This book has all the classic enjoyable tropes — young protagonist kept in the dark about unnatural circumstances and lore by an older/elderly figure, and the two go off on a wild adventure full of action, chase, asked and unanswered questions, and mysterious power. I am not a fan of fantasy, either in literature or film. I fell asleep watching the first Harry Potter movie. I tried, unsuccessfully (much to my dismay) to fall asleep during the second Lord of the Rings film, thus enduring the longest two hours and fifty-nine minutes of my life. Therefore, I tend to shy away from anything even hinting at fantasy in my reading selections. So, Monstrous Devices was not my particular cup of tea. Having said that, I could appreciate the relationship between twelve-year-old Alex and his beloved grandfather. Most anyone else would likely find the novel exciting, full of mystery and adventure. Word imagery is author Damien Lowe's strong suit so I could almost feel the biting cold of winter in Prague and hear the muffled tones of a snowy night. My own preferences meant I slogged through the book all the while becoming excited at the possibilities it afforded for the classroom. He did get on my nerves at times. I can see why the author would go "Oh, I'm going to let grandfather smoke a cigaret but then make him repeat two times Alex should never do that since it's bad for your health!" Not only regarding smoking, but different subjects. I couldn't help think that maybe.. you shouldn't make his grandfather do those things in the first place then? The whole "yeah, you shouldn't do this yourself, Alex"-thing got repetitive after a while and I didn't like it. [It might definitely not be an issue for younger readers, but it got to me, okay.]

His grandfather was pretty obnoxious in general. He was constantly flippant and capable of solving any problem they came across easily, leaving little to no sense of actual danger. He was also incredibly cavalier with the life of his grandson. He sent a robot to him knowing full well it could put him in danger because he didn't want this other group to have it. What the flip Gramps? I enjoyed everything about Damien Love’s debut.’ Anthony Horowitz, bestselling author of the Alex Rider series I love to read stories of machinations, robots, artificial intelligence; you name it. Can’t get enough of it. But this book, while it certainly had many robots and machinations, took a very odd and unexpected twist towards religion. It thankfully did not offer absolutes to theological questions (nor did the book delve into theology aside from a few brief conversational instances) but it was very much out of the blue. Right from the prologue, Damien Love instils a sense of mystery in us readers, giving us the sense of an impending doom. You start thinking 'oh lovely, sweet' and it soon turns into 'oh damn, that was dark'! There wasn't a miss in the adventurous tone of the story and throughout, we journey along as our MC face challenges after challenges.QUESTIONS. I had so many questions during the story and they barely got answered. By the end of the book, I was hoping to at least understand more of what was going on but.. that didn't happen? I know there'll be a sequel, but I hate having this many questions left after finishing a book. I'm not a fan of open endings in general and this honestly feels like one.

When twelve-year-old Alex receives an old tin robot in the post, the note from his grandfather simply reads: ‘This one is special’. But as strange events start occurring around him, it doesn’t take Alex long to suspect that the small toy is more than special; it might also be deadly. What fun! An evil villain, a host of scary robots, big and small, and a hero with commendably bad personal habits. Loved it!”— John Flanagan, New York Times bestselling author of the Ranger’s Apprentice and Brotherband seriesBut as strange events start occurring around him, it doesn't take Alex long to suspect that the small toy is more than special; it might also be deadly. Just as things are getting out of hand, Alex's grandfather arrives, whisking him away from his otherwise humdrum life and into a world of strange, macabre magic.

This grandad and grandson adventure has all the hallmarks of a whopping kids’ thriller.' The Big Issue, Kids’ Books of the year The story is very fast paced, and kept me engaged all throughout. The author's writing is very fresh and easy to glide through, with vivid imagery of the setting and robots and magic. He took magic and science and mixed them up together to create some dangerous tin monsters, human and mechanical assassins and a story filled with action. I can definitely see children enjoying this fantastical story a lot - goosebumps and all! It helps how the events keep following one another so you barely have room for a breather and.. I think that's exactly what this age group needs in books? I might be wrong, but.. I can imagine some kids needing a book that grabs and holds their attention because event after event after event happens. Let me start with the stupidest one first. I am aware it is kind of silly, but for some reason it drove me batty. Alex is bebopping all over the place with his cell phone, able to make calls and texts, but WITHOUT AN INTERNATIONAL PLAN. Also, his mom was able to text him, and he was texting her, but there wasn't the hassle of area codes. It was just like he knew how to make international calls no prob. Alex, 12 year old jetsetter. Things that should have been obstacles, even trifling ones, were just easily ignored or solved.If this all sounds rather cryptic, it is. Alex’s grandfather seems to know a lot about what’s really going on, but he consistently resists spilling the beans (leaving Alex – and the reader – more than a little frustrated). What exactly is this little tin robot and why does it seem to have some sort of magical power? Who are the weird people trying to get their hands on it, and what are the mechanical flying things they seem to control? The whole thing has something to do with religious mythology that may or may not be real (the weird people believe in it, but Alex’s grandfather poo-poos it, even as he risks his life – and Alex’s – to stop whatever might happen). Mysterious and frightening...a well-crafted adventure that's filled with desperate chases, narrow escapes, fight scenes, and twists.' - Publishers Weekly, starred review Prague has a rich, beautiful, and fearful history at times. This is hinted at and could be employed fully to really explore why the Golem is there, what role the Charles Bridge plays, along with the other important (and perhaps magical) buildings and locations.