Monster Paperback – April 1, 2015

I have a lot of Matt Shaw. I have a lot of Horror.. I like to read about Horror that could actually happen within real life. I do not like vampires, werewolves or mythical fairies.. This is Matt to me at his BEST. I found this book to be disturbingly real.. it could happen, someone could take you.. The beginning of the story starts off with what you think is the main character, he is in the book yes, but wait till you read what happens to him. The main character and what happens to her will just leave you with your mouth open, the conflict and pain and terror will leave you feeling so disturbed. The other author I have not heard of but will seek out his work. All I can say is after you read this book and you go out... don't park next to a van

Before I begin my review, let me start by saying that I loved thisstory although it may not seem like it by the end of my review. I lovedthe emotions brought out in this book, but there were some things thatbothered me enough to mention here.It is a fact that the two writers responsible for this story are fromthe UK, but the story takes place in the U.S., Indiana to be exact. Inthe U.S., we don't call our moms "Mum" we call them 'Mom'. Seeing"Mum" (and some other UK words) kind of took me out of the story. It reminded me that it wasjust a book written by authors in the UK that may not have put too muchthought into Americanizing their characters.The Christina character in the book seemed very bland, and I don'tfeel like there was enough attention paid to her character by thewriters. It took a long time for me to care what happened to her andshe and Ryan, another character, were a little too similar.There were some typos in the story and although I know most books haveat least one mistake, words like "sun" where "son" is supposed to bereally detracted from the story.Having said all that, the part of the story that tells how the"Monster" came to be was amazing and by far my favorite part. It waswell written, incredibly detailed and quite emotional.Overall, if you can get past some pretty big mistakes, you will enjoythe story immensely. Some parts, to me, felt like they were writtenjust to be written and could use more detail. Then again, I may bejust a really picky reader who doesn't know what she's talking about.I'll let you decide.

I'm reviewing this one next (after reading Twisted B*tches) since it was the book that made me want to order 8 of his books all in one go. Between the small snippet from the book and the reviews I saw, it made me so curious. I just had to have my hands on it. So I did.I've read the prologue, and ended up completely forgetting it was only the prologue fairly quickly, it was so good. It got me looking forword to reading a male character considering the first book had me following two females. Femals often being the go to for the weak and teriffied role, making you feel bad for the person you primarily follow, generally, if done right. (Often not done right.) So I was a bit disappointed when I realized it was only the prologue and we seemed to indeed be following a female protagonist.So, following Christina, I got a bit of a creep out in Chapter 4, at the end of it. It wasn't a big creep out or scare, but got me. (Not exsplaining it to avoid spoilers.)Okay, having now finished the book, I can say that it was a pretty good book that I would recommend to others. The ending left me feeling a bit sad for the 'monster'.

I'm a big fan of Matt Shaw and Michael Bray's first joint effort, ART. My expectations were high to begin with and then, with book release events and constant talk of how extreme this book was, it only grew. I had to have this book the day it came out to see what all the fuss was about.Inspiration for this story could have came from Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Andrew (our villain) and his parents remind me of Leatherface and his family. The story jumps from present day where Christina (our heroine) is dealing with all kinds of horrors to the past where we learn about the family and how Andrew became a 'monster'. I found the past just as, if not more, disturbing than the present.If there is any faults in this novel, it is somewhat confusing with some of the present day jumps. Bray/Shaw throw us into a horrific scene and bring us back slightly to lead up to that scene and then, run parallel with it with another character. Also, I thought the end was decent, but I guess I expected something else. I get what they were going for and I can respect that.As always, Matt Shaw and Michael Bray bring their A games and give us a true treat. I have no doubt I'll be buying their next collaboration when it comes out.

First of all, I have to say that I enjoy reading SO MUCH, that I can read just about anything (any genre) and enjoy it. Having said that, this book was a total waste of time and money (even though it was very cheap)! It was poorly written (I.e. "Amateurish") to the point that I felt slightly embarrassed to be reading it and definitely felt embarrassed for the author of such trash. Who would want their name on it for the whole world to see? If you're even considering this book, DON'T BOTHER!

I don't get the extreme horror and gore aspect of the title. I have read much worse than this. This book was a total disappointment. Not worth the time it took to read it. I kept going because I thought it would get better but was sorely disappointed.

