fairy tales and classic literature, and putting a light spin on movie monsters ranks up there on my list of interesting ideas.

Final verdict:

4 of 5 stars