“There are times when fear is not our enemy. There are times when fear is our truest, sometimes only, friend.”
Title: The Monstrumologist
Author: Rick Yancey
Series: The Monstrumologist # 1
Publication: September 22nd 2009 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Pages: 434
Source: Library
Summary from Goodreads:
These are the secrets I have kept. This is the trust I never betrayed. But he is dead now and has been for more than forty years, the one who gave me his trust, the one for whom I kept these secrets. The one who saved me . . . and the one who cursed me.
So starts the diary of Will Henry, orphaned assistant to Dr. Pellinore Warthorpe, a man with a most unusual specialty: monstrumology, the study of monsters. In his time with the doctor, Will has met many a mysterious late-night visitor, and seen things he never imagined were real. But when a grave robber comes calling in the middle of the night with a gruesome find, he brings with him their most deadly case yet.
A gothic tour de force that explores the darkest heart of man and monster and asks the question: When does man become the very thing he hunts?
A Certain Amount of Feelings:
- The monsters are actually scary, yay! I didn’t like much else beyond that, but there were honest monsters that wanted to kill you and could potentially bring nightmares if read in the dark.
- Mad scientist for the win, but not really. He’s pretty chill for a mad scientist, though
- Narrator is named Will… Victorian London, wait, THE INFERNAL DEVICES. (Alas, I was wrong.)
- Monstrumology is cool, but that’s about it. I’m starting to lose my cool as I flip pages.
- Yupp, me no longer likey. It was cool, not it’s trying too hard to bring a moral question about becoming a monster to hunt monsters. Eh?
- There is also a love of scones. Infernal Devices, again.
- I never thought I would say this, but for a book, I think this is too much gore. It’s one thing when watching a scary movie, but I really don’t enjoy reading about blood splattered this and dripped off that every other page.
- Decent book, just not my cup of tea.
Overall:
Feel free to give it a try, you might like it more than I did.
Reed's Reads & Reviews 