Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Very weird and at times unsettling. It was excellently written. Overall, it seemed the main theme was parents letting their children go and grow up on their own terms.

"Monstrilio" by Gerardo Sámano Córdova is an uncompromising and wholly unique literary horror novel. The story revolves around a grieving mother named Magos, who takes a drastic and unusual step after her eleven-year-old son Santiago's death. Magos cuts out a piece of Santiago's lung and nurtures it, following an old folktale's dubious logic. This lung begins to gain sentience and transforms into a carnivorous entity known as Monstrilio, which Magos hides within the decaying estate of her family in Mexico City.

beautifully written literary horror novel about grief. I actually enjoyed the separate POVs, especially joseph's, and Cordova is definitely an exciting writer to watch out for future projects.

My thanks to Netgalley for the review copy of this book. Sorry my review is a little late!

What a book. What can I say. So deeply sad and moving, this book is strange and erotic and horrific—all my favorite things. This debut(?!?!) novel is getting tons of hype right now and rightfully so. I am floored.

When Magos' son Santiago dies, she cuts out a piece of his lung and nurtures it into a little monster, Monstrilio. Monstrilio takes the form of Santiago, but his time with his family is threatened when he starts to give into his nature.

This book was so beautiful and sad. Told in 4 acts from different points of view, we learn about Monstrilio and his family and what it means to fully love and accept someone. I highly recommend this - it's quick but packs a punch.

Monstrilio was a book that came out swinging from the very beginning holding back nothing and taking no prisoners. When I begin all my books I go in as blind as possible to give every book I read their own ability to speak for themselves and enchant me with their own prose and to be bewitched by the author’s craft by their own merit. However, going in blind to this book was ROUGH. Grief is a funny thing and grief horror is an even more odd thing to tackle. Córdova’s narration and prose, though magnificent, was too jarring for me to personally continue reading currently. As a mother to a toddler girl whose best friend is going through a lot of medical issues this book was a little too visceral and raw for me for it to be enjoyable. However I will say, Córdova’s prose is amazing and maybe down the road this is a book I could come back to and appreciate at a different time in a different headspace. (DNF)

I read this book a week ago, and I'm STILL thinking about it. It's a beautiful meditation on loss, love, and the lengths we will go for those we love. I really loved the structure Córdova used, giving us perspectives from Magos, Lena, Joseph, and M, and the voice was spot-on throughout. The perfect mix of heart and weirdness and a compelling plot.

I don't think that this was the book for me. The writing is soothing and kind of beautiful, but the story just never felt like something I could dig into despite my love of magical realism.

Thank you to publisher and netgalley for an arc. I really enjoyed the debut novel, and although the ebook formatting was a bit weird, I was able to borrow the audiobook from my public library. I don't think this book was perfect and the change in POV did through me off. I did enjoy how the author handled grief and showed in the ways people deal with it. I think it's good for a one-time read.

One of my favorite reads this year. It was spooky and weird but also touching. I thought monstrilio’s transition to monster to human and back again was a fascinating exploration of the meaning of acceptance and belonging - belonging to one’s self vs family and community.

I loved this one. I would recommend it to those who like Practical Magic, monsterism, folklore, and metaphor. Based on the goodreads reviews, I'd add that if you struggle with metaphor don't pick this one up. Be ready and willing to go with the flow here. There is also significant LGBTQIA+ representation and descriptions of sex. Other reviews talk about kink, but kink here is only a vehicle for the main character(s) to manage their demons.

[b]***A folk belief is key to the story and not included in the book. It's one of many on how vampires are made.****[/b]

I dont usually include a summary, but this feels like it needs one. I will agree with others that the summary fails to give you a fair representation of the plot and themes.

There are four parts, each told from the perspective of a different main character. I wish the accepting uncle had gotten one too! The first two are when Santiago is 11 and M is born. The last two are when he is 19 and coming of age.

