This book is tagged as "YA" fantasy...that may be a bit questionable. As I've advised before I advise here STRONGLY, a parent or guardian needs to read this book first and be sure it is suitable for each "youth".

That said, I actually do like this book. My rating (3 stars) is one I usually use for..."the book's okay. don't hate it, don't love it." Here I like the book a bit better than that but there are things that tugged the rating down. For one thing it manages to push one of my annoyance buttons. I'll mention it below a spoiler warning.

The book is an interesting one. It's gory, gross, disgusting, violent and at times early on...a bit slow. That is, if you think about it a sort of accomplishment in itself. As the story gets started there is a fairly bloody, violent episode that then leads us into a part of the story which will set up later events and fill in details, but it does wander a bit. Get through it, the book manages to pull itself together and tell an interesting story.

The basic idea is another variation on the idea of "a small group who know the real truth about monsters". It works well and sets up all kinds of possibilities. (I liked this one well enough that I picked up the second to see how things go in the continual growth of this world.) Yancey tells the story as one who has come into possession of the multi-volume journal of one, Will Henry. Yancey informs us he's been told by those who knew the old man (and Henry also reports this in the journal) borne in 1876. Charged with finding out what he can about Henry, Yancey tells us he begins reading the journal(s). This book tells the story of the first 3 volumes of said journal(s).

Henry tells us that when he was a young man he became an assistant to Dr.Warthrop the Monstrumologist, an expert in and studier of "monsters", though he hates the word.

There was no one in the book that I found to be actually "likeable". Will himself comes closest and I suppose I do like him a bit, but at times he seems so thick.

At first, Warthrop is quite annoying. We do get to know him and by the end of the book I found that he didn't annoy me quite so much. I believe that is the effect Yancey is going for. Warthrop with his trademark line, "snap to Will Henry" can drive you up the walls a bit at least at first and I've read reviews by readers who truly want to throttle him for it. By the end of the novel I believe we're supposed to understand him a bit more and go with the "to understand all is to forgive all" way of thinking...but the saying is frankly not exactly accurate.

Then there's Jack, John, Jacob...Dr. John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt. No he's not likeable, he is however psychopathic. This is a thoroughly "dislikeable" character who fills a specific niche in the novel.

So, you've had the sulfur, now to help it go down I'll give you the molasses. The book for me did (beginning maybe a quarter to a third of the way in begin to draw me in. It built interest more and more as the story went along and is quite good.

I do want to emphasize one thing, as others have. This book does have several very gross scenes. Some youths this won't bother (some will probably like it). Others however may have trouble with some of these scenes, so be aware of this aspect of the story.


(view spoiler)[The thing that bothered me most here was, as I've seen in a few books lately, another use of Jack the Ripper as a character. At least it wasn't quite so positive a view as I've seen in a couple of books recently. Still, at the time I was reading the story I found myself wondering if in 50 or 100 years someone would use Ted Bundy or Jeffrey Dahmer as a character in a novel. Then I remembered that I'd already run across Dahmer used as a character.

We're a strange species. Anyway, the Ripper and his like when they are real people don't need to be "commemorated". Maybe I'm a bit over sensitive on this, but it does bug me. Topping off the scenes of blood, maggots, dismemberment and all the rest, maybe a slightly picky complaint...but there it is. The last we hear for "John" after the hunt for the Anthropophagi, is that he wants to hunt "something else". (hide spoiler)]

So, as long as one is aware of the gory nature of the story and makes sure that their "youth" is mature enough for it (and again I suggest you read the book first, before turning it over to a "youth"), I think you'll find, on the whole a well written novel.