This... was not the book I was expecting it to be. Granted, that's on me for skimming the book synopsis too quickly, adding it to my TBR list months ago, and then picking it up on a whim when I saw it at the store because I vaguely remembered the title.

I was expecting a book about a small town threatened by a local monster until they decide they had enough and did something about it. Instead I got a story told from said monster's perspective, which felt like a first for me. And this self-proclaimed monster is some kind of serial killer with Wolverine-regenerative powers who literally cannot die no matter how hard he tries, so he wrecks havoc on an ugly industrial city simply because he can. It's not until he crosses paths with an incognito sorcerer (also was not expecting honest-to-god magic here) who has a plan that makes the serial killer think, "This is kinda fucked up even for me... but I kinda wanna see how this goes..."

...and I kinda wanted to see how it went too!

There were some strange dynamics and interactions between characters that I struggle to think of comparisons to previous books I've read, and in this case I consider that to be a good thing. And overall the vibe kind of felt like a Tim Burton-esque movie, except NC-17 and dropped into the grungiest parts of the Dishonored game franchise. The end stuck the landing as well, and it very easily could've missed but it didn't.

I didn't expect to like this one as much as I did, but sometimes that's a good thing.