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whimsicalmeerkat's review against another edition
2.0
Sooo...this book...yeah...
I was super excited about this book given how many of my friends adored it, but it really didn't do it for me. Maybe it was the affected narrator, since audio is apparently the only way I get to experience books these days. Perhaps it had something to do with the bullshit love at first sight thing. The fact that it begins with a guy who, for reasons inexplicable to all the gun nuts I asked as well as me, carries a snub-nosed 357 in an ankle holster. I mean, really?!
There were parts of the book I enjoyed and characters I liked, but overall this is a 2.5. The primary character is whiny and self-centered and, as I mentioned, is all "zomg I love her" in a way that went into creeper territory. I think that was what killed it for me. The badassery didn't come close to making up for the flat characters and repetition. Not to mention the recap as the guy realizes shit that should have dawned on him long before.
*sigh* I really wanted to love this. Maybe that's why I am so disappointed.
2.5/5.0 stars
I was super excited about this book given how many of my friends adored it, but it really didn't do it for me. Maybe it was the affected narrator, since audio is apparently the only way I get to experience books these days. Perhaps it had something to do with the bullshit love at first sight thing. The fact that it begins with a guy who, for reasons inexplicable to all the gun nuts I asked as well as me, carries a snub-nosed 357 in an ankle holster. I mean, really?!
There were parts of the book I enjoyed and characters I liked, but overall this is a 2.5. The primary character is whiny and self-centered and, as I mentioned, is all "zomg I love her" in a way that went into creeper territory. I think that was what killed it for me. The badassery didn't come close to making up for the flat characters and repetition. Not to mention the recap as the guy realizes shit that should have dawned on him long before.
*sigh* I really wanted to love this. Maybe that's why I am so disappointed.
2.5/5.0 stars
marieeve1978's review against another edition
3.0
Entertaining but with moments a little cheesy... And some parts were too long or unnecessary. I may still read the next of the series... just to see.
okevamae's review against another edition
1.0
I really would have liked to like this book - I enjoyed Mr. Correia's Grimnoire Chronicles immensely - but instead of a second series that was as inventive and gripping as Grimnoire, I found in MHI all of the things I disliked about Grimnoire, only magnified.
Many have pointed out that Owen is a huge Gary Stu, and I agree completely. So was Jake Sullivan from the Grimnoire books - also a big man mistaken for stupid because of his size, also called ugly, also well versed in weapons - only Jake was a little more interesting, a little more sympathetic, in my opinion. Owen was less believable as a human being - that happens when a character is a little *too* strong, a little *too* smart, a little *too* popular with the ladies (in spite of his "ugliness" being brought up over and over again.)
My biggest problem was the politics, unfortunately. Let me state for the record that I have no problem ignoring an author's personal politics for the sake of enjoying a good story (so long as they are not doing or promoting anything harmful or reprehensible.) But the politics that were more subtly handled and placed in the background of the Grimnoire Chronicles (though they got a little louder in Book 3) were all too often placed on blast in this book.
You can believe whatever you believe and that's fine with me, so long as you're not trying to hurt anyone. But I just wanted a story - I don't really want to read your manifesto. Larry Correia tells one hell of a story, but MHI has too much of the latter for my taste. I feel the same way when a liberal author goes off the rails and starts leaking politics all over his or her story.
There's enough toxic political speech in the real world, and one of the many reasons I read books is to take a break from all that. You get your rancid-peanut-butter of politics all up in my chocolate and it ruins the experience.
Many have pointed out that Owen is a huge Gary Stu, and I agree completely. So was Jake Sullivan from the Grimnoire books - also a big man mistaken for stupid because of his size, also called ugly, also well versed in weapons - only Jake was a little more interesting, a little more sympathetic, in my opinion. Owen was less believable as a human being - that happens when a character is a little *too* strong, a little *too* smart, a little *too* popular with the ladies (in spite of his "ugliness" being brought up over and over again.)
My biggest problem was the politics, unfortunately. Let me state for the record that I have no problem ignoring an author's personal politics for the sake of enjoying a good story (so long as they are not doing or promoting anything harmful or reprehensible.) But the politics that were more subtly handled and placed in the background of the Grimnoire Chronicles (though they got a little louder in Book 3) were all too often placed on blast in this book.
You can believe whatever you believe and that's fine with me, so long as you're not trying to hurt anyone. But I just wanted a story - I don't really want to read your manifesto. Larry Correia tells one hell of a story, but MHI has too much of the latter for my taste. I feel the same way when a liberal author goes off the rails and starts leaking politics all over his or her story.
