took me long enough to read it. honestly, i kinda enjoy it, it was slow at times for me, but i won't say that i felt this was a memorable work..

A slow start but this gothic book does find its pace. I enjoyed the storyline and it's a well written book though I won't say it's a memorable one for me.

This was a great horror novel, it was a unique story and I love when it's inspired by a true story. The story was really well done with great characters and a great story.

A entertaining supernatural horror/fantasy with historical influences(specifically the Burke and Hare murders). There’s a witches wood, curses, murder and spirits, and much more all combined in a well told story. It’s is quite dark in places, but the main character, a doctor named Edgar is a good man who has become enmeshed in an effort to lift a curse by having a drink on a train to Edinburgh.

This is a hard book to review. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. It felt like a fairy tale in long form, with the moral of the story being that you need to let go of pain and trauma. That you are more than your suffering, more than the terrible things that have defined who you are.

I liked it, but it felt slow in several places: a chore to get through. It was interesting reading the author's note and hearing about the inspiration for the story. I absolutely had no idea where this story was going ever, so that was a nice distraction, I just wish it had gotten there faster.

I was approved to receive an e-Galley ARC of The Resurrectionist, authored by A. R. Meyering, cover design by Mateus Roberts, editor John Rak, from Montag Press and NetGalley, for review consideration. What follows below is my honest review, freely given.

I rated this novel 4 stars. I thought this an ambitious blending of several genres, for anyone going in thinking this will be a straight medical historical fiction, maybe leave off, or go in with an open mind.

The factual side of the story grabbed my attention initially, Burke and Hare. The time of our medical knowledge leaping forward was partly due to the fact of grave robbing. And murder. It’s fascinating, another example of the duology of man. Quickly the author reveals that this novel will be so much more than one genre, the story growing from a curious archaeological display that stayed in her mind. I just love this tidbit because it’s how I always imagine truly intricate works begin, as a thought that won’t go away.

Historical fiction, folktale horror, supernatural horror, and dark fiction are all ways to categorize The Resurrectionist; it dips into all of those, weaving them together; I had more trouble keeping the son and father Hares apart then falling under the spell woven by the author. There are several POV throughout, and I find it interesting that Edgar, Ainsley, and Magdalena share the self-made stumbling blocks of becoming their full potential due to fear and loss. They represent the main MC of each genre blend, and share a similar character arc that is not obvious at first. It may not even be a thing, I may be seeing something that is not there. As I mentioned before, I did have some trouble when Hare was in the novel, telling the difference at times between if it was Hare the elder of Hare the younger. Not through its entirety, but for the first third of the novel; pretty sure it was reader issue. Overall I enjoyed this book, I wish Edgar had a little more medical story time, I think out of all the genres, that one got the least of the pie.

Got this arc for my husband to check out. He liked it but he didn't love it. It took him longer to get through than normal

This book is the perfect example of how great are ARCs for bookworms. I have never heard of A.R. Meyering nor had I ever heard about the book.

However, when I saw the cover and that it was available for request at NetGalley I read the plot summary and there were some things which caught my attention: first, the story, based on real events, sounded quite creepy and intriguing; second, it takes place in my beloved Scotland; and third, there are witches, spirits, evil vampires, bodies…what else can I ask for?

Furthermore, it is targeted as Horror and Science Fiction & Fantasy, genres of which I always try to read more.

But let’s go one step at a time. Because boy, this book has A LOT to cover!!!!

THE STORY

The narration begins in Scotland, 1837. An Irishman named William Hare visits a woman’s house. This woman supposedly can remove a curse from him. The woman tells him she cannot remove it but can “misplace” it.

Next, the setting changes to London, 1895. Here we find a young gentleman, a doctor called Edgar Winston Price, who is having problems in keeping his patients alive. He suffers deeply every time one dies, to the point that he is questioning himself if he should stop his career in medicine.

He decides to leave the city by train for some days to try to clear his thoughts, and visit his best friend Gregory in Edinburgh. Gregory is like a brother to him. In fact, Gregory’s father adopted him when Edgar was a child.

So Edgar goes to the train bar and there he finds another gentleman called Jacob Hare. Edgar drinks a bit too much trying to forget his professional problems and throughout the night, he passes out.

However, he wakes up blindfolded and tied to his own bed. Hare is also in the room as well as an Austrian girl called Magdalena.

