Ordinary Monsters
The Talents, Book 1
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Narrated by:
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Ben Onwukwe
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Written by:
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J. M. Miro
About this listen
"Charles Dickens meets Joss Whedon in Miro’s otherworldly Netflix-binge-like novel." —Washington Post
MOST ANTICIPATED SFF BOOK of 2022 by Tor, The Nerd Daily, BookBub, Philadelphia Inquirer, Goodreads, CrimeReads, Buzzfeed, Professional Book Nerds, and more! BEST BOOK OF SUMMER 2022 by SheReads, Book Riot, Goodreads, Gizmodo, Daily Beast, Paste Magazine, and more!
In this stunning historical fantasy, journey to the Victorian era, as children with mysterious powers are hunted by a figure of darkness in a battle of good vs. evil...
Charlie Ovid, despite surviving a brutal childhood in Mississippi, doesn't have a scar on him. His body heals itself, whether he wants it to or not. Marlowe, a foundling from a railway freight car, shines with a strange bluish light. He can melt or mend flesh. When Alice Quicke, a jaded detective with her own troubled past, is recruited to escort them to safety, all three begin a journey into the nature of difference and belonging, and the shadowy edges of the monstrous.
What follows is a story of wonder and betrayal, from the gaslit streets of London, and the wooden theaters of Meiji-era Tokyo, to an eerie estate outside Edinburgh where other children with gifts—like Komako, a witch-child and twister of dust, and Ribs, a girl who cloaks herself in invisibility—are forced to combat the forces that threaten their safety. There, the world of the dead and the world of the living threaten to collide. With this new found family, Komako, Marlowe, Charlie, Ribs, and the rest of the Talents discover the truth about their abilities. And as secrets within the Institute unfurl, a new question arises: What truly defines a monster?
Riveting in its scope, exquisitely written, Ordinary Monsters presents a catastrophic vision of the Victorian world—and of the gifted, broken children who must save it.
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What listeners say about Ordinary Monsters
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Brad Bedyk
- 2023-05-19
Excellent
Book was great, Narrator was phenomenal. He had the perfect voice for this book and I lost track of the huge number of different voices and accents he did.
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- Roger
- 2023-01-26
Narrator get you deep in this book, very good
The story starts slow but got momentum soon, and the description is very detailed.
The narrator is very good and the tone and expression get you deep in the story.
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- Pierre Geoffroy
- 2023-08-30
Monstrously enjoyable!
What a wonderfully entertaining story. The narrator is superbe. I highly recommend this very different book.
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- David Zulak
- 2022-09-07
I won't be reading the next one
This is a fairly unique book.
The world building is excellent. Setting the story during the industrial revolution gave it a bit of a Dracula vibe. It highlights a dark and brutal chapter in human history.
The narrator has a deep, resonant voice, which works well for 75% of the characters. A few of the characters, particularly some of the children, are rendered in a way that I found physically painful to listen to.
There are many pivotal characters in the book. perhaps too many. The lives and safety of 4 or 5 children drive the plot. Their supernatural abilities, combined with orphanhood and a brutal start to life, create a commradery among them. But no one child stood out as a main character.
Several adults emerge as the guardians, protectors, teachers, and sometimes manipulators of the children. No one of them stands out as a main character.
In the end I found it hard to care about what happens to them. As a result I won't be reading the next one.
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- Malika Polenova
- 2023-11-21
Slow and dark
Dark book and very very slow. So many descriptions and details that not really needed.
The narrator makes all female voices sound as if they nearly dying 100 old grandmas, even if it’s a girl’s voice + the accents maybe sound kinda accurate to that time and place but that’s what makes dialogs literally impossible to understand.
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1 person found this helpful
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- sandra
- 2023-08-16
Ordinary monsters
Took me a bit to get into it but really did enjoy it. Narrator was good except at times I had to turn up the volume quite a bit to hear him. Looking forward the book 2
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- Esther S.
- 2022-08-13
Fantastic!
Wonderful narration. Great characters. Lovely story. Sad to come to the end - but maybe a sequel?
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1 person found this helpful
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- Lisa
- 2023-05-20
Great Book
Ms Peregrine meets Harry Potter sort of feel. Very quick wrap up - so pay attention near the end!
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- Mike albrecht
- 2024-11-27
very old school writing.
did not enjoy. too old fashioned. I saw a review that said it was Dickens meets joss wedon, and that review is a flat out lie. this story sucked.
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- Frank Duchcherer
- 2024-11-25
Terrible Drivel
couldn't even force myself to finish. kept telling myself that it would get better. It didn't.
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