Menagerie
I struggled to continue reading for about half of the book. Not all of it, since there is a moment when it gets exciting. It is almost at the beginning when the MC, Delilah, visits the menagerie with her friends and boyfriend, and is so furious to witness how a caretaker abuses a little werewolf (a little girl who is terrified) that she transmute into a fantastic, demoniac sort-of-monster. And then, struggle after struggle (for me as well for Delilah).And not because it was boring. But Delilah goes from a free, mysterious demon to a normal slave. She, along with all the other demons (cryptids), are all humiliated, abused, hit, starved, drugged, imprisoned and forced to perform in front of the humans. The female cryptids are forced to use their bodies in exchange of food, of water. The male cryptids are forced to breed. None of the demons has any right, they are all treated worst than animals. I don't enjoy reading unjust situations that go on and on, without a glimpse of hope in their future. It is true that Delilah was a strong woman, fearless (sometimes to the point of being in danger because of her personality), but what was the point when all the other demons (shapeshifters, mermaids, Minotaur, centaurs, etc.) were without any hope? When we don't enjoy their awesomeness, but instead get zombies inside of cages? We have all those fantastical creatures but for exhibit only.
All that power was nowhere to be seen in this half of the book. It was like re-watching (and this is something that only fans of One Piece would understand) the arc of Robin when she was taken prisoner of the Marine and cuffed for about 60 chapters. She couldn't use her magnificent power. She couldn't defend herself when that stupid Spandam kicked and punched her. At least we all knew (even if they took a long time) that her nakamas were there, trying to save her. But Delilah was completely alone.
Besides that, there are quite a number of POV. Not only Delilah's (although only hers is in 1st-person) but Gallagher's, Nalah's, Clyde's, Rudolph's, the cop's, Delilah's mom's, etc. Not that it was hard to remember who was who, but at that point, even that fact was a struggle. Their POV wasn't intended to know them, or know how they feel. Since most of them were kind of flat, it felt useless.
Then, once Delilah knows what she is, things starts to get better. Things get more exciting, we know more about certain stuffs and well, things get more gory. Bit creepy, but I liked it. I love all the mythological creatures that came along. I liked that the real monsters get what they deserved.
And again, the last couple of chapters were a mess. Yes, with plenty of action, just as I liked it, but also a mess, with enough mess to make a 2nd book. It was all over the place.
PS: Kudos to the author for not making it a romance! No romance for the MC, yayy.
