First I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a chance at reading this book prior to it’s release.

This book is filled with creepy vibes, amazing humor, impeccable writing and a near perfect story that will have you absolutely hooked if you enjoy dark academia, true crime and queer love from the past.

The banter between the characters and the humor in the author’s writing had me drawn in from the start and I just couldn’t stop reading. As someone who didn’t know Burke and Hare prior to the book and only found out which characters are fictional and which aren’t through the author’s note the writing of the characters just got so much better.

I have to say that this has become one of my absolute favorite books. I love the whole dark academia and gothic vibes and the way it is written just ads to the whole. Normally I don't like books about medicine that much but I was absolutely hooked from the first few pages.
I also really loved that James’ coming-of-age arc didn’t solely revolve around his relationship, even tho I absolutely LOVED their storyline. I was absolutely hooked and even tho other people in these reviews disagree I really loved the ending and I’m desperate to see other people’s reaction to this book, I can’t wait for its release :)

Based on the true story entrenched in Scotland's history, the resurrectionist contains beautiful writing that really delivered on its potential. Perfect for fans of dark academia and the prose gave a wonderful atmosphere befitting of the setting and the nature of the novel. It did get a bit slow towards the 50-80% mark but I definitely got sucked back in again towards the end. The conclusion was wholly satisfying and I would love to read anything else that Dunlap cares to write in the future!

This was so creepy to think about, yet so entertaining to read. I love how it really zeros in on the fine line between can and should.

I was given this ARC on Netgalley. This was a very enjoyable read, and one I will definitely need to get for my bookshelf.

This is the first arc I have ever received which is really exciting and am super grateful for. However, the book itself didn't seem to be for me unfortunately. I ended up deciding not to continue reading at the 36% mark.

One of my biggest gripes was with the pacing. I thought that it was fine in the beginning, but I found that as I continued reading it got progressively harder to hold my interest. I think it's possible that the style of prose used made the book read quite slowly and I do believe it would benefit greatly from being edited down a bit.
Another big issue I had was with the main character and the first person narration. I unfortunately just couldn't connect with him.
Although I understand that his way of speaking and his internal dialogue are purposeful (whether it be because of the time period, his social status and background or his own personality), I felt that he read a little unbelievable and this really made it difficult for me to fully dive into the story.
However, I did find myself being more interested in Nye. In spite of also reading a bit unrealistic for me, I thought he was a way more interesting and fun character.

I did enjoy and find quite interesting the topic of grave robbing. It was done under the guise of medical advancement and there was even a point in which Nye explained all the discoveries that had been made thanks to this practice and, while I do agree that it was incredibly beneficial in many ways, I still couldn't shake the thought that, no matter the justification, what they were doing was wrong. Although without these graves being desecrated lots of advancements would've surely taken much longer to take place (or never would have taken place), these remains were being robbed and disrespected without any consideration of the family's or deceased's wishes.
Even if it felt like the book was harping on the idea that what they were doing was something magnificent and admirable, I have no idea how things turn out to be in the end so I can't speak on that, but I thought that this was an interesting discussion.

Despite it not being my cup of tea it will surely be someone else's and it really didn't ignite any negative feelings for me. I sadly just mostly lost my interest.

Thank you to the publishers for approving my request for an arc. I only wish the author good luck in their future literary endeavors.

The Resurrectionist is a historical fiction, gothic debut novel. The story is set in 1828 Edinburgh and we follow James, a London-boy from an upperclass upbringing with a dream of becoming a doctor, on his journey of medical studies. He wants to be a surgeon - at all costs. We follow him along his academic journey as he discovers just what his dream is about to cost him, how dark Edinburgh's body snatching business really is and who he can trust along the way. The atmosphere of this book is amazing - imagine 19th century Edinburgh, dark cobblestone alleys, rain against your window, candle light flickering and old books on your desk (with a hint of open graves, anatomy drawings and human body parts conserved in jars).

This novel is perfect for fans of dark academia (so much atmospheric studying, academic talk and backstabbing), true crime (in the story we also meet Burke and Hare, the real-life serial killers of 19th century Edinburgh) and gothic (did I meantion the atmosphere?).

I really enjoyed this book. I wish they were going to be more with the main characters! Really nice glimpse into the world of anatomy studies in the early 1800s. Based on true events made it even more interesting.

I enjoyed the dark twist as well as the over all plot. I thought it was really creative.

I can’t wait purchase it!

What a wonderful delight was the reading of this story!

It had been a while between requesting the ARC and actually being able to read it, so I went in only knowing there was something about serial killers in this book. What, for my surprise, was when the book turned out to be way more about that, and, after reading it, I think the serial killer part (which is a reference from a real case) is only a small part of what was told in those pages.

Here, we follow James as he is growing into being the person he desires, following and discovering his path. And oh my... what a come of age story.