The woman has something in her hands and sting Edgar with it. A revenant will, since that moment, grow inside of him.

From now on, Edgar’s life will radically change in so many ways that he would find it impossible, if someone would have told him about it a couple of days ago.

WITCHES, VAMPIRES, SPIRITS AND A BEAUTIFUL NYMPH CALLED FANA

"The Resurrectionist" focuses on different stories, apart from the main one where Edgar is the central character.

However, all these stories (which I don’t want to call “secondary” because of their richness and complexity) make the book so complete, so perfect, that without them Edgar’s story would be “crippled”.

First, we read about Ainsley and her sister Elspeth, who are both witches (but good ones!) and live together with Colleen, Ainsley’s partner in the Witches’ Wood. However, Ainsley finds a crack on one stone connected to her mother’s being banished from the wood. This means that someone is trying to break or “misplace” a curse.

Second, we encounter a nymph, Fana. She is like a type of guardian of the forest where they live. I don’t want to spoil anything else, but her story and the one of Edgar are deeply connected. Every time she appears in the text, a serene peace comes with her. It is perhaps the character I would most like to personally know. She must be gorgeous! ;)

We also know about Jacob Hare and his sad story; about how the bad deeds of a parent can affect the lives of their children; and how these children have to live with the weight of their parents’ mistakes. Jacob is just another victim, who continues suffering his whole, sad life.

And we finally get to know Magdalena. Her story is perhaps one of my favourites of the whole book, because of its cruelty and brutality. She is the “evil” character here, but her story needs to be understood for what it is, another example of bad parenting and egoist behaviour.

BASED ON REAL EVENTS

“The Resurrectionist” is even more appealing when I learnt that it is based on real events. The story is quite horrifying. Let me tell you about it…

William and his son Jacob Hare are based on the real story of Burke and Hare who killed 16 people in Edinburgh to sell them to a local doctor named Robert Knox, so that he could examine and publicly dissect their bodies.

They were eventually arrested and Hare turned Burke down, who was hanged. Hare escaped to Ireland, where both gentlemen were from. Burke’s body was dissected and part of his skin used to make the cover of a book. This little info I learnt by reading another book called “The Madman’s Library” by Edward Brooke-Hitching, where the reader can actually see a photo of the aforementioned book.

This whole story served to raise some awareness on the importance of cadavers for research in medicine. It even helped passed the Anatomy Act 1832 which made the dissection of donated corpses, for the first time, legal. By the way, the people who snatched the bodies to sell them were called “Resurrectionists”.

In addition to this, the author explains in her “Author’s Note” at the end of the book, that the inspiration for the book came from the news that some boys had found a set of seven miniature coffins buried in Arthur’s Seat, which is a very well-known place in Edinburgh.

If you read the book, you know exactly how those miniature coffins relate to the narration. In real life, the experts don’t know for sure what those coffins were used for although they believe they could be a homage to the victims of Burke and Hare.

FINAL THOUGHTS ABOUT “THE RESURRECTIONIST”

Uff! But this book is so so much more…The author talks about mental problems and what those problems could bring to children if the ones suffering them are parents.

She talks about loyalty, about friendship, about empathy, about taking care of Nature, about mercy, about pain, about unconditional love…

In addition, there are also gory, very creepy scenes which brought new nightmares to my mind. The one at the fairground is just one of the most spooky things I have recently read.

However, Meyering’s writing style is so good and “tender” that even if you are reading about macabre deeds you don’t feel it so.

Her descriptions are beautiful, and very detailed, but not to the point of getting boring. I especially enjoyed her building of the Witches’ Wood. I just want to live there!!

The language she uses reflects, in my opinion, the time period the story takes place in (the 19th century), without being artificial or too confusing.

To sum up, I recommend “The Resurrectionist” to anyone who likes fantastic, creepy stories. Although the plot is quite dark and sometimes a bit bloody, the end is, although sad, full of Hope. Well done, Meyering!
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Thanks to the publisher, Books Worth Burning, the author A.R. Meyering and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of “The Resurrectionist” in exchange for an honest review.

This book starts slow, but as it goes on - it becomes much more interesting. It is almost Burton-esque in it’s prose and setting, and I honestly did not expect what the book became. I thought it would be more realistic, dark, and gritty - but fantastical elements are somewhat forced into the story. I didn’t mind it, but it took a lot of the grit and realism off.

