Horrendous Human, Marvelous Monster

*some spoilers included, nothing big though

This book was checked out from the library, which I'm glad I did instead of buying it.  This book definitely begrudgingly gets a 3 out of 5 gnomes because one character of the two main characters is much more likable then the other.  This book went from a 2 up to a 3 just because of the character Frankie Stein.

Melody and Frankie alternate chapters.  Melody is human, had a nose job and recently moved from Beverly Hills to Oregon.  Frankie is a monster, Frankenstein's granddaughter and has mint green skin.

I really wish that the book only had Frankie or the other monster's point of view the whole time.  Melody makes it extremely hard to care about her.  She feels sorry for herself a lot and has zero confidence.  Melody's nickname used to be Smellody but then her plastic surgeon dad fixed her nose.  The supposed reason for fixing her nose is well, ludicrous.  I'm pretty sure that having asthma would not prevent you from singing but that is the reason she says she wants her nose fixed.  Also have to wonder how getting a nose job would help you at all if you had asthma.  She supposedly doesn't like being pretty because she's not sure people like her for her or just her new nose.

Another astonishingly weird choice is Melody's decision to become best friends with Bekka.  Bekka has Melody sign a contract saying that she won't go after her boyfriend Brett and will beat up anyone that does.  After hearing about and seeing the contract Melody actually signs it which really made me question her mental faculties.  Bekka is followed around by Haylee who writes down everything Bekka does to turn it into a cell phone novel.

I like all the current entertainment examples that are a part of the book but it will end up dating it pretty fast.  The word the monsters use for themselves is great, RAD or Regular Attribute Dodger.  Even though the monsters hide who they are they all still seem to have more confidence then Melody.

There is a love interest or two.  The whole Jackson/DJ Melody Frankie love square or triangle is well kind of icky.  The whole thing can't end well unless polygamy is somehow the solution.

Melody is either fawning over or thinking about boys practically the whole time.  Frankie does think about boys but the clear difference is that it's not all that she thinks about.  I like that Frankie is actually proud of who she is and the fact that she's mint green.  Frankie's adventures and friends are fun to read about.  I like that she uses stage makeup to hide and that she sparks or shocks people accidentally.  Frankie feels that RADS should not have to hide who they are but everybody else is used to hiding.

The ending is pretty good but does leave one with a lot of questions.

Overall I wish the book was more like the web site and that it was just about the monsters because you could take Melody out of the story and really not loose anything important.  This is one instance where having two main characters alternate chapters doesn’t work.