Book Review: Isle of Blood by Rick Yancey

• Genre: Young Adult Horror
• Hardcover: 560 pages 
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster's Children's Publishing
• Release Date: (September 23, 2011) 
• Series: The Monstrumologist (Book 3)
• Source: Simon & Schuster Galley Grab

Blurb: When Dr. Warthrop goes hunting the "Holy Grail of Monstrumology" with his eager new assistant, Arkwright, he leaves Will Henry in New York. Finally, Will can enjoy something that always seemed out of reach: a normal life with a real family. But part of Will can't let go of Dr. Warthrop, and when Arkwright returns claiming that the doctor is dead, Will is devastated--and not convinced.

Determined to discover the truth, Will travels to London, knowing that if he succeeds, he will be plunging into depths of horror worse than anything he has experienced so far. His journey will take him to Socotra, the Isle of Blood, where human beings are used to make nests and blood rains from the sky--and will put Will Henry's loyalty to the ultimate test.


Review: 

I was so sad when I read that Isle of Blood was going to be the last in Rick Yancey's bone chillingly awesome Monstrumologist series. Turns out that the series didn't do as well as the publisher hoped, so after three books, they're calling it quites. I really hate to see such a unique, well-constructed and downright scary series end this way. Not only does it seem like there is so much more life left in Will Henry's story, but the story ends on a mild cliffhanger than hints at there being something more.

Isle of Blood, just like the other Monstrumologist novels, begins with the frame of Yancey editing a collection of folios written by the real Will Henry about his adventures. But this time, fingers go even further, as our tenacious narrator digs deeper into Will Henry's life and tries to figure out exactly who he was. As part of the investigation, he dives back into more of Will Henry's folios. This time, the folios tell the story of Will Henry being left behind as the eccentric Monstrumologist goes off to hunt the "Holy Grail" of Monstrumology. When Akwright returns, claiming that Will Henry's mentor is dead, Will Henry is thrown into an exciting new adventure that will take him to the Isle of Blood and beyond.

If you've read the other Monstrumologist books, Isle of Blood is another satisfying entry into the series. Filled with edge-of-your-seat action, spine-chilling horror and great characters, Isle of Blood is a satisfying conclusion to the series, even though fans are left wanting more.

As for those who haven't read the previous novels, you'd be really lost if you started out here, so I'd recommend starting with The Monstrumologist. Trust, with all the exciting horror and incredibly well-written action and characters, these books are absolutely worth your time.