The novel is well-written, even beautifully so. It somewhat reminds me of Pathologic 2, if you are into gaming. The only thing that I believe subtracted from the story, was the multiple perspectives - not all the characters clicked, and some felt pointless. However, I do believe the story is fun and enjoyable nonetheless.

I want to thank Netgalley, and the publisher for allowing me the chance to review this ARC!

Took me a while to get into this one, but I eventually did end up enjoying the story.
It wasn't what I was expecting due to the reference to the infamous serial killer, Burke. I expected more about what a Resurrectionist was in the Victorian Era and how many reputable doctors used this method or manner, I suppose, to get cadavers for their studies. So witches, magic, wraiths, and whatnot were a little distracting at first because I was looking for the story to go another direction'

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion

The Resurrectionist is a spooky, gothic and gruesome book about the life of a doctor struggling with a curse. This book is so beautifully written with the descriptive phrases adding to the suspense. I found all of the characters engaging and enjoyed that the book is written from multiple perspectives.
Can be a little long winded at times but I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it for lovers of Neil Gaiman and Tim Burton.

This review is also posted on my goodreads profile @ Hayley Fisher

„There are so many things waiting for you in this life, and you were born lucky enough to see them all.“

I found out about “The Resurrectionist” via NetGalley and it’s dark cover coupled with an even darker description immediately grabbed my attention. It promised an atmospheric tale filled with magic and death and unlikely friendships – and oh, did it deliver.

The story takes us to 19th century Scotland where the lives of an unsuccessful surgeon Edgar Price, an undying murderer Jacob Hare and a young witch Ainsley, become intertwined in a race against time, with their lives on the line. While Edgar finds himself used as disposable housing for one of the revenants that Hare tries to get rid of, Ainsley sees Edgar’s blight as an opportunity to help someone while saving herself in turn. However, matters of life and death rarely play out according to plan…

Picking a single thing I liked best about this book is rather difficult, but I found the writing style absolutely beautiful. The descriptions were informative as well as interesting to read, painting the scenes vividly, deepening the immersion into the story. The vocabulary used was also something I highly appreciated as it fit the presented time period without feeling overly difficult or suffocating. It’s also worth mentioning that I learned a new word or two (which happens so rarely!).

While the story itself was rather dark, the ending was mostly happy, and I really can’t hold that against this book. The bitter-sweetness was measured well, not hinging on the miraculous “happy ever after”, yet still managing to say – they were happy and there is hope, always! – which further solidified the idea of the story not being horror for horror’s sake, but growing through the pain and leaving darkness behind.

“The Resurrectionist” might not be a book for everyone, but if you are looking for a gothic fantasy with lovable characters, gorgeous writing and a hopeful message, this is definitely it!

this was something i didn't quite expect, and it was somehow refreshing and interesting at the same time. i would surely look back to some moments from the book and while i read it, and i would recommend it too! it was quite fun and a solid read! would want to read more from this author!

This was an interesting book and I was drawn into it, which is always a good sign. My first impression is that the book delivered. It had a good blend of action and character building, the writing was atmospheric, the world fleshed out, the feeling of doom fitting for the genre and the title. The style is pretty fluid and readable, the characters likable, the dialogue flowing. It was a pleasant surprise, all told, and I was glad I got it.
The idea of the wraith parasite was brilliant, and I loved Fana who was both sweet and mysterious. I liked the fact that the love stories weren’t the main focus of the book. The villains were interesting, and the magic dangerous - a refreshing find and consistent with the genre.
Did the blurb deliver what it promised? Yes, definitely.
Did I love it? I liked it, didn’t love it - hence the four stars - but I did like it quite a lot.
Did I love the characters? Probably there is my problem: I didn’t feel the characters so much, didn’t fall in love with them. The story was the main thing about this book, at least in my opinion, and the atmosphere. The characters advanced the plot, the plot didn’t follow the characters.
Was the ending satisfying? Yes, it was. Happy but not perfect, which is a good thing.
Overall impression: a good, satisfying book for lovers of the genre. Also I was glad to see a LGBT pairing (and with a happy ending, no less!) in the book.

A compelling read. Took a bit to get into it at times, but then drew me in and kept me reading. Clearly a work of fantasy, but even more interesting knowing it was based on some true events.