Book Review: Eliza and Her Monsters

Book+Review%3A+Eliza+and+Her+Monsters

Sara Vela

Eight-teen-year-old Eliza Mirk is the anonymous creator of Monstrous Sea, a popular web comic, but in real life, she is shy, weird, smart, and friendless. Wallace Warland, Monstrous Sea’s biggest fanfiction writer, transfers to her school. Wallace learns that Eliza is just another fan, and as he draws her out of her shell, she begins to wonder if a life offline might be worthwhile. However, Eliza’s secret is accidentally shared with the world, her relationship with Wallace, and her insanity begins to fall apart.

Written by Francesca Zappia, is also the author of Made You Up and Now Entering Adamsville. She is also the author of The Children of Hypnos a biweekly serial novel posted on Tumblr and Wattpad. Francesca lives in Indiana and works at the University of Indianapolis. She spends most of her free time writing, reading, drawing, watching horror movies, playing way too much Pokémon, and scaring her friends. Zappia herself draws the artwork that has been included in Eliza and Her Monsters!


As someone who isn’t the biggest fan of contemporary, this is the perfect kind of modern literature for me. It’s a celebration of fandom and online life, somehow like Fangirl on steroids. It deals with mental health, and negativity online beautifully. I really liked the main story of this book, but my attention was completely drawn into the web comic Eliza created. There was so much beauty in the story line and illustrations that Zappia did. If you enjoyed the book, Made You Up, then maybe you will like Eliza and Her Monsters.

Come down to the Library and check it out because it is a bewildering book!