You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Scan barcode
blewballoon's review
dark
emotional
tense
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 knew from the premise that this would be dark, but there was a point where I was like "woah this just got extra f**ked up" and I had to put the book down for a bit.
Overall, a very interesting and suspenseful story. It's fairly slow paced for the most part aside from some especially dramatic moments, but during the calmer parts of the story there are always looming threats and the sense that trouble is closing in on the main character. I still have some lingering questions now that the book is over. I did like the romance and the found family elements of the story, they were fairly uncomplicated considering everything else going on. I also enjoyed the the historical scientific elements, but this is not a story for the squeamish.
The audiobook narrator was excellent, I'd definitely like to listen to more of their work.
Bit of a personal criticism, but I did feel a strong lack of women in this story. Up until around 25% into the book there is only a passing reference to the main character's mother and sister, otherwise the world is entirely inhabited by men. I understand that women were not allowed in the medical profession, but surely they did exist in Scotland. The first named woman that does show up is of course flawlessly gorgeous and saintly, which irritated me a bit. The sister mentioned in passing earlier also comes back for two scenes to be generally homophobic and snobby. Again, I understand that this was probably a side effect of the historical setting, but I did feel the absence.
Overall, a very interesting and suspenseful story. It's fairly slow paced for the most part aside from some especially dramatic moments, but during the calmer parts of the story there are always looming threats and the sense that trouble is closing in on the main character. I still have some lingering questions now that the book is over. I did like the romance and the found family elements of the story, they were fairly uncomplicated considering everything else going on. I also enjoyed the the historical scientific elements, but this is not a story for the squeamish.
The audiobook narrator was excellent, I'd definitely like to listen to more of their work.
Bit of a personal criticism, but I did feel a strong lack of women in this story. Up until around 25% into the book there is only a passing reference to the main character's mother and sister, otherwise the world is entirely inhabited by men. I understand that women were not allowed in the medical profession, but surely they did exist in Scotland. The first named woman that does show up is of course flawlessly gorgeous and saintly, which irritated me a bit. The sister mentioned in passing earlier also comes back for two scenes to be generally homophobic and snobby. Again, I understand that this was probably a side effect of the historical setting, but I did feel the absence.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Medical content
Moderate: Body horror, Violence, Blood, and Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia, Sexual content, Death of parent, Murder, and Outing
el2319's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, and Medical content
Moderate: Murder and Outing
Minor: Sexual content and Death of parent
maregred's review
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Transphobia, Blood, Medical content, and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Outing
yellowbinge's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
4.5
Publishing date: 24.12.2024 (DD/MM/YYYY)
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the ARC. My opinions are my own.
TLDR: Gothic, romantic, a little slow to start, and also full of dead bodies
I have many thoughts about this book, and this review is not going to be coherent so strap in.
The setting and the atmosphere of this book? Oh I loved it dearly. It was so gothic and so London I simply couldn't believe it. I was envisioning dingy brick buildings, a light drizzle, dark streets lit up by too few street lamps, the smell of petrichor in the air, and of course people dressed in suits and simple gowns. The whole time reading I was somewhere completely different than where I was really sitting. I felt like a spectator to the spectacle in front of me.
The characters ... Hit and miss. There is a very clear distinction between the main characters and the side-characters. Some weren't fleshed out at all and had only their name to go by. Some had attempted "fleshings" but were still somewhat flat and bare. This is a little nitpick only, I wish more people in the background had more going on for them.
The romance? Oh hell yeah. It had the perfect amount of "we don't care who catches us in the act", but also "ohmygod we are going to be hanged if anyone sees us". A good blend of companionship and desire. These two were so good together. The moment the relationship was "estabølished" I was hooked. Stunning work.
The story itself had a hard time actually catching me in the beginning I fear. I was waiting for things to happen, things happened, then it didn't really carry on anywhere. It kept this strange pace almost throughout the whole book. Except for the final 20% or so, that's where the story took a more exciting turn. For me at least. Maybe the pace fits others fine, but I wish it was more focused or had more events scattered throughout. Another nitpick truly.
All in all, I was very pleasantly surprised with the quality of the book. Really enjoyed the time I got with it. Highly recommend to those who like the "walk in a graveyard" vibe. 4.5 stars, stunning read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the ARC. My opinions are my own.
TLDR: Gothic, romantic, a little slow to start, and also full of dead bodies
I have many thoughts about this book, and this review is not going to be coherent so strap in.
