Name: M Is for Monster
Rating: 3.8 (5 reviews)
ISBN: 9781419762208

Talia Dutton

M Is for Monster

Melissa Palmer

This could be used well in the classroom, paired with Frankenstein. Frances is a scientist and her sister Maura is killed in a lab accident. She wants to bring her back so she pulls a Dr. Frankenstein on her. Maura's spirit is in mirrors so she and "M" can converse. Quick read, fans of graphic novels will like it.

Mythos

4.5/5 stars

Before I get into reviewing this graphic novel, I would like to mention the potential triggers it has. It includes abusive dynamics, mentions of anxiety, death, dissection, experiments, and gore.
 
Personally, I loved both the art and the approach the author took with Frankenstein. In this version, Doctor Frances Ai brings her sister back to life, but M realizes that it isn't her body and that she is just living in it. M is struggling to live up to Frances's expectations, even though she despises it because she is afraid of being torn apart. It covers having to live up to expectations, grieving, exploring one's identity, and accepting oneself.
 
The focus of the story seemed to be character development rather than worldbuilding. I thought this would make me love this book less, but I was happily surprised that it wasn't the case. Although I was confused as to how the world they lived in worked, I didn't find myself questioning it too much. We watch M work through finding her true identity. This was often hindered by her doing as she was told by Maura in order to fit in. I liked how the author gave hints at how this was slowly breaking M down. M only truly seems like herself when she is not listening to what anyone tells her to do. Those moments were few at the beginning, but towards the end, we see her getting more comfortable being her true self. This does cause conflict, as Frances still believes that this is her sister and tries to come up with solutions to fix her. I'm glad that she was able to reasonable and understand where M was coming from and eventually came to accept her as she is. 
 
As much as I loved Gin, I found myself identifying more with M. I would have loved to have known more about him, but I understand why this didn't happen. They were still great characters, providing support for both M and Frances.
 
I would 100% recommend this to someone. It's not only an interesting story, but it also helps introduce us to how there are stages to dealing with grief. Both reflected how important it is to let go.

Joycelyn Ghansah

It started great, and then meh. I don't know if it's the book or if Im burned out. Im giving it a 3/5, but I plan to reread it next year to see if it's just me or if maybe the book wasn't for me.

A scientist attempts to bring her younger sister back to life with unexpected results in this Frankenstein-inspired graphic novel about ghosts, identity, and family When Doctor Frances Ai’s younger sister Maura died in a tragic accident six months ago, Frances swore she would bring her back to life. However, the creature that rises from the slab is clearly not Maura. This girl, who chooses the name “M,” doesn’t remember anything about Maura's life and just wants to be her own person. However, Frances expects M to pursue the same path that Maura had been on—applying to college to become a scientist—and continue the plans she and Maura shared. Hoping to trigger Maura’s memories, Frances surrounds M with the trappings of Maura’s past, but M wants nothing to do with Frances’ attempts to change her into something she’s not. In order to face the future, both Frances and M need to learn to listen and let go of Maura once and for all. Talia Dutton’s debut graphic novel, M Is for Monster, takes a hard look at what it means to live up to other people’s expectations—as well as our own. M Is for Monster is one of the titles on our Surely list which is dedicated to showcasing gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual creators and stories.

M Is for Monster

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