As beautifully written as I expect from Robert Dinsdale and a branch out into mythology/historical fiction.

Thanks to Pan Macmillan for providing me with a free e-ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Sadly, I ended up not finishing this book. I put it down at around the 20% mark, but since it is a review copy, I thought I’d still share my thoughts!

This book is a retelling of the Greek myth of the minotaur, set in a Dickensian period. It follows Nell, a ten-year-old orphan who comes across Minos, a disfigured man. I’d gotten nearly 20% into the book, and that was all that had happened. Sure, we’d gotten some insight into Nell’s life, but nothing much had happened plot-wise.

It wasn’t a bad book – the writing was solid, and I think the plot and the characters had a lot of potential, but I couldn’t bring myself to read more than a chapter at a time, and whenever I put the book down, I felt no motivation to pick it back up.

It was just incredibly slow and there wasn’t even an inkling of a plot, despite the fact that I’d gotten quite a way through the book. I also read a few reviews to see whether I was missing something and whether it would get better. Some people seemed to enjoy the story, but a lot of them seemed to feel the same as I did. Quite a few people also mentioned that the relationship between Minos and Nell was questionable at times, which put me off even further.

Ultimately, I don’t think it would have been fair to me, the book, or the author, to force myself to finish it if I wasn’t enjoying it. I have no doubt that there are others out there who would love it, but it just wasn’t for me.

I found this book hard to get into, as the beginning, for me, was quite slow. However once the main part of the story began and the truth of Minos emerged I could not put the book down! The twists and turns much like the labyrinth itself, kept coming and really made you feel for the characters. As a lover of Greek history and mythology I had high hopes for this book and boy did it deliver!

I’ve only recently starting reading retellings but I was drawn to this by the Dickensian nature of the book. I love anything Victorian and alongside the myth of the Minotaur this sounded like a compelling read. And it was. Set in 1861 in London the main protagonist, aside from Minos, is 10 year old Nell a mudlark who spends her days trawling the mudbanks of the Thames searching for anything of value which she then has to handover to evil overseer Benjamin Murdstone, a Fagin type character. A captivating story of Human v. Monster that will have you considering just who the real monsters are. My first read by this author and what a wonderful one, I loved his writing style and the pace was for the most part perfect.

Briefly, out searching one day Nell finds a body. Tall, hirsute and dead… until she notices a breath… The decision she makes that day will change both of their lives.

I loved determined and courageous Nell. I wanted her to realise her dreams of becoming a dancer in the theatre and enjoyed her burgeoning relationship with Minos as she nursed him back to health. The story of Minos’ escape from the Labyrinth to the dark streets of Victorian London and his desire to find out if he is man or monster was powerful. I didn’t expect it to be such a tragic and heart rending read. An atmospheric book full of emotional and physical battles between Good and Evil with the question can evil ever truly be redeemed? I enjoyed this a lot, a good historical fiction and Greek mythology peppered with elements of fairy tale storytelling. 4.5⭐️

Definitely not your usual read. Imagine Dickens mixed with Greek mythology... served in a magic realism plate. Yeah, it sounds a bit complex – it also is and isn’t at the same time. While I like all of these things separately, I found reading this book a bit bothersome. It might not be a popular opinion but the ever-changing pacing in this book kept throwing me off. While I understand what the author did in this book with all the intricate details from Greek mythology described in dreams and thoughts, they were excessively slow, and difficult to get into the mood of it, knowing that very Dickensian London life is running parallel to it. But maybe it’s just me.

That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed the characters though and the whole idea for the story – the classic good and bad narrative, all woven in a different kind of way. It’s a bit of patience required to read this story but it can be rewarding for those who are interested in historical fiction, Greek mythology and unusual combinations.

P.S. The constant idea underlying the second half of the book of the russian ballets and St Petersburg as a dream sort of land for an escape... left a bitter taste in my mouth, especially in these times. I’m not going to go into politics in this review but this definitely knocked a second star for me.

I absolutely adored The Toymakers by the same author when I read it a few years ago. This came up on Netgalley and I applied a while ago and got accepted. I've only just got round to reading it but wanted to make sure my review was out before publication day!

Once a Monster is a retelling of the Minotaur tales of Greek folklore. Half man, half bull, the Minotaur was locked in a labyrinth by family members and spent his says trying to get out.

In this take, the Minotaur or, Minos as he's known in this tale, surfaces on the banks of the River Thames in 1861. He is discovered by a young, orphan mudlark called Nell with whom he immediately bonds. Nell is "owned" by a vile man who sends her and other minors onto the banks of the river to sift the mud and silt for treasure. When he gets wind of Minos, he becomes power hungry at what it might do for him and thus begins a battle.

