e-Audio, 16:57:32
Narrated by: Angel Pean
Release Date: July 29, 2025
Published by: Simon & Schuster Audio
Read from: July 23-25, 2025
A Mastery of Monsters, #1
Source: Libro FM (I received a free e-ALC from the publisher and Libro FM. This did nothing to influence my review. Thank you to the publishers for the free ALC copy.)
Content Warning: Gore, Death, Violence, Fatphobia, Drug Use, Racism, Death of a Parent, Suicide, Eating Disorder
For Readers Interested In: Action, Audio, Bombshell/Cliffhanger Endings, Body Diversity, Horror, Most Anticipated, Racial/Ethnic Diversity, Supernatural, YA
Ninth House meets Legendborn in this thrilling first book in a dark academia fantasy series about a teen who’s willing to do anything to find her brother—even infiltrate a secret society full of monsters.
When August’s brother disappears before his sophomore semester, everyone thinks the stress of college got to him. But August knows her brother would never have left her voluntarily, especially not after their mother so recently went missing.
The only clue he left behind was a note telling her to stay safe and protect their remaining family. And after August is attacked by a ten-foot-tall creature with fur and claws, she realizes that her brother might be in more danger than she could have imagined.
Unfortunately for her, the only person with a connection to the mysterious creature is the bookish Virgil Hawthorne…and he knows about them because he is one. If he doesn’t find a partner to help control his true nature, he’ll lose his humanity and become a mindless beast—exactly what the secret society he’s grown up in would love to put down.
Virgil makes a proposition: August will join his society and partner with him, and in return, he’ll help her find her brother. And so August is plunged into a deadly competition to win one of the few coveted candidate spots, all while trying to accept a frightening reality: that monsters are real, and she has to learn to master them if she’s to have any hope of saving her brother.
*MY THOUGHTS*
Ok so I REALLY need to start reading the synopsis. I can honestly say I went into this one completely not knowing anything and it worked 100% in my favor. Yeah this is a slow burn, but because I had no idea what was going on, I was waiting on pins and needles to see what happened next!
Ok so you know I don’t usually like slow burns, but this one was actually good. I needed to know what was happening. And let me tell you, none of what happened I was expecting lol this is one of the coolest most unique worlds I have ever read. I don’t think I ever would have though about something like this being what it was about without me having read the synopsis. It was so weird. So basically, they meet and then out of nowhere she finds out that he’s a monster and there’s an entire world of them tho.
Other than the slow burn, the writing was so good! Sambury put so much into this book that mirrored today’s society and how they treat monsters. It will really have you questioning how you would react to monsters and if you would treat them the same way people are treating us. Which I thought was reflective of how they see us as monsters anyway. There are so many layers in this book and I think Sambury delivered a master class on how to handle them. And the descriptions of the monsters? I want this to become a movie JUST for that. They all sounded terrifying! And they made the vibes for this book more like a fantasy horror. Idk how to explain it besides I would NOT want to meet one of those things in the park, late at night with nothing and no one to tell me what tf was going on
For the narrator, we have one of my all time favorites, Angel Pean. Which is probably another reason I didn’t mind that it was longer. I can listen to Angel narrate a grocery list. She is and always is amazing. I especially love the way she made the tense moments where the monsters were around, actually seem tense. The words set the tempo yes, but the way Angel read this had me captivated. Long and all I finished this in 2 days because I needed to know what happened and because I was listening to Angel lol
I do think it was a bit too long tho. Or it could just be me. Y’all know I’m not usually a fantasy girlie. But it seemed like it was just a bit drawn out and could have used some editing down. But it does match other fantasies out there, so I didn’t hold that against her. I was entertained, and I’ll be reading the sequel.
Overall, I give this
Seriously, Netflix…. You’re looking for books to make into movies still? WE GOT THE MATERIAL! USE THIS ONE