Book Review – Friends with the Monsters (Friends with the Monsters 1) by Albany Walker

This was my first novel by Albany Walker. Like many of you, I purchased this for the cover alone. This focuses on our main character, Damiana, who feeds off the sins of others. For that reason, she is forced to find sustenance at local clubs on a regular basis. One night, she stumbles into a world of witches, shape shifters, and bigger monsters then the ones that visit her house. There were aspects of this story that were enjoyable, particularly the first third of this story. Once Damiana meets her fated mates, it felt like she grew incredibly childish, and I struggled to connect with her past that point. Her mates, Grim, Calix, and Runmar, and their relationships felt underdeveloped within the time we have with them. The plot was a bit all over the place and it didn’t feel like much was resolved by the end though I don’t think I’ll be reading the next one. (3/5 rating)