I cried. Magnificently. There was mascara everywhere. 
 A Monster Calls has been described as a modern fairytale, and it certainly does contain fairytale references - three tales told to hint at important truths, impressive and ancient beings, a modern quest for our hero to triumph over. But it's more than a modern fairytale rehash - it's a novel about unfortunate and hard to face truths. 
 I don't read YA so very often anymore, but I am infinitely glad that I did in this case. A Monster Calls is a beautifully told tale about love and grief and loss, poignant and bursting full of wonderful and wise quotes that I'm sure will be featured on goodreads soon if they aren't already.