This masterful book is everything I want in a literary horror! I have no doubt that this will be exceedingly popular and well received. The concept alone, though gruesome, transforms into a tale of grief and delusion. I felt the different points of view a very welcome change - I don't see that very often in horror books. I will read whatever Gerardo Sámano Córdova writes. I don't plan to be shutting up about this book anytime soon!!

Told in four parts, Monstrilio follows Magos, Joseph, Lena, and M. After the death of her son Santiago, Magos cuts out a part of his lung to keep for herself. A close family friend tells her a hometown folktale that leads Magos to feeding and nurturing the lung with hopes of it growing into her late son. And it does, to an extent. M may look like Santiago but M has wild, carnivorous impulses that are hard to control.

Before I picked this book up, I was expecting to love it and I loved it even more. What a beautiful, weird, unique story about a family and close friends dealing with the grief of their child. I loved the jumps between Mexico City, Upstate New York, Brooklyn, and Berlin. I felt for every character, especially for our sweet, misunderstood M. The writing is beautiful, heartbreaking, lyrical and so much more. I want to read everything Gerardo Sámano Córdova writes.

Every once in a while a book you know very little about finds its way to you and burrows its way deep into your soul. This hit all the right beats for me - macabre premise, magical realism, unconventional family, super queer, characters you would do anything for. This globetrotting tale moves quickly, yet takes time to revel in the little moments that allow these characters to shine in all their complexity. I was absolutely gripped by this modern nature-vs-nurture parable, and will be singing its praises from the rooftops.
Following the loss of their son, Magos takes matters into her own hands. Inspired by a family legend she heard from a friend, she takes a piece of her deceased son's lung to craft a new monster. As the creature grows, the family is forced to reevaluate their relationships with each other and their places in the world. Infusing horror elements with literary fiction family drama, the result is a magical tale of resilience, destruction, art, and love. Monstrilio is the most endearing, queer little beast, and the way these characters' love for each other evolves is spectacular to witness. I loved this book.

What a brilliant book! When Joseph and Magos' son dies Magos takes a bit of his lung to keep for herself. When she goes back to Mexico she hears a folktale about feeding the saved part and it will grow. Magos feeds it some chicken soup and ends up with a cute odd-shaped little monster who has a deep desire for raw meat. Naming him Monstrilio he continues to grow. I loved every minute of this. An intelligent commentary on whether one can (or should) change the inherent nature of someone. Monstrilio is such a lovable innocent that you find yourself rooting for him even once he's committed crimes.

<b>Rating: 5 Stars</b>

I knew from the first several pages that this was going to be a novel that stuck with me. Sat with me, resonated, and found a place deep in my heart and soul. By the final ten pages, I was pre-ordering the physical copy of this ARC, crying happy-sad tears, and trying to keep it together. Anyone who knows me and my reading tastes will know that I deeply love two things: grief horror and Mary Shelley's <i>Frankenstein</i>. Gerardo Samano Cordova's debut novel, <i>Monstrilio</i>, is the perfect blend of both - in a way that I haven't quite experienced before.

To my friends, I apologize in advance. I will, undoubtedly, be recommending this nonstop at any opportunity for years to come.

Monstrilio was not at all what I was expecting it to be, but I loved it so much. Never did I think a horror story about a little monster boy would end in tears but here we are.

Ok, it was a lone tear (still counts).

Monstrilio is a story about a monster, but it's more of an expression of grief and family, both natural and found. When young Santiago dies, his mother carves into him, removing part of his only lung. She feeds and nurtures the lung piece and and she does, Monstrilio grows into a small creature who appears to be part boy and part monster. Over the years, Monstilio's story is told as his life changes and he becomes a young man who isn't quite human.

This was a heavy book that was very full of emotion and grieving, with Magos, Lena, and Joseph each mourning the loss of Santiago in different ways and at different points of their lives. I really loved how the story was told from four point of views over the course of Monstrilio's life. We begin the story with Mago's point of view after Santiago has just passed away. Over the years we see Lena's sleeplessness and unreciprocated love for Magos, Joseph's whole new life in New York, and finally M's own view of his life and how wrong he feels in his body. By the end of the book I couldn't help but feel for M. The turning point of the book for him (Mago's performance) and all of the aftermath turns him into a "monster," but the author did a really great job of humanizing him. I also loved all of the queer representation!

Look up CWs if you're not sure, but some include: death of a child, cannibalism.

Thank you to NetGalley and Zando Projects for an advance copy. I can't wait to read more from this author in the future.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Zando Projects for the ARC of #Monstrilio!

