In short: The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey is a masterpiece, a thrilling horror with exquisite writing and terrifying monsters. 
 Monsters are real and some of them come in the form of headless seven foot tall hominoids with thousands of razor-sharp teeth in their stomachs, called Anthropophagi. Oh, how refreshing to read about monsters that want to rip you to shreds rather than the more romantic fare that we are so used to in YA these days! The Monstrumologist is horror at its best: terrifying and thrilling, enthralling and unputdownable, despite the absolutely nightmarish horror of the events. 
 I don't often comment on the writing in books but I simply must do so for Rick Yancey's writing. The Monstrumologist is definitely the best written book I've read this year. The prose is mesmerizing and rich and portions of it left me in complete awe. With a few well crafted phrases, Rick Yancey can paint a horrifying image that becomes imprinted in your brain and follows you long after you finish reading. There are a few terrifyingly gorgeous images from The Monstrumologist that I will never, ever forget. 
 I wouldn't say the writing style made The Monstrumologist an easy read, however. Taking place in Victorian New England, there were quite a few words and terms that went over my head. I needed to read The Monstrumologist with a dictionary in my other hand. I don't see this as being a negative point though. I love feeling challenged and I love that Rick Yancey didn't dumb down his writing and in the process, patronize the reader. 
 I was also very impressed with the attention to detail with regards to the biological aspect of The Monstrumologist. Coming from a science background, I often nitpick instances in books where there are scientific falsities that the author failed to research when writing. I am happy to report that I found nothing of the sort to nitpick in The Monstrumologist. Rick Yancey's knowledge of evolutionary adaptations and anatomy was evident, of which I was very appreciative. 
 And lastly, the characters in The Monstrumologist were brilliantly written, perfectly developed, and completely intriguing. I loved the dynamic between the monstrumologist, Dr. Warthrop, and his twelve year old assistant, Will Henry. The Monstrumologist is told as if written from Will Henry's journal and follows Will Henry and Dr. Warthrop's monster hunting adventures together. They have two very different personalities that often warred (Dr. Warthrop is egocentric and obsessed with his work and Will Henry is sweet and brave and honourable) but you could tell they care for each other deeply as they are the only person in each other's life. 
 Overall, The Monstrumologist was absolutely fantastic (and other people must agree because it won a Printz Honour award)! Certain passages left me awed and breathless, they were so well written and horribly horrifying. I highly recommend The Monstrumologist to fans of horror and historical fiction. I can't wait to read more of Will Henry and Dr. Warthrop's monster hunting adventures in the sequel, The Curse of the Wendigo!