As a huge fan of Greek mythology, as soon as I had heard about this, I had to read it.

This was a different take on the myth of the Minotaur but had a modern day element to the story. We follow the story of Nell as she navigates England in the 20th century and finding the body of a man who turned out to be alive.

This was certainly an engaging read and I loved how the Dickensian elements portrayed with the Greek mythology.

I’ve read a lot of books based Greek mythology, and of course as they follow the same myths and characters, the books themselves are largely the same. Once A Monster is not such a book – the story follows Nell, a 10 year old mudlarker working for Benjamin Murdstone, who finds the body of a large creature of a man on the shore, with matted hair and horn like stumps on his head. When the man stirs, Nell decides to care for him, taking him to a cave while he’s in unconscious and seeing over him. Nell speaks to him and in his sleep, the man, dreams of labyrinths and mazes and Nell, his connection back to life. The man is Minos. While Nell cares for Minos, and Minos once awake cares in turn for Nell, Murdstone learns of this infamous myth of a man with the tattoo of a maze on his back and sees the money he can exploit from him. What follows is a story about the monsters in man, the man in ‘monsters’, and how the love for a little girl.

The true beauty in Once A Monster isn’t just in it’s originality but in the gentle beauty in the bond between Minos and Nell. Each give each other a purpose, a tether, a person to care for as well as be cared by in a world that has been unkjnd to them. For a character historically captured as wild and dangerous, it’s the tenderness captured in this book that sets itself apart. Yes the pacing can be a little slow and no, this book won’t be for everyone, but if you enjoy beautiful writing and complex characterisation, then I believe Once A Monster is for you.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

The prose is rich and vivid, drawing you into a world filled with both wonder and darkness. The characters are complex, and the exploration of identity and transformation adds depth to the narrative. While the pacing slowed in a few places, the story overall is captivating.

I’m a sucker for myth retellings, and Minotaurs have fascinated me for a long time. This was a brilliant read, highly recommend

As a massive Greek mythology lover I was so excited for this book, the premise sounded wonderful and thankfully the delivery was perfectly executed.

This dark exploration of what makes one a man or a monster takes Greek mythology and transplants it to a 19th century Dickensian London of orphaned mudlarks, Fagin-esque Murdstone ruling the river, and a bewildered Minos fighting with his perception as a monster, by others and by himself.

The pacing of the story was somewhat uneven, with long, slow contemplative musings interspersed with sudden bursts of action or violence. The main plotline of Minos’s friendship with Nell and their mutual efforts to escape their prescribed paths is absolutely riveting, but some of the subplot elements felt a little under-explored – I would have loved to see Dr Bantam’s or Sophie Chretien’s stories in more detail, instead of keep returning to Murdstone and his nefarious dealings with fate.

There is a clever balance here between the mythology and realism, leaving it to the reader to decide whether Minos is a man struggling with deformity and difference in an unsympathetic world or the actual minotaur of legend, changed over time and experience but still a monster beneath the mud. And even cleverer is the author’s created mythology around how the latter could be possible and the solution to whether we are ruled by fate or by choice.

After a rousing and satisfying climax to the story, the ending felt flat to me – a John Hughes style montage of ‘where are the characters now’, which felt less powerful than allowing them to disappear into the mists of story and legend on leaving London’s bounds.

Still, fans of historical magic realism will find plenty to love here, as will those looking for an Oliver Twist tale with a twist (and a tail) all its own!

Unfortunately I did not enjoy this book, not my usual genre. I did like the overall tale but it felt long and drawn out.

A wonderful fairytale like retelling of the story of mine at all is explores the difference between man and vast in a wonderfully woven tail mowing the story of the Labyrinth. I read this book on holiday in a day.

This was a unique twist on a Greek myth, combined with a Dickensian feel (think Oliver Twist but with a Minotaur)!

Minos is a wonderfully reimagined character, a misunderstood Jekyll and Hyde character - when he is showing the positive side of human nature, he becomes more of a man. However, when he allows the dark side to overtake him, he becomes more bull.

Nell is an orphan, left in the care of Mr Murdstone, who runs a team of ‘mudlarkers’, children like Nell who have to comb the Thames for ‘treasure’ to sell, with Murdstone taking all of the profits. However, Nell still dreams of being a ballerina, just like the dancers her mother used to sew for.

Nell and Minos find each other at a time in their lives when they need support and direction, and this friendship allows them to follow their dreams and find their true identities.

This is a refreshing take on a classic story and I recommend it.