This was a really engaging novel! The concepts that it explored about death, life, family, longing, and love were really well done and once I started it I had trouble putting it down. I also loved how the story weaved between the alternating storytellers to provide insight into their mindset during these pivotal events in the story.

I would highly recommend this novel for fans of horror, folklore, and families trying to forge a new path in the face of great tragedy.

I had a completely different vision of what this book would be like, and I’m not disappointed with how it is. Grief consumes people in a multitude of ways. I saw the typical reaction in Joseph’s character to the death of his son Santiago, but I related to Magos reaction more.

The apparent denial of emotion that led to Monstrilio’s birth was refreshing to read. I also thoroughly enjoyed the little folklore the author sprinkled in the story to make the readers comprehend how a monster could grow from a piece of lung.

M’s character (as a humanish boy?) was extremely relatable in the sense that one always can feel when they’re the “second best” child in a parent's life. His lack of emotions, his monotone demographic, and his bland mannerisms oozed emotion in a way that only someone who felt like a second-best option could understand.

Additionally, I was surprised to see so many queer storylines throughout the novel! I loved getting to know Lena’s character and also enjoyed the positive portrayal of the nonsexual intimate-based sex work her character was involved in.

I really enjoyed this story and it’s unique take on grief, love, and life.

I loved this book. Perfect literary fiction read. And a unique way of writing a novel about grief and losing a loved one. Very poignant and clever.

An amazingly written story exploring grief, love, and family. This story is told chronologically but in 4 sections narrated by one of our main characters. We start with Margos, a mother who after 11 years of loving and caring for her child lays with him and her husband as the child, Santiago, draws his final breaths. We get to explore the different stages of grief in many ways. Margo's husband, Joseph, grieves much differently than her. Without giving away too much of the plot, Margos had taken a piece of Santiago's only lung to save for herself. After returning to Mexico City and her family, Margos learns a story about a woman regenerating someone from a piece of them. So Margos tries on a whim. What she gets is not her son back, but Monstrilio. Monstrilio, later M, starts as a small fuzzy ball shape with a long tail. M is very hungry and not for typical human fare.
This story was such an interesting take on grief and different forms of love. I felt for all the characters at different points and the ending was very satisfying.
Do not expect this book to be a typical horror story. This is a very literary tale with moments of horror. But I think if you like books that explore grief, love, the human condition, and have LGBTQIA+ themes, you will like this one!

4.25 stars

Published: 3/7/23
**ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
#NetGalley #Monstrilio

Basics
Author: he/him, queer, from Mexico City, Mexico
Genre: magical realism, horror
Setting: Mexico City, Berlin, NYC
Themes: grief, holding on too long, love
Vibes: impending doom, wildness

Characters
Santiago - their son born with one underdeveloped lung, who died at 11yo
Magos (1st POV) - bereaved mother searching for any piece of her son
Lena (2nd POV) - Magos' best friend who is in love with her, a doctor
Joseph (3rd POV) - Magos' grief-stricken husband, Santiago's father
Monstrilio (4th POV) - the piece of Santiago's lung that grows into something else

Pros
+ can't tell if the mother is in shock so she can't grieve, or her way of grieving IS this twisted thing she does
+ feeding a lung to grow something other
+ creature feature: "grief creature"
+ LGBT rep: f/f, lesbian, m/m, bi/pan
+ bloodthirstiness without remorse
+ Magos is such an interesting character. Her grief means she will choose the lung at all costs. Even when her best friend falls into a ravine or her mother needs to use a cane after it attacks her. A part of me can't believe someone would be so cold but also maybe her grief makes her callous to everything other than her remnant of Santiago, the lung.
+ the son drew a Monstrilio before he died... does Monstrilio remember and chose that form or was Monstrilio a dream or vision the son had? Either way, creepy!
+ I feel so bad for Lena. She is loyal and steady. She certainly doesn't deserve Magos' poor treatment.
+ it is not a cute Pokemon evolving! how many red flags do you need??? 🚩it🚩eats🚩pets🚩
+ evolution via mutilation
+ unwilding a monster seems like a very terrible, bad, no-good idea. I can't wait to see how this implodes.
+ I'm team Lena and Wild Monstrilio. Fuck Magos and Joseph.
+ bookstore setting
+ the family that hides evidence together stays together
+ damn that ending. I'll just be over here crying

Cons
- why does no one take Magos to therapy???
- a bit too many locations for my liking
- the end wasn't as bloody as the rest of the book, surprisingly. Honestly could have used more gore, but that's just my twisted take

Comp Recs
+ Eartheater by Dolores Reyes x Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

TW: child death, corpse mutilation, violence, insomnia, sex work, animal evisceration, blood, cannibalism-ish, death

Oh, man, this book was brutal emotionally. Grief is just one of those topics that is always a gut-punch to me. Despite me not having any children of my own, this book was so well-written that I truly felt while reading this that this must be what it feels like to lose a child. I was sad and heartbroken, full of grief, and yet somehow enjoying it at the same time. THAT is a sign that you have a skilled writer on your hands.