* A disclaimer here that there is a significant amount of dead body descriptions, dissections and mutilation of cadavers. I can't be the one used to set a bar to determine if they were too much or not because I did some anatomy classes in collage and don't find myself sensible to these topic. So, FOR ME, those scenes and descriptions were neither shocking or triggering. Just clearing this before continuing continuing! :)

I have to admit that most of James's path in medical university reminded me a lot from my own experience with the topic, and I was shocked but quite not surprised when I found a lot of similarities with being a medical student in the early XIX century and nowadays, lol. Even only being part of this world for 18 months, I found a lot to compare with James's experience.

As we were introduced alongside him to the way the anamoty studies were made back then, we also see how he deals with the morals he says he had and the desires he want to pursue professionally. Its kinda funny how most of his conflicts in that area came from the Christianity he was raised within - and how he rationalizes it all to fit with his wants to continue doing the medical education. This did made me reflect on how we as human kind are very familiar with doing this work of shifting things and thoughts to fill and fit better with our peace of mind.

I loved how everyone in James's anatomy school treats the dead with respect. I know and have seen that is common to treat the 'specimens' as not human at all, with a uncomfortably bordering objectified way, so seeing a group of people that shared a little of how I viewed that topic was very heartwarming.

Speaking about heartwarming, what to say about James and Nye? Oh my god, those two kept me with a stupid smile in my face for every interaction they had. The way the author introduced their relationship, the slow burn, the innocent way James came to realize his feelings - quite not entirely conscious, his mind just thinking things - it was SO GOOD, I can't express it enough! Of course there were some bumps, especially because we're talking about a queer relationship happing in early 1800s, but they were held with such care by the author, both James and Nye communicating and supporting each other that... I found myself tearing up and underling quotes SO MANY times. You just end up wishing society wasn't this way to begin with, you know? They just want to live a normal life and be a couple.

The two major plot points were very well made (James's coming of age and the serial killers part), and the inclusion of the snippets of the real story were made so smoothly into the fiction part. For me this book were James's story and just happend to have crossed with serial killers, lol.

Those characters got my heart in their hands: James, Nye, Mary, Thomas, Diggs, Willis, Charlie... they felt so real and I cared so much for them and their outcomes that I found slowing the pace of the read just to be alongside them a little more. :,)

The last 10% took me SO LONG to get though because I was so afraid of what my happen but it was so well crafted. Was quite a journey for my heart, but so worth it!

I finished this book wanting to read it again and to buy the physical cope to underline all the amazing quotes I marked - it's just not enough to had made it in the kindle.

I kinda wouldn't mind knowing if Edith actually leaves James follow his path, and the same goes with knowing more about her and her aspirations to took the decisions she did in the book, BUT I'm very satisfied with the end and how we got there! James and Nye took some decisions that were a delight surprise and made me reflect on how I'm kinda used/expecting some trops to happen in books and the realization that's this is quite not a good thing to have as a reader.

The author's note in the end was a excellent way to warp up the story, so was the questions for readers. Such a enrichment to the whole book!

I recommend it to everyone who wants a gothic historical fiction story with a beautifuly written queer love story alongside it! Just, again, be aware of trigger warnings I commented earlier.

Thank you so much Kensington and NetGalley for the ARC! Was a pleasure read and review this story!

The concept of this book is very interesting (and gory compared to similar YA titles I have read). I felt like the times where a few days/weeks were briefly recapped over multiple paragraphs took me out of the story a bit, but it was still enjoyable.

Macabre. Romantic. Amazing.

The writing is beautiful, the world building was so well written and draws the reader in. It was a bit slow in the beginning but then you won't want to put it down. Likeable and charming characters. I do recommend!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. At time I felt like I was reading a K.J. Charles novel and everybody who knows me knows that K.J. Charles is one of my favorite authors of all times so this is a huge compliment coming from me. Although, I must admit the difference between this book and that of Charles’ novels is that despite the fact that K.J. also writes historical fiction and her language often matches that of the time period in which the story is set, a lot of the times I find it easier to understand her language than I did at the beginning of “The Resurrectionist”. At times I had to rearead certain sentences to fully understand what the author was trying to say because sometimes I would start reading a sentence and I didn’t really know where it was going and when I finished reading it I didn’t really understand what I had just read so I did go back and re-read them. However, this phenomenon did lesson throughout the book and it was getting easier and easier to understand everything that I was reading by the end. Or maybe I just got used to the language.
As for the plot, I very much enjoyed reading it. I am a huge fan of characters who are low-key criminals or outlaws or do not really abide by society’s rules and I’m also a huge fan of characters who at first appear to be of very high morality and very shy, but then they start kind of becoming like the low-key criminals I already mentioned. This is also something that is prominent in K.J. Charles’ novels so bonus points for that. I won’t write too much about the characters or the plot itself because I do not want to spoil anybody who has not read this book yet. All I will say is that the characters were thoroughly enjoyable to read about, the book was funny, witty, and quite interesting and I think if this were to be turned into a movie or a TV series it would be visually one of the most stunning pieces of media out there. Guillermo Del Toro, we need you on this!! (Nicholas Galitzine you too)
P. S. English is not my first language so I apologize if I made some spelling mistakes or incorrectly used any of the words/phrases

Thank you to Kensington Publishing and Netgalley for an ARC!