Loved the premise of this book which is what drew me in but unfortunately it failed to hold my attention and I dnf’d at 50%

A Dickensian retelling of the Greek myth of the Minotaur. While I thought the premise of this was creative and interesting - I've always enjoyed Greek and other mythology and many of the recent retellings, reimaginings and modernised versions of these old tales. This one has somer creative elements to draw in the reader - the slow reveal of the minotaur and how he finds himself in Victorian London, the orphaned girl who becomes his connection to humanity, and of course the quasi villain who just wants to get back his youth, his fortune, his dreams. Where it lost some of the spark for me was in the length and pacing. There were moments I felt that we were finally picking up speed and then it would become slow and measured again. Overall, I enjoyed the read.

A beautiful retelling for fans of Greek mythology. The characters are fully formed and beautiful. I cannot wait to read more by this author

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Couldn’t get along with this. Very slow. Gave up less than a quarter of the way through. A shame as it had such promise.

I love retellings of myths so this was right up my street. Love the cover and it definitely would have caught my eye on a shelf.
A retelling of the Minotaur myth set in Victorian London, the story follows Nell and Minos through friendship and hope. A great story which kept me intrigued the whole way through.

Stunning, evocative and captivating are just a few words to describe this remarkable book.
I fell in love with it from the very beginning simply because the writing is style is exquisite with beautiful, almost lyrical, prose that’s filled with mesmerising descriptions pulling you into Victorian London.

I adored Nell (Nella Hart). She is courageous, spirited, kind and compassionate. And it’s these characteristics that lead her to save the life of Minos where a heartwarming bond is formed.

And, of course, I adored Minos. He is broken, troubled by memories of the past and just tying to live a normal life. He’s appearance is that of a brute, (or a monster), but he is just a beautiful soul lost in a world not made for the likes of him. Wonderfully shown when Minos sacrifices himself so Nell can have a better life.

When it’s discovered who, (or what), Minos is, unscrupulous men plan to use Minos for their own monetary gain regardless of the consequences. (Pain, suffering and heartbreak).
The question asks “Man or Minotaur?” and all I can say is man maketh the Minotaur!

This story infuses Mythology with a Dickensian era London & it works perfectly. It truly is a stunning and unique retelling.

A tale of friendship & hope with love at its very core.

Thank you so much, NetGalley & Pan Macmilian, for the arc of this phenomenal book.

An intriguing and original retelling that mixes the Greek myth of the Minotaur and Victorian London urchins. It's a story about the sense of identity, dreams and good vs evil.
The author did an excellent job in developing well rounded and vivid characters and a tightly knitted plot that flows and kept me reading.
The storytelling is excellent, the historical background vivid.
Some less page would have make this book even better
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale is one of my favourite books so I couldn’t wait to pick up his latest novel, especially once I heard it had a Greek mythology twist.

What was a pleasant surprise was the blend of Greek mythology within Dickens’ London. The mudlarks, working under Murdstone, are the gang of pickpockets working under Fagin and I loved the book all the more for that. It’s a kind of retelling that worked perfectly.

Nell is such a sweet character and her relationship with Minos is what makes this book so wonderful. Dinsdale is brilliant at writing engaging characters and I was hooked from start until finish. I can’t wait to read what he writes next and will be encouraging everyone to pick up a copy of Once a Monster.

London, 1861 and 10 year old Nell belongs to a crew of mudlarks who work a stretch of the Thames.
One day Nell discovers a strange body on the shore - it’s seven foot tall, matted hair covers it’s body and the suggestion of horns on it’s head.
As she ventures closer the creature draws breath and Nell is forced to make a decision that will change her life forever.
A Victorian London retelling of the Greek Minotaur legend.
Very atmospheric - loved the way it’s written, as though being narrated by the storyteller, giving the impression of being read aloud.
Perfect reading for a cosy autumn evening.
Thanks #robertdinsdale @panmacmillan & @netgalley for the eARC

A myth retelling from the view of the often overlooked. This won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but it captured a time and told a story that it was hard not to get caught up in.
An unusual story, but one that beautifully captured what it is to form a bond with another. Examining what makes us human, and how easily we judge someone to be a monster when these monsters often walk amongst us and appear like honourable men.
Once a Monster tells the story of Minos, the Minotaur who is part-human, telling us how he walks amongst men and interacts with them. Through his interactions with young mudlarker Nell we learn about his past and how he has come to be in London.
Both the characters of Nell and Minos were beautifully captured. The villainous Murdstone was not quite the caricature I feared he might be, but he definitely was not a character you wanted things to end well for.
There was something Dickensian in the style of writing, and the story telling Nell’s story of her quest to become a dancer. Well-paced and engaging. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this before publication.