{"product_id":"9781529097399","title":"Once a Monster","description":"\u003cb\u003eMinotaur: Mythical. Monstrous. Misunderstood. Every story needs a hero. Every story needs a villain.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLondon, 1861. Ten-year-old Nell belongs to a crew of mudlarks who work a stretch of the Thames along the Ratcliffe Highway. An orphan since her mother died, leaving Nell with only broken dreams and a pair of satin slippers in her possession, she spends her days dredging up coals, copper and pieces of iron spilled by the river barges, searching for treasure in the mud in order to appease her master, Benjamin Murdstone.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOne day, Nell discovers a body on the shore. It's not the first corpse she's encountered, but it's by far the strangest. Nearly seven feet tall, the creature has matted hair covering his legs, and on his head are the suggestion of horns. Nell's fellow mudlarks urge her to steal his boots and rifle his pockets, but as she ventures closer the mysterious figure draws breath and Nell is forced to make a decision which will change her life forever.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom the critically acclaimed author of \u003ci\u003eThe Toymakers\u003c\/i\u003e comes a spellbinding retelling of the legend of the Minotaur. Mesmerizing and highly imaginative, Robert Dinsdale's \u003ci\u003eOnce a Monster\u003c\/i\u003e is a tale of found family, love, redemption and, above all, what it truly means to be human.\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Robert Dinsdale","offers":[{"title":"Pan Macmillan |  Paperback \/ softback | B-format paperback |  2024-11-05","offer_id":45664439337215,"sku":"9781529097399","price":21.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0329\/9075\/7001\/files\/BNCImageAPI_2a99746a-c8d6-4ceb-a95e-f2e57ec95872.jpg?v=1717706787","url":"https:\/\/riverbookshop.com\/products\/9781529097399","provider":"River Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}