Hi friends, I’m back for another blog tour today! I’m excited to share my thoughts as part of the blog tour hosted by Toppling Stacks Tours for Elvira Vance and the Monster Mystery by Kacy Ritter.

Thanks to Storytide for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

^{Click the banner above or here to check out the other incredible bloggers on the blog tour!}

TL;DR: Elvira Vance and the Monster Mystery is an adventure-filled Scooby-Doo and the Gang style middle-grade fantasy mystery that I think many young readers will enjoy. The hijinks that ensue may be over-the-top at times, but the story is action-packed as we follow Elvira and her group of friends as they try to the solve the mystery of who’s hurting monsters in the place she calls home. Tough topics that mirror our reality were addressed well by the author in an approachable and easy-to-digest way that wouldn’t be overwhelming for young readers. My only qualm is certain situations relating to the MC’s actions that I wish had been addressed differently, but otherwise, this was a fun romp of a read that’s not only perfect for the spooky season but also summer-time reading!

WHAT I ENJOYED

• I liked that this is a story about monsters where monsters are expected to act like monsters. That might sound silly but it was refreshing to see that while monsters may be misunderstood by humans, they are actually scary and they aren’t particularly discerning about who they eat or capture if their boundaries are crossed and they’re baited. 😂

• I think the strong themes of racism, bigotry, discrimination, intolerance, and systemic oppression and hatred are addressed well. It’s not about one side doing good when they’re the ones seen as evil, and the other doing evil when they’re seen as the ones doing good. It’s individuals who do good and bad things, and it’s how you react and grow in your environment that matters. It was intense at times, especially as we approached the mystery’s peak, but there was nothing overly violent that would be inappropriate for young readers.

• Elvira, Mari, and Emilio were a fun and varied group of friends! I loved that the trio are a mix of monster and human and that they had such a great mix of personalities. I loved how Mari was the muscle but that she also had big brains underneath the brawn box that people put her under. Emilio was a sweetheart who accepted a lot of trauma being friends with these monster girlies who had no fear, and despite being the only human among them, and scared to boot 90% of the time, he was still there for his friends every step of the way.

• Elvira’s parents seemed really cool and they gave me great Morticia and Gomez Addams vibes with their cheesy sweetness and devotion to each other. 😂 They weren’t totally absent parents, but Elvira got away with doing a lot of things under their nose! Other characters I liked were Detective Price, and I was sad we didn’t get to see more of him on page, but also (surprisingly) Thaddeus, that pompous vampire!

WHAT I STRUGGLED WITH

• I wasn’t always Elvira’s biggest fan and this was especially so the further along the book we went because she crossed a lot of lines that she claimed she never would and these moments weren’t properly addressed, even if they were acknowledged as wrong briefly or in passing. The thing is, it’s not that Elvira doesn’t know that what she did was wrong because as she’s doing it, she recognizes that she is crossing a boundary that shouldn’t be crossed, and still does it anyway. Following that however, she doesn’t take ownership of her actions and that’s clear based on what happens after because she does it again. I understand that she is a young monster who is struggling to cope with her powers amidst the chaos of saving her home, and while she’s young and will make brash and illogical decisions without properly thinking through the consequences until it’s too late, that doesn’t mean she’s not old enough to learn from it.

• There were admittedly other times when Elvira’s actions came across as rather selfish, especially when she recognizes at the time that the thing she’s about to say or do would put her and her friends in danger, and yet she did it anyway. A lot of her actions made her seem even more like a spoiled and thoughtless teenager, rather than a scared teenager who would do anything to protect the people she loves in the “best” way she knows how.

Is Elvira Vance and the Monster Mystery on your TBR or does it sound like something you’d enjoy reading?

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