Rick Yancey : THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST

THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST is an awarding winning book (first one in the series) written by American author Rick Yancey. Now, you might remember Mr Yancey from the review of one of his newish novels which blew my mind last year - THE 5TH WAVE.

The Monstrumologist has been recommended by many Vloggers and Bloggers who loves books and good stories as much as I do. So I was expecting great things. Especially after reading one of his book last year.  A lot of reviewers and book critics wrote only good things about this novel.

"Yancey takes the gore and violence of Darren Shan's 'Cirque du Freak' to thrilling new levels in this sophisticated tale." SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

"Each character is whole and rich... The book is perfect for readers who want their nightmares in a literary package." VOYA

"This is a great story. I loved this book." DOUGLAS CLEGG, author of NEVERLAND

"Weaves a world that processes a Lovecraftian logic and hints at its own deeply satisfying mythos." BOOKLIST

"Will's intelligent diary captures their page turning, nightmarish adventures and the constructs and evolving scientific theories of the time as well as his budding independence." KIRKUS REVIEWS

First impressions... I love the whole package. The design team behind the edition did a wonderful job. The Paperback itself is beautifully animated with some gorgeous pictures and has a feel of a real diary of Will Henry. So far.. so good. 

The story takes us to a sanitarium (old people's home) where the author meets a director who hands him 12 notebooks written by a patient who recently passed away. There is no family who would claim them. And the word is that the patient hasn't spoken to anyone through his whole time being there. He claimed to be over 180 years old. This sparks the author's interest. Not to mentioned that the notebooks holds a story previously unheard of. 

When the author starts to read them, he cannot put them down. We are meeting a twelve year old boy, Will Henry, who lives in the house of Dr Pelinore Warthrop. His parents recently died in a tragic accident and Will Henry doesn't have anyone apart from the doctor. Now Dr Warthrop has a very peculiar profession. He isn't the usual kind of doctor. He is a monstrumologist - the doctor of monsters. And one evening this profession brings an unexpected visitor with very interesting package to their door. And after that Will Henry and The Monstrumologist go on a spiral road of adventure they didn't expect. 

MON-STUM-OL-O-GY n.

1: the story of life forms generally malevolent to humans and not recognised by science as actual organisms, specifically those considered products of myth and folklore

2: the act of hunting such creatures

This supposed to be YA novel. While reading and after reading this novel, there is only one question on my mind: "What child can read this book and doesn't have nightmares afterwards?" It was visual. Bloody. And very, very entertaining. I have fallen under the spell of Will Henry's scary tale and couldn't put it down. The story is so refreshing. Monsters are real. They are a species who hunt us down as we are their food supply. Wow... I have been haunted by this story long after I have read it. It left me with shivers. Yancey's writing is so adventurous. It takes the whole new level of scary for me. 

Not only the story is very individual and unique to the ones I read before, but the writing itself is very inventive. The whole book is written in the style of 1800's authors. What a wonderful idea. Long sentences. Well used english dictionary. What an idea!! It reminded me the style of writing of Jane Austen. LOVED IT!!

Will Henry is such an interesting character. Firstly, you feel sorry for him and then you start to be intrigued by him. He is brave. Braver than he thinks himself. And his big secret is revealed at the end of the story. That made my jaw drop. Even more intriguing and very secretive is the character of The Monstrumologist himself. He is smart. Brave. Rich. And sometimes seems without a heart. But I feel that this character is like an onion. You have to peel off the dry layers before you get to the juice bottom. And of course I cannot forget to mention the character of Dr John Kearns (well at least that is one of his name). He is ruthless and a very adventures hunter who is an expert in hunting the Anthropophagi. He doesn't hesitate to use a human life in order to get what he wants or needs. He is very intelligent and might carry a big secret which gets touched upon at the end of the book. That was a really good secret!!

All in all, I can see why this book is loved by so many book reviewers and readers. There isn't one thing I could say, which would make this book horrible. It's very inventive, full of violence and flesh eating monsters. Sometimes it makes your skin crawl, but it's still brilliant and one of a kind. I cannot wait to read the other books in series: The Curse Of The Wendigo, The Isle of Blood and The Final Descent. Mr Yancey wrote one hell of a book series which you all will love. 

JULY & AUGUST BOOK BONANZA

Summer Holiday time is here... I hope you are all enjoying the sunshine and wonderful weather which is making our days better. I, myself, have full hands of work. Not only I challenge myself to Summer Reading Challenge, which I am well behind (for which I do apologise), but I went to see my family and spent some quality time with my friends... I even took up on a new hobby - hiking.