Magos and Joseph are married and have a son born with only one lung. He's not expected to survive long after birth. When we meet him, he has just died at 11 years old. In her grief, his mother remembers a folktale about taking a part of the body that will regrow into the person who died. She eviscerates her son to retrieve part of his lung that took her son from her.

The first part of the book is the birth of the monster, the title character. He is covered in hair, sleeps in a nest, swings around on an arm-tail, and plays on a cat tower. But then he grows legs and arms and Magos is convinced that removing the arm-tail will get rid of the monstrosity and make Monstrilio the real boy Santiago.

The second part is years later when Santiago or M is 19. He files his fangs, wears false teeth, goes on dates, and has a job at an art gallery. Each of the adults in his life have different understandings of him from fully human (or on his way there) Santiago to complete monster Monstrilio. M, as everyone but Magos calls him, must walk the line between meeting expectations of being human and being true to his monstrous nature. But he cannot hide who he is completely, and he and his family must face the reality they've mostly refused to see or accept.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC. I love Monstrillo the icon that they are and I want to be their friend cause this weird book is perfection.

I absolutely loved this book and all the characters - especially M. Watching him and those around him struggle with what it means to be human was beautiful, even when he was eating cats. 5 stars, have purchased a copy and will recommend to everyone I know.

"Monstrilio" is a beautifully heartbreaking read from start to finish. It's a strangely fantastical story of grief, horror, loneliness and unconditional love. It's bloody and slow and absolutely heartwrenching. I hesitate to say too much about the plot as I feel going into it blind really serves both the reader and the story.
Author Gerardo Sámano Córdova's writing really shines in this debut. It's lush and gripping and descriptive without ever being too over-the-top. I cannot wait to see what we see from Córdova in the future.
Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Zando Projects for sharing this advance copy with me in exchange for my honest review.

This book hit me right in the heart, over and over. Throughout the book, I clutched my chest multiple times, like my heart can't handle this. I love every single one of these characters so much and I love Monstrilio most. Any one of us would be lucky to be a part of Magos' family, they love each other unconditionally, demonstratively. This book is marketed as horror which I can't entirely agree with. It's more magical realism which is not usually my thing but this book was very much My Thing. There are many queer themes and metaphors in this book that I could spend endless time unpacking. More than anything, Monstrilio is a book about family, grief, and feeling "other". I can't recommend it enough.

Gerardo Sámano Córdova's Monstrilio is a captivating and imaginative novel that immerses readers in a world where monsters and humans coexist. The author's vivid and descriptive writing style brings the fantastical setting and intriguing characters to life, while thought-provoking themes of prejudice and friendship add depth to the story. Although the pacing occasionally falters, Monstrilio is a must-read for fans of fantasy and adventure, offering a delightful journey filled with mystery and heartfelt moments that will leave readers eagerly awaiting the next installment.

This was an eerie, sad and unsettling read. The writing and translation are great and the biggest topic is grief and love and all the forms it can take more than a horror novel. It met my expectations, but maybe it wasn't exactly a good fit for my reading tastes.

The descriptions are quite graphic and grisly, so be aware of that before going in.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

There's not much more i can say that hasn't been said before me here - a fantastic unconventional horror book that addresses grief, and other family issues.
A unique engaging story that put you through a wide range of emotions, i absolutely loved it.

For fans of Edward Scissorhands and Frankenstein! Absolutely loved this book. Such a unique plot, and I loved there was so much Mexican and German culture, as well as LGBTQIA+ themes. This is a perfect example of how an author can weave tragic horror in a realistic way. I thought the character development here was amazing, and enjoyed how we got differing viewpoints throughout from Magos, Lena, Joseph, and M. The cast was great as well- Uncle Luke as M's champion was hilarious! While I would not change one thing about this amazing tale, I think for the print version, it would have been awesome to have some illustrations of M as he grew up starting with the lung and arm-tail until he became an adult. I can't wait to read more from this author, and this book is one of my favorites of 2023!