The setting and the atmosphere of this book? Oh I loved it dearly. It was so gothic and so London I simply couldn't believe it. I was envisioning dingy brick buildings, a light drizzle, dark streets lit up by too few street lamps, the smell of petrichor in the air, and of course people dressed in suits and simple gowns. The whole time reading I was somewhere completely different than where I was really sitting. I felt like a spectator to the spectacle in front of me.
The characters ... Hit and miss. There is a very clear distinction between the main characters and the side-characters. Some weren't fleshed out at all and had only their name to go by. Some had attempted "fleshings" but were still somewhat flat and bare. This is a little nitpick only, I wish more people in the background had more going on for them.
The romance? Oh hell yeah. It had the perfect amount of "we don't care who catches us in the act", but also "ohmygod we are going to be hanged if anyone sees us". A good blend of companionship and desire. These two were so good together. The moment the relationship was "estabølished" I was hooked. Stunning work.
The story itself had a hard time actually catching me in the beginning I fear. I was waiting for things to happen, things happened, then it didn't really carry on anywhere. It kept this strange pace almost throughout the whole book. Except for the final 20% or so, that's where the story took a more exciting turn. For me at least. Maybe the pace fits others fine, but I wish it was more focused or had more events scattered throughout. Another nitpick truly.
All in all, I was very pleasantly surprised with the quality of the book. Really enjoyed the time I got with it. Highly recommend to those who like the "walk in a graveyard" vibe. 4.5 stars, stunning read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Medical content
Moderate: Homophobia, Murder, and Outing
Minor: Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
chezler24's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
"We are members of the league of men who call ourselves not by the mantle of snatchers, but Resurrectionists. Our motivation is not the value of the bodies we steal, but in the second life we give them; each acts as a post-mortem Prometheus, bringing fire to mankind." p. 109
I really enjoyed this book, and I wish I had jotted down my thoughts right after reading it, but life has been a bit busy lately. As someone who has always been interested in dark academic tales and learning about medical developments, this book was a perfect pick. Wonderfully gothic and grotesque with a bit of queer romance threaded within the mystery. It did take a bit for the mystery elements to come to the forefront; however, losing myself in 19th-century Scotland almost made me not care. I would definitely read a sequel if Dunlap decides to revisit these characters; I need to see where their romance and medical developments go! (Also the cover is simply gorgeous.)
Advance Uncorrected Proof
I really enjoyed this book, and I wish I had jotted down my thoughts right after reading it, but life has been a bit busy lately. As someone who has always been interested in dark academic tales and learning about medical developments, this book was a perfect pick. Wonderfully gothic and grotesque with a bit of queer romance threaded within the mystery. It did take a bit for the mystery elements to come to the forefront; however, losing myself in 19th-century Scotland almost made me not care. I would definitely read a sequel if Dunlap decides to revisit these characters; I need to see where their romance and medical developments go! (Also the cover is simply gorgeous.)
Advance Uncorrected Proof
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Medical content
Moderate: Homophobia, Violence, Murder, Outing, and Classism
Minor: Sexual content, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment
bookedbymadeline's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
The Resurrectionist follows James as he enters the world of surgical schools and body snatching in this dark academia/historical gothic novel (with a side of romance)! Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for the eARC 🎉
Atmospheric in its depictions of 19th century Scotland! The writing style/language also adds to the story and makes the characters feel more realistic. This was an interesting look at the body snatching industry for the purposes of advancing medical/scientific knowledge, and the moral questions that come along with the industry!
It started off well but the last 50% was a total slog 🙃 The novel’s pacing was all over the place, the first 30% or so was great and the last 15% exciting, but the middle slumped and the main action is at the beginning and end of the novel only.
The seriousness of the plot mixed with the funny, loveable moments between the characters was a great balance! But at times it felt like we were missing things as we got long slow burn depictions of the events throughout the book but then we’d skip weeks at a time, coming into a new chapter at what felt like mid scene. While I loved the cast of characters and the main romance, I felt like I was missing pieces of the puzzle for their relationship.
The synopsis talks about Burke and Hare but we don’t see them until towards the end so it led to feeling rushed in that respect of the plot and I feel like the execution could have been better if the novel stuck to the body snatching industry and anatomy schools’ rivalries as opposed to shoehorning in these serial killers into the mix.
Finally, the chapters were too long for my taste so despite how interesting the story was, I often times set it aside because I didn’t want to sit through another 30 minute chapter 😭 Even if the previous chapter ended on a cliffhanger I was preferring to scroll on my phone than continue the book.
Overall it was entertaining and has made me want to research Burke and Hare, as well as 19th century body snatching further, but it fell flat in some areas as well making it a slower read than I anticipated.
Rep: achillean romance
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Medical content, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Homophobia and Murder
Minor: Death of parent