The Corpse Queen
Books | Young Adult Fiction / Thrillers & Suspense / General
3.9
(131)
Heather M. Herrman
“Deliciously macabre and utterly decadent.” —Kerri Maniscalco, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Stalking Jack the Ripper In this dark and twisty feminist historical mystery, a teenage girl starts a new life as a grave robber but quickly becomes entangled in a murderer's plans.Soon after her best friend Kitty mysteriously dies, orphaned seventeen-year-old Molly Green is sent away to live with her "aunt." With no relations that she knows of, Molly assumes she has been sold as a maid for the price of an extra donation in the church orphanage's coffers. Such a thing is not unheard of. There are only so many options for an unmarried girl in 1850s Philadelphia. Only, when Molly arrives, she discovers her aunt is very much real, exceedingly wealthy, and with secrets of her own. Secrets and wealth she intends to share—for a price.Molly's estranged aunt Ava, has built her empire by robbing graves and selling the corpses to medical students who need bodies to practice surgical procedures. And she wants Molly to help her procure the corpses. As Molly learns her aunt's trade in the dead of night and explores the mansion by day, she is both horrified and deeply intrigued by the anatomy lessons held at the old church on her aunt's property. Enigmatic Doctor LaValle's lessons are a heady mixture of knowledge and power and Molly has never wanted anything more than to join his male-only group of students. But the cost of inclusion is steep and with a murderer loose in the city, the pursuit of power and opportunity becomes a deadly dance.
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Author
Heather M. Herrman
Pages
416
Publisher
Penguin
Published Date
2021-09-14
ISBN
1984816705 9781984816702
Community ReviewsSee all
"So much more than I expected. #historical_fiction #thriller #anatomist #gravedigger #womens_equality "
Brandi Always Reading
"I enjoyed this book, though I think it’s more adult than young adult. 4/5"
Olivia Denning
"The story was interesting but the way it read and progressed just felt clunky to me. Not for me but would recommend to anyone who likes a little bit of a creepier historical vibe."
Courtney Campbell
"This book was very dark but had really good themes. I loved the setting and the depiction of life back then. "
Lauren Fahrner
"I adored this book. There were a few things that made it feel like more of a Wattpad story, like the violet eyes for no reason and her friend having a tail (which was never explained.) The story was great though! I highly recommend this book if you enjoyed Stalking Jack the Ripper. They were very similar in terms of the general aesthetic, vibe, and having strong female leads that work with the dead against what society deemed acceptable or proper at the time. Great twist at the end as well!"
Mary Crabtree
"Well written, engaging characters, good plot. What's not to like."
Nancy Gibson
"Loved this book so much!! I love my books a little macabre and this was perfect. "
Caitlyn Lawrence
"LOVE! So disturbingly good, the plot twists, the characters, a little hint of romance. So creepy and the details put into it will make you shiver! "
Lindsay
"This book was so good, it kept me entertained and on the edge a lot of the time. I seriously couldn’t put it down and finished reading it within a day’s time."
J🐞
"An engrossing stand-alone YA novel that one of the youth at my job had me read. Obviously feminist, but not in a preachy way. A dark drama with a murder mystery storyline. Takes a look at an interesting time in history—when selling dead bodies to medical schools was an illicit but lucrative business. I liked that it told the story of a would-be helpless girl (an orphan newly aged out of the orphanage) doing what she has to to survive without losing herself or her sense of right and wrong as well as the intimate way it deals with grief. "
Lauren Shook
