Monstrous Devices, Damien Love
Monstrous Devices, Damien Love
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Monstrous Devices

Author: Damien Love

Narrator: Allan Corduner

Unabridged: 9 hr 27 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/16/2018


Synopsis

“I enjoyed everything about Damien Love’s debut—its title, its breakneck action, its sly sense of humor. I wish my first novel had been as imaginative and assured.” —Anthony Horowitz, New York Times bestselling author of the Alex Rider series

On a winter’s day in a British town, twelve-year old Alex receives a package in the mail: an old tin robot from his grandfather. “This one is special,” says the enclosed note, and when strange events start occurring around him, Alex suspects this small toy is more than special; it might be deadly.
 
Right as things get out of hand, Alex’s grandfather arrives, pulling him away from an attack—and his otherwise humdrum world of friends, bullies, and homework—and into the macabre magic of an ancient family feud. Together, the duo flees across snowy Europe, unraveling the riddle of the little robot while trying to outwit relentless assassins of the human and mechanical kind.
 
With an ever-present admiration for the hidden mysteries of our world, Monstrous Devices plunges readers into a gripping adventure that’s sure to surprise.

About The Author

Damien Love was born in Scotland and lives in the city of Glasgow, where, even as you read these words, it is raining. He has worked as a journalist for many years, writing about movies, music, TV, and other things for a variety of publications. He has the ability to talk to cats, but there is no evidence that they understand him. Monstrous Devices is his first novel. Learn more at damienlove.com.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Justin

The grandfather is a supremely unlikable character, and the pace and plotting get real dodgy in the last fifty pages. But the setting is compelling, the story is intriguing on the whole, and there is a lot for me to like about a middle-grade novel that doesn't flinch at getting a little dark; kids n......more

AD - Thanks to Rock the Boat for gifting me an ARC to review! Oh my. So.. Like.. I don't know but in a way I'm ashamed to admit that yet another middle grade-book spooked me. I already admitted to Schwab's City of Ghosts scaring me - not to mention if she'd written it as a young adult or even an adul......more

Goodreads review by Kathy

Damien Love’s MONSTROUS DEVICES is a devilishly creepy children’s book about a young boy’s journey with his grandfather. Twelve-year-old Alex collects toy robots, but when his grandfather sends him a strange, very old looking, little tin robot, neither of them are prepared for what happens. The robo......more

Goodreads review by Bridget

This is a great big rollicking adventure with a touch of magic and a hefty dose of witty conversation. A thoroughly enjoyable romp, over rooftops, in creepy houses, on country lanes and in the company of one of the most lovely grandad and grandson combos you'd hope to meet. Alex finds himself joinin......more

Goodreads review by Jemima

There is plenty to enjoy about this book. A boy and his grandfather, hurrying away on the train to Paris in winter. A toy robot which seems just a bit, well, different. Unusual events happening to Alex at school (and the bullying not playing too large a part in the overall book, thank goodness....) T......more


Quotes

“I enjoyed everything about Damien Love’s debut—its title, its breakneck action, its sly sense of humor. If you imagine Rick and Morty colliding with early Spielberg, you get some idea of this delirious adventure . . . and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see it on the screen. I wish my first novel had been as imaginative and assured.” —Anthony Horowitz, New York Times bestselling author of the Alex Rider series

"What fun! An evil villain, a host of scary robots, big and small, and a hero with commendably bad personal habits. Loved it!" —John FlanaganNew York Times bestselling author of the Ranger's Apprentice and Brotherband series

"Monstrous Devices effortlessly brings mythic legend and modern life together in one exhilarating, breathless chase. With humor, relentless adventure, and true insight, Damien Love compels us to look closely at our wishes and illusions, at the dark and light forces of creation, at what really makes us tick." —S. E. Grove, New York Times bestselling author of The Glass Sentence

* "Frightening and mysterious....[A] well-crafted adventure."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"A well-knit debut generously stocked with chills, thrills, and chancy exploits."—Kirkus