The Shape of Monsters

De: C L Hellisen

Narrado por: Omari Douglas

Audible Originals are proud to present, The Shape of Monsters by CL Hellisen, narrated by Omari Douglas, star of Black Doves and It's a Sin.

In a world where power is everything, Aleks and Vaira Kercheval have rejected their magical heritage. The lives they have carefully constructed for themselves are torn asunder when they inherit Aubrey House, their family's ancestral home. When the siblings cross the threshold, a long-dormant magic awakens, thrusting them into a world of ancient feuds and twisted powers.

As Vaira embraces her magical heritage, determined to claim her rightful place among the Mage Houses, the powerless Aleks accidentally summons Ilea, a monstrous prince from the Void, thereby binding himself to a creature of immense power and insatiable hunger.

Aleks and Vaira find themselves on either side of a magical divide. But dark forces are at work, threatening to tear apart the fragile peace between the ancient families.

When Vaira's quest for power leads her into the depths of the Void, Aleks must make an impossible choice - betray his sister to save her from corruption, or watch as she becomes something monstrous and inhuman. As the lines between human and monster blur, each must decide how far they'll go to survive in a world where even gods can fall.

The Shape of Monsters is a treasure trove of dark magic and family blood, where the price of power is paid with the ultimate sacrifice.

©2025 C L Hellison (P)2025 Audible Ltd.

Messy Characters

It's been a while since I've read anything with characters that actually have depths deeper than a teacup. This story is one of those. The main characters are very much shaped by their life circumstances and that is a major theme of the story. You can see the way they are also subsequently shaped by the narrative as it goes along, and their actions make sense to who they are as people. Low bar I know, but it seems like a lot of writing today doesn't bother to make their chars feel more life like.

This is not a happy story. But it is absolutely one worth listening to and it brings up a lot of things to think on. And for me at least it was pretty gripping.

That can’t really be the end of the story, can it?

The story is quite engaging, and if the author is planning to write a sequel, I’m definitely going to listen to the audiobook.

There are a few things that are a little jarring. Also, people who are looking for character growth are probably not going to find it. But, I’m okay with that because - just like real people - some people never really grow/transform into better version of themselves, and some things in life don’t always make sense.

In any case, I hope that’s not how story really ends, because - it is - it’s rather underdeveloped.

An unexpected like.

The title peaked my curiosity. I thought this was going to be a dense book of fluff and filler. But from the opening scene, Alex, the outcast, drew me in,

Dark and moody but to what end.

Not to say this story is without charm, however I hate every single character in the story. The brother was a piece of work, the sister ended up only marginally better. This is a story where I may think to root against everyone, The brother never quite crosses over from. pathetic figure to sympathetic figure. And we could always tell where the sister was headed almost immediately.

good stuff

very deep in character building. the magic was rich and interesting as well. the emotional roller coaster of both siblings got irritating after a point. I kept having to remind myself that the two siblings were "idiots". but definitely hope the second book (maybe?) will be a bit faster paced, and have less sibling squabbles.

Not to give away spoilers, but I enjoyed the view on magic.

There had better be a part two! Story instantly drew me in, but it's incomplete.

the story HAD potential

Not I good read. Ending was very unsatisfying. Don't waste your time if you're hoping for any kind of redemptive arc on any of the characters. Everybody does exactly what you think they will do. The ending is clearly trying to set up a sequel which I personally won't be bothering with. It was right about the fourth erotic chapter-length description of the character Alex bangin' his demon slave that I decided to start fast forwarding every few minutes just to see if I could get lost and have to backtrack for plot details. I never had to rewind. The main characters are horrible to each other, whiney, and pathetic choices for protagonists. There is not one character that is developed well and that helps to drive the plot forward without making the absolute worst choices or failing to ask the most obvious questions. I guess I'm lucky it was a free title. just wish I could get the time back now.