I really enjoyed this, such an interesting take. Nell was fabulous, such a great character. She yearns to escape the life of poverty and become a ballet dancer and there are lots of lovely references to the dance halls of those days.

Minos had a great story line too, flashing back to his past and the real origins of the Minotaur story, alongside his struggles in this Dickensian era tale.

It's got some humour, but is generally a dark tale, the poverty-ridden London of that era being captured perfectly.

A great read and one I'll be recommending. Thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It is such a clever read, it feels part fairytale part myth reimagining and it’s just a very good story. The way Robert Dinsdale has weaved the classical mythology so seamlessly into the setting of Victorian England is astonishing. It just works.

I really liked the character of Nell, a feisty little thing, I kept forgetting she was only 10!, and the bond she forms with Minos even though it does get used against her. Her sense of childish wonder and amazement when she finally got to the theatre was so well detailed and pure, it got me in the feels.

I forgot how much I love books set in Victorian London, the setting is a character in itself and you could really visualise the labyrinth like winding streets in the foggy mist. Victorian London always seemed to have a sense of danger and I find that so interesting, even Nell’s theatre and Sophie couldn’t keep her safe when it came to it.

"Once a Monster" by Robert Dinsdale is a captivating and atmospheric historical novel that transports readers to 19th-century London along the Thames. The story of young Nell, a mudlark searching for treasure in the mud, takes an unexpected turn when she encounters a mysterious and otherworldly creature. Dinsdale's writing beautifully captures the gritty and vivid setting of Victorian London, and the narrative weaves a tale of wonder, discovery, and the choices that shape one's destiny. With its blend of historical fiction and elements of fantasy, "Once a Monster" is a compelling and enchanting read that keeps you engaged until the very end. The novel is a testament to the power of storytelling and the transformative impact of unexpected encounters.

The Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale is one of my favourite books and I try to read it regularly, although I do admit it's been a while, so maybe a reread is due.

Generally I don't do long books and I don't do mythological retellings. With this book, Robert has given me both. And boy has he delivered. It was beautiful.

Author Essie Fox describes it as "a labyrinthine delight of a novel where a world of Dickensian darkness is infused with ancient myth". Everyone that knows me knows I love Dickens and collect many of his books, and so this instantly grabbed my attention.

I had never really fallen in love with mythological retellings. For some reason, most of the ones I have tried have felt a bit superfluous, like they were never needed. But this blows them all out of the water and shows me how, when one is this good, it is definitely required.

Every word, sentence, passage, chapter reads so perfectly seamless. It's hard to imagine he would have to wrestle with subpar drafts, and not just put down perfection straight away. His writing is gorgeous and has a hold over me that very few authors do. All I want is for Robert to teach me how to write, is that too much to ask?

For me, this fits somewhere between mythological, historical, dream and reality.

There is a tenderness I wasn't necessarily expecting from a story about a mythological - historically bad - character. I love this take on the minotaur. We've all been told stories of course, that the minotaur is a creature to be feared, and not one to be loved or respected.

There are characters a plenty, and whilst Nell is our main protagonist, my favourite has to be Mr Murdstone. He is perfectly evil. Not over the top, more like a Fagin character (going back to Dickens), and whilst he may not have been the nicest character, he was definitely the best to read. You could really get your teeth into him.

I've said it before, I rarely like books that are 500+ pages in length because they very rarely warrant being that long. But this one. Oh this one. I would have read double the page length if I could. There's never too much Dinsdale.

It's going to take a lot to knock The Toymakers off its perch, but this book just reiterates why Dinsdale is one of my favourite authors. I have put his others on my book wishlist. There's something very pure and heartfelt about his writing.

The most surprising thing of all is how moving I found it. At several moments, and particularly the end (no spoilers here) I found myself fighting back tears. Not always for sad reasons. There's just a lot of emotion in this book, a lot of stories and morals and lessons, and I thank Dinsdale for giving it to us. I will gladly read it again and again.

I know books are subjective and we all have our likes and dislikes, and I know some people will think less favourably about this, but I struggle to see how anyone couldn't see the magic weaved into these words.

Yes, it's a story about a minotaur, man vs beast, of a girl's friendship with a minotaur, but there's so much more. There's so much more. There's sadness and poverty, wishes, hopes and dreams, there's dancing and running, promises and lies, danger and death, love and madness, beauty and ugliness, heroes, villains and cowards. It is so layered - like a labyrinth itself - and you get sucked into these layers, deeper and deeper, but never really wanting to escape.

