I wanted to eat them all…

PLOT SUMMARY

Grieving mother Magos cuts out a piece of her deceased eleven-year-old son Santiago’s lung. Acting on fierce maternal instinct and the dubious logic of an old folktale, she nurtures the lung until it gains sentience, growing into the carnivorous little Monstrilio she keeps hidden within the walls of her family’s decaying Mexico City estate. Eventually, Monstrilio begins to resemble the Santiago he once was, but his innate impulses—though curbed by his biological and chosen family’s communal care—threaten to destroy this fragile second chance at life.

GRADE: A

REVIEW:

What’s there not to like about this book? It was a beautiful family drama with hints of Gothic horror almost. When two parents lose their only child at a young age, the mother, Magos, simply can’t grieve the same way her husband does, and decides to go back to Mexico City. Once there, her mother’s housekeeper tells her a tale of how someone was able to get back someone they lost, and Magos takes that to heart. This is when the story truly takes off, and we’ll go on a journey with this family over the years and over various cities such as Mexico City, New York City, and Berlin. I loved that the book was written from the POV of four different characters, and it wasn’t in alternated chapters, no, you spent several years with each character and you go to see how they grew and how they felt. This was a really moving story, and I love how the “monster” in question wasn’t shown to be evil but at the same time, he couldn’t shirk away from his true nature. This is a beautiful tale of unconditional love, grief, loss, and family. I absolutely recommend this to anyone who loves quirky, dark films but with heart, such as Edward Scissorhands.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley and Zando for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

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