Hi, everyone! So, it’s been a hot minute, and I’m sorry about that! I have plans to catch up on all my review requests this coming week, but here’s a quick list post in the meantime. And I figured a list of some of my favorite monsters from books would be a fun idea since it is the spooky season.
Honestly, I had a lot of fun making this list; I have a lot of fond memories of reading these books and of these monsters. Which is potentially weird, but oh well. So, let’s get into it because I am genuinely excited to share my thoughts on these guys with you!
Volcra (Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo)
Alright, for the first monster on this list, I decided to go with a fairly obvious pick: The volcra. Honestly, they’re pretty terrifying and made for some awesome scenes in the book. Of course, (minor spoiler!) the fact that they used to be humans makes them even more interesting. And as for the show, I quite liked the way Netflix portrayed them; they definitely had enough of a scare factor.
Bloodstained Blade (The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan)
The scene in The Serpent’s Shadow with Bloodstained Blade is probably still one of my all-time favorite scenes. Though, I did have a hard time deciding between Bloodstained Blade, the Set animal (my beloved Leroy), and Face of Horror. They all made for great monsters, and they all have scenes that made me cackle. So, the latter two definitely deserve to be mentioned.
(Also, side note: Why do all these cover images have the stickers on them? Really? I can’t even escape them digitally, now?)
Gavin/Navarog (Fablehaven by Brandon Mull)
I genuinely think I still have trust issues from this. Seriously, why? Why? Honestly, I don’t know if I can really call him one of my favorite monsters from books in the same way that the others I’ve included are, but I’m still so mad about this that I felt this list would be incomplete if I didn’t include him.
Ronan’s Night Horrors (The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater)
These things were incredibly creepy. I don’t even know what I picture whenever they pop up in the story. But, honestly, they’re part of the reason I’d be nervous about any TV or movie adaptation of The Raven Cycle. Like many of the things and places in this series, I really don’t think they could be done justice. There’s just something inherently impossible to capture about them. And that vague, undefined terror is part of what makes the night horrors so scary, if you ask me.
Smaug and Glaurung (The Hobbit and The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien)
I was hardly going to make this list without mentioning at least one of Tolkien’s monsters. Anyway, I couldn’t choose between Smaug and Glaurung. So, I decided to include them both–they’re both pretty awesome monsters, after all. Though, I guess Glaurung is technically a worse monster given that he’s the “Father of Dragons.” But, on the other hand, Smaug is definitely the classic Tolkien dragon, so.
Nichevo’ya (Siege & Storm by Leigh Bardugo)
Another Grishaverse monster because why not?! Also, I absolutely love the nichevo’ya. They were an awesome part of the second two books in the trilogy, and they really helped to demonstrate the Darkling’s power. But, most importantly, they played a key role in one of my favorite scenes in Siege & Storm. I won’t say much because I don’t want to spoil anything if you haven’t read this series yet, but… Well, I’ll just say Vasily Lantsov and leave it at that. (Seriously, though, I laughed so hard. So, so very hard.)
The Creature (Frankenstein by Mary Shelley)
Come on, how could I not include him? The Creature is one of the most well-known literary monsters in the world, after all. Though, to be honest, he wasn’t really all that scary in the book, despite his murderous tendencies. Though, maybe I was just too distracted by how insanely depressing literally everything about this story is. Because oh my God; this is potentially the most depressing book I have ever read.
So, I hope you enjoyed this list of my favorite monsters from books! Drop a comment down below and let me know some of your favorites; I’m interested to hear about them, especially if we share some. Or, you can always come find me on Bookstagram and start the conversation there. Additionally, if you enjoyed this post, you can use the Extras tab above to find more of the same content.
Pst! The personalized bookmark featured in today’s post photo is from an Etsy shop called An Unexpected Apothecary. I’m happy to still be repping for them, which means you can use my code SUITE10 to get 10% off your order. I don’t get any commission or anything, but it’ll save you a little money if you want to buy anything! They do have a lot of great products, and I especially love their bookmarks, so I definitely recommend checking them out.
