by Rick Yancey
Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 978-1-4169-8452-8
Suggested Ages: 14+ (Very Gory)
Buy From Indigo
Description: 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.
The Good Stuff
- Get a real kick out of the prologues in this series & this one was my favorite
- A lot more humour in this which I really enjoyed - laughed out loud quite a few times
- Dr. Warthrop comes across as more likeable & human in this one
- Fast paced story most of the time
- Not as much icky gory stuff like in the first two installments in the series (Boys will love that, 40 yr old Mom's, not so much LOL!)
- Main characters are very realistic, warts and all
- Unique
- Like the play on character names and the part about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is just plain delightful
- Lots of moral quandaries which make it a great book for class discussions
- Good character development from one book to the next
- Plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing
- Still way too much violence and gore for me personally - if that doesn't bother you, than ignore this - more like an FYI
- Story drags a little for my preference
"Ah." He was smiling slyly at me. "William James Henry, do you have literary ambitions? I am astounded."
"That I might have literary ambitions?"
"That you have any ambition at all."
"I don't wish to pick the case! The entire idea was yours to begin with. But you've shown your hand in this, and rest assured I will disavow anything you dare to publish under the guise of preserving my legacy. Holmes had his Watson indeed! And Caeser had his Brutus, didn't he."
"No I'm lying to you. It is actually the Greek word for 'stupid child'. Yes it means 'nothing' in Greek, and there is no such thing as a pyrite tree."
Who should/shouldn't read
- A must have for fans of the other 2 books in the series
- Perfect for YA boys who like the gore and creepiness (or girls of course)
- Wouldn't recommend this if you haven't read the first two books in the series
- Not for the squeamish or younger audience as it is quite violent and dark
I received this from Simon and Schuster in exchange for an honest review