I really love media that has to do with the relationship between “monsters” and humans; specifically situations where the monsters live amongst humans, either openly or in hiding/disguise, and the interactions, interpersonal relationships, and societal implications of it. The desire for connection, the love that can occur against all odds, the hatred and fear that debilitate or prevent connection from being possible, etc etc lol. The monster(s) in the story can be born or created or even half-human, they can be one of many or a solitary existence. I don’t mind if the tone is happy, hopeful, pessimistic, or heart wrenching, I think they can all make for a beautiful story. I’d especially love if the book was written from the perspective of the creature, but that’s negligible.
To give an idea of what I’m looking for, things I’ve read in this vein (I’m sorry in advance for how long this got, once I started listing I couldn’t stop 💀) would be Tokyo Ghoul (this manga was definitely the stem of my love for this type of story, so if you’re familiar, I’d love to hear your suggestions for anything with a similar dynamic between the humans and monsters!), Frankenstein (this also perfectly captures the “deep longing for connection” and “fear that makes connecting impossible” aspects I’m looking for), No Gods No Monsters, Monstrilio (very much like Tokyo Ghoul with the central character of a monster craving human connection but at war with their inescapable inhuman nature), book 2 and 3 of the Lilith’s Brood series, Binti, The Host, Strange Beasts of China, Hell Followed With Us, The Girl With All The Gifts, Devilman Crybaby, various vampire books, or even more lighthearted stories like House in the Cerulean Sea or the Wayfarers (I get that everyone is equally alien in the Wayfarers so maybe it’s not exactly the same lol, but I adore the society-building of this series and all its interspecies relations, especially when people of one species are confronted with something completely “alien” to their own experience, and how they all have to work to understand each other to coexist in their intergalactic society)
Sorry for basically reading you my entire goodreads creatures shelf, and thanks in advance for any recs!
by iloveyoumettaton