Reviews

Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova

mono_86's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

bookishbrieee's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

5.0

averybuchanan's review

4.0

“A passport is a booklet with your name and picture on it. Mine says Santiago Jansen de la Mora. Capitalized letters. It doesn’t say human because only humans get a passport.”

What if we could place our grief into a living thing? What would it become? In “Monstrilio,” a family’s grief is transformed into a monster. They then struggle to accept the monster for what he is, a reflection of their horrors.

This book was stunning. The prose, the characters, and the story had me captivated from the beginning. Please read this book!!

byrningup's review against another edition

4.0

Horror, but I just want to hug the little grief monster 

kaydot's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

softanimal's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

5.0

This is my favorite kind of horror: heavily psychological, sparse & carefully chosen terror/gore/violence, a meandering burn, and a heart at its core that just fuckin body checks you. I also loved the characters, the settings, the distinctness of voice of each storyteller, and the uniqueness of the premise. Would highly recommend to similar horror lovers. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Chronic illness, and Child death

Minor: Deadnaming

I added deadnaming as a trigger warning but I don't think it would be for most but the reason is

they call Monstrilio by the name of the dead child who's lung he came from which is not a name he sees as his own,

no gender component.

meowkeyes's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious sad fast-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

5.0

decayedink's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

5.0

nadstorro's review

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Book about grief. Really enjoyed reading. My first dark, gothic horror book. Sad. Ending was great. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Cannibalism, Animal death, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Grief, and Blood

Moderate: Child death

zeus_strider's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0