I found the action sequences to be a good read, but too much time was spent developing the relationship between Will Henry and the Monstrumologist which made the book lag for me. 

Very gorey, gothic, and completely fun book. I have no patience for fake diaries, but was able to get over this little irritation almost immediately and had it read it short order. ( )

Gory. Bloody. Enthralling. Thrilling. Gasp worth. Brilliant.

Need any other descriptors for this book? I can offer them- they are numerous and they are all great. Yancey spares nothing in his descriptions, from the autopsy/necropsy scenes to the killing scenes to the infestation of a human by hordes of parasitic worms. This is the kind of things that make people squirm on the big screen and Yancey has poignantly turned it all into the written word. I am completely, undeniable, heart breakingly in awe of Yancey's writing- his grasp of the English language is complimented by the late 1800's time period and subsequent intellect and dialogue. I highly recommend this book to everyone and anyone who, at the very least, holds an appreciation for a well written book no matter the story line. Even if the gore is too much, just read a few pages- the writing is truly beautiful.

From the very start, this book intrigued me. It is a story within a story- a journal within a book. The introduction chapter sets the stage in modern times before the journal takes you back to an incredibly interesting time and the writing style gripped me from the start. I knew that even if I ended up not liking the overall story and plot, I would still hold this book in high regards because of how well it is written which says thousands for Yancey. But, even better- I loved this plot. It is completely unique and bold. The monsters in your closet are real, there are things that go bump in the night and Yancey is showing them all, without holding anything back. You get the feeling that are right there alongside Will Henry, watching everything unfold and fearing the worst but hoping for the best.

The characters are strong and there is minimal biasing by the first person point of view, even towards the not so nice people. The reader can make up their own mind- and even several of the minor characters shine through and make you remember them. You can see the thought that went into everything about this story and as with all good stories, it had plenty of twists and turns and surprises.

The ending was phenomenal- bittersweet in its own way but still left the reader with plenty of closure. This is the first in the series and although it doesn't end on a massive cliffhanger, the story line itself, the way it is written, and how much I have fallen in love with 12 year old Will Henry will guarantee me to be buying the next installation. This book deserves 5 stars- maybe even 6- and is definitely taking a very well earned place at the top of my favorites list. ( )

Reviewed by LadyJay for TeensReadToo.com

Young Will Henry is apprentice to Dr. Pellinore Warthrop, a doctor of a different kind of science.

Dr. Warthrop, a monstrumologist, hunts and studies creatures that are the stuff of nightmares. He has spent his entire life documenting and dissecting an array of bizarre creatures, and now his knowledge will be put to the test.

A nest of gruesome monsters, the Anthropophagi, is wreaking havoc on the sleepy town of New Jerusalem. These horrific beasts feed on human flesh and will stop at nothing to find and kill fresh victims.

With the help of Will Henry, Dr. Warthrop must stop the Anthropophagi before the entire population of New Jerusalem is destroyed.

Rick Yancy has created an exceptional horror/mystery/thriller/paranormal young adult novel. The storyline is extremely engaging - I was hooked at page one! I was very impressed with his use of vocabulary and dialogue.

I will say that this novel is definitely not for the faint of heart. Some of his scenes are very graphic, and his imagery can be intense at times. This would be an excellent Halloween read! I am hoping for more Monstrumology stories to come! ( )

I like this book. In fact, I like The Monstrumologist quite a bit. I like the stylized, archaic style in which it was told; and I loved the fact that it was well structured with twists and turns, with an intelligent plot in which several curious puzzles arose, all of which were cleverly dealt with by the end of the book.

That said, some people are not going to like this book. If you think Dan Brown's books are the height of good writing, then you probably won't like this Gothic-styled novel. If you like all of your characters, except the bad guys, squeeky clean, you won't like this book, because the people in it are all too human, with faults as well as assets.

If however you like Sherlock Holmes and Stephen King, and you think that it might be interesting to mix the two styles and types of adventures then you probably WILL like this book.

Now As a parent and gentle-reader let me add a few more thoughts. First, there is little in the way of unseemly language or 'adult situations' in this book. There might be one 'hell' or 'damn', I can't remember precisely. And then I must warn everyone that there is a great HUGE amount of violence. Yes, violence, gore and pus, and in fact, I took off the half star because I actually thought to myself whilst reading the book that there was so much violence that in a place or two that it got in the way of the story telling.

Kudos, however, to Rick Yancey. A fabulous book for Young Adults (older teens and up) and Old-Geezerly Adults like myself. ( )