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sagittariusreads_'s review against another edition
im enjoying it but im not in a horror mood right now
sootski's review against another edition
4.0
ARC provided by publisher— Penguin Young Readers Group— in exchange for an honest review
Wait, what a banger???? I need the second book?? Now please??? I love love love when authors include their culture- specially the mythology involved! The Frankenstein aspect of it is there but not in the gothic fashion that the original book had, majority was involved with the mythology. The beginning of the story was so vibey I loved it, and while I got worried when it became a more common academic setting, it immediately moved away and continued its originality. I’ve never read anything like this but I’m so glad I did.
Wait, what a banger???? I need the second book?? Now please??? I love love love when authors include their culture- specially the mythology involved! The Frankenstein aspect of it is there but not in the gothic fashion that the original book had, majority was involved with the mythology. The beginning of the story was so vibey I loved it, and while I got worried when it became a more common academic setting, it immediately moved away and continued its originality. I’ve never read anything like this but I’m so glad I did.
bickleyhouse's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is my first encounter with this author, and I am glad I got to read this! It is steeped in Indian/Hindu mythology, about which I knew virtually nothing. I find it fascinating, after reading this tale.
The story begins with Kajal bursting out of her coffin, in which she was about to be burned/cremated. She's alive. Now, I was never quite clear if she had been dead and came back. That's one point that wasn't made clear, unless I missed it.
Kajal's sister, Lasya, remained dead. Something went wrong. Horribly wrong.
From this point, Kajal sets out to hone her skills and gather ingredients needed to revive Lasya. But in the process, she runs into a couple of rebels who appear to be willing to help her. They aren't quite honesty, though, and force her to work toward reviving the crown prince, Advaith, who was killed in battle twenty years ago.
Things don't quite go as planned (do they ever) and the story gets more and more complex as it goes. And that's all the plot reveal I will give.
I became totally engrossed in this story and its characters and found that I couldn't wait to finish. As already mentioned, there is a lot of Hindu mythology in this, and I wasn't really aware of any of it. I looked a few things up along the way, and then discovered the afterword, in which Ms Sim explained most of it. This is an ARC edition, and it might be nice if the "afterword" was a "foreword," instead, for those of us who don't know any of this mythology.
I believe this is geared toward the YA audience, but that didn't affect my enjoyment at all. I rather like a lot of the YA material that I see. The character development is great, I think, and one thing that keeps it interesting is that it is kind of hard to tell who are the "good guys" and who are the "bad guys." It may be, perhaps, that there is really only one "bad guy" in this story, but we are exposed very much to him. It does appear to be a series, so I'm sure we will see more of him, later.
At one point, the story takes a huge detour, which was slightly off-putting, at first, but the more I got into it, the better and more interesting it got. A lot was explained in that part, about what had gone before and what was coming up. That may sound confusing, but it's the best I can do.
To wrap it up, I absolutely loved this book! I look forward to reading more by this author, and hope to continue in the series, when more volumes become available.
As stated, this was an ARC, which I received from NetGalley, and this is a voluntary review.
The story begins with Kajal bursting out of her coffin, in which she was about to be burned/cremated. She's alive. Now, I was never quite clear if she had been dead and came back. That's one point that wasn't made clear, unless I missed it.
Kajal's sister, Lasya, remained dead. Something went wrong. Horribly wrong.
From this point, Kajal sets out to hone her skills and gather ingredients needed to revive Lasya. But in the process, she runs into a couple of rebels who appear to be willing to help her. They aren't quite honesty, though, and force her to work toward reviving the crown prince, Advaith, who was killed in battle twenty years ago.
Things don't quite go as planned (do they ever) and the story gets more and more complex as it goes. And that's all the plot reveal I will give.
I became totally engrossed in this story and its characters and found that I couldn't wait to finish. As already mentioned, there is a lot of Hindu mythology in this, and I wasn't really aware of any of it. I looked a few things up along the way, and then discovered the afterword, in which Ms Sim explained most of it. This is an ARC edition, and it might be nice if the "afterword" was a "foreword," instead, for those of us who don't know any of this mythology.
I believe this is geared toward the YA audience, but that didn't affect my enjoyment at all. I rather like a lot of the YA material that I see. The character development is great, I think, and one thing that keeps it interesting is that it is kind of hard to tell who are the "good guys" and who are the "bad guys." It may be, perhaps, that there is really only one "bad guy" in this story, but we are exposed very much to him. It does appear to be a series, so I'm sure we will see more of him, later.
At one point, the story takes a huge detour, which was slightly off-putting, at first, but the more I got into it, the better and more interesting it got. A lot was explained in that part, about what had gone before and what was coming up. That may sound confusing, but it's the best I can do.
To wrap it up, I absolutely loved this book! I look forward to reading more by this author, and hope to continue in the series, when more volumes become available.