The Resurrectionist follows 19th century young man, James Willoughby, who goes to Edinburgh to study medicine. He comes from a family of means who has recently fallen on hard times thanks to his gambler father. Being the third child and general disappointment to the family name, James is determined to follow his passion for the medical arts. Due to a series of events, he becomes acquainted with Aneurin Mackinnon who introduces James to the profitable world of body snatching. A profession much reviled by most but also much needed by medical professionals who rely on body snatchers for fresh cadavers as specimens. As James and Aneurin continue their work, they soon cross paths with Burke and Hare which ups the stakes.

For anyone familiar with the real life story of Burke and Hare, you'll likely guess where the story is going. But in some ways their part in this feels short compared to this being more of a slightly grisly coming of age story as James grows up a little and discovers who he is as a man of science as well as his feelings for Aneurin. The writing was very well done and the story moved at a brisk, enthralling pace. There were a few turns of phrases which felt anachronistic but those were small quibbles in an overall fun story to read.

4.5 ⭐️ This was great, it was dark and thrilling, filled with macabre humour and interesting characters. The beginning felt a bit slow and it definitely took some time for me to get into it and to get used to the writing style, but after I got past that I genuinely couldn’t put it down. The romance was woven in seamlessly and felt very natural, and the setting and atmosphere of this book were immensely intriguing.

This book was STUNNING and everything I could have hoped for. The writing is beautiful, and the world is immaculately depicted. When reading the author's note, I was shocked to realize that they had combined true crime into their world building, and it was phenomenal. I'm definitely going to go down a research rabbit-hole after this.
I cannot recommend this book enough. It's definitely a favorite!

I received access to an ARC in exchange for a review

5 Stars

First of I really love the premise of this book. Like 19th century dark academia, body snatching and the corruption of a good boy through love and the thirst for knowledge? So up my alley. And I was not disappointed! Right from the beginning the mood is dark and a little detached in an almost medical kind of way. It frames how posh and proper James is in juxtaposition to the other people he meets right of the bat. And I really like the slightly surreal undertones that follow right after when James meets his first fellow Students and they are poking a severed ear with a fork at their table in a pub.

And once James meets Aneurin his inhibitions get slowly picked at by his unwavering hunger for knowledge. He wants to understand, to take apart, first of all bodies to understand anatomy, then Aneurin to look under his mask, to understand why he fascinates him so and why he makes him feel this way he does not want to recognize. Which is wonderfully mirrored by Aneurin being sure in himself and his morals, knowing exactly what he wants and not being afraid to go for it.

I'm also very happy about how delightfully fun the author manages to bring across the process of body snatching. The switching between tense and fun felt effortless and if they weren't... you know. Stealing corpses. I would be awfully tempted to join the fun.

And the relationship between James and Aneurin might be my favorite part. They tease, they bicker but it's all build on a solid foundation of affection, respect and trust. I think my favorite Scene is when Aneurin shows James his rooms for the first time. The easy affectionate intimacy of them makes my heart ache in the best way.

The plot really picks up steam towards the end and some parts left me genuinly astonished and emotionally destroyed. I did not expect some of the twist and the way they rip you out of the lighter tones we had in the middle of the book is so well done. Emotional whiplash in the best and worst way at the same time.

Overall I really loved this book, the characters are charming, the setting is super interesting and plot kept me in it's grip the whole way through. If you like questions about morality, a good mystery or a well done romance, you should read this book! I highly recommend.

Favorite Quote: "I crave no absolution but yours."

“For the first time in my life I felt the compelling need to assert myself fully and without compromise; for too long I had been at the mercy of the discretion of others, and was in no mood to follow that pattern a moment longer.” 😭

This story centres around the true crime of body snatching ⚰️ (specifically: the Burke and Hare murders) & I absolutely loved it ✨The writing is dark & beautiful - it was as if I was reading poetry. There’s a minor romance plot which was so sweet to read too 💖🥹. I would honestly recommend this book to readers that enjoy true crime/gothic stories. If you want to read something totally different to your usual reads - this is perfect.

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC ✨

🪦 Historical Fiction (19th century Edinburgh)
🪦 Dark Academia
🪦 LGBTQIA forbidden romance
🪦 True Crime

I honestly couldn't make it through the first 3 chapters due to such inconsistent and simply incorrect editing, and as such I won't be rating it on Goodreads or Storygraph. This manuscript desperately needs at least another 2-pass proofread to catch all the errors.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this book.
Unfortunately I DNF’ed this novel because it wasn’t for me. I don’t do well with morbid things but the writing was stunning which is why I gave it 3 stars.

I am here to admit that this cover attracted me to this book immediately. The book has a good plot with well-developed characters. However, I did find myself getting bored with some aspects of the book and found myself skimming. Even with that I still enjoyed the main story.
I want to thank the publisher and Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.