Mr. Monster (John Cleaver, 2)

The truth is that this series is for older YA and up, and for those who enjoy horror or want something more than good guy doing good things for good reasons. Dan Wells never let's you get comfortable with John Cleaver and that's okay because it is supposed to be that way. Seeing him struggle for sanity, stability, and even his soul all while outside of normal human behavior gives the reader the feeling that our hero may become a villain because apart of him is.The language is clean but the subject matter is rather deep and disturbing. There is a realism in the characters all the way around and audible version makes that story all the more intense.The story flowed in such a way that I was never pulled out. The characters stayed in line with who they where presented as.

As soon as I finished I Am Not A Serial Killer, I started the next book in the series, Mr. Monster. Now that I am done with Mr. Monster, I have sent away for the final book, I Don’t Want to Kill You. It can’t come fast enough. These are phenomenal books.If you liked the first book, you will like this one, too. And actually, if you liked the first half of the first book, but hated the twist and the end, then you should still like this one, too.Rather than focus on the supernatural aspects that popped into the series in the last book, Wells spends the majority of this novel watching John Cleaver (our hero?) cope with life at home, at school, at the morgue, and beyond. And what a fascinating life he leads. Even though there are supernatural elements in this novel, they are downplayed almost to the point that they disappear amidst all the torture and terribleness that normally comes with a book about serial killers. Even more than the last novel, the emphasis on John Cleaver’s daily mental struggles create a character of great depth that takes the reader over the entire emotional spectrum - a rather impressive feat considering sociopaths have significant issues the whole “emotions” thing.Only one book left. Who will die next?

Mr. Monster was a superb sequel and not at all a sophomore slump. We pick up a couple of months after the book one and everyone thinks that life is back to normal until another string of murders begin to take place. Mr. Monster not only continued the talk of mental illness but further explored what it's like giving in to your demons which I appreciated wholeheartedly! This story is made better by adding to antagonists to the story who really push John to the edge. If you read this book then I think you have a pretty good idea of who the bad guys are but if you haven't and want to; keep your eyes and mind clear. I say this because this book keeps you on your toes. I also appreciated the heightened use of Psychological Warfare!! All in all I am having such a tremendous time with this series and am excited for more!

Time to dive back into the world of John Cleaver, the troubled young boy who has been diagnosed as a sociopath, has saved his town from a murderous demon, and has dreamed about slowly dissecting the girl across the street. It's no secret that I found I Am Not A Serial Killer one of the most fascinating books I have read in a long time, and I was very eager to see what Dan Wells had provided next. With Mr Monster, Wells has created a sequel that achieves the remarkable feat of outshining its predecessor in every single facet, and it is easily one of the best books I have ever read, and will probably ever read.The story follows on almost immediately after the events of I Am Not A Serial Killer, with the FBI showing a very keen interest in John after his run in with the Clayton Killer. During the FBI investigation, a new serial killer starts piling up bodies throughout Clayton, and once again John takes it upon himself to find and dispose of the killer, believing wholeheartedly that this killer is another demon and only he has the skills to defeat it. This story is just perfectly balanced, using and maintaining equal parts of mystery, suspense, terror, anxiety, hope, and any other bunch of emotions you can name. The pace is masterfully controlled, it feels like it mirrors John's emotions - when John is scared and doesn't know what is going on, the pace slows and slows while the suspense builds and builds, but when John is excited and knows exactly what his going on, the pace becomes slick and the action scenes become electric. The plot is fantastic, it reads like a 'whodunnit' where Wells gives you all the evidence you need right up front to work out who the killer is, but because of all the brilliant red herrings the killer could plausibly be anyone. That is right up until one big scene where everything comes together all at once - you realise who the killer is and you kick yourself because you know that all the clues were there and if you had have paid attention you wouldn't have fallen for all the decoys. I just cannot speak highly enough about how good the plot and writing are for this book.The thing is, the story isn't even the best part of this book. What I loved most of all was the way that Wells showed no remorse in putting John through the proverbial meat grinder. While there are a bunch of other characters in this story who are fully fleshed out with their own motivations and complexities (Brooke especially who has become one of my favourite characters), they just pale in comparison to John and the battle he wages with his inner demon Mr Monster for the entire book. John fights and fights, the tension is immense not because you fear John is going to die but because you fear that John is going to snap and let Mr Monster take control. And slight spoiler here the best scene in this whole series comes about halfway through this book when John finally succumbs to Mr Monster, not with a whisper but with a bang, and the rest of the story is all about John fighting to take back control from Mr Monster, even though it feels so so good to have Mr Monster in charge. His realisation that he is becoming a monster is one thing, but his realisation that he enjoys nothing more than being the monster makes his fight to stay human so much more powerful.Wells is such a visual writer, and some of the things he comes up makes you seriously wonder about his of mind. From embalmings gone wrong to graphic torture scenes and even the effortless way in which John stalks everyone his neighbourhood, the whole book oozes psychological terror. This is a book that makes disturbing scenes fascinating because they are told from the point of view of a character who actually finds these disturbing scenes fascinating. I flipping loved this book and the more I reflect on it the more I love it. I could not put it down, I could not find a fault with it, and I recommend it to anyone and everyone. Even if you don't like horror. My wife is not big fan of horror or urban fantasy, but she could not put this book down and could not stop raving to me about how much she loved every part of this book. It is immensely entertaining, immensely challenging, and immensely satisfying.