There's enough toxic political speech in the real world, and one of the many reasons I read books is to take a break from all that. You get your rancid-peanut-butter of politics all up in my chocolate and it ruins the experience.
capgambit's review against another edition
4.0
Overall I really enjoyed this book. If there are readers that do not like abrasive language you should probably steer clear of this one. Myself I really don't that that strong language is necessary but I also respect the author telling the story the way they want to. That said I have read some books that it seems like the author is using foul language simply because they can. M.H.I. is not this way. the language is used in a deliberate thought out way. It isn't flung around willy-nilly.
Once you get past the occasional F-word this is a great story merging the paranormal world into our own in a very explosive way!
Once you get past the occasional F-word this is a great story merging the paranormal world into our own in a very explosive way!
redeyesinferno's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
subparcupcake's review against another edition
5.0
Five stars. I know. Crazy! I never in a million years imagined that I would love this book. I mean come on... Everything I had heard about it was just so far from what I usually go for, I thought I'd maybe like it and that's about all. I'm not into guns at all.. Urban Fantasy isn't my favorite genre.. Action and adventure? I like it and all, but I usually prefer a nice traditional Epic Fantasy. But MHI... It was just plain good.
Is it utterly brimming with gun porn? Yes. But there's so much more to it than that. If you're into guns, you'll likely love it. But even if you're not, like me, the gun porn isn't so overwhelming that it interferes with the story as a whole. Whenever it got all gun porny on me I would just change the description into something else in my head.. Hand gun, shot gun, machine gun, grenade, that's about the extent of my imagination and it did me just fine.
This is probably.. Scratch that, definitely.. The best Urban Fantasy I've read to date. Granted I haven't read much UF.. But it is hands down my favorite so far. It's just plain well written, funny, engaging.. It was never boring to me, I didn't want to put it down from start to finish. I can't wait to pick up the next book in the series.
Highly recommended!
Is it utterly brimming with gun porn? Yes. But there's so much more to it than that. If you're into guns, you'll likely love it. But even if you're not, like me, the gun porn isn't so overwhelming that it interferes with the story as a whole. Whenever it got all gun porny on me I would just change the description into something else in my head.. Hand gun, shot gun, machine gun, grenade, that's about the extent of my imagination and it did me just fine.
This is probably.. Scratch that, definitely.. The best Urban Fantasy I've read to date. Granted I haven't read much UF.. But it is hands down my favorite so far. It's just plain well written, funny, engaging.. It was never boring to me, I didn't want to put it down from start to finish. I can't wait to pick up the next book in the series.
Highly recommended!
harry_ballantyne7's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Audible narrator kind of ruined it, but the story is good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence
belanna2's review against another edition
1.0
A one-dimensional Marty Stu, right wing gun-nut, combined with a cartoonish, barely there storyline. This is the book summed up. The lead character is an unlikeable, sexist prick with a huge chip on his shoulder. It's obvious the author and this character are one-and-the-same. Correia lives his fantasies thru his protagonist who unlike him, it seems, can be the hero women fawn over and other men are jealous of. The first chapters are the best of the whole story; it's interesting, engaging and the lead hasn't shown his true colors yet...it goes downhill from there.
orsuros's review against another edition
5.0
I usually don't like more typical monster tropes, but this book does a great job at using them well and throwing in a lot of surprises. I think the worldbuilding isn't as fun as the Grim Noire series by the same author, but the characters in this are better and deeper, which makes the story so much better.
dijeye's review against another edition
2.0
I picked up a copy of Monster Hunter International at a used bookstore and started reading it while I waited for the last installment of the Iron Druid series to come out on paperback. In the beginning, it was a fun read. Exciting, lots happening quickly, somewhat interesting story of a guy (Owen) getting sucked into the world of monsters and hunting them after a werewolf attack left him hospitalized. Since I'm a diehard Supernatural fan, the similarities to that show are obvious, but I kept reading.
My interest started fading when the "love" story began. We meet Julie, the rough and ready hunter who is smart, a great hunter, and also gorgeous (of course). Not only that, she's and totally into guns, like our main character. He instantly falls in love with her, regardless of her equally gorgeous hunter boyfriend, Grant.
The plot becomes muddled, in my opinion, with vampires, master vampires, Julie's screwed up family, the "Cursed One" and visions that Owen has (with no explanation of how or why) involving a tattooed man and a long-dead Polish hunter who has experience with the Cursed One and is trying to "show" Owen what to do to stop him.
