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.

A story set in Scotland already has some positive bias from me, but I really did like this book. This was one of the books that I feel was most impacted by my reading slump as it has took me forever to read despite knowing I liked it.

I liked the true crime element but it ultimately seems unnecessary, the book being bout grave diggers alone was exciting enough. I feel adding Burke and Hare just added a little bit of something that wasn’t really lived up to.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington publishing for the ARC

'The Resurrectionist' follows young medical student, Elijah, who becomes entangled in the world of grave robbing and the pursuit of scientific knowledge. Dunlap's storytelling explores themes of morality, ambition, and the blurred lines between life and death. The ideas within this book linger in the mind long after the final page is turned.

19th century Scotland, James Willoughby has chosen a life different than that expected of him and has enrolled in medical school. Medical schools don't provide many opportunities to work with corpses so private surgical schools have popped up around the city, but where are they getting the bodies from?

I absolutely loved this book, as a medical student myself it was fascinating to see a loose retelling of the history of medical schools in Scotland. Dunlap has done a fantastic job at creating a story that will appeal to a wide variety of readers. It is a dark, macabre story that is perfect for fall or winter reading. This book is still awhile from coming out but I have already recommended it to many people and have ordered a physical copy for myself.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

"You must understand that just as actions have consequences, just as laws have repercussions, progress has a cost."

The premise is very attractive - the descend of a terribly innocent Medicine student into the criminal world of corpse trafficking as a mean to advance cientific progress. A dark period of History indeed, with bases to discuss all kind of topics, from the way "undesirable" people are exploited by the more privileged in every way, shape and form, to the conflict between progress and religion in society. None of this is discussed in depth, mind you, but at least the bases are there for the reader to think more in their own time.

And then at the middle point, this story turns into an action-packed romance in which they might as well be trafficking with bottles of rum instead of the bodies of the recently deceased in direct opposition of their loved ones' will.

Is this a fun, exciting read? Yes!

Is this historically accurate, including the portrayal of several real people? No idea.

Are the good guys very very pretty, and the bad guys very very ugly, disabled or have big noses? Sadly yes, I guess the author got so far into ye olde style of writing that morals got lost on the way.

I recommend this book for people looking for a thrilling story of crimes and romance, not so much for people looking for deep philosophical reflections nor morbid gore.

I am not your typical romance reader, and I don't often reach for historical fiction. Upon reading the first few pages I was surprised by how dense the writing was and at times the word choice felt superfluous. But, I did read the entire book and I cannot say I didn't enjoy. The romance between James and Nye was sweet and not overdone, and the actual industry of body snatching was interesting to explore.

This was such a fun, neat little book! I loved the plot, the characters, the deviousness. Unfortunately, there were definitely times that it felt like it dragged on and on. I don't necessarily need to be locked in to every fraction of every second of a single action. This made the whole reading experience fluctuate wildly between being totally engaged to eyes glazing over page after page.

I would like to thank the Publisher for approving me for this ARC, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Walk the streets of Edinburgh, Scotland in 1828 with a group of rowdy semi-pose gents who are all set on becoming the world’s foremost name in Science. When James Willoughby shows up on the scene, he quickly realizes that the rain-drenched streets lead to more than just the foremost education in this age of New Enlightenment. He finds all he could desire at the city’s uni, except for a human cadaver. There are just not enough bodies to go around. For one of his own, James has to join one of the private schools in Surgeon’s Square. Being a man of means who has fallen on hard times thanks to his recently deceased gambler father, James strikes a deal with Aneurin “Nye” MacKinnon, the charming young dissectionist. Adventure ensues, opening James’s eyes to a world of science and wonder, opportunities and crime, and danger the likes he’s never seen before.

The Resurrectionist first caught my eye because the cover is a beautifully done sepia-toned drawing of a human ribcage, spine, and pelvis. There is a webbing of what could easily be mistaken for veins entwining the bones, but on closer appearance are the skeletal brambles of roses. Then I read the book. It had me groaning at the protagonist’s bumbling naivety. I was laughing at the sauciness of Edith, though being the lone female character with any bit to the story was a bit disappointing (yes, I know this is a historical peace but still).

The growth of James from naive and gullible to nearly fully realized was great. His inner world was relatable and understandable befitting his circumstances. And what to say about “Nye” in relation to James? The romance would have been perfect if it had been a little more consistently focused on, instead of being dropped and picked back up here and there - I would have been fine with it even if it hadn’t been behind doors.

Overall, a well done novel! I would recommend this one to anyone who likes historical fiction, murder mysteries, and medical thrillers. Have a strong constitution before cracking The Resurrectionist open! Four and a half stars of five.

