Monstrous Devices

"The settings in it are so beautifully drawn. It is one of those books that the moment you start reading you are in that world, you’re there with Alex and his grandpa, and you get to travel across Europe and it’s so atmospheric. The horror in it is really interesting. I would say it’s a read for 11-12 year olds, because it’s quite complex and it doesn’t shy away from dark thoughts, dark deeds. The villains in the story do some very horrible things but I don’t want to say too much and do spoilers. It’s really interesting how they use the robots and mix the human blood and skin with the robots. It’s disgusting, but it’s brilliant. And I love the relationship between the central characters. It’s unusual to have a child and a grandparent as your main characters, and it’s done so well. Grandpa is so eccentric and interesting. Alex is your normal teen suddenly being thrown into this really dark, deep, elaborate, complex world where everything that he thought he knew is not right. It’s different and it’s very scary. I’m a big fan of the series. I’ve read the first two books and I’m hoping there is going to be another one. Yes, it’s excellent. If you haven’t read the second book, The Shadow Arts , you should. They go to the Black Forest and it’s super creepy in the woods. It takes it to the next level."