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J.L. Murray

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Monstrous (Blood of Cain Book 1) Kindle Edition

by J.L. Murray (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.2 118 ratings

Book 1 of 3: Blood of Cain

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Frankie Mourning died on a Thursday. Then she came back.

Tasked with killing the killers – people with the blood of Cain running through their veins – Frankie always gets her villain. But this time it's different. This time she has to go home. Something strange is happening in Helmville, Montana. People are dying at an alarming rate, and the sheriff is ruling them all accidents and suicides.

Nothing is as it seems and Frankie soon finds herself sucked into the tangled and seemingly supernatural mystery. Because the people acting strangely, the people killing everyone around her are haunting the mirrors. Now Frankie's own reflection is behaving strangely and seems hellbent on causing her harm. In a world enmeshed in remote beauty, dark magic, and violent memories, Frankie feels lost. Luckily, a detective on the run for murder shows up.

Thomas Dekker wants to help and claims he cares about Frankie. But daring to trust him could cost her everything.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"If you're looking for a book that will make you squirm as you read, look no further. MONSTROUS is haunting and suspenseful; equal parts gore and heart. With a foul-mouthed heroine who has more of a conscience than she would like to admit, and a cast of dubiously moral characters, MONSTROUS is not for the faint of heart or the easily spooked."~ Amy R. Biddle, Underground Book Reviews

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01LXZQ9XO
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hellzapoppin Press; 3rd edition (December 6, 2016)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 6, 2016
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1655 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 253 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1540773078

Best Sellers Rank: #995,434 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #1,089 in Occult Suspense
- #8,028 in Dark Fantasy Horror
- #30,588 in Fantasy Romance (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.2 118 ratings

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About the author

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J.L. Murray

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J.L. Murray is the author of the Niki Slobodian series (Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, The Devil Is a Gentleman, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, The Devil Was an Angel, and The Devil's Backbone), The Thirteen series (Jenny Undead and Eat the Ones You Love), After the Fire, Blood Day, Blood of the Stars, the Blood of Cain series (Monstrous, Hoarfrost, Sanguine), the Gothic Folk series (The Hungry Deep, The Collins Widow), and The Diablerists series (Queen Victoria's Monsters).

Murray is a firm believer that horror can be beautiful, and that good and evil are very far from black and white. She lives with her family in Eugene, Oregon and can be reached on Facebook at facebook.com/jlmurraywriter and through her website jlmurraywriter.com.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5

118 global ratings

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Nocturnus

The Darkness Within

Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2016

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•••NOT for the homophobic, transphobic, closed minded or feint of heart!•••

This series must be read in order. This is the first book. I can't wait to read Hoarfrost!

Frankie has never been the same as everyone else. Not even when she was a kid. Something happened to her sister... And noone believed her. They said it was a dream. Then something happened to her mom. They were strange and evil and she was scared all the time. After the killed her father right in front of her, she knew she had to run... For the little good it did her. Always she was returned back to the creatures that killed her father, the creatures that used to be her family. The cop said horses killed her father. The last time she was forced back home she had a plan... She burned her sister and mother alive and was finally free. So she lived and killed evil people, giving them what they deserved, until she was caught and sentenced to death... But people like her don't get to die. Instead she was brought back and given a choice: hunt and destroy the murderers with the Blood Of Cain, earning her redemption..... Or go to Hell. What's a girl to do? Followed by Ravens and haunted by Wraiths giving orders, Frankie does the bidding of her mysterious benefactor. Why is she special? What always made her different? Is she really alive again? Can she die? What were the things that took over her sister and mother? Why was she Chosen for this? Will she ever be free?

***This series is suitable for adult readers who enjoy the darker side of paranormal romance filled with horror, snark, magic, Gods, monsters and more :D

14 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Interesting Book

Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2024

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This book had so much going on that I could barely keep up. The idea about a killer killing the killers is not all bad. The storyline and the characters were way out there. The main female character has lots of issues as well.

Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2017

Verified Purchase

WOW!! This book gave me chills whilst reading it and I loved every second. Frankie mourning watched her sister Becky swim in the lake resentment filled her young body because the lake scared her and no matter how hot she was or how sticky her skin felt there was no way she was going in there but something happened and as nasty as her sister was to her what came out was worse when Frankie told her parent's Becky died they didn't believe her they told her she was dreaming but then her mother started acting strange and Frankie was to scared to sleep, scared of what the monster's wearing her family's faces would do if she closed her eyes until they finally broke her then for good measure they killed her father, killed him while she watched helpless and unable to save him Frankie runs but is bought back. Unable to take it any more she snaps and burns her mother and sister alive and is sentenced to death for the murders only Frankie doesn't stay dead, bought back and made to do the bidding of the one who resurrected her she now hunt's the killers and murderers, the children of Cain, followed by ravens and given orders by wraith's she is sent home, back to the beginning to try to stop the evil but now she is not alone Dekker a cop on the run for murder want's to help Frankie but can she trust him or will finally letting someone in be the thing that finally destroys her. This is a brilliantly written book and as dark as the character's are you can't help but love them. the story stays with you long after putting it down can't wait to read more on this series

2 people found this helpful

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Literary Litter

Vastly entertaining

Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2017

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If you're a fan of the television show Supernatural, you're sure to love this book. Frankie, our main character, has all of the attributes of the beloved Dean Winchester. If you've seen the episodes where he has the mark of Cain, you'll really identify with her. 'I killed him. I liked it. I feel guilty about liking it, but not guilty enough not to do it again.' This sort of tossing back and forth is what makes her such a lovable character. Her most endearing quality is that she's human (sort of) and she's grappling with it.

Murray's storytelling is constant throughout and keeps you captivated. Even in the down times where there doesn't seem to be a lot of action going on, you're still pulling information out of the book and streamlining it into your brain. She's quick-witted and adds the right amount of humor to balance the horror that takes precedence in the story.

For me, the most entertaining part of this book is the shock. These people aren't like me. Granted, there are people like this in the world. It was a blast to be flipping page after page with my brain doing the finger nod and saying 'Oh no she di'n't!'

As the beginning of a series, this has everything. Though the characters aren't nice, you can still relate to them and you want to get to know them better. We establish relationships with both the characters and the world. We have a basic idea of what's going on, but we still need to know more. I'm looking forward to more in this series, Blood of Cain, as well as checking out Murray's other works.

7 people found this helpful

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ConniW

This will test your endurance.

Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2023

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This is a well written book with characters so poignant that your heart will ache.
The setting will both bolster and baffle you and if you have ever wondered about the differences between salvation and evil, you might find yourself enjoying this.
I would hedge my bets and say Not family friendly here and go with 18+ for the many sensitive topics here.

3 people found this helpful

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Devann M.

a fun and interesting read

Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2020

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I've been finding it hard to get into urban fantasy lately but I really liked this one. I think this author does a good job of combining a lot of very common urban fantasy elements with things that are a bit more out there and original like her take on the biblical mythology in this one to make it feel interesting and not just like you're reading the same book over and over again. I will definitely check out the next book soon.

One person found this helpful

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phoenix2000

Confusing

Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2019

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I read 75% of this book. I didn't mind that it was about creepy demon possession. It was just confusing. 75% in and I don't know what the heck is going on. There don't seem to be any heroes. Everyone is just a different degree of evil and I don't have a clue as to why.

3 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Waren Naseby

A different version of things!

Reviewed in Australia on December 22, 2017

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A writer with a great imagination, writing a story intertwined with some familiar themes and names (think Cain and Abel).

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Monstrous (Blood of Cain Book 1) Kindle Edition

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About the author

J.L. Murray

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