I *slightly* struggled for a bit due to the book moving through several points of view (I think that's a ME problem), but it quickly became easy to read and I appreciated seeing how each character chose to handle their emotions in their own way. This book was definitely BLEAK and grim, but I wouldn't say it felt horror-ish, (although the death of a child is a horror in and of itself). Readers who are hard-core horror fans may find this a bit slow, so I would say this would fit more for fans of literary fiction, but honestly I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to literally anyone because this book is so incredibly unusual and different and it doesn't feel like anything I've ever read before and I mean that in the best way possible.

As a bonus I was pleasantly surprised to find that #1 that this was a debut novel and #2 that a lot of the main characters were queer! Bonus points for inclusion.

Solid 4.75/5. Fantastic book and super impressive debut novel about an incredibly dark topic..

I received a copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Monstrilio is well-written story of grief and how people each deal with grief in different ways. I loved every minute of this story. It was unique, heartbreaking and beautiful.

A family loses their child, Santiago. His mother takes a piece of his lung from his body and keeps it close. She begins to feed the little bit of lung and it grows into Monstrilio.

This book is told in 4 points of view. The parents, the best friend, Lena, and Monstrilio. The different points of view each reveal more about all the relationships of all the characters. Each point of view shows how each person handles the loss, the grief, and the creation of Monstrilio. The author also uses beautiful descriptions of the scenery, which really pulls you into the story even more.

I highly recommend.

Monstrilio is everything I never knew that I wanted from a literary horror story. To start, the characters are fully-formed, distinct, and loveable. Magos and her grief-turned-madness. Joseph and his aching sadness. Lena and her loyal practicality. Uncle Luke and his devotion. M and his empathy and wild spirit. Each character is unique and memorable.

Beyond the brilliant characterization, Monstrilio as a story is deeply compelling. Grief as a living thing... Grief as a monster! This core concept is so well executed - especially in the final chapter that follows M's perspective. I also absolutely loved the casual sexual fluidity of this book and its characters. This may have been the most bisexual story I've ever read and I am absolutely here for it.

I'm not sure what else to say except that Monstrilio is a fantastic book that I want to recommend to everyone I know.

I love a good grief horror novel and this one was unexpectedly excellent.

A mother will do anything to get her son back and then she kind of does... but he might be more monster than boy. She still loves him, but things are different now and he's not the same boy.

Reading this coming up on the anniversary of my son's death made this hit me hard. The first half of the book was excellent in it's exploration of grief and longing. The second half wasn't as good. I wasn't a fan of the tone or perspective change and although I understood what the author was trying to do with the coming-of-age bits I didn't like them.
Definitely more literary horror than not.


TW: rape

Got my hands on this and devoured it as asap as possible, pun intended. I started seeing some buzz and went in with high expectations that were definitely met.

From the very first page, I was hooked by the unique and haunting story of a grieving mother who, in a desperate attempt to keep her deceased son Santiago's memory alive, cuts a segment of his lung out and nourishes it to life. As the lung grows, it becomes Monstrilio, a creature who holds some of Santiago's memories and traits, but who is not Santiago. The book is divided into four acts, each told from a different point of view, exploring themes of grief, acceptance, and the lengths we will go for those we love.

Reading this, I found myself completely invested in the story of Monstrilio and the people who loved him in every form he took. I enjoyed getting a perspective of Monstrilio and his creation from each of the main characters, it really rounded out the story One of the main things that sets "Monstrilio" apart from other horror novels, however, is its exploration of the monstrous and feral sides of love and loyalty. As Monstrilio grows and the lines are blurred between himself and Santiago, his instincts threaten to destroy second chance at life that his biological and chosen family have built for him... a life Monstrilio never chose for himself. It's such an interesting perspective what it means to be human and the sacrifices we make for those we love and the lives we know.

Overall, "Monstrilio" is an incredible debut that will stay with me for a long time. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves horror, literary fiction, or just a good, thought-provoking read. You're going to want to suck the marrow out of this one.

Thanks so much to Zando Projects as well as NetGalley for an advanced copy of this ahead of its publication on 03/07/23 in exchange for my honest thoughts! Loved this one so much!

