Saints and Monsters

By: Ellen McGinty

Narrated by: Jane Maree

An award-winning YA fantasy romance perfect for fans of Howl's Moving Castle and Six Crimson Cranes!

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.

©2024 Ellen McGinty (P)2024 Ellen McGinty

Exquisite Romantasy!

Within a richly crafted world reminiscent of Meiji-era Japan—that delightful mix of ancient culture and new invention—McGinty weaves a timeless tale of hearts and kingdoms alike in upheaval and teetering on the brink of collapse. This is a story of courage, learning self-worth, and the power (both good and bad) of choices.

Though we did not get nearly enough of it (in my opinion) I could not adore more the sibling bond between our main heroine Meera, her sister Runa, and their brother. Their shared love and humor warmed my heart and made me laugh—which was needful, considering some of the heartbreak that ensues. Devotion to her sister is Meera's driving force, and while I cringed at some of the decisions she made, choices that had and will continue to have painful consequences, I appreciated that very same thing. It displays that we all make mistakes, not all the decisions we make are necessarily the best or wisest ones, and while there are always consequences, we can choose to move forward.

I don't want to ramble on about our two studs (read it and we can chat, yeah?) But I liked how rounded both of them were, along with their contrasting and conflicting personalities. Dragon is blunt with underwhelming communication skills and Casmir is a scorched cinnamon roll (though that still feels like an oversimplification of all that he is—that they both are). We laughed, we cried, we jumped off cliffs and plotted in boiler rooms with too much coffee and garishly pink pants. It was great.

Just...Don't eat the pudding.

Overall, this is a wholesome and heartfelt story with endearing characters and a twist at the end that glued me down to that last, beautiful beat. And the narrative performance by Jane Maree breathes a whole other facet life into this story with great skill and characterization. This is a joy, any way you slice it.

Awesome read

Amazing story, loved the characters and the journeys they go through! The whole story was so easy to visualize and the characters felt so real!!

Great romantasy!

I thoroughly enjoyed ‘Saints and Monsters’. It usually takes me a bit to get into a new fantasy world, but that wasn’t the case with this book. I was hooked from the very beginning! The world building is beautifully woven throughout the story and it wasn’t hard to understand at all.
I loved going alongside Meera on her adventure as her confidence in herself grew and she realized her own worth.
I highly recommend this book for those who love YA fantasy full of magic, multiple POVs, enemies to lovers romance, political intrigue, curses, good vs evil, dragons, a MFC who never gives up, and a reluctant MMC who can’t help but fall in love with the MFC!

*I was sent a complimentary audiobook from the author with no expectations for a favorable review.

Fantastic narration of lyrical writing

For fans of Rebecca Ross, Ellen McGinty has a beautifully lyrical writing style.

My Quick Takes:
- 5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Language 🤐 none
- Spice ❤️‍🔥 none, just a kiss or two
- Content 🤔 violence, killing
- Reader Age 🎟️ YA

A fantastic book that only left me wanting more. I have so many questions about the lore and world building that I would love to see fleshed out. Hope to see more adventures and trials from this realm that McGinty beautifully crafted. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator, Jane Maree, was PHENOMENAL.

Awesome Fantasy

This was my first experience with this author's work, and it won't be my last. I enjoyed this story a lot. Once the audiobook started, I found it hard to pull myself away and listened to it far into the night. I liked the characters. I enjoyed Meera's strength and determination to save her sister and her kingdom. I admired the character growth which the dragon underwent. I was entertained by all the twists and turns. I enjoyed Jane Maree's narration as her performance kept my attention. I was given a copy of the audiobook. I volunteered, without financial gain, to post this review which reflected my honest opinions regarding this audiobook.

A beautiful and riveting tale!

The story was absolutely beautiful. Every single relationship was well crafted and the world building drew me into another world from the very first chapter.

The narrator brought the story to life so vividly. I could picture every character and emotion clearly.

Highly recommend this tale of love and monsters and the choices that make us who we're meant to be.