Seraph: Monstrous, Book 6

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars | 3,733 ratings

Price: 43.66

Last update: 06-13-2024


Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful, Tragic, Well Crafted World
Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2023
This series is very well done. I only recently began delving into this genre (M/M romances, and specifically supernatural/paranormal ones), and the quality, as with everything, runs the gamut. There have been a couple series where the world-building is excellent, but the editing leaves something to be desired, and Vice-versa. Not with this series. I have truly enjoyed getting to know the world and its main characters, and not once have I been distracted by poor editing or illogical character choices. In my personal opinion, anyway, the characters have their own voices and remain true to those voices.

Which leads me to one observation about this book (**SPOILER AHEAD**).

I saw in a few reviews mention that people didn’t like some of Lilac’s choices and internal monologue. While I think I get it, I don’t agree. Lilac has been portrayed always as the “dead-eyed killer.” In this book we learn he has a lot of trauma, but it doesn’t change the fact that, for years, everyone in his camp has looked to him to literally murder his way through their problems. In this world, I think a primary theme is that society is just one apocalypse-event away from devolving to our basest instincts, and in this way humans may be no better than “monsters.” Lilac was literally conditioned in this world to show his commitment, loyalty and usefulness by killing any and all threats, so I don’t think it’s any surprise that when he finds something worth more to him than his camp, that he transfers those instincts accordingly. In this way, I really appreciated his murderous, morally off putting actions as staying true to his character. Like Wyn, in fact, his moral base is skewed from that of other present-day humans, and I was therefore not upset by it. To me it is representative of one thing that has drawn me into this series, which is the detailed focus on each character’s voice. Hope this was helpful.
Ashes
5.0 out of 5 stars Lily has done it again ????
Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2022
The Monstrous series is officially one of my all time favorite series. Lily is a master at pacing and characterization. Which I think we can really see through Seraph’s book as the plot is entirely character driven; ie: there’s pretty much none of the adventure/questing that we’ve seen in some of the previous books - it’s solely about the internal journey of finding/accepting oneself through love and friendship for both mc’s.

With Lily’s impeccable pacing and vibrant world building, I was never bored - there’s wit and friendship that builds on what we’ve already seen through each couple’s individual journeys and I loved getting to see all the old characters interact and grow more comfortable with each other. Watching Seraph work through his pain through Lilac’s care and the other monsters’ friendship was both heart-wrenching and the sweetest freaking thing. Don’t want to spoil anything but ugh. So good. I vote Gloam for monster dad & Wyn as the fun but wise Uncle. For anyone unsure of whether they can get into a story about a monster with “a wall of eyes” please do not be deterred because you won’t be disappointed.

I’m not sure if it was intentional, but the more I think about Seraph’s struggles (as well as Lilac’s) the more I see some very poignant allegory. I’ll try to keep this spoiler free but there’s a point around the middle that we think might lead to a regression in Seraph’s healing that really stands out to me as symbolic. No matter what life has turned you into or forced you to become on the outside and no matter what you look like to yourself and to others, each of us has the power within us to do, feel, and become better as well to help others to do the same - to heal and to grow in a positive way out of pain and to not let trauma and the things we have done (for survival and to protect others in Lilac’s case) or been forced to do by the dark side of humanity (in Seraph’s case) turn us into hateful mindless monsters but instead take back our agency. This stands hand in hand with the external conflicts within the camp - just because we are afraid of what someone else has become (whether by choice or by traumatic circumstance) doesn’t mean we should choose to ignore the uncomfortable thing (or people) that we don’t want to face let alone help heal. The community growth and the fact that we can see some of the raiders choosing to set aside their fears in order to help a tortured soul heal (even if it’s just allowing them a safe space) is so beautiful and so powerful. Another reviewer mentioned how Lily forces us as readers to really think about who the villains are in this series and how humanity can be more monstrous than anything else and I agree. Just because you look different doesn’t mean you deserve to be treated as less than & with this series being about beings that could crush you to smithereens, there’s also that added layer of survival instinct which I think Lilac’s moral compass sums up nicely (since this is a review and not a book analysis that’s all I say about that - so you’ll have to read it yourself and hopefully see what I mean lol).

TL/DR: Lily’s books are quite simple romances on the surface but have such depth of character and wonderful lessons on acceptance, love, and friendship. I see these themes most clearly in Seraph’s book strictly because there is that stripping away of external questing/villains which really works for this story and is what Seraph needs.

Ps: the spice was otherworldly (duh) ????10/10. However, as Lilac and Seraph would agree, it’s secondary to the meaningful and everlasting relationship that’s formed between those two cinnamon roll murder babies.

Thank you, Lily!! Can’t wait for the next installment! ????
Sarah
4.0 out of 5 stars Great book lacking adventure
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2022
I loved finally hearing Seraph’s background story but I felt it was lacking a kind of adventure in it. All the previous stories we get to see some of what the world has become and how the monsters or humans get to show off the new world to their other halves. We didn’t get that here. There was only one part where they go off together and I felt it was thrown in their hazardously to kind of make up for that fact and they only went a mile away. There really wasn’t any description.
Watching the bond grow between these two was amazing and watching it grow between the other “beasties” and Seraph was awesome too. I felt Lilac and Seraph has a really great connection that didn’t disappoint. But once again we hear all about the other couples sexy times and there wasn’t as much in this book as past. Maybe the Author didn’t want this one to be as much about this as she did about them growing to know Seraph as the beastliest of “beasties” I don’t know. But when you’re know for your smut. I want smut. Overall it was an amazing read but not my favorite. And I don’t think I’ll reread.

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