But don't fret! I haven't forgotten about you my lovely readers. I know the posts haven't been as regular as usual, but I am slowly getting back on the track. Of course, I am trying to post book reviews as soon as I finish the book, but please be patient with me, sometimes it takes time to fully enjoy reading that particular story. And then it takes a little longer. But don't worry.. I have found some time to start planning and soon you can look forward to some more posts. 

Take the July & August Book Bonanza. It's been long time coming. I didn't have much time to post the book bonanzas for each month separately, so when I sat down to write this post and share with you my latest finds and buys, I discovered that I have over 20 new books in my library.. I really start to think that I have a problem... Do you?

But back to the point.. Here is July & August Book Bonanza. It's big. It's good. And it knock your socks off. We have some great books by brilliant authors on the list. I have decided to divide them into five different categories. I hope you find one or two which will peek your interest. 

JULY & AUGUST BOOK BONANZA

The Books soon to have a Film Adaptation:

IF I STAY by Gayle Forman

The last thing Mia remembers is the music. 

After the accident, she can still hear it. And she can see her damaged body being taken from the wreck of her parents' car - even though she can't feel a thing. 

All she can do is watch as doctors rush to save her life, as her friends and relatives gather outside her room, as the boy she loves struggles to be near her. 

As the next twenty-four hours unfold, Mia must come to terms with what came before the crash - and what could come after. And she knows she must make the most difficult choice of all.  

If she stays...

WHERE SHE WENT by Gayle Forman

It's been three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life. And three years he's spend wondering why. 

When their paths cross again in New York City, Adam and Mia are brought back together for one life-changing night. 

Adam finally has the opportunity to ask Mia the questions that have been hating him. But will a few hours in this magical city be enough to lay their past to rest, for good - or can you really have a second chance at first love?

The Bright Books and their Even Brighter Covers: 

THE MANIFESTO ON HOW TO BE INTERESTING by Holly Bourne

Apparently I'm boring. A nobody. But that's all about to change. Because I am starting a project. Here. Now. For myself. And if you want to come along for the ride then you're very welcome. 

Bree is by no means popular. Most of the time, she hates her life, her school, her never-there parent. So she writes. 

But when Bree is told she needs to stop shutting the world out and start living a life worth writing about, THE MANIFESTO ON HOW TO BE INTERESTING is born. A manifesto that will change everything... 

... but the question is, at what cost?

SOLITAIRE by Alice Oseman

'I don't ever remember not being serious. As far as I'm concerned, I came out of the of the womb spouting cynicism and wishing for rain.'

My name is Tori Spring. I like to sleep and I like to blog. Last year I had friends. Things were very different, I guess, but that's all over now.

Now there's Solitaire. And Michael Holden. 

I don't know what Solitaire are trying to do. And I don't care about Michael Holden. I really don't. 

The Books for Your Heart and Soul:

THE REASON I JUMP by Naoki Higashida

One boy's voice from the silence of autism. 

NEVER LET ME GO by Kazuo Ishiguro

In one of the most acclaimed novels of recent years, Kazuo Ishiguro imagines the lives of a group of students growing up in a darkly skewed version of contemporary England. Narrated by Kathy, now thirty-one, NEVER LET ME GO dramatises her attempts to com to terms with her childhood at the seemingly idyllic Hailsham School and with the fate that has always awaited her and her closest friends in the wider world. A story of love, friendship and memory, NEVER LET ME GO is charged throughout with a sense of the fragility of life. 

THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS by  M. R. Carey

Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant Parks keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks 

they don't like her. She jokes that she won't bite. But they don't laugh. 

LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR by Stephanie Perkins

I have three simple wishes. The first is to attend the winter formal dressed like Marie Antoinette. The second is for my parents to approve of my boyfriend. And my third wish? To never ever ever see the Bell twins ever again. Ever. 

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn't believe in fashion... she believes in costume. The more expressive outfit - the more sparkly, more wild - the better. And life is pretty close to perfect for Lola, especially with her hot rocker boyfriend. 

That is, until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighbourhood and unearth a past of hurt that Lola thought was long buried. So when talented inventor Cricket steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally face up to a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door. 

LANDLINE by Rainbow Rowell

Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble. It's been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and he still loves her - but that almost seems besides the point now. 

Two days before they're supposed to visit Neal's family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells him that she can't go. She's a TV writer and something's come up on her show, she has to stay in  Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her - he is always a little upset with her - but she doesn't expect him to pack up the kids and go home without her. 

When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she's finally done it. If she's ruined everything. 

That night, Georgie discovered a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It's not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she's been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts...

Is that what she's supposed to do? Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?

