Review: The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez

The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was provided both an ALC and ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This is being marketed as a sapphic romance between the maiden and the monster, however the romance takes a backseat in the novel until the very end of the book.  For much of the book main character Malka is terrified and fairly nasty to the golem Nimrah.  Their interactions are not romantic at all until the very end of the book, and they don't have any romantic chemistry in my opinion.  Malka is a healer, and the forest surrounding her village is known to take young girls who never return.  The golem is rumored to have done terrible things under the control of magic, which Malka has been taught to fear.  I feel like the romance aspect was completely unnecessary.  The action, lore, and magic was enough to keep me entertained, and had they learned to respect each other and work together (which they did) that would have made more sense to me.

I believe this is a retelling of the Golem of Prague, which I plan to read soon.  I loved the folklore, the magic, and the worldbuilding.  I thought the magic system and the creation of monsters and forest were explained well.  We also get a good explanation of the politics and religion going on in the world.  While I found Malka to be an unlikable character, that is part of her character development arc.  Her core is deeply rooted in her faith, and that is shaken on her journey to save her mother and her people.  She learns that not everything she was told is true and she has to come to terms with that in her own time.

Overall, I thought the book was well written and developed.  I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

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