Mr. Monster

I read Mr. Monster in two days.  I can't recall ever reading a book anywhere near this length in two days.  That's saying something.

John Cleaver is one of the better characters in contemporary fiction.  He has a picture of himself that is sometimes unreliable, which is fairly unique from what I've read.  He considers himself a sociopath, even though he's shown that he can handle himself better than most "normal" people.  His relationship with Brooke was really fun to read.  She isn't the best character, but the connection between her and John is what really mattered in this book.  Her idea of fun leads to a few boring pages (you have to read it to understand).  I could live with it.  Lauren was a good character this time around, definitely better than in I Am Not A Serial Killer.  The rest of the characters ranged from passable to good.  The main antagonist didn't wow me as much as I would have liked.  Still, a solid cast, especially for YA.

Nothing changed from I Am Not A Serial Killer setting-wise.  "The setting satisfied the novel's needs, no more, no less.  I didn't get quite as much of a "lived in" feel as I should have gotten.  However, it never bothered me while I was reading."

This novel was paced well for the first 200 pages.  The last 100 were a little disappointing because they basically consisted of a strung-out climax and falling action (part of which I disliked).  I can't complain too much though.  Overall the plot could have been a little stronger.

After much deliberation, I've settled on a rating of 94%.