The YA Novels for 

Every Girl or Woman :

SKIN DEEP by Laura Jarratt

'I wanted to say this morning, only you ran off... Sorry if I was rude.' The boy from the boat grinned, looking straight at me. 'You surprised me, that's all. The scar' - he touched his face - 'took me by surprise. I didn't mean to be rude.' I gaped at him. Nobody ever, ever mentioned the scars.'

After the car crash that leaves her best friend dead, Jenna struggles to rebuild her life. But every stare in the street, every glance in the mirror, makes her want to hide away. And then Ryan turns up - a tall, good-looking traveller unlike anyone Jenna's ever met before. 

Can he help to put her world back together, or will he just break her heart?

WE WERE LIARS by E. Lockhart

We are liars. We are beautiful and privileged. We are cracked and broken. A tale of love and romance. A tale of tragedy. Which are lies? Which is truth? You decide. 

SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE by Morgan Matson

Emiy's best friend Sloane disappears, almost without a trace - the only thing left behind is a to-do list. On it, thirteen Sloane-inspired tasks that wallflower Emily wouldn't normally do, and definitely not without her best friend. But what if completing the list could bring Sloane back?

Dance until dawn? Sure. Why not?

Kiss a stranger? Um...

Go skinny dipping? Wait...what?

Emily only has the summer to check everything off Sloane's list. The question is, what will she find at the end of it?

LOUDER THAN WORDS by Laura Jarratt

Words on a page ... they're beautiful, powerful. 

Words in my mouth... they don't work. 

They choke up inside me and won't come out. My pen has a freedom my mouth has never had. The last person I spoke to was my brother, Silas, and I was six. Since then, not a word. Silas says he'd give anything to hear me speak again. Now I sit here and think the same thing about him. 

LOVE LETTERS TO THE DEAD by Ava Dellaira

Sometimes the best letters go unanswered.

It begins as an assignment for English class: write a letter to a dead person. Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain - he died young, And so did Laurel's sister May - so maybe he'll understand what Laurel is going through. 

Soon Laurel is writing letters to lots of dead people - Janis Joplin, Heath Ledger, River Phoenix, Amelia Earhart, Amy Winehouse..It's like she can't stop. She writes about her new high school, her new friends, her first love - and her shattered life. 

But the ghosts of Laurel's past can't be contained between the lines of a page forever. She must face up to them - before they consume her. 

MY LIFE NEXT DOOR by Huntley Fitzpatrick

On one summer night, everything changed. 

Life in Samantha Reed's home is neat and clean and orderly - precisely planned by her local politician mother. Next door, at the Garretts', things are loud, messy, and irresistible. And when gorgeous Jase Garrett climbs the trellis outside her bedroom and enters her life, she finds herself falling passionately in love with him and everything he brings with him. The only hitch is, she's got to hide it from her mother. Then something unthinkable happens, and Samantha is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

The Books from Book Series:

THE SCORCH TRIALS by James Dashner

Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escaping meant he would get his life back. But no one knew what sort of life they were going back to...

Burned and baked, the earth is a wasteland, its people driven mad by an infection known as the Flare. 

Instead of freedom, Thomas must face another trial. He must cross the Scorch to once again save himself and his friends...

THE CURSE OF THE WENDIGO by Rick Yancey

The montrumologist Dr Warthrop and his assistant Will Henry are in pursuit of the ultimate predator, a creature that is neither alive nor dead, which starves even as it gorges itself on human flesh.. the Wendigo. 

The doctor is convinced that no such beast can possibly exist, until someone from his past convinces him a Wendigo has captured her husband, and he and Will travel to the Canadian wilderness to discover the truth. 

When they finally track down the man they return with him to New York, only to see him transform into a Wendigo before their eyes. Now Dr Warthrop can no longer deny the truth behind the legend and with a Wendigo on the loose in the metropolis, it's up to the monstrumologist and his assistant to catch the beast before it's too late...

THE ISLE OF BLOOD by Rick Yancey

The Monstrumologist Dr Warthrop has abandoned a devasted Will Henry to go in search of "The Holy Grail of Monstrumology" with his new assistant, Arkwright. But when Arkwright returns to New York alone, with news of the Doctor's death, Will doesn't believe him - and determines to find the Doctor, alive or dead. 

Will's search leads him to Socotra - the Isle of Blood - where the Doctor was last seen alive, and blood rains from the sky. The island is home to the most bizarre and mysterious monsters Will has ever seen - but will they also be the last things he ever sees?

SHATTER ME by Tahereh Mafi

I have a curse. I have a gift. 

I'm a monster. I'm more than human. 

My touch is lethal. My touch is power.

I am their weapon. I will fight back.