The warnings are on these books for a reason. Although few things shock me, the content in this one may shock more sensitive squeamish readers among you, so take note of the warning on the cover and reconsider if you are of a sensitive and squeamish disposition. However, if you're a huge fan of extreme, cleverly designed psychological and gory horror like me, you will lap up every gruesome word in this story and will thoroughly enjoy MONSTER, despite its very harrowing content.It is very well-written by two of the most talented and creative authors in this world, a lot of thought and research has gone into it and they have delivered many psychological scares to epic full-blow powerful effect and, between Michael and Matt, they have produced one of the most memorable and thought-provoking emotional reads to date, in my opinion - as the events in the story could happen in real life, which makes it all the more terrifying.I really enjoyed this book and, although parts of the story really tug at your heart strings and affect you long after you've finished the story, it truly is a superb one and leads your mind into the darkest places imaginable; causing you to have many mixed emotions, ranging from: sadness to joy, pity to repulsion to understanding, anger to justified satisfaction over what happens and anxiety to relief. I won't give the plot away as that'll spoil it for readers who haven't yet read the book, but suffice to say, MONSTER is one excellent, dark, intelligent read. Top marks from me.If you like your horror stories with a huge amount of realism and in-your-face brutality tinged with affectionate and touching moments, read MONSTER, because you will find that this story profoundly reaches into more than just your eyes when you are engrossed when reading it, it bores through your very soul, your heart, your deepest being; affecting you more than you realise (in a good way) that even though there are terrible things in this world, there is also hope, justice and a reason for everything - even if the reasons are unbearably painful. All of Michael Bray's stories are wonderful, all of Matt Shaw's stories are wonderful too, but MONSTER, is in a class of its own, in my opinion. I hope to see this in the cinema one day as it deserves to be shown to the entire world in all its spectacular glory. If it's ever released in hardback, I'm purchasing it in a second to add to my favourites on my bookshelf.

This book comes with a strong warning and with good reason. This is a book concentrating on at least three different people (Ryan, Christina and the old lady) and we get a backstory on each of them. Ryan is an average guy, whose girlfriend is expecting. Coming into terms of becoming a father, he debates whether he's ready to take on the role. He loves his girlfriend (at least he keeps telling himself that), but is reluctant on moving on so fast and welcoming a baby into the world.Christina is a wife and mother who works in a gas station store and is very interested in the mysterious disappearances of people every August. Her life is very normal and she finds her work a bore sometimes. Her unfortunate habit of profiling customers ends her up at the hands of some very disturbing, sick and twisted people who has an overgrown son with a penchant for human flesh. You can see where this is going.The third story is of the old lady, wife of Andrew and mother of the deformed and mentally disabled boy whom she cares for. Her story is the saddest, filled with domestic violence, abuse and just downright nastiness from her dead beat husband. I couldn't help but feel so sorry and depressed for her as I read on. The feeling of hopelessness makes you feel for her and the abuse she received from her husband turned her into an emotionless, with no remorse monster herself. Although physically their son is described as monster like, it's really the husband and wife whose actions depict the real essence of a monster.There's a lot of graphic scenes of torture and abuse, not to mention sexual harassment. Not for the faint of heart, but if you know Shaw well, you wouldn't purchase his books unless you're a huge horror fan. I read this book in one sitting, I just had to know what happens. I couldn't put my Kindle down at all. Very captivating and intriguing, I have to say that this is his best book that I've read so far. I didn't really like the ending, but I suppose as a horror book, you can't always expect hearts, rainbows and happy endings. But rest assured, this book will get you hooked from start to finish.Rating - 4.5 stars

Matt Shaw and Michael Bray again join forces to create a twisted tale of extreme horror. This book takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions and left me feeling drained at it's conclusion. The character of Richard is loathsome and my hate for him grew throughout the book. By the end of the book you will ask yourself who the real monster was? The descriptions of violence are graphic but necessary for the story. This is extreme fiction, dark fiction. It may not be for everyone, but for fans of horror it is a must buy. 5 stars.

This story was similar to "bloody face" in American horror story season 2 asylum. The book was written before ahs I believe and I don't know how Ryan Murphy gets away with it! This book was a great read. The abuse suffered was horrid however you could not stop reading. A fabulous horror story would recommend. I would be extremely interested to know how the authors feel about Ryan Murphy taking their story for his series maybe they gave permission. A great book will keep you up at night to finish.

I know it’s a novel but I also know that there are horrid animals out there posing as humans that can treat others in this depraved way. Sick and sad but I loved every page of this book.