A review by ericarobyn
Reanimated Rex by Alex Ebenstein

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

4.5

Reanimated Rex by Alex Ebenstein is a tale of lightning, an abandoned theme park, dinosaurs, and the sheer terror of what may be lurking around the corner.

Please Note: There is a lovely content warning section at the back of the book!

Centered around the perspectives of various characters who all have their reasons for entering the park, readers very quickly see that this “abandoned” park is hiding some secrets. But is it the old park owner that should be feared, or something else?

Right from the start, the terror is as thick as the overgrown forest within the park. Bloodshed occurs quickly, setting the tone of the book before taking a step back to build tension until things take a brutal turn.

I’m obsessed with dinosaurs. Not to the extent that I know all their names, but anytime I see content, posts, movies, books, etc. about them, I’m all in! When we found out we were having a kid, my first thought for their nursery was to do dino-themed. So needless to say, when I heard about this book, I was so antsy to get my hands on a copy!

I had an absolute blast reading this!

The small nods to Jurassic Park were so much fun! There were some blatant ones as well, but the smaller elements were what made this extra fun for me as that is one of my all-time favorite books!

My Favorite Passages from Reanimated Rex –

Please note, these passages were pulled from an ARC and may have changed before publication.

Carefully, he stepped over the replica and slunk inside. As if waiting for him to do so, the first drops of rain arrived, pattering against the terracotta roof tiles.

The rectangular box of a building was just off the path, tucked underneath and between a few cedar trees. Shrubs, grass, and time helped obscure the once brightly painted structure; the yellows faded to a dingy tan and the reds into a browning rust color. The shingled roof was covered in moss and tree litter, and had a noticeable sag. Fragments of glass along a pair of sills implied the place used to be closed up with windows. But no longer.

The force of impact and the weight of the monster driving him into the soggy ground might have been the worst pain Sam had ever felt in his life. The icing on this torture cake was the snap announcing that yes, his collar bone was indeed broken, if not shattered.

My Final Thoughts on Reanimated Rex –

Dino horror fans, you gotta get your hands on this immediately! The suspense and tension make this an absolutely wild read.