Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova

57 reviews

applesodaperson's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This book was really good! I liked how it went into multiple different character's perspectives, giving those different perspectives on grief, which is ultimately what this book is about. I also liked how

M had like 5 people ready and willing to help him cover up a murder lol, even though it felt slightly unrealistic.

I also loved the LGBTQ+ rep, and how natural it felt. This isn't a book about being gay, but being in a same-sex relationship is just part of the norm in this family, which was awesome. I also feel like this book would be a great one to read in a book club setting, because I feel like there is still symbolism and themes that I missed. 
Read from the Provo library. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Murder, Child death, Body horror, and Gore

onlyincursive's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Somehow devastated me and gave me hope at the same time. An interesting look at the ways people handle grief and the challenges of living in a world where you’ll never fit in.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Death, Dysphoria, Grief, Medical content, Murder, and Gore

Moderate: Eating disorder, Medical trauma, Violence, and Drug use

Minor: Toxic relationship, Excrement, Cursing, and Suicidal thoughts

ktboyle's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Murder, Blood, and Animal death

atippy23's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Violence

kaiyakaiyo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I actually liked this a lot by the end! The Magos section was nearly unbearable; her pov was so selfish and internal it bordered on unrealistic. Grief is one thing, but it seems she was an awful friend/loved one even before that, to the point that she wasn’t really believable. I nearly DNFed in her section, which is extremely rare for me. But I pushed through & once I got to Lena, Joseph, and M, things really started to flow well and I felt so much more investment in the characters. Uncle Luke <3

Extremely tragic, sometimes gory, but ultimately sort of healing

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Toxic friendship, Blood, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, and Gore

leanne_miron's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, Murder, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Medical content, Terminal illness, Child death, and Deadnaming

Minor: Child abuse

ambert's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The difficulty in letting go of grief, and the disastrous consequences caused by holding on. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual violence, Cannibalism, Animal death, Death, Sexual content, Body horror, Grief, and Blood

Moderate: Child death, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Drug use

Minor: Death of parent

funkylitchick's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Murder

Moderate: Animal death

brinnavirginia's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Body horror, Gore, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Blood, Torture, Chronic illness, Animal death, Child death, Sexual violence, Murder, Violence, and Death

Minor: Drug use

jkneebone's review against another edition

dark reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

In Monstrilio, Magos cuts out part of her deceased son Santiago's lung and begins to feed it, hoping it will grow but not knowing into what. Eventually, she gets Monstrilio - a carnivorous, playful monster who lives on the patio of her Mexico City home - who later develops into something more human, at least on the surface. Told over four sections in four different perspectives - Magos, her best friend Lena, her husband Joseph, and M himself - Monstrilio plays with horror, family, grief, and what it means to be human, as each of the characters react to the loss of Santiago and the development of his semi-replacement.

I enjoyed Monstrilio. It wasn't as horror-forward as I anticipated it might be, which for me was a pro, although it was definitely gory. The writing style was simple and thoughtful, what I would call an economy of language. Although I don't always love that style, especially since it's become so prevalent in a certain type of novel, in this case I thought it worked well. I also thought the author's use of different perspectives for each section, and the time gaps between the various sections, was very effective.

The interpersonal dynamics of Monstrilio were quite interesting - I liked watching what each of the characters were willing to do for another character, or for Monstrilio, based on their care for him or their past love for Santiago.

Most notably, in M's section, the way Magos, Joseph, and Lena immediately jump into crime scene clean-up mode after finding out that M ate Sam.

I think there is a lot to be said here about the ways we will bend morality or put up with despicable behavior from those we love, and/or the way those actions can poison our relationships whether we want them to or not. And of course, through each characters' interactions with Monstrilio/M, we can also see the different ways people choose to deal with grief - from Magos stubbornly ignoring it, to Uncle Luke accepting M just as he is.

While I thought this was an interesting book, and I'm glad I stepped out of my normal zone to read it, I wasn't amazed or bowled over. It kept my attention, and I liked the interpersonal drama and the mythos of Monstrilio's creation etc., but it's not a book I would plan to reread. If you like books that are horror-adjacent or magical realism, or if you want to read a book about grief, this is one you'll want to pick up.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, and Murder

Moderate: Animal death, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Violence