There's No Such Thing as Monsters

By: Ren Ryder

Narrated by: Greg Patmore

Length: 5 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's Summary

Monsters come in all shapes and sizes, and not all of them have sharp teeth and beady red eyes.

New London. A thriving metropolis at the forefront of technological advancement and a shining gem of civilization.

Faeries. Whether they come off cute and cuddly or downright predatory, they all bring misfortune or are heralds of it.

Experience is a harsh taskmistress, but her lessons sink the deepest. Having been taught the lesson at a great cost, Kal’s rules for dealing with faeries are simple: Don’t talk to them, don’t look at them, don’t give them the time of the day. 

So, when the Other Side comes knocking one fateful, stormy day, Kal, at first, pretends not to notice. Was forgetting this rule his folly? 

His way of life is in great danger. His little sister, Sammie, a natural mage, is taken by Ouroboros, a criminal organization made up of raving lunatics that profit off the misery and suffering of others, and have everything to do with all the crimes of magic in New London. 

Kal will go to any lengths to save his sister, even to his death. Accompanied by his sylph companion, a mischievous pest, Kal dives deep into the dark underbelly of the city. But, are his hands enough to dig his sister out from the muck?

©2019 Derek Edgington (P)2019 Derek Edgington

An Action packed Dark Fantasy

This was a dark and gritty urban fantasy. Ouroboros, a magical mafia vs. Faerie with Kal and his sister Sammie caught in the middle. Kal is aided by a blood-thirsty fairy named Bell. Their interactions and banter provide some much needed humor. The story is quite action packed and full of interesting people and places. All very well described and imagined. The only problem I had with the story was that you had no idea why Ouroboros suddenly wanted Sammie or why Faerie was taking a personal interest in Kal. I even went back a re-listened to the first couple chapters thinking I had missed a key point. All is finally revealed in a plot twisting final chapter that sets up the next book,
The narrator Greg Patmore’s performance was amazing. He gave each character a completely different voice. His pacing and tone set the atmosphere and truly enhanced the story.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Be Prepared to Move On to Book Two

Right off, this book doesn't end in a cliffhanger per se, but it does make you want to move on to the next book in the series.

There's No Such Thing as Monsters takes place in New London with a brother and sister struggling to make a life. The mundane and Otherworld overlap a bit, with some people gifted to see fairy beings, but most not.

The adventure begins when a curious fairy explores the mundane world. And, this is a grand adventure! The world building is huge and colorful, mean and petty. It's glorious!

Narrator Greg Patmore is extremely talented, and the story lives the author's words through his rendition. It is like he is an ancient bard, telling the tale, and not reading from a manuscript. *bravo*

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

the lies of faerie

This book was a little Tam-lin, a touch Carvival Row, with a bit of illuminati thrown in for good measure. I loved the way that your expectations are being subverted and the faerie myths are blended into this Dickenson story. I cant wait for the next one! I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

very good and a bit dark

This book a bit of a gaslamp fantasy noir, It's great example of what the genre can be. The characters are great and the world building is intriguing, The story is fantastical but also gritty. It's really quite compelling and will leave you wanting more.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Interesting listening

I recieved a complimentary copy of this audiobook, and this is my honest review. I really enjoyed this book. the only thing I didn't really like was how it ended. I understand it was to lead us into the next book in the series, but I feel like the book was incomplete. Otherwise I really enjoyed this book.

There's no such thing as monsters

I loved this book!Well,I did get a bit tired of Bells obnoxiosness. Kal has only tried to be there for his little sister.Due to circumstances beyond his control,he can't be.It seems his life is not his own.Greg Patmore did a wonderful job with all the voices.I hope to catch book 2!I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.' 

Interesting fairie world

This is the first book I’ve read/listened to by this author and I would like to listen to more in this series. I like the interplay between Kal and the Sylph. The storyline is interesting and original. For all Kal’s efforts to keep his sister safe, things don’t work out as he expected.

This is the first book I’ve listened to by this narrator ( Greg Patmore ) and I would listen to another.
He has a good storytelling pace and style. His character voices are done well. He uses accents to help differentiate. I like his fairy voice. He does female voices well.

There are no explicit sex scenes, excessive violence or swearing.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily left this unbiased review.
Please feel free to comment on whether you found my review helpful.

Monsters aren't always what we think

Ryder writes a gritty, take no prisoners story of the price of power and how the fae are not always so fair.

Patmore tells the tale with style and skill giving the listener lots to hold onto as the mystery unravels.

Good world, mediocre plot.

[Note of disclosure: I was gifted this book by the author for review purposes, but will try to be as unbiased as possible in my review]


This time I'll take a look at Ren Ryder's There is no Such Thing as Monsters, another audiobook, this time narrated by Greg Patmore. I will review the book by itself, then add my impression of the narrating at the end, and lastly give a score that mostly is the book, but the narrating will weigh enough to influence the final score.


