Monstrilio is odd in so many ways and its oddness is a great part of its appeal. I was not initially charmed by the sacrificial mother and unfettered child dynamic of the story but found the character interactions made for a good study in character work.

Córdova has done well in capturing the horror of losing a child and the ramifications on the relationship of the couple, not only to each other, but to themselves and other close family members. The way in which grief manifested in this form or representation of who and what was lost was unsettling but understandable. The prose and dialogue was good and laid bare the rawness of death and its effect.

What an original story idea and how perfectly it is told! The audiobook for this is great; the reader is clear and there is not a weird accent. Listening to this one will transport you into this creepy story and keep you hooked!

I felt like this was 30% a monster coming of age story and 70% about kink sex. ALSO I still don't understand the shapes on the cover....

The character perspective changes definitely threw me off while reading this via audiobook. At first I had a very difficult time figuring out which character perspective I was reading through. I also didn't really understand the point of some of them, for example the friend character Lena's POV (...maybe to show like "found family"?).

I thought it was weird how we went from the mother's POV where she was facing the loss of her son...and then switching to graphic sex scenes and the sexual kinks the characters have. I thought I was getting into a grief horror book but it felt like it was just about kinks and sex and that didn't make sense with the grief aspect at all. I didn't feel like this was in the marketing or synopsis of this book at all and regardless of the symbolism behind why it was included if I had known it was so heavily centered in the novel I would not have picked this up knowing it was not going to be something I enjoyed.

This one also falls more into literary fiction than horror. I did think this one was very well written but the story just was not for me. I know a lot of people really love this book but I didn't get it.
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Quotes that made me LOL:

LOL "I didn't think they'd both fall in love with me" lol okay girl.

"My mother thought I was a monster and didn't love me. This thing an actual fucking monster was loved." LOLOLOL
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Synopsis: When her young son passes away a grief stricken mother cuts out a piece of his lung. It starts to grow into something.

Hard to find the words to describe how captivating this was! The way each new POV added layers to an already nuanced story was absolutely phenomenal and a joy to read. Also, I just love a good, weird queer book.

Monstrilio was a great listen. It was creative, a look at losing a child. It was a tough read but really well done. More creepy than jump scares

5/5

Monstrilio is easily my favorite horror novel of the year, and potentially one of my favorite novels of all time. Paraphrasing my favorite quote, “…and we all agreed, because there was oxygen in the air…”

It’s literary horror at its finest — the reader is pulled through different characters perspectives over the course of Monstrilio’s growth from Santiago’s lung into a young man. Each perspective, from Magos to her best friend Lena and partner Joseph, feels fresh and offers so much depth to the story.

The first half of Monstrilio was dark and disturbing, and there were a handful of times I had to put it down. It reminded me of other disturbing novels like Tender is the Flesh and This Thing Between US, which interplay grief with visceral horror. And the second half felt like a combination of monster and coming of age stories that, at least for me, made me very supportive of Monstrilio as a character. I loved it.

Overall, this novel will hold a special place in my heart for a long time. I can’t wait for the next time I see another Gerardo Sámano Córdova novel — he’s cemented himself as one of my favorite horror writers with Monstrilio, and I can’t wait to devour more.

I also want to give a big thank you to HighBridge Audio, RB Media, and NetGalley for an ARC audiobook of this novel! The narration from both Victoria Villarreal and Johnny Rey Diaz is fantastic. The way Villarreal says “Papi” in Monstrilio’s voice is haunting, the flat (but excited?) monotone from Rey Diaz for M is perfect. Highly recommend!

Excellent horror debut. Really felt the pain of losing a child, and how that impacted the family. The horror elements were painful, but not in a jump-scare or creepy type of way, more painful. Excited to read more from this author.

Monstrilio is a fascinating novel about grief, parenthood and acceptance. I loved how creative and imaginative of a story it was. Perfect use of magical realism to covey the story's themes. Another element that really worked for me was the story told in four parts and perspectives. Each point of view added to the story in a very interesting way.

A heartbreaking and captivating story of grief, love, and loyalty. It's so beautifully written and haunting - I'm not sure I'd fully call it a horror but there are definitely parts that unsettle. I loved the multiple perspectives. They each add so much to this story. This is a fantastic debut from Gerardo Sámano Córdova, and I am eagerly awaiting whatever comes next!

4.5/5

Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.

Monstrilio is a story of grief and how people grief. We meet Magos and Joseph as their 11 year old son Santiago, born with just one lung, passes away. Joseph falls into a deep depression, but Magos doesn't grieve the same way.

She remembers a folk tale told to her about a person who cuts out a piece of a loved one and it grows into a person. She takes a piece of Santiago's lung and feeds it, not expecting it to work. However, the piece of lung starts to grow, but instead of growing into a copy of her son, it becomes a monster. What happens from here on is a story of love and acceptance.

First off, this isn't a horror novel, like I was expecting. This is literary fiction that contains horror plot devices. Once I got past that, I found the story to be enjoyable. It's told in 4 parts, which come from the POVs of each parent, the parents best friend, Lena, and from the monster itself, now known as M.

