Monster Manglers

Nightlights by Chrysoula Tzavelas

* Book provided by the author for review

4 gnomes and a gnome hat out of 5 gnomes

This book has quite the terrifying concept, where monsters that people can’t see are pretty much chewing on them and the people aren’t noticing.  The only people that can see these monsters and kill them are a special group of people called Nightlights.

This story has a lot of multiple perspectives but I found that it made the story work really well.  You’ll find yourself wanting to know everything about these characters and what their motivations are.  Let’s just say that there are some rather intense relationships between many of the characters.

Ajax is new to this world and is saved by a team of Nightlights.  Brother and sister Seth and Natalie are polar opposites in how they treat their jobs/world.  She’s the responsible one and he’s the always smiling guy who tries to thwart any kind of authority and causes plenty of trouble.

Jehane has one of the most intriguing character arcs because she changes so much.  She’s very much the odd one who's kind of known as the class screw up because she has so much potential but can’t even make a basic weapon or go long without crying.  It’s great to see her become stronger and more comfortable with herself and what she can do.  

These multiple perspectives really move the story right along.  You don’t linger long on anybody but you learn enough about everybody to be suitable intrigued with the world and all of its characters.  I like that I really want to know the background on every single character because they are all so unique.

The theme of balance as strong throughout because when Night Lights become unbalanced/go over the edge they usually create monsters which they call cambions.  These monsters are scary because they are made using a part of their creator’s soul.  If you have too many of these cambions then you run the risk of becoming very Voldermort-like (the lesson here is that splitting your soul = never a good idea.)   

This is an epic feeling story about redemption and the fight against evil/darkness.  They battle for themselves and to keep the world safe.  This is a must read if you love your fantasy books to have a touch of scary too.  The ending was great and I know I'll be eagerly awaiting the next book by this author.


Take a chance and read this unique book.