Audiobook Review – The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht, Narrated by Daniel Henning (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Dark Fantasy
Length: 3 hours and 53 minutes
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Release Date: September 24, 2019
ASIN: B07SXX8NH3
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Borrowed Audiobook from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars
“The city of Elendhaven sulks on the edge of the ocean. Wracked by plague, abandoned by the South, stripped of industry and left to die. But not everything dies so easily. A thing without a name stalks the city, a thing shaped like a man, with a dark heart and long pale fingers yearning to wrap around throats. A monster who cannot die. His frail master sends him out on errands, twisting him with magic, crafting a plan too cruel to name, while the monster’s heart grows fonder and colder and more cunning.
These monsters of Elendhaven will have their revenge on everyone who wronged the city, even if they have to burn the world to do it.”
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I borrowed a copy of this on audiobook from the library.
Audiobook Quality (4/5): The audiobook quality was well done. The voice the narrator uses for Johann is a bit annoying but nothing awful. In general it was well done.
Thoughts: This is an odd little book that is a blend of horror, magic, and depravity. I actually found it more fascinating than I expected. It is a quick listen and my biggest complaint is that the way it ended felt abrupt or maybe like an intro to a series?
Johann was born of the depravity of Elendhaven and learned to like hurting other people. Then he chanced upon Florian, a mage that wants to see the people of Elendhaven suffer…and Johann wants a part of it. Florian and Johann will make Elendhaven suffer…
This was a fascinating little read that was strangely compelling. I loved the city of Elendhaven, an abandoned mining town in the far and cold north where the water is black and everything suffers. At times it has a very Lovecraftian vibe to it. Things occasionally come up from the sea and sometimes things that go out into the sea are changed.
I also adored the twisted relationship Johann and Florian develop. They are broken, depraved characters and at times their antics made me laugh out loud but at other times the strange longing between the two of them is entracing. Of course, it is not exactly longing as you would traditionally expect it not with characters like these. The setting, these complex characters and the eerie writing style are enough for me to give this four stars.
However, this little book does have some very large problems as well. Initially I thought I kind of figured out what the point of the plot was, but it unraveled as the story continued. By the end I wasn’t really sure what the point was and was mostly confused. It feels very unfinished. However, strangely that didn’t bother me as much as it should have…this was like a delightful little journey down a slimy magical dark alley. I feel guilty that I enjoyed it, I am confused by what I saw, but willing to forgive because the experience was just so different and weird.
My Summary (4/5): Overall this won’t be for most people but I thought it was a strangely compelling fantasy horror story about murder, plagues, magic and two men with desperate longings for evil things. It is a confusing story but the beautifully built city of Elendhaven and the fascinating characters of Johann and Florian were enough for me to overlook that…mostly. This wasn’t a huge time commitment to read and it was weird enough that I plan on checking out Giesbrecht’s future stories just to see where she ends up.