My experience with There is no Such Thing as Monsters were… average. I enjoyed listening to it, but not much stuck with me.


The plot is good enough to continue listening, but it's pretty standard; MC is really powerful and has a secret that would make him stand out if he started using it, but he won't as he doesn't want to. Something happens that forces him to use the power, and then he cannot stop moving down the spiral of fate.


I usually don't mind generic plots, hell, it's basically the majority of what I read, but usually those books put some interesting twist on the genericness, sadly I couldn't find any of that in this book.


I also felt like the big plot twists in the end weren't hinted at enough throughout the book, which left a bad taste in my mouth.


Regarding the characters, I do like them powerful, just like the generic plots, they're the majority of what I read, and in this case, Kal himself isn't that big of a problem, power-wise, however, something that annoyed me a bit was how he never learned that Belle (his fairy travel companion), was a lot more powerful than himself and didn't stop playing tricks on her, just for her to respond in kind. It all just felt like a cheap comedy skit.


Belle reminded me a bit of Puck from Berserk (just that she wasn't worthless in battle), so that's a plus.


The world building is definitely the stronger point of this book. It reminds me a bit of the greater urban fantasy world building (even though the book isn't urban fantasy) out there, with the kinda secret magical society hiding from the mundane world.


The fights are also neatly described and Ryder doesn't shy from the more gory side of battles and spills a lot of blood throughout the series.


As for the narration; I definitely liked it. Patmore has a really relaxing voice and he's pretty good at voice acting. I definitely raises my score.


Overall, I give the book a 5/10 with the hope that the second book goes more into the magical element of the world, which it seems like it will

Exciting YA Dark Fantasy

So I'm going to start out with my morality rating on this one - in terms of movie ratings, I would place it as a PG13. There's a lot of violence bordering on graphic, there is some bad language although happily no f-bombs, and the overall tone of the book is pretty dark. That being said it really was a lot of fun. I found it an imaginative and fun mix of magic, faerie, magical mafia, and some monsters. It starts with two orphans, Kal and his little sister Sammie who are being housed by a local priest. Kal and Sammie are among the few that can see faeries and monsters and Kal has learned to avoid them and pretend he can't see them. Through a series of bad events Kal tries to protect his sister but they end up separated and he finds himself depending on a sylph (dark faerie) that craves his blood and although she is in a contract to help and protect him, she is constantly looking forward to if he doesn't survive then she'll be able to feast on his body. This unlikely pair does offer the much needed comic relief and at other times the little faerie was both annoying and a bit disturbing. The book finishes pretty abruptly (not really a cliffhanger) and is definitely setting up for this to be a pretty intense series that leaves you wanting the next book. The narrator was top notch! He did all the voices and his overall acting skills really added to the fun of listening.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Brilliant

Magic, fights, underground rebellion... and a funny little fairy!
Fantastically narrated, Greg really manages to pull off great voices and adapts to the circumstances in the book.
Was disappointed when it ended, but hope another’s input it’s way soon!
This is my honest opinion of a free review copy.

Monsters Are All Around Us

A wonderfully atmospheric tale set in an alternate London. Voice work on the characters is excellent.
I received a free review copy of this audio book and am voluntarily leaving a review,
The story building is well done and you learn to love the protagonists. But never trust a fairy.
Definitely worth a listen

Fab dark fantasy

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Kal goes in search of his little Sister Sammie who is a Mage and has been kidnapped by a criminal organisation called Ouroboros. He has the help of a fairy called Belle who isn’t the sweet fairy we all presume.
Greg Patmore is brilliant at narrating all the characters .

There are such things as monsters!

There are such things as monsters and they are brilliant!
I received a free review copy of this audio book and am voluntarily leaving a review, BUT I would have happily spent a credit to get this book. The world building in every detail is amazing and we l thought out, I felt like I was in that world, and in my opinion that is the true test that a book is something special. I am definitely going to spend a credit to get see where the story goes next. The narrator does a excellent job, every person (or fairy) is distinct. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and can't recommend it enough.

Interesting

Interesting book though a bit more worldbuilding is nedded. the narator does an excellent at all the different voices. Deffinitly one I'll be following.

not to shabby

I was given a free copy of this book and I'm leaving an honest and voluntary review on audible once I'm done.

I quite enjoyed this book, it's nicely done and well thought out.
The narration is superb giving each character individualailty.

Entertaining

There’s No Such Thing As Monsters is a teen/ YA fantasy book involving a young man who tries to protect his younger sister. The story has plenty of action and creatures. The characters are interesting and entertaining. The plot has twists. There were a few areas in the story that I wanted to goose the hero so that he’d make a decision. The narrator did a great job! I received a free copy of this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.