Monstrous Devices by Damien Love, 338 pages. Viking (Penguin Random House), 2018. $18.
Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG.
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
When Alex’s grandpa shows up suddenly and whisks him on an adventure, Alex is desperately trying to figure out why. He learns gradually about robots that have taken on human characteristics and one in particular that has enough power to control an entire population. His grandpa is reluctant with information, especially information involving Alex’s father, leaving Alex to figure out the clues himself.
I am usually up for a multigenerational adventure, but the relationships between family members that holds those stories together was very much absent in this book. At no point did I really understand or relate to any of the characters, nor they to each other. The setting was mysterious and mostly enjoyable, but the plot, like the characterization, was disjointed and choppy.
Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher
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