No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal, but The Reestablishment has plans for her. Plans to use her as a weapon. But Juliette has plans of her own. After a lifetime without freedom, she's finally discovering a strength to fight back for the very first time - and to find a future with the one boy she thought she'd lost forever.

SLATED by Teri Terry

Kyla's memory has been erased, her personality wiped blank, her memories lost for ever. 

She's been Slated. 

The government claims she was a terrorist, and that they are giving her a second chance - as long as she plays by their rules. But echoes of the past whisper in Kyla's mind. Someone is lying to her, and nothing is as it seems. Who can she trust in her search for the truth?

So which one will make it on your reading list? Have you already read any of them? If so, please let me know how you like the story in comments below. I am looking forward to some recommendations from you guys. Until next time.... Have a fatabulous time :) 

Stephanie Perkins: ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS

ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS is a young adult novel written by Stephanie Perkins. Ms Perkins wrote a series of love stories which are inspired by some of the most gorgeous cities in the world. And as the title suggest, Anna And The French Kiss is taking place on the beautiful backgrounds of the City Of Love & Lights  - Paris.


Ms Perkins wrote one of the best-selling novels in Young Adult genre this year. And no wonder... This book is a typical example of young adult romance story which will make you weep and laugh. And there is the happy ending which guarantees no dry eyed reader. 






Anna is a teenage girl who's dad shipped her off to Paris to gain some life experience while studying her final year of high school in prestigious School of America in the heart of Paris. Firstly, Anna isn't happy about his order which leaves her alone without her family and friends. But when she starts to settle down and meets fellow classmates who take her under their wings. And of course, there is the boy... THE BOY - Etienne St Clair, who makes everything so much better. Anna starts to like Etienne, but there is a little problem, he has been in a relationship with Ellie for over a year. Is Anna heading for a heartache in the City of Love or will everything work out the way everyone wants and hope?






This is a sweet, heart-warming story about falling in love for the first time. It's about finding the right person for you and it actually explains what being in love with somebody really means. I always used to say that Stephanie Meyer's Twilight would be my choice for young girls to explain falling in love, but Ms Perkins managed to write a story which is so much better and more real. Not everything goes according to the plan. There are bumps and complications on the road to find your true love. But Ms Perkins manages to capture the feelings and happenings of falling for somebody in the right light. It's funny, modern, down-to-earth, heart-fell and on some occasions heartbreaking...

It will have you glued to the pages and you'll find yourself turning pages without knowing how. It's so easy to read and follow. You won't want to put it down, all you will be saying: "Just one more chapter..."


Anna is a wonderful character, so relate able to so many young women out there, who are dealing with similar problems. She has a mess in her feelings and is trying to figure out her place in the world. Etienne is the boy to die for. He seems perfect to start with but as we continue to get to know him, we find out that he is a bit of a scary cat when it comes to dealing with girls and break ups. My favourite characters are the couple who did not make it at the end - Josh and Rashmi. Although their personalities clash, they still manage to stay friends and help each other. Rashmi is a girl who is careful with her affection towards others as she has been burnt by her best friend (Ellie left her behind when she has gone to college.) and Josh is a fun-loving, irresponsible artist who does everything in the world to be more irresponsible. But these two are great friends who, when you are in trouble, are there for you.



The main reason why I really enjoyed reading this book, was the fact that it takes place in Paris. I cannot even begin to describe my huge obsession and love for this place and the author managed to make me miss it even more. Ms Perkins beautifully described the gorgeous City of Lights and I got lost in walks with the characters. I am definitely booking some holiday time next year in spring so I can spend it and get even more inspired by this romantic city.


All in all, I have enjoyed this story. It was romantic and funny and very relate able, but sometimes I felt like in a teenage film or TV drama series. But I will read it again in distant future and recommend for all romantics and fans of YA genre out there to give it a try and get lost in this Parisian tale.

Quotes from this sweet story about first love: 

“For the two of us, home isn't a place. It is a person. And we are finally home.” 

“The more you know who you are, and what you want, the less you let things upset you.”

“I love you as certain dark things are loved, secretly, between the shadow and the soul.”

“Girl scouts didn't teach me what to do with emotionally unstable drunk boys.” 

“And I realize ... it’s okay. It’s okay if St. Clair and I never become more than friends. His friendship alone has strengthened me in a way that no one
else’s ever has. He swept me from my room and showed me independence. In other words, he was exactly what I needed. I won’t forget it. And I certainly
don’t want to lose it.”

“I spent the period reading the first novel assigned for English. And wow. If I hadn't realized I was in France yet, I do now. Because Like Water for Chocolate has sex in it. LOTS of sex.”