To start with this book is a DNF at 50%

Why still a 3 star rating?
The story is not bad it's realistic it has some queer romance that actually fits in the timing and the MC's underground character

For me , a dyslexic person, the writing style is a bit too difficult, almost poetic and and to be honest i just don't have the energy at the moment to go through with it.
I do like the descriptive style the slow writing fits the slow story it's just more than i can handle in my free time at the moment.
I might try again later on

But if you love true crime based stories in gruesome Scotland With some romance and dont mind that they talk a lot about stealing bodies from their graves, and you love slow poetic writing this is a story for you !

Exceptionally written and researched to masterfully blend fact and fiction. The writing style was perfect for the setting and the plot was not only gripping but highly informative on the inner workings of body snatching for the betterment of medicine during this time. James and Nye are extremely likable characters and I found myself rooting for them and their story from the very start. This author is extremely knowledgeable and was able to spin a tale that made for an exciting reading experience. This story is definitely a highlight of the year for me!

A fun story about a young man who goes to Edinburgh to go to school to become a doctor. And when the money, from his family, to pay for school dries up, he picks up an unusual job to pay the bills. I enjoyed the development of the characters and loved the adventure and the humor.
I really liked the time era the story was set in. All in all, a very enjoyable story that I recommend.

The Resurrectionist is such a fun story amidst the gruesome setting of 19th century Edinburgh. I loved the banter of the group of friends and I need the sequel as soon as possible!

I can’t wait to preorder this book.

Thank you to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC!

3.5 stars! I found this a fun look at historical Edinburgh, the dearth of cadavers available to doctors and medical students, and some good ol' fashioned grave robbing. I had no idea the plot was based on real-life people, which added a layer of interest. I only rounded down because I found the beginning pretty slow.

Very interesting premise and a slew of characters. The plot was good and pace was great but I don’t find the content to be anything monumental.

"The Resurrectionist" is so beautifully written. The author did a great job setting the scene, transporting the reader alongside the characters in 19th century Scotland.

The narrative follows James, an ambitious surgeon-in-training, as he relocates to Edinburgh, Scotland for his education. On his first night, he discovers a private practice offering immersive learning experiences with individual cadavers for students. However, financial troubles plague James' family, and he cannot afford the private lessons. Determined, he devises a plan to work for the head surgeon to subsidize his tuition. He's hired as a lookout, only to realize he's aiding body snatchers!

James and Nye end up spending a lot of time together which deepens into a profound friendship and eventually blossoms into more. Witnessing their bond develop and delving into Nye's past was a highlight for me. A. Rae Dunlap excels in depicting Nye's journey of self-discovery and sexuality.

Venturing outside my usual reading preferences, I found myself thoroughly engrossed by this book. The blend of historical fiction with the true tale of Burke and Hare was a highlight for me.

The Resurrectionist blends true crime and historical fiction into a dark, gruesome novel. I felt the writing lacked polish and I just didn't connect with the overall flippant tone this book used for some pretty serious subjects. I definitely think dark topics can be humorous, but with the added element of using real murderers and their victims, I didn't think the execution worked well. There was also a lack of nuance and depth to how morally grey our protagonists are - graverobbing is presented as moral and just for the pursuit of science, but I feel a more realistic depiction of both the pros and cons would have resonated more with me - especially would have liked to see a discussion of how graverobbing impacts the friends and families of victims. I liked the main characters and their relationship. The resolution to the main plot was satisfying, but the pacing felt a bit slow, since the Burke & Hare arc started about halfway through. Overall, this book was enjoyable, mainly for its characters, but I didn't love it.

This book was great. I loved the mix of historical fiction and atmospheric horror.

The writing style truly set this book apart. From the descriptions to the way the characters speak, everything genuinely sounds like someone from the 1800s is narrating it. The main character is from the nobility and the writing matched his personality. To me, it felt like he was telling me his story, instead of me reading someone else's account of his story.
As the book progresses he gradually gets caught up in the exhuming of graves for anatomical dissection and even grows to love it. I really liked how he went from hesistant and protesting to a pragmatist and eventually to someone who loves the thrill of it. This change in hsi morality kept me wondering what he would do next.

I did feel like the danger of getting caught (as both a grave robber and a man in a relationship with another man) was not used to its full potential. The thrill and fear of being discovered did not lead to the high-levels of suspense I hoped for.
Regardless, I really recommend this book to everyone who can handle descriptions of cadavers.

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!