A review by ghiblireads
Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova

dark emotional tense medium-paced

5.0

This was a fantastic book. It was a beautiful yet weird exploration of grief. This was exactly what I wanted from a literary horror. The writing was amazing - the descriptions were really good and I loved how the story was told. It was very moving at times. The pacing was good. I enjoyed each different perspective and how they all worked together. The characters were the best part about this book - they were so well written and developed. They each had personality and I genuinely liked them all. They all experienced grief in a different way which was really interesting to read about. I felt bad for Magos and her actions were… strange. I really liked the part from her perspective. Lena was great and I loved having a perspective from someone outside the family - her love for Magos was sweet. I thought Joseph was a good man and I loved the contrast between how he and Magos mourned Santiago. I loved that we got to read from Monstrilio’s POV and watch him grow up. The plot was so weird which I adored. It was a little creepy at times and some scenes made me uncomfortable. The descriptions of Monstrilio through his different stages of development were very vivid and easy to imagine. I think it got a lot more graphic and disturbing than I was expecting, but I completely loved that. The way it ended made me emotional - there were some great metaphors and commentaries. I just absolutely loved it. It was moving yet horrifying and perfect.