Official Review: Fortunate Monsters by Nancy Fulton

[kandscreeley]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Fortunate Monsters" by Nancy Fulton.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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What lengths would you go to to have a child? People pay thousands of dollars (if not more) for IVF treatments. But what if those were unsuccessful? Would you, perhaps, participate in something illegal?

Fortunate Monsters follows Roslyn and Jacob Kemp. This husband and wife have tried everything to conceive, but it hasn't worked. Finally, they decide to fly to a remote island where a “fertility clinic” is set up. The doctor promises that they will leave the clinic pregnant, and they do. But not all is as it seems.

This book is a psychological thriller, and I enjoyed how realistic it was. It's sometimes hard to understand why people do what they do, but authors like Nancy Fulton help us to understand the motivations behind actions. Jacob and Roslyn are a normal (albeit wealthy) couple. While I don't think I would do what they have done, I can better understand it because of this book. Not only that, but we also get an insight into the mind of someone who isn't quite so normal. Someone who lacks the empathy that others have. I enjoyed trying to understand the mind of a criminal.

The book is relatively short at around 130 pages. The plot was fast-paced which made for a quick and easy read. Right from the start I wanted to know what was going to happen to Jacob and Roslyn; what decisions they were going to make. I was hooked and had to keep reading until the end.

Another thing that I enjoyed about this book was the fact that it was not overly graphic with no sexual situations and very little language. It's often difficult to find a clean book like this in the thriller genre. This book really didn't need any gore or cussing to keep its readers invested. Therefore, I can fully recommend this to teenagers as well as adults.

One more positive to mention was the fact that you don't walk away from this book feeling completely depressed as you sometimes do with any crime novels. Without giving too much away, I will just say that I was satisfied at the ending. At the same time, I thought it was very realistic as justice is not always served exactly as you think it should be.

The one thing that was a little bit odd was the pictures located at the end of chapters. Some of the main characters were depicted in life-like drawings. I'm not sure this was really necessary to the plot of the book, but it didn't really bother me. At least they were good drawings.

I applaud Ms. Fulton on a job well done here. I enjoyed reading the novel immensely, and I would highly recommend it for everyone from teenagers up. Thus, I rate Fortunate Monsters 4 out of 4 stars. This would make a great rainy day read as it is easy to finish in a short time.

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Fortunate Monsters
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Like kandscreeley's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Cloe101]

It looks like a very interesting book. Excellent review.

[kandscreeley]

Thanks Cloe! It was a good book.

[kislany]

This is exactly my kind of book. I live for mystery and thriller novels. Great review, kandscreeley.

[kandscreeley]

Thanks kislany! It's hard to find a good, clean thriller. I think that's what I appreciated most.

[ashley_claire]

This book sounds very intriguing. The fact that you were able to come to better understand the characters' motivations with such a short page count really attests to the writing. I'll be checking this book out.

[meteku4]

Sure, I can't wait to read this. In my cultural context, you dare not remain childless after marriage. Great review. Thanks!

[kandscreeley]

This book sounds very intriguing. The fact that you were able to come to better understand the characters' motivations with such a short page count really attests to the writing. I'll be checking this book out.

Definitely. Even though there weren't a lot of pages, the story was definitely developed.

-- 18 Oct 2017, 17:06 --

Sure, I can't wait to read this. In my cultural context, you dare not remain childless after marriage. Great review. Thanks!

Well, it's best I'm not in your culture then as I am married and have no children.

[MsTri]

This sounds like a great read and having gone from thinking I was infertile with my first husband (it ended up being HIM) to not being able to stop getting pregnant to the point of having to get my tubes tied with my second husband, I can sympathize with the couple in their desperation to have a child.
And since supernatural/thriller is my favorite genre, this sounds like the perfect book for me. My favorite part of reading vs. watching a movie or TV is being in the characters' heads, reading their thoughts, hearing their motives, etc, so I'm glad the author did a good job in that aspect, as well... Consider me convinced!

[kandscreeley]

Movies and TV Shows have their place, but I like reading for that reason as well. If you do read this, you'll have to tell me how you like it. Thanks for commenting.

[Manang Muyang]

The title and cover (not to mention the review) are totally intriguing. There are just some things that money can't buy. Or does everything (and everyone) have a price?

A clean thriller is definitely a find.

Thanks for the review, Kandscreely. And thanks for sharing another bite of your life.

[kandscreeley]

Thanks Miriam. It does seem like everything (and everyone) has a price, especially these days.

[Mercelle]

People often go to great lengths to achieve what they want. This is definitely a book I would enjoy.

[MrsCatInTheHat]

Movies and TV Shows have their place, but I like reading for that reason as well. If you do read this, you'll have to tell me how you like it. Thanks for commenting.

I much prefer reading when it comes to psychological thrillers. This one sounds interesting, with a concept that I haven't seen before.

[kandscreeley]

Thanks CatInTheHat... I definitely prefer to read when it comes to these types of books myself. So much easier to get a sense of motivation.