The pacing can be slow, and at times feels like it's wondering. I feel like you get a good idea of the characters and who they are. The narrators did a great job of portraying emotions and tension, but sometimes they used the same voice for more than one character. The second part of the book focuses a great deal on sex and kink. This is not in the synopsis, so be aware if that's not your jam. Based on other reviews, I think some missed the point of why kink is used in this story. It's more of a device to advance the plot. It also has good LGBTQIA+ representation.

My thanks to HighBridge Audio, author Gerardo Sámano Cordova, and NetGalley for gifting me this audiobook. My opinions are my own.

This is a stunning debut novel about a family torn apart by grief, and a monster that brings it back together. I loved how the story seamlessly flowed between character perspective, and development, while also having a plot that moves at a really good pace. I loved that every single character in this novel is queer, and that it was a great representation of blended family dynamics. This was touching, grim, entertaining, and so beautifully written. What a remarkable debut. I look forward to future releases by this author.

Thank you to the publisher for the ALC. Monstrillo the little monster is an icon I love them and I want to be their bff.

I loved this book so much. Gerardo Sámano Córdova is definitely an author I'll be looking out for, what an impressive debut! Deliciously weird, sad, and queer. Such a great exploration of grief and truly unconditional familial love. Really strong characters with believable, complex relationships. Could not recommend enough. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Warning: this book will bring you to tears (in a heartfelt way and in omg-how-can-this-be?? type way). The love between the mc and his family is so intense, you root for them the entire time. It focuses on the idea of unconventional and unconditional love and how these transcend boundaries such as time, death, and distance. Gerardo’s writing is gorgeous, I’m excited to read more of his work.

"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.
The audiobook narration really serves the story without ever distracting from it.
Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Zando Projects for sharing this advance copy with me in exchange for my honest review.

Monstrilio has been on my radar for a bit, so when I had the opportunity to listen to it on audiobook I was really excited. I love quirky horror with unique concepts, so the idea of a mother losing a child and then using a piece of his lung to grow a new creature sounded really interesting.

Oddly, somehow this was darker than I expected. This delved into some fairly deep topics.. It covers grief extensively, but it also explores the dissolution of a marriage, desperation, what makes someone a human, sexuality, and more. I loved that it was more complex than just the creation of a monster.

In some ways, this book reminds me of Frankenstein mixed with a pinch of Edward Scissorhands and maybe a sprinkle of El Laberinto De Pan. In fact, if this were to be made into a movie, I think Guillermo Del Toro would be the perfect director for it.

This was also more literary than I was expecting. The writing was strangely beautiful for such dark writing. I really loved that. There was something about the contrast of it that just really worked.

I also really loved that this book was set mostly in Mexico City and later New York City. Those are two of my favorite cities in the world, so it was fun reading about it.

I will say that this story does get a bit bloody and violent at points, however, I did not feel that it was gratuitous. It made sense with what was going on in the story. That said, if you are sensitive to depictions of violence, this may not be the right book for you.

All in all, if you like gothic horror and literary fiction with a sprinkling of real life topics, you may enjoy this one. Its quirky and strange, but in all of the right ways.

*Thank you to Netgalley, Gerardo Samano Cordova, and Zando Publishing for the audio-ARC. This in no way affects the objectivity of my review.

I love this story. No, let me reiterate that for those that skimmed the first sentence: I LOVE THIS STORY. 🩷 However, I have a hard time writing reviews for books I fall in love with. It's always more about the feelings evoked than anything else. I wept several times while reading, I couldn't wait to pick it back up every time I had to put it down, and I held the book in a hug at the end. This book still lingers within me...
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While classified as horror, I feel it is much more than just that. This book is also very much about grief, found family, loyalty, acceptance, and ultimately about being true to who you are.

When a mother and father lose their son at a young age, one is inconsolable, while the other handles her emotions a bit differently and through her actions, Monstrilio comes to be.

You will most definitely fall in love with the little monster. 🩷 He is a creature all it's own, but he is innocent and curious and has a very big heart. You will find compassion for his supposed transgressions and endearment for the love he demonstrates. You will want to protect him at all costs and root for him to be himself. You will maybe even wish the book didn't end, because it truly is difficult saying goodbye...

I really loved this one. The elements from folklore, the investigation of identity and how normalized everyone's sexuality was, were all very interesting components. I thought this work really well on audio as well! Thank you so much to HighBridge Audio for the ALC of this one!

I never thought I’d find myself describing a novel about a piece of lung that grows into a monster as beautiful, but that’s what this is.

I never thought I’d wrestle complicated feelings for the aforementioned lung monster, but I did.

Monstrilio is a harrowing tale that probes into the depth of human nature, exemplifying our desire to keep a piece of those we’ve lost alive. But what happens when that desire consumes?
While the story isn’t scary in the traditional sense, it is a haunting examination of grief and human nature.

Grief is, after all, like a monster. It’s a fierce, consuming thing that we nourish through our sorrow. We watch it transform through its stages and maybe we find a way to loosen our grip eventually. But there is no denying that it stays with us for a long time.

Monstrilio is such a unique, boldly imagined tale told through gorgeous, heartbreaking prose. Although I found the first two perspectives more absorbing than the last two, I was mesmerized by the thematic symbolism all the way through. I boisterously applaud this author’s effort.

I am immensely grateful to Highbridge Audio and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.