"One of them smelled like chemicals, the other like sweet flowers... Together, they smelled like love."
Monster Why?
Now I don't mean to present myself as a Monster High expert-- I have like, one doll and I certainly haven't watched every piece of media out there. I've so far gotten to the Monster High movies (the songs slap!), some of the generation 1 mini-episodes, and we're working our way through the 3D animated movies. Its fun, it's quirky, and a little queer-- watching the different versions manifest into the doll line that exists today is a interesting niche I hadn't expected to enjoy. So, why not add the books to the list?
Oh boy did I open a can of worms... Reviews for the books are really mixed, where the classic 'main cast' characters from Monster High are squeezed into watered down versions of themselves. We also have a new character, Melody Carver, is either the author's self insert, or supposed to be ours. Its a bizarre saga of high school drama told through the cringy voice of a 40-year-old author desperately masquerading as a teen. Monster high was already littered with monsterfied interjections and punny slang, these books took it a bit further than anyone asked for...
But damn are they fun. I was laughing pretty much the entire time, sending out of context screenshots to my friends and blushing from second hand embarrassment. It's written similar in prose to Wattpad fan fiction, with parents written a little too chic and luxury items described with fantastical excitement-- of course their parents drive the top of the line BMW, or they have the most designer handbag ever! If not in Monster High, then where?
I'd say, if you weren't looking for B-grade Monster High characters pretending to be human at a painfully-2010's High School, I don't know why you'd pick these up.
Monster High: Book 1
Initial Thoughts: This is a "fall in love with the same guy" kind of book, and the whiplash between family-friendly fun to jealousy-fueled nonsensical angst has left me in a neck guard.
Plot: Both Frankie and Melody, our two main characters for the books, are new to Monster High. We spend a hefty beginning third of the book establishing these characters and their very cool (wealthy) families. Most of them become completely obsolete when we get to school, which is called Merston High for some reason, and we're swept into a whirlwind of ditzy, toxically-teen drama.
Cast: Forget what you know about your favorite characters-- you don't need it. Cleo, "Claudine" (Clawdine), "Laura" (Draculaura), and "Blue" (Lagoona) are the it-girls here, and they're here for about 12 seconds total... I'd say as far as representation goes, this book is really about Melody and the world revolves around her. Its giving... Wattpad y/n...
Melody's not like other girls.... she has asthma.
Review: I'd say, for the start of a saga, this book is by far the rockiest. Pacing is all over the place, and you're jumping between two love-obsessed teen girls who are willing to make TONS of excuses for toxic masculinity. The sheer amount of nonsensical events and quotes was a circus of entertainment, with both the good and the ugly.
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