John Wayne Cleaver is back, after his debut in  I Am Not A Serial Killer . Sixteen years old now, he still is warring with his sociopathic tendencies.MINOR SPOILER ALERT:In the first book in this trilogy, John fights and kills a demon disguised as a serial killer terrorizing his small town. Well, now someone is back in Clayton, torturing and murdering young women. Is it your run-of-the-mill serial killer or could it possibly be another demon?This series is told in first person point-so of-view, the reader gets to feel the full impact of John's fight against the dark yearnings of his own personality - from Mr. Monster within him.I actually would have preferred that there not be a supernatural side to this trilogy. John's fight with himself is quite scary enough. But the story is well told and I am enjoying it.NOTE: Just because there is a teenage protagonist, this is NOT a Young Adult book. There are many scenes of graphic violence throughout the story.I am now off to read book three in the trilogy  I Don't Want to Kill You .

This second book in the series was less sad and satirical but much more badass and fun than the first one. I read it in a single sitting, it was that hard to put down. The writing is exceptional and so is the plot. I don't normally like thrillers and serial killer books. They're tedious and give the impression of watching the same D-series movie over and over again. But this one is fresh and quirky with John as the lead character. And the ending is fabulous! Looks like John came into his own now.

I bought this immediately after 'I Am Not a Serial Killer' and thought it was brilliant. It's set a couple of months after the events of the first book. John is getting creepier and more dangerous by the minute but is still so fascinating and still manages, somehow, to make you care about what happens to him. These books are so gripping. There is so much tension and they are so involving that you just race through them - good in one sense but then they're over so quickly! Can't wait to read the next one.

John Wayne Cleaver is your average teenager; he fantasizes about girls, has a turbulent relationship with his mother and is slowly deciding what sort of person he wants to be. Oh, and he's a sociopath with murderous tendencies!'Mr Monster' carries on the trials and tribulations of everyone's favourite teenage sociopath where the previous book left off and let me tell you, the pace doesn't slow down for a second. Having just solved the unsettling mystery behind a string of murders in the previous book, John finds himself in a similarly twisted situation as a fresh batch of bodies start turning up. But John's finding it increasingly difficult to keep his alternate personality, the eponymous Mr Monster, locked up inside his psyche. With new opportunities to unleash his deepest, darkest desires presenting themselves at every corner, will John be able fight back and resist? I can only tell you to read on.I devoured the first book in the series and was equally satisfied with Mr Monster, despite the rather jarring shift from tentative thriller to full-throttle horror. Without spoiling anything, the antagonist in this volume isn't sympathetic AT ALL and lends a far edgier atmosphere to the proceedings than in the previous installment. John himself is also becoming more and more troubled, which makes him a challenging character to root for in certain parts of the story, but that's partly what makes him so fascinating. I wholly recommend this book to anybody who enjoyed the first and can't wait to see what grisly happenings the third book has in store.

I enjoyed hearing more about what happened to John Wayne Cleaver following the first book ‘I Am Not A Serial Killer’.Looking forward to the next.

What a cracking read. Maybe not as intense as the first but still very well written. Set up for book three perfectly.