It's rare for me to write a book review when I'm still reading a book. In fact, this is the first time I've ever done so. But Department 19 by Will Hill is an amazing, creepy, delightful book. With characters taken from the greatest "monster" books ever written, such as Frankenstein and Dracula, the author brings these Gothic characters to life in our 21st century world complete with cell phones and the ever-annoying paperwork required from any governmental agency.
I won this book through the Early Reviewers program on LibraryThing, and I'm so glad that I did! I would never have picked up this book on my own. (Hmm, that means I'm too set in my ways when it comes to choosing books, time to switch genres.) What a wonderful break from all the "Twilight lookalikes" flooding the market right now. That's not even a fair comparison; those books are about finding love in spite of unexpected circumstances, while Department 19 is about the monsters under your bed and the government agency that's supposed to protect you from them.
Unless the 2nd half of the book bombs, I'm giving Department 19 by Will Hill a 5 out of 5 star rating. I will add that it does help to have an idea of who the characters were in books like Dracula and Frankenstein, but it's not entirely necessary.
To repeat what another LibraryThing reviewer said: I'm keeping my copy--you'll have to get your own!
EDIT: I have finished the book, and still feel that this is a 5-star, creepy and not-to-be-missed book. Also, while I believe this is the first book of a trilogy, this book can be read as a stand-alone novel, and with the exception of the last 5 pages or so, comes to a satisfying and complete conclusion on its own.
I won this book through the Early Reviewers program on LibraryThing, and I'm so glad that I did! I would never have picked up this book on my own. (Hmm, that means I'm too set in my ways when it comes to choosing books, time to switch genres.) What a wonderful break from all the "Twilight lookalikes" flooding the market right now. That's not even a fair comparison; those books are about finding love in spite of unexpected circumstances, while Department 19 is about the monsters under your bed and the government agency that's supposed to protect you from them.
Unless the 2nd half of the book bombs, I'm giving Department 19 by Will Hill a 5 out of 5 star rating. I will add that it does help to have an idea of who the characters were in books like Dracula and Frankenstein, but it's not entirely necessary.
To repeat what another LibraryThing reviewer said: I'm keeping my copy--you'll have to get your own!
EDIT: I have finished the book, and still feel that this is a 5-star, creepy and not-to-be-missed book. Also, while I believe this is the first book of a trilogy, this book can be read as a stand-alone novel, and with the exception of the last 5 pages or so, comes to a satisfying and complete conclusion on its own.
