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kamckim's review against another edition
4.0
This book about hunting Anthropophagi in 1880s New England is perfect for teaching elements of the gothic novel, especially if you enjoy reading Poe. At first, I couldn't figure out why the book had been a Printz honor book, but the further you get into the book, the more apparent it becomes that Yancey is doing what all good gothic novelists do (think, FRANKENSTEIN). He is posing questions about science and ethics, about the very nature of human beings, about empiricism and the short comings of rationality. The plot does well as a straight-forward narrative, but also reveals layers of meaning about what it means to be a monster. Very solid read.
luisasm's review against another edition
4.0
Warning: Anyone even remotely squeamish, wimpy or sensitive should not read this book. It is so gory that one could even call it excessively so. I am able to withstand such disgusting-ness, especially since the plot is very interesting, along with the characters and writing. Fortunately the gore doesn't seem too out of place, it actually fits into the story. But still, it's extreme. The story is excellent, and like I said, the characters are fascinating. It's intense and exciting, and really, really, terrifying.
saucydryad's review against another edition
4.0
Took me a good few weeks to finish this book. The fault lies not in the writing, which was downright excellent, but in my own sensitivities. This is a dark, gruesome and gory tale, not for the squeamish or faint of heart... or maybe it is, since I'm both of those things yet still found myself drawn into the story not only for the resolution of the plot, but for the fate of various characters.
Beautiful, evocative prose. Grim, horrific subject matter. Fully drawn characters, flawed and wonderful and so very real.
Still not sure if I'll continue on in the series, but chances are good that I'll put on my big girl pants and do so; the characters are worth all of the dark and scary.
Beautiful, evocative prose. Grim, horrific subject matter. Fully drawn characters, flawed and wonderful and so very real.
Still not sure if I'll continue on in the series, but chances are good that I'll put on my big girl pants and do so; the characters are worth all of the dark and scary.
bookgirl4ever's review against another edition
4.0
Will Henry is the apprenticed orphan to the town's monstrumologist, Dr. Pellinore Warthrop. Dr. Warthrop and his work is looked upon suspiciously by the locals. They don't really know what he does, but they believe it is evil. One night, a gravedigger drops by the with a package containing a dead teenage girl, embraced by a monster. Dr. Warthrop knows just what monster this is, an anthropophagi, a headless humanoid, whose eyes and mouth are on its abdomen, and brain in the groin section. After investigating, Dr. Warthrop learns there is a whole colony of the anthropophagi that lives in the graveyard. Further investigation makes him determined to eradicate the colony. Gruesome descriptions of the monsters' attacks, as well as the attacks of other monsters are throughout the story. Not for the faint of heart.
JHS/HS
JHS/HS
readwithpassion's review against another edition
4.0
Wow. I don't think I have ever read a book like this. It is no surprise to me that this received a Printz Honor Seal. Will Henry is an orphan living as an assistant to a Monstrumologist, a doctor who studies monsters. I don't read books like this, so it took me some time to get into this book, and I can attest that this one will hook readers who may be reluctant to read a gothic, monster tale. The writing is excellent.
seshat59's review against another edition
5.0
What a fantastic introduction into my seasonal Halloween reading!
The Monstrumologist poses as a regular monster story: terrifying anthropophagi invade a small New England town and only the ingenious efforts of a professional monster hunter/scientist (i.e. said Monstrumologist) can save the town -- with the help of our narrator and primary protagonist, the twelve year old Will Henry. However, the novel is so much more than that. The writing is genius: As it takes place in the Victorian era, Yancey embraces and replicates the Victorian prose style very well -- and often in a very over-the-top, humorous manner that I vastly appreciated in my own love of Victorian novels and horror novels especially. The layering of the characters is also marvelously done. The Monstrumologist is a monster in and of himself, but Yancey develops him fully into a real human being with real flaws and some (just some now) redeeming qualities.
The novel is quite graphic, especially for a young adult series. The violence is described in detail, and the monsters are quite terrifying. It was refreshing to read a horror story featuring a creature I wasn't overly familiar with and that doesn't feel overdone -- vampires, anyone? (The anthropophagi even appeared in one of my dreams. I don't qualify it as a nightmare as it didn't frighten me, but they were quite vicious. Though they were combined with raptors so... go my imagination.)
Anyway, I will definitely pursue the rest of the series.
The Monstrumologist poses as a regular monster story: terrifying anthropophagi invade a small New England town and only the ingenious efforts of a professional monster hunter/scientist (i.e. said Monstrumologist) can save the town -- with the help of our narrator and primary protagonist, the twelve year old Will Henry. However, the novel is so much more than that. The writing is genius: As it takes place in the Victorian era, Yancey embraces and replicates the Victorian prose style very well -- and often in a very over-the-top, humorous manner that I vastly appreciated in my own love of Victorian novels and horror novels especially. The layering of the characters is also marvelously done. The Monstrumologist is a monster in and of himself, but Yancey develops him fully into a real human being with real flaws and some (just some now) redeeming qualities.
The novel is quite graphic, especially for a young adult series. The violence is described in detail, and the monsters are quite terrifying. It was refreshing to read a horror story featuring a creature I wasn't overly familiar with and that doesn't feel overdone -- vampires, anyone? (The anthropophagi even appeared in one of my dreams. I don't qualify it as a nightmare as it didn't frighten me, but they were quite vicious. Though they were combined with raptors so... go my imagination.)
Anyway, I will definitely pursue the rest of the series.
missluker's review
3.0
I bought this book because it is a Prince award winner and it sounded like a truly unique story. And, the story was indeed quite creative...yet, I was really struggling to get through the blood and gore of many of the scenes of death within the pages. I guess I should have assumed that would be present, given that it is part of the horror genre, but at times it just seemed a little over the top. I do like the philosophical debate that is depicted between several characters regarding the purpose of life (especially when it comes to euthanasia), and I will talk about the book with my students, but will warn them of the blood and gore when recommending it (which may actually pull more into it than deter, since I know many of my students LOVE horror). The vocabulary was also advanced, which is a plus in a young adult novel.