Monstrous Heart by Claire McKenna

That gorgeous cover made me check out the premise and Monstrous Heart is marketed as gothic, dark romance for fans of Outlander and the Binding.

From the cover you'd think this is a YA book, but personally I would rather place it as New Adult or even Adult due to the heavy emphasis on sexual assault and violence (magic users cut themselves to use their blood).

I loved the concept of the sea monsters, their parts and how to use them and I'd have loved to read more about them. There were also hints about different cultures and religions, but sadly those weren't fleshed out more.

I wasn't a fan of the main character being in constant danger of sexual assault and the whole story and world had a big issue with misogyny and consent in general (men kidnapping and raping women on Deepwater Night). This might be where the Outlander reference comes in.

There were some plot holes surrounding Bellis and the Islands and the ending did not satisfy me at all. Altogether this had some promising elements in it and I still want to check out other works from this author, simply because I could hardly put the book down after my initial confusion in the first few chapters.

Monstrous Heart would immensely benefit from including some illustrations, maps and an appendix to make it easier for the reader to follow the magic system.

Thank you Harper Voyager and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.