Review: The Isle of Blood (The Monstrumologist #3) by Rick Yancey

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Published: September 13, 2011

Pages: 558

Source: Bought

Rating: 4.5 Stars

When Dr. Warthrop goes hunting the "Holy Grail of Monstrumology" with his eager new assistant, Arkwright, he leaves Will Henry in New York. Finally, Will can enjoy something that always seemed out of reach: a normal life with a real family. But part of Will can't let go of Dr. Warthrop, and when Arkwright returns claiming that the doctor is dead, Will is devastated--and not convinced. Determined to discover the truth, Will travels to London, knowing that if he succeeds, he will be plunging into depths of horror worse than anything he has experienced so far. His journey will take him to Socotra, the Isle of Blood, where human beings are used to make nests and blood rains from the sky--and will put Will Henry's loyalty to the ultimate test.

In short: The Isle of Blood by Rick Yancey supplies yet another terrifying monster, but most importantly, provides the reader with thoughtful and developed characterization.

Will Henry and the Monstrumologist are back and this time the monster they are hunting is the Typhoeus magnificum, the father of all monsters. Infection caused by the magnificum results in zombie-like humans, whose skin rots and grows protruberances, and whose appetite becomes insatiable, often leading the individual to consume their own bodies if no human meal is in reach. It is a terrifying and disgusting monster - and I would expect no less from Rick Yancey, who in the past has brought us the likes of the Anthropophagus and the Wendigo.

As well done as the horror aspect and the monsters are in The Monstrumologist Series, the real life aspect and the characters are truly what makes these books, which I fear is not something I've sufficiently gotten across in my previous reviews for this series. After all, if all these books entailed were monsters and gore, they really wouldn't have very much substance at all and I would have no interest in reading them. As it is, the character development in The Isle of Blood was the best part of the novel, with both Will Henry and the Monstrumologist evolving significantly, yet naturally.

One thing that I love about this series are the cameos of real life historical figures. Jack the Ripper and Bram Stoker have significant roles in The Monstrumologist and The Curse of the Wendigo, respectively. In The Isle of Blood, Jack the Ripper is back in all his horrible and cruel glory. Arthur Conan Doyle also takes part in the story during a critical scene. It's super fun to see the many ways Rick Yancey comes up with to somehow integrate these cameos into the story.

Though I did have some minor problems with the pacing, The Isle of Blood is a magnificent addition to the Monstrumologist Series. I know I mention it every time I write a review for this series, but they really are some of the best written books I've ever read. The imagery created with Rick Yancey's words  is achingly beautiful. Add to that the fact that the writing just seems to get even better - more poetic - with each book, if that is even possible. I'm already looking forward to the newly announced fourth book in the series!

Previously, My Reviews for The Monstrumologist and The Curse of the Wendigo.

Other Review:
aleeza reads and writes

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*Read as part of the YA Series Challenge

Clockwork Prince ARC Giveaway

I was extremely fortunate to have received an ARC of Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare for review given how few ARCs of this book were created. But I couldn't possibly keep it all to myself when it seems like everyone I know wants to get their hands on it. Also, I obviously need to own a finished copy of the book to have on my shelf. Thus, a giveaway.

The only requirement of this giveaway is that you must be a book reviewer - either on your own blog or on a book review site like Goodreads. This is because I would hope this ARC to be read and reviewed by the winner before Clockwork Prince's publication on December 6, 2011 (and maybe even passed on to another reviewer afterwards).

Good luck!

Rules
1. To enter, fill out the form below
2. You must be a book reviewer to enter this giveaway
3. Open Worldwide
4. Ends November 6, 2011 at 11:59 PM EST
5. Entrants must be at least 13 years old.
6. The winner will be announced on the blog and have 48 hours to send me an email with their address.

Winner!

It's time to announce the winner for my giveaway of any book from The Book Depository worth up to $15 CAD! There were a total of 57 old followers who entered. Thanks for the well wishes everyone! And the winner, according to random.org, is:

Lulu (The Bookworm is Here!)!

Congrats Lulu!! Please email me with your address and choice of book (either an old release or preorder) within the next 48 hours at ayleejaine(at)gmail(dot)com.

In My Mailbox (12)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren (and inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie) to showcase any books that I have received for review, bought, borrowed, or won to read.

It's been a month and a half since I've done an In My Mailbox so let's get right to it:

For Review from Simon & Schuster Canada

Clockwork Prince ARC (The Infernal Devices #2) by Cassandra Clare

I almost brought the house down with my screaming when I got this in the mail. SO EXCITED. I hope I can get to it soon! Huge thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada!!

Belated Birthday Gifts

Delirium (Delirium #1) by Lauren Oliver

The Isle of Blood (The Monstrumologist #3) by Rick Yancey

Monsters of Men (Chaos Walking #3) by Patrick Ness

My birthday was over two months ago (it's the day after Harry and Jo's) but these were preorders that I had to wait to get. I read and loved Delirium at the beginning of this year from Netgalley; I needed my own copy. I'm reading The Isle of Blood now and loving it! This series is sooo good; I can't say enough good things. I have yet to read the Chaos Walking trilogy but now that I own all three, I hope to get to read them back-to-back.

Bought on Sale / from Goodwill

The Bartaemius Trilogy Boxset by Jonathan Stroud

Uglies (Uglies #1) and Pretties (Uglies #2) by Scott Westerfeld

Shadowland (The Mediator #1) and Reunion (The Mediator #3) by Meg Cabot

I got The Bartaemius Trilogy Boxset from the Sales rack at Chapters for crazy cheap. I've heard good things so I'm looking forward to reading it! And I picked up some used copies of Uglies, Pretties, Shadowland, and Reunion from Goodwill (also cheap, natch). Yes, I know I'm missing the second book in The Mediator series but unfortunately, they only had books 1 and 3.

I decided that it's okay to break my book buying ban to purchase these super cheap books. I mean, I figure it's my decision so it's okay to make up rules as I go along, right?

Won/Freebie

Rot & Ruin (Benny Imura #1) by Jonathan Maberry (Won from A Tapestry of Words)

Bright Young Things (Bright Young Things #1) by Anna Godberson (Free ebook from Amazon)

Thank you so much to Danya from A Tapestry of Words for sending me Rot & Ruin! I received the second book in the trilogy, Dust & Decay, for review so I look forward to starting the trilogy soon as I've heard amazing things!

Canadian Thanksgiving Giveaway

So Canadian Thanksgiving is this Monday, October 10 and it got me thinking how grateful I am for everyone's support over these months that I've been blogging. I wish I could adequately state how much it really means to me, but I really don't think I could ever come close to truly expressing it. Sometimes it's just easier with gifts.

This giveaway will be for old followers only (people who were followers prior to the announcement of this giveaway). One old follower will win...

Any Book (Old or Preorder) worth up to $15 CAD at The Book Depository!

Rules
1. To enter, leave a comment
2. You must be an Old GFC Follower to enter. Alternately, if you don't follow me through Google Friend Connect but are an Old RSS Follower, then that's cool too - just let me know in your comment.
3. Open Internationally as long as The Book Depository ships to you
4. Ends October 10 at 11:59 PM EST
5. Entrants must be at least 13 years old
6. The winner will be announced on the blog and will have 48 hours to send me an email with their address.

Good luck and thank you!