Review: Once A Monster by Robert Dinsdale

London, 1861: A crew of mudlarks working along Ratcliffe Highway stumble across a corpse - not their first - but it turns out this corpse is still breathing. Not only that: He’s seven feet tall, covered in hair, and might even have horns.

The first half of the novel really pulled me in. The characters were interesting and I got invested immediately.

I made it through probably the first quarter of the novel in one sitting and only stopped because I really, really needed to go to bed. In fact, I had to ban myself from reading it at bedtime after that.

Once Minos and Nell started meeting frequently, however, the narrative began to lag until it seemed to essentially be going nowhere. I was still interested in the characters, and still wanted to see where they would go, but I was also a bit bored of reading through a decent chunk of pretty mundane conversations.

I also didn't entirely understand the strong connections between the principle characters. To be honest, that Minos was so wrapped up in a ten-year-old girl was more creepy than endearing and that a savvy street kid - particularly a girl - wouldn't be immediately suspicious of his motives was a little unbelievable.

There were a few sections I didn't quite see the point of. Minos and Murdstone attempting to resurrect the past with the two doctors, the background with Sophia's husband - even the overlapping memory of Sophia and Nell's mother.

Overall, the characters were enjoyable, if the plot seemed forced and artificial. This book - and the characters - needed to be given more clarity and purpose to really pull off a retelling like this. The story of the Minotaur offered a rich lore to draw from - and combined with the back alleys of Victorian London there were many, many unrealized possibilities.

I really wanted to love this book, particularly after such a strong beginning, but ultimately ended up feel unsatisfied and disappointed.