Content Warnings:
Major
Death, Gore, Medical Content, Blood
Moderate
Homophobia, Outing, Violence
Minor
Murder, Kidnapping

Consistently witty, always well-researched, and immersed in the literary conventions of the period it's aping, "The Resurrectionist" is a treat for anyone looking for a light, enjoyable historical read. I have some quibbles - the character of Edith really didn't need to be here, and her presence added nothing but an extra chapter's worth of easily resolved conflict; the author leans a little *too* hard on the Victorian mindset at times, leading to a conflation of ugliness (and IRISHNESS! Can't trust them) with evil - but all in all, I had a great time. I was also tickled by the author out and out admitting that the Aneurin character (would "Aneurin" really shorten to "Nye?") was directly modeled on Aneurin Barnard, especially since I clocked that a few pages after he was introduced. I was going to praise the heavy use of italics as a nice period-appropriate touch, but upon reading the author's note, I think they might just really love italics in general. Well, it worked for the book!

*actual rating: 4.5 stars rounded up

Wow! What an incredible debut novel! I was intrigued to read this bc of the comparisons to Dana Schwartz' <i>Anatomy<i/> duology, and it delivered everything I wanted and more! Historical fiction with a touch of queer romance that didn't overshadow the plot, dark academia, humour, horrors (of the world and coming-of-age), and elements of true crime and history woven thoughout. The writing was so well-done, I will definitely be pre-ordering a physical copy; I can't wait to see what this author comes up with next!

DNF at 31%. I requested this ARC because of the comp for Dana Schwartz's Anatomy: A Love Story, not realizing that it also mentioned The Alienist. This book is harder crime fiction than I enjoy, and after getting to a gory scene, I have a feeling that I won't enjoy more. 3 stars to be neutral.

James has floundered a bit, but he's finally decided to leave his theology degree at Oxford to study medicine and surgery at Edinburgh's renowned medical schools. It's a bit more rough than he expected, but he finds some friends and starts to take some expensive classes at a private school where he'll actually get to work with a real cadaver. To pay for the tuition, he agrees to be a lookout for some hush hush dealings by the graveyard. Little does he know that the teacher's assistant for whom he works is actually breaking into graveyards to steal corpses.

I DNF'ed the book soon after James discovers just how bloody this whole business is. The description says there's going to be serial killers and gay stuff, but I haven't gotten there yet. I had expected this to be similar to Anatomy, another book about an aspiring doctor who gets caught up in graverobbing in Edinburgh, but if I got scared off from James's first shock of gore, I think the actual murderers are going to be sadistic, and I'm not into that.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington for this ARC. While I didn't enjoy it, I'm sure that the right reader will.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book. I really enjoyed it and would rate it a 3.5/5 stars.

Many thanks to Kensington Publishing for a complimentary eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

The Resurrectionist tells the story of James Willoughby, scion of a noble house fallen on hard times, who leaves the hallowed halls of Oxford to study medicine in Edinburgh, birthplace of the Scottish Enlightenment. Plucky, determined, and good-natured, James finds himself in surprising company when he turns to body-snatching to help him afford the costs of private anatomy classes.

This book has it all: romance, intrigue, skullduggery, true-crime, historical fiction, dark academia, coming-of-age, you name it! I found this book enormously enjoyable to read, especially having recently travelled to Edinburgh and learned about the sordid tale of Burke and Hare. James is perhaps too good to be true -- he is so generally good-natured and of good character -- but his journey of personal development and realisation is something to which everyone can relate. I was transported back to Edinburgh through the descriptive prose and the tension was palpable as the stakes grew higher and higher! I am shocked to learn that this was Dunlap's debut novel because there is such confidence and maturity in the writing style. This would make a great read for a Hallowe'en book club.

4.5/5

This was a very enjoyable read, and I genuinely appreciate the author's efforts to fully immerse the reader into the atmosphere of the story. I found both main characters to be interesting and likeable, which was a pleasant surprise - to be honest, I was a bit scared I wouldn't like James at first.

I would have liked to get to know the other characters a bit more, but I understand that the length of the story is limited. It did disappoint me a bit to see how the only relevant female character was used as a plot device, specially given that (for obvious historical reasons) everyone else in this novel is a man.

However, I still am very pleased with this book. The descriptions, both of the spaces and the medical procedures, were so atmospheric you got immediately transported. I was rooting for the main couple from the beginning, and I really enjoyed how certain things didn't have to be explicit for the reader to understand. Overall, I really recommend this one!