by Ellen McGinty
publisher’s synopsis
With her crooked spine and reckless heart, Princess Meera always knew she wasn’t meant to become queen of Ezo. But when her sister, the rightful heir, is cursed on the eve of her coronation, Meera must defend her kingdom from ruthless invaders by taking the throne. Yet, while some countries have simple coronations, in Ezo . . . the princess must first claim a sea dragon.
Only the dragon is vicious, perfect, and whole—everything Meera is not. And if the dragon doesn’t deem her worthy, it will devour her. Turning to the Saints for help, she doesn’t anticipate that her actions will transform the dragon into a mortal, or that she’ll steal his heart . . . literally.
Now, as two hearts beat inside Meera’s chest, she’s reminded that her life is entwined with a dragon, who despises her weaknesses. Despite their differences, they must work together to reverse the curse and save the kingdom before more is lost than their stolen hearts.
The plot was well-paced and gripped me right away. I do wish that there could have been something added though to show how Ezo was in danger of invasion from the other countries, rather than mostly being told that invasion was looming.
The Asian-inspired setting was refreshing and fun to read. I appreciated how it was woven into the story.
Meera was a great main character. I loved the bond between her and Runa. I’m super close to my older sister, so that character aspect resonated with me. I also loved how McGinty wove chronic illness representation into the story, and utilized it as part of the plot. It wasn’t just “tacked” onto Meera’s character–it mattered to the plot. The character progression with Dragon was also well done.
I typically am not a fan of love triangles, but the one in Saints and Monsters made sense. The romance subplot also developed slowly, which I think helped the love triangle feel more natural.
Third-person present tense is not an easy thing to write. However, McGinty’s prose flowed naturally though the 3p-present chapters sprinkled throughout. I was only thrown off by it the first time it happened.
Saints and Monsters is a beautiful fantasy novel by Ellen McGinty, woven with touching themes and relatable characters.
Cautions: moderate romance; two kisses; brief mentions of others assuming two characters are lovers (they’re not); brief, non-graphic moderate/heavy violence
(I received an eARC from the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Saints and Monsters releases March, 2024.)
Hailey Huntington 
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