As stated, this was an ARC, which I received from NetGalley, and this is a voluntary review.
veronicahoffman's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
shimmeringice's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The setting of this book was a real star. I really enjoyed the spotlight on Indian folklore, and I think that this focus added an extra dimension to the exploration of the what it means to be good vs evil. Unfortunately, I feel like the development of most of the themes, as well as the characters, was a little scattered/inconsistent. For example, while I generally enjoy the trope of 'science minded protagonist fighting against a superstitious world', I think that Kajal felt a little out of place, like she had been plucked from our world. More importantly, while I recognize that this is the first of two books and therefore I'm not totally sure how these themes are going to develop in the sequel, I feel like there's not a satisfying place to go exploring sacrifice and loss.
Spoilers for the ending/climax:
The setup suggests dark bargains and irrational obsession, but it turns out that in this setting, you can actually just resurrect people without cost? Ok, it requires a few hard to get materials and all of the pieces of the body, but three (3!) people come back from the dead basically no worse for wear. This kind of undermines the idea that Kajal is dangerously obsessed with anything, since it turns out that she was just right.
I was also not really convinced by the reincarnation aspect. I'm not sure that it adds to Kajal's character that she's the reincarnation of a dakini who was friends with both Tav and Advaith. Like, I can see threads of what the author might be going for, but I can't say it was executed super well there.
Caveats aside, this was overall a very fun ride, full of twists and some great flavor.
Spoilers for the ending/climax:
I was also not really convinced by the reincarnation aspect. I'm not sure that it adds to Kajal's character that she's the reincarnation of a dakini who was friends with both Tav and Advaith. Like, I can see threads of what the author might be going for, but I can't say it was executed super well there.
Caveats aside, this was overall a very fun ride, full of twists and some great flavor.
mollified_moments's review against another edition
I was eager to embrace this book, being a devoted fan of South Asian novels and horror. 📖 However, the first chapter posed a significant hurdle due to the e-arc's problematic formatting. The presence of broken or mis-hyphenated words, along with spelling errors, hindered my reading experience. The absence of a glossary left me uncertain about whether certain words were typos, formatting issues, or intentional creations by the author. Regrettably, I've decided to place this on my DNF pile for now and plan to revisit it in June upon its official release. Nonetheless, I'm considering giving it a second chance when it officially releases in June, perhaps borrowing it from the library for another try.
thisbookisbananas's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What would you be willing to do to bring a loved one back to life?Part fantasy, part political intrigue,and part horror, We Shall Be Monsters is steeped in Indian folklore which focuses on a young necromancer on a quest to revive her deceased sister. This book will capture you from chapter one. While gruesome in some spots, I would say this is a cozy horror, if that term exists. This book would be a great bridge for teens who love fantasy but are interested in toeing into horror. I look forward to the next installment.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for an advance reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for an advance reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
a1ana_reads's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Where do I even start?
The main character, Kajal, was so fun to read. And though I found certain lines in their inner monologue a bit cringey, overall I liked her. She’s a pretty unique heroine, and I love her so much.
The imagery of bhuta Laysa was very well-written, and being someone who had no knowledge of Indian mythology going in, I still understood what was going on relatively easily. The author’s note at the end was also very helpful to let me know what was made up for the book & what’s in actual mythology.
Honestly I was lowkey hoping for some rivals-to-lovers with Vritika & Kajal, but Tav won me over. He’s so sweet and I love him.
Humor is incorporated into this book in a similar way that Leigh Bardugo writes in Shadow & Bone, which I liked. The characters are teenagers afterall, and are bound to crack a multitude of jokes.
niaamore's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A girl who can revive the dead, her sister turned demon, an accidental resurrection, and a cute undead dog. Did I mention this is inspired by Frankenstein?
I loved the premise. You get thrown into the action from the very beginning, it was great. Yes, I did pick this up because of the Indian mythology inspiration, and the necromancer-like ability was a great bonus. I will say, while I did love many of the characters, especially Kutaa, I didn’t care for the main character. I found her impulsive and selfish, almost hot headed in her actions. She did move the plot through these actions though, so take my criticism with a grain of salt.
I love seeing all the Asian and Middle Eastern mythology inspired stories coming out recently. They are an insta-read for me!
Thank you to NetGalley and Nancy Paulsen Books for this ARC.
I loved the premise. You get thrown into the action from the very beginning, it was great. Yes, I did pick this up because of the Indian mythology inspiration, and the necromancer-like ability was a great bonus. I will say, while I did love many of the characters, especially Kutaa, I didn’t care for the main character. I found her impulsive and selfish, almost hot headed in her actions. She did move the plot through these actions though, so take my criticism with a grain of salt.
I love seeing all the Asian and Middle Eastern mythology inspired stories coming out recently. They are an insta-read for me!
Thank you to NetGalley and Nancy Paulsen Books for this ARC.
qace90's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I received an advance copy from the publisher via Netgalley for review purposes; this in no way influences my review.
This is excellent and definitely a case of cursing myself for reading it so early when I need the sequel <i>immediately</i>!! Full review closer to release, but definitely keep your eye out for this one!
This is excellent and definitely a case of cursing myself for reading it so early when I need the sequel <i>immediately</i>!! Full review closer to release, but definitely keep your eye out for this one!