During the many, many, many fight scenes that drag on, we see Owen endlessly "trying to protect" Julie and willingly putting himself in harms way to do so. If Julie is so badass, has a boyfriend and has been a hunter all these years, why does the author feel it necessary to have Owen, a newbie hunter, obligated to protect her? Too much machismo and testosterone for my liking.
Then, Grant essentially leaves Owen to die during a vampire fight - of course Owen lives - but we start seeing totally obvious attempts at making Grant a huge jerk. Up to this point, we know Grant is arrogant, pretentious and rude, but now he's a grade-A asshole who is okay to hate. To make matters worse, he gets kidnapped by evil forces and one hot second later, Julie is hooking up with Owen. No breakup. No real attempt at searching for him. Just hopping into bed with Owen and within days announcing she's in love, too. Seriously? We're supposed to think Julie is a cool chick, she digs guns and killing monsters, she's smart, she's beautiful, and yet she isn't grownup enough to end one relationship before beginning a new one? We're supposed to be okay with her boyfriend getting kidnapped by vampires and her cheating on him - literally within days? No thanks.
And what about our hero, Owen? We find out late in the book that he is "the one" who can stop the world from ending. Kind of cheesy, but okay. However, I have issues with this type of character and this kind of story, especially so early in a series. Where are we supposed to go next if he saves the world from master vampires and an all-powerful "Cursed One" in the first book? I mean, it's essentially saving us from the apocalypse, where do you go next?
I slogged through the second half of the book and lost all will to read the last 100 pages. It was over 700 pages long and could've easily cut 250 of those and been a much tighter, and more interesting, story. I didn't even care about the final big battle because I didn't care at all about Julie, or Owen, at this point. I finished it last night after skimming the last few pages so it would be over. Not the mark of a successful book for me.
In the beginning, I was entertained. I was thinking I might look for the next couple books in the series, but halfway through I knew I wouldn't continue. I don't think the main characters (especially Julie) were well written, was so bored with the endless fight scenes and felt the love story was juvenile and poorly executed.
My interest started fading when the "love" story began. We meet Julie, the rough and ready hunter who is smart, a great hunter, and also gorgeous (of course). Not only that, she's and totally into guns, like our main character. He instantly falls in love with her, regardless of her equally gorgeous hunter boyfriend, Grant.
The plot becomes muddled, in my opinion, with vampires, master vampires, Julie's screwed up family, the "Cursed One" and visions that Owen has (with no explanation of how or why) involving a tattooed man and a long-dead Polish hunter who has experience with the Cursed One and is trying to "show" Owen what to do to stop him.
During the many, many, many fight scenes that drag on, we see Owen endlessly "trying to protect" Julie and willingly putting himself in harms way to do so. If Julie is so badass, has a boyfriend and has been a hunter all these years, why does the author feel it necessary to have Owen, a newbie hunter, obligated to protect her? Too much machismo and testosterone for my liking.
Then, Grant essentially leaves Owen to die during a vampire fight - of course Owen lives - but we start seeing totally obvious attempts at making Grant a huge jerk. Up to this point, we know Grant is arrogant, pretentious and rude, but now he's a grade-A asshole who is okay to hate. To make matters worse, he gets kidnapped by evil forces and one hot second later, Julie is hooking up with Owen. No breakup. No real attempt at searching for him. Just hopping into bed with Owen and within days announcing she's in love, too. Seriously? We're supposed to think Julie is a cool chick, she digs guns and killing monsters, she's smart, she's beautiful, and yet she isn't grownup enough to end one relationship before beginning a new one? We're supposed to be okay with her boyfriend getting kidnapped by vampires and her cheating on him - literally within days? No thanks.
And what about our hero, Owen? We find out late in the book that he is "the one" who can stop the world from ending. Kind of cheesy, but okay. However, I have issues with this type of character and this kind of story, especially so early in a series. Where are we supposed to go next if he saves the world from master vampires and an all-powerful "Cursed One" in the first book? I mean, it's essentially saving us from the apocalypse, where do you go next?
I slogged through the second half of the book and lost all will to read the last 100 pages. It was over 700 pages long and could've easily cut 250 of those and been a much tighter, and more interesting, story. I didn't even care about the final big battle because I didn't care at all about Julie, or Owen, at this point. I finished it last night after skimming the last few pages so it would be over. Not the mark of a successful book for me.
In the beginning, I was entertained. I was thinking I might look for the next couple books in the series, but halfway through I knew I wouldn't continue. I don't think the main characters (especially Julie) were well written, was so bored with the endless fight scenes and felt the love story was juvenile and poorly executed.