Rick Yancey

In 1888, twelve-year-old Will Henry chronicles his apprenticeship with Dr. Warthrop, a New Escientist who hunts and studies real-life monsters, as they discover and attempt to destroy a pod of Anthropophagi.

The Monstrumologist

Richard Yancey

In 1888, twelve-year-old Will Henry chronicles his apprenticeship with Dr. Warthrop, a scientist who hunts and studies real-life monsters, as they discover and attempt to destroy a pod of Anthropophagi.

The monstrumologist

Stefanie  Uwah

Characters: AMAZING characters! I loved every single one of them in their own special way. I wanted to be Will Henry's bff. He was just so cute and lovable and...and...gahh... (that's me gushing). There is no problem with the fact that I want a twelve year old to be my best friend. None at all. I had a soft spot for Dr. Warthrop, despite the fact that he was a tad bit rude to my bff. And then there was Kearns. Oh Kearns, Kearns, Kearns. He was twisted in all the right ways. He reminded me of Joker from The Dark Night because the twisted evil villaney thing was what made you like them. *Sigh* The characters were just so well written and you had time to watch each one grow and progress. 


Plot: The plot was very good but when you are about a third of the way through, you kind of start guessing what the plot will be. I'm not saying that there are no surprises-- there most definitely are-- but the overall plot wasn't too surprising. That did not take away from the gory goodness of the book though.


Writing Style: Rick Yancey did a wonderful job of creating this spooky, dark, Gothic atmosphere. His words just draw you in. There were numerous occasions where I was left speechless, my jaw hanging by the descriptions given. I would cringe and-- no lie- get chills. Many times I would cry out in disgust (and my sister would promptly shush me.)I also loved the little jokes here in there. I really wasn't expecting it for a book like this. I found myself chuckling at the American Revolution puns (or was it some other war? I was never that good at remembering things!) Great Job Rick! 


Verdict: 5/5. I Know! It was that good. Now let's give a round of applause for my first perfect scored book!

Check out my blog at secretsofabookie.blogspot.com!

Krista M.

A fun read and a nice YA Horror series opener. I think there were some convenient elements of the plot, Will Henry definitely had VERY thick plot armor. I also thought that the whole journals/future thing was a bit unnecessary and just served to make me sad about how Wills life turns out. The line about loneliness was particularly sad. "There is no loneliness so profound, in my experience, than being ignored by ones sole companion in life"

Anastaciya

I have to say this book was a surprise. Well-written, good language, intriguing plot, some amusing moments (the exchanges between Will Henry and the doctor)... doesn't feel like a book for younger readers, even if the main character is 12 (we are reading Henry's "journals" that he wrote in an older age, after the events). The philosophical musings, the relationships between the characters, the Monstrumologist provides some food for thought. Not bad at all.

Emily C Peterson

Deliciously gory and gross. Definitely a suspenseful and scary book. I really enjoyed how unique it was and the descriptions of mythical creatures are pretty fun too. You never get too old for a good monster story

Jessica Nottingham

Can I please begin this review by professing my love for Will Henry? I'll be honest. He was the one thing that really bound me to this book and made it so enjoyable for me. A mere child, he saw the world with such unflinching honesty. His abject devotion to a man who rarely shows him any affection or even acknowledgement impressed me. That, and this boy was able to deal with some of the most gruesome deaths I've read about. Needless to say, Will Henry is amazing. His character made me a part of this book from the first few chapters, and I didn't look back.

Filled with twists and turns, The Monstrumologist is absolutely one of my favorite reads of the year. The vivid writing in this book is (and yes this is a pun) to die for! Set in the late 19th century, Rick Yancey shows very well how much research he did into the era. The setting is dark, gritty and raw. After thinking for a long while, I really couldn't think of a better place to set a book like this. Some of the things that Professor Warthrop does are, well, questionable. It is his status and his friendships that allow him to get away with it in this Victorian era.

Reader be warned, this book is not for the faint of heart. Although this book has a younger protagonist, there are some disturbing parts that may not be appropriate for younger readers. There are scenes in this book that even caused me to feel a little queasy. However the writing is so fascinating that it pulls you in and literally makes you read on. Let it be known though that the gore in this book is not just there as a scare tactic. It is a crucial part of the overall storyline. It gives us a glimpse at the darkest parts of human nature. The scientific aspect that goes with the monstrumologists's hunts also makes it less difficult to deal with. After all, he's just doing his job, right?

I'm not actually sure what else I can say about this book without spoiling it for those who haven't yet read it. As you can tell from my rambling review, I loved it! As long as you are strong willed and okay with some gruesome scenes, this book will have you reading until your eyes hurt. For those of you who need to be captured within the first 100 pages? This book will do that for you. Go out, get a copy, read it. You won't be disappointed!

The Monstrumologist

Reviews