Early Review: House Immortal by Devon Monk
House Immortal by Devon Monk
House Immortal #1
One hundred years ago, eleven powerful ruling Houses consolidated all of the world’s resources and authority into their own grasping hands. Only one power wasn’t placed under the command of a single House: the control over the immortal galvanized....
Matilda Case isn’t like most folk. In fact, she’s unique in the world, the crowning achievement of her father’s experiments, a girl pieced together from bits. Or so she believes, until Abraham Seventh shows up at her door, stitched with life thread just like her and insisting that enemies are coming to kill them all.
Tilly is one of thirteen incredible creations known as the galvanized, stitched together beings immortal and unfathomably strong. For a century, each House has fought for control over the galvanized. Now the Houses are also tangled in a deadly struggle for dominion over death—and Tilly and her kind hold the key to unlocking eternity
The secrets that Tilly must fight to protect are hidden within the very seams of her being. And to get the secrets, her enemies are willing to tear her apart piece by piece.…
House Immortal started off as a bit of a slow read for me. Luckily after a while it really started to pick up. So, bear with me as I explain what didn't work in the beginning. I promise, the book turns around as the trade off of the unique world is more than worth the rocky start. That being said, the info dump beginning left me more confused and out of sorts than sucked into the story. Don't get me wrong, the world is very interesting and I love the concept behind it, but frankly it was rather complex and there was a whole lot going on. In fact, I'm still not really sure I grasp all of the different aspects, but looking back, I felt this same way after reading the first book in Devon Monk's Allie Becktrom series, disconnected and a bit overwhelmed, and that series is one of my all time favorites now. So, bottom line, what I'm saying is that even if the beginning of House Immortal is a rough read, it's more than worth hanging on and pushing through to get to the good.
So, negative stuff over, let's move on to Tilly. I really adored her. She's so strong and determined to take care of others despite her very very vulnerable position. And while she never rolls over quick to other's demands, she sacrifices herself over and over for others. It's really admirable, especially when you account for the fact that others don't even consider her to be human. I think one of the best parts of this book was how it made you question what it really meant to be human. Sure, Tilly was stitched together and "made" but she has a real human soul, and she shows more kindness and humility than most of the "real" people in this book. Some of their actions were atrocious, and yet they treat her as subhuman. Like I said, it really made you question the definition of humanity, and I love it for that.
Now onto the good aspects of that world. The whole idea of eleven houses controlling the world, with each focusing on a different "trade" and immortal beings that were literally stitched together is absolutely fascinating. Add that to those immortal being selling themselves willing to the houses in slavery so many years to stop a war, and the rest of the structure and I was hooked. Again, the introduction into this world is a bit bumpy, but the uniqueness more than makes up for in my opinion. I love the urban fantasy world with a fierce passion, and this genre will probably always be my go-to books, but even so I still get tired of the same old same old from time to time. So it's so nice to read something completely fresh and unique like this.
All in all, I'm rather pleased with House Immortal's start to this new series. A fresh and unique new world, House Immortal will appeal to fans of Urban Fantasy. Devon Monk once again proves she's a powerhouse in the genre. Major kudos!
(Received a copy from the publisher)
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