Monstrous Beauty is the first mermaid book I've read and I have to say while the story was intriguing, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I wanted. 
 The good: 
 The Lore 
 I thought Fama's approach to mermaid lore was well played out. The mermaids were not our beloved version of Ariel but a soulless, yet beautiful, depiction that I really enjoyed. 
 The setting 
 I LOVED the setting of the novel. It felt authentic to the story. 
 Syrenka 
 Syrenka's characterization and development throughout the historical flashbacks were by far my favorite. She has such an amazing story to share and tries to break free from her destiny. There is a certain beauty to her tragedy. 
 The bad: 
 Hester 
 Oh, Hester..I wanted to like you, but really...get it together. Hester was not developed well at all. It felt like she was just thrown into the story as a stand in. The reader learns very little about her other than she's a history buff (which is a little over played throughout the story) and she really doesn't question much until the end. All of her revelations were very rushed and forced and should have been figured out much sooner. Also, the fact that she's oblivious that Peter is in love with her is annoying. It's presented and then ignored for the rest of the story which really makes it seem unnecessary to the plot. 
 Transitions 
 There are alternating chapters between the past and the present throughout the book. However, the transitions are not written very well. Hester's story felt slow in some places and rushed in others. The accounts from each character are not balanced well and cause a disconnect between the audience and the story. 
 Although I did not love this book as much as I had hoped, it was still a very entertaining read. Also, I should mention that while mermaids are an important element to the story, ghosts are also integrated into the plot and conclusion of Monstrous Beauty .