✨I need 7 to 10 business days to process my feelings about this novel✨

7 days later…

I honestly didn’t want to rush to give my review as soon as I *devoured* this incredible novel.

Gerardo Sámano Cordova’s captivating prose made it impossible for me to look away, A thought provoking story about Loss ,Grief , Family & Love. But most importantly how incredibly Loyal those who truly love you can be.

Monstrilio was definitely a rollercoaster of emotions. How he managed to write something so wicked but yet funny, a story so captivating that I was literally in the brink of tears..? I don’t know how but he just did that. At least to me.

Monstrilio is the story of Santiago who dies when he’s 11 years old. His parents Magos and Joseph are left devastated with the loss. Magos decides that she needs a piece of her Santiago to keep her company and so she carved a piece of his lungs.

Her and Joseph can’t deal with the loss and so Magos goes back to Mexico with the piece of Santiago’s lungs. As any Latin American folktale story goes.. Mago is told that if she feeds the lungs, it may possibly grow into her Santiago..

As she follows with the feeding of the lung.. the novel start and you will meet Monstrilio.

Gerardo Sámano Cordova gives you 4 different perspectives, you will get to see Magos POV as she is unable to show emotions in her grief. Through Lena’s eyes we will get to understand Magos a bit better and see from someone else’s POV how she is dealing with her loss. You will also have Joseph and how he is able to managed to get himself out of the darkness of grief and You will finally have Monstrilio.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this ahead of publication.
A fantastic and deeply unsettling read, Mostrilio ticked all the boxes and really exceeded my expectations. The voices of the narrators were distinct and all of them were fleshed out and realistic. I found Magos to be the most unsettling of them all and the one that held a bit of a mystery for me even after the end. I loved how queer the book was without the queerness being an afterthought or this huge plot point. Instead, the queerness was just something that most of the characters shared and to me that’s what makes a good queer book.
The story as a whole was certainly unsettling in the best way possible. It made want to keep reading until I finished and then some more.
The writing style was precise with vivid imagery.
Overall an amazing book that I will certainly keep thinking of for a while still.

Thank you so much for netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this early! I went into this book expecting a classic monster novel, but did not anticipate such a gut-wrenching meditation on grief, love, and acceptance. I loved how queer this novel was and that that queerness was normalized and didn’t exist for any deeper meaning other than an aspect of the characters’ identities.
It is safe to say that I have never read a novel, let alone a horror novel, quite like this one. The structure alone worked really well narratively as it was split into four parts following individual characters’ inner monologues as Monstrilio grew up. Magos gave Monstrilio life and love from the beginning, but equates him with her dead son; Lena accepted Monstrilio because of her love for Magos and kickstarted Monstrilio’s transition from monster to “human”; Joseph learned to accept Monstrilio—later M—for (almost) who he was, separate from Santiago, and loved him as his son, but could never seem to reconcile who he wanted M to become and what he actually was; and finally, concluding with M’s perspective, he seeks acceptance from those who love him, but also desires freedom to be who he is without compromise. While there were some classic body horror aspects present in this poetic novel, the real darkness lay in placing expectations on M that he was never capable of living up to, and him knowing that truth all along. I think the story ended the way it was meant to, with M leaving his family behind to live how he was always meant to—wild and free.
The story that followed the main characters was fantastic and each of their voices was so distinct. By the time I realized I would be able to read from M’s perspective, I raced to the end. However, I think there were some side characters that were unnecessary, for example, I didn’t quite see the importance of Peter’s character except for being a reason why Joseph couldn’t fully accept M while also being an avenue to move on once M leaves. A part of me wanted the drama of Peter finding out about M’s history—and accepting him. But this is a horror novel, and horror stories don’t usually have a happy ending. Ultimately, I rooted for M to thrive and live freely, so I’m glad he is able to shed his old life and family’s expectations in the end.
A fantastic and unique story that kept me on my toes.

Magos and Joseph’s son is dead. Santiago was never a strong boy having been born with only one lung and he lived probably longer than he should have. Magos wants a memento, just a little something that embodies her sons Santiagoness.
So begins a glorious piece of weird horror. This isn’t for the faint of heart but it’s not a gore fest either. Things do get messy both physically and emotionally but what really got me was how shocking it was. It was super creative and watching the development of Monstrilio grow from made me think that you understand what it means to be human more when you aren’t one.
Told in four different sections, each by a different character giving you unique perspectives for the continuous story creating a creepy, bizarre, and scary tale filled with grief, friendship and love. There were many moments that caught me off guard, completely rereading passages to make sure I read it right.
“its arm-tail grew not quite opposite its face but at an angle, with a paw at its end and three long black claws like talons.”