When Dr. Warthrop goes hunting for the "Holy Grail of Monstrumology" in 1888, twelve-year-old orphan Will Henry follows him to Socotra, plunging into depths of horror worse than anything he has experienced so far.

"The kingdom of Kandala is recovering from a devastating plague but the cure is rare and expensive, so a girl hatches a plan to infiltrate the castle and bring the corrupt system crashing down"-- The kingdom of Kandala is divided by corruption, and a sickness is ravaging the land. The only known cure to the sickness is an elixir made from delicate Moonflower petals, which are delicate and limited. King Harristan was thrust into power after his parents'...

""In a world where disease has been eliminated, the only way to die is to be randomly killed ('gleaned') by professional reapers ('scythes'). Two teens must compete with each other to become a scythe--a position neither of them wants. The one who becomes a scythe must kill the one who doesn't"--

"Sage Fowler, the apprentice to a matchmaker, becomes a spy for the army to uncover a treasonous plot and finds herself entangled in a romance with a soldier"--

In 1888, twelve-year-old Will Henry chronicles his apprenticeship with Dr. Warthrop, a scientist who hunts and studies real-life monsters, as they discover and attempt to destroy a pod of Anthropophagi.

When Dr. Warthrop begins to doubt fourteen-year-old Will Henry's loyalty, he sets him against one of the most horrific creatures in the Monstrumarium unaware that Will's life and his own fate will lie in the balance.