Monsters of Fife: Sea Dragons - Review

Author: Jane Yolen

Genre: Middle Grade / Fantasy

Format: Kindle

Pages: 128

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Charlesbridge Moves for allowing me to read Monsters of Fife: Sea Dragons early. It officially hits shelves on June 3rd, 2025!

Look at this cover?! How could I not smash the request button with this as the cover? Because it looks like an absolute delight! Also, sea dragons, monsters hunters, and a full of illustrations. It was calling my name to read despite having two other books from NetGalley and a full work schedule. Monsters of Fife did not disappoint on any front. This was an adventure and a half.

Now, while this book is a lot of fun, and great for readers of all ages, it is geared toward younger readers, and Jane Yolen knows her audience. Everything about this book is geared toward middle-grade, and slightly younger, readers. Cat is the perfect main character for the readers because she's brand new to the Royal & Ancient, monsters hunters. So everything we see comes from her point of view. She's a great main character because she's imperfect, while brave she's also scared, but she stays the course to protect her friends, family, and community from monsters.

One of the things I loved about this was Yolen dropped us in the middle of the story. Cat had already been accepted into the Royal & Ancient some time ago and learning to hunt monsters by the time we arrived to hear her story of the sea dragon. So we learn about the monsters, about Cat, and about her friends as the story unfolds. Which is one of my favorite ways to go about fantasy novels. No long chapters about the history, just quickly filling us in on the way to go after a monster with a really big butt (and no I'm not making that up).

The plot moves quick, at times it feels a little rushed, but with what age group this book is geared for, maybe not that quickly. Short attention spans don't need long drawn-out plots, and Yolen does great at not falling into the trap of too many plot holes. There are a few things where it felt like I got whiplash, but that also might have been me coming off a ten-hour shift and reading before bed. Still, I never got lost in the plot, there was enough happening to keep my exhausted mind to keep reading.

I also really liked the addition of the graphic novel panels and illustrations. The panels added a bit of fun to the story, as we got to see the characters interact with each other. The illustrations were great, as we saw the characters' uniforms and the monsters themselves. They do add to the story to get a look at what you're reading about. Could the story have gone without them? Yeah probably, but there's no whimsy in that, and this book has a lot of whimsy. 

There was one little piece of the story that felt a bit like a reach when it came to the wrap-up of Cat's dad, but again this was meant for younger readers. So I honestly let it go. Maybe it'll lead to a bigger plot in another book, but like an odd thing to add at the end of the book after killing the monster. But, again it was an easy thing to let go for the bigger wrap-up, which was really good. And left you wondering what the Royal & Ancient were going to hunt down next!

Again, a huge thank you to NetGalley and Charlesbridge Moves, Monsters of Fife was absolutely adorable, and I cannot wait for Book Two!

HAPPY READING!!