I do want to thank Pan Macmillan, Robert Dinsdale and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book early in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who loves Greek mythology I had a lot of high hopes for this, and being set in Dickensian I was excited to see how this story would go. The pre-tense of this book was good, I really wasn't a fan of the storylineand found myself quite bored at times. It does write very childlike so I think it will attract a lot of younger readers which is the intension. I did find the wording and friendship between Nell and Minos little questionable at times.

I've read this authors work before and he is very talented, this book just wasn't for me.

I am a Robert Dinsdale fan.. The Toymakers being one of my all time favourite books, so I do feel a bit biased towards him!

This one is a chunk of a book but I enjoyed every moment. Other than Minos, our main character is Nell - a mudlark, held nigh on captive by Mr Murdstone, forced to work and hand over everything to him, with no chance of escape until she finds Minos and decides to save his life.

It’s a long, deep, twisting tale, and takes your emotions everywhere. A lot goes on but as I said earlier, I enjoyed every moment. It’s quite a sad story!

I enjoyed it immensely, and if you enjoyed The Toymakers then you will love this too.

My thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review

This wasn't quite the story I was expecting but after a couple of pages I was enthralled by the beautiful storytelling and the masterful prose. the descriptions brought everything to life on the page and I found myself looking forward to spending the evenings during which I read this story, finding out what Nell, Murdestone, and Minos has been up to. The writing really is exquisite and the story stayed with me long after finishing it. Whether you're a fan of Greek mythology or a lover of beautiful prose, Once a Monster is definitely a book to read at least once.

"Once a Monster" by Robert Dinsdale is one heck of a captivating and thought-provoking read that dives deep into what it means to be human and, well, what it's like to be a total monster. So, you've got this young gal named Nell who stumbles upon a dead body while she's out mudlarking – not her first encounter with a corpse, mind you, but this one's a real head-scratcher.

Don't expect a breezy, in-and-out kind of book here; it's more like a beautifully tangled web of a story that spans ages. Dinsdale's got this knack for weaving together different tales and points of view, and his world-building skills paint a vivid picture of not only the gritty streets of Victorian London but also these glimpses of some ancient times. But the real heart of the book lies in its deep thoughts about what makes someone a monster or a hero, and it's a no-holds-barred exploration of the Minotaur's tragic story.

Being a fan of Greek mythology and Victoriana I was drawn to this book, and it didn’t disappoint. This imaginative story is richly detailed and well woven. The description of Victorian London with its orphans and preying villains more than once brought the tale of Oliver Twist to my mind. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

An immersive historical tale that effortlessly blends Greek mythology & gritty Dickensian London, whilst the story is a slow burn it keeps you captivated with interesting characters & the need to know what happens to them. For fans of historical fiction, greek mythology, magical realism - 3 & 1/2 stars

Thanks to Pan Macmillan & Net Galley for an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review

Although the book had issues with pacing in my opinion (entire middle part of the novel is so slow I almost stopped reading), the ending is beautiful and I loved this reimagining of the Minotaur myth.

Historical book with a mythology twist.
This book reminded me of Pandora from Susan Stokes-Chapman. I found the book too slow going, and too many characters a bit too dislikable. I ended up not finishing the book, as it was too slow. I am sure that fans of slower-paced historicals and Dickensians athmosphere would love this book, but it was not for me.

This was an interesting one, fast paced and keeps you hooked with a gripping narrative that uncovers layers of chilling secrets.

Does how you look make you a monster? Or how you behave? Or does how you behave affect how you look?

London 1861. Nell is an orphan, all of 10 years old, living as a mudlark as part of a gang rung by Mr Murdstone. She dreams of becoming a ballerina, having been taken to the theatre by her mother who sewed costumes there. Her dying mother entrusted her to Murdstone, but he exploits his charges and takes all the money they earn in return for barely a living. Murdstone once had status and money, now he has debts and creditors.

One day Nell finds a man washed up from the river – a giant of a man, only just alive. And they make a connection that will affect the rest of their lives.

Its a powerful and unsettling read; the story of a minotaur in Victorian London, but it manages to be both credible and heartwrenching. Little Nell is portrayed very well, and we understand her dreams and her dilemmas. Minos is a more difficult character to understand, but again he is well portrayed and the author makes the reader think about how we judge people, what characteristics are important and what makes a ‘good’ person.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The writing is impeccable. The author gets me hooked on the story from beginning to end. I do wonder what age group this book is for though. There are bits that are clearly not so suitable for children but the main character is a ten-year old. So, I am not sure if a more mature reader profile will bond with a ten-year old.

I love the book but it is just a bit difficult to pinpoint its target readers.