â “Wiswell raises the bar on the outcast as protagonist . . . the ultimate monster slayer story, if the monster is just a misunderstood creature searching for love.âÂ
â Kristi Chadwick, Library Journal (starred review) Discover this creepy, charming monster-slaying fantasy romanceâfrom the perspective of the monsterâby Nebula Award-winning debut author John WiswellShesheshen has made a mistake fatal to all monsters: she’s fallen in love.
Â
Shesheshen is a shapeshifter, who happily resides as an amorphous lump at the bottom of a ruined manor. When her rest is interrupted by hunters intent on murdering her, she constructs a body from the remains of past meals: a metal chain for a backbone, borrowed bones for limbs, and a bear trap as an extra mouth. Â
Â
However, the hunters chase Shesheshen out of her home and off a cliff. Badly hurt, sheâs found and nursed back to health by Homily, a warm-hearted human, who has mistaken Shesheshen as a fellow human. Homily is kind and nurturing and would make an excellent co-parent: an ideal place to lay Shesheshenâs eggs so their young could devour Homily from the inside out. But as they grow close, she realizes humans donât think about love that way.
Â
Shesheshen hates keeping her identity secret from Homily, but just as sheâs about to confess, Homily reveals why sheâs in the area: sheâs hunting a shapeshifting monster that supposedly cursed her family. Has Shesheshen seen it anywhere?
Â
Eating her girlfriend isnât an option. Shesheshen didnât curse anyone, but to give herself and Homily a chance at happiness, she has to figure out why Homilyâs twisted family thinks she did. As the hunt for the monster becomes increasingly deadly, Shesheshen must unearth the truth quickly, or soon both of their lives will be at risk.
And the bigger challenge remains: surviving her toxic in-laws long enough to learn to build a life with, rather than in, the love of her life.






Reviews
There are no reviews yet.