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adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
Alma is no stranger to solitude. She was born out of wedlock and her father’s identity has remained a secret. Other members of their village believe this is reason enough to ostracize the two. As long as the two of them have each other, it’s enough.
However, that small comfort is too fragile to endure the tribulations fate has in store for them. When Alma’s mother grows ill and her condition rapidly worsens, Alma becomes desperate. Digging and grasping for any possible solution, she uncovers the identity of her father. He’s a noble lord of House Avera, sworn to the elder god The Dread Beast. He has the resources to provide for the treatment that Alma’s mother will die without. So she writes him a letter begging for his help. He agrees, but now that he knows of his daughter’s existence, he demands that in exchange she come live in the Avera palace and adopt their surname. For her mother’s sake, she agrees, but it’s not enough to save her.
Once there, she must offer herself as a vessel for the Beast through the sacrifice of her arm. If he accepts her offering, she will be able to make use of a prosthetic. By devoting her life and herself to him fully, she may even be lucky enough to hear his voice and instruction. At least, that’s what her father tells her. That’s why it surprises her when she hears him almost immediately, and can even see him in the room. She’s even more surprised to recognize him as her imaginary friend from childhood. He promises to guide her to her revenge.
I knew I was going to love this book before I’d even read halfway through the synopsis. At the very end of the blurb was where I saw the author’s credentials. Although this is a debut novel, Michelle Wong has been telling amazing stories for a while now. Prior projects she’s been a part of include Goosebumps and The Legend of Korra. Both series are near and dear to my heart.
It’s very easy to see the influence of anime on this story. I’m the type of reader who will get a very vivid visual experience when reading a well-written story. This time, those visuals even appeared animated. From the choreography of battle scenes to facial expressions on characters, it’s astoundingly easy to picture the way an animators would portray the narrative. I believe this would have been true even without the included illustrations, which were absolutely lovely. I’m not certain whether those are in both the deluxe and standard editions or only the deluxe. If the latter, the illustrations alone are more than worth upgrading your purchase for.
The worldbuilding is both rich and unique. I found it utterly fascinating, and the characters even more so. Those familiar with my book reviews already know how much I appreciate complicated characters. This story had an abundance of them. Much like the real world, nothing and no one felt truly clear-cut or overly neat. If it ever appeared so, there was always another layer of complexity to uncover. The pacing felt flawless as well. I felt neither bored nor inundated at any point, and each section flowed very naturally to the next.
House of the Beast was another five-star read. I absolutely devoured it, and I’m hungry for more. I will be anxiously awaiting any and all future titles from Michelle Wong.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
adventurous
dark
medium-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
woah this was not what i was expecting at all. i thought this would be a more romance-heavy story, but want to note that is not what this is. while there are slight romantic undertones, that’s the extent of it as the story is centered around alma’s quest for revenge against her father. though since that is the main plot, i felt conflicted toward alma and her feelings on what she was and wasn’t willing to do to get her revenge if that makes sense — like she was fine with killing in some scenarios but then was completely against it in others, or she hated her cousin for most of the book but then wanted to check on him in the middle of the final test even though it was the opposite way of where she was going. i guess a couple things like that kind of messed with the continuity of the story — alma would say she wanted something but then would be against doing the things necessary to get it. i do enjoy a revenge story though and this is a really intriguing concept, so i had a decent time.
there are also lovely illustrations throughout the book — which i found out were actually done by the author (so cool!) — that just added such a nice touch to the reading experience!
thank you to netgalley, avon, and harper voyager for the arc!
there are also lovely illustrations throughout the book — which i found out were actually done by the author (so cool!) — that just added such a nice touch to the reading experience!
thank you to netgalley, avon, and harper voyager for the arc!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Infidelity, Medical content, Death of parent
Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, Grief
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i received this as an e-arc on netgalley. thank you to harper voyager us and michelle wong.
when i first started to read this book, i did not expect for it to suck me in as much as it did. the fantasy aspect intrigued me, but i can be very hit or miss on romantasy. as it turned out, i got very attached to the romance by the end, far more than i think i even knew while reading it.
the tone of this book is honestly quite young. the prose is written descriptive but blunt first person, with the protagonist consistently making declarative statements about her emotions and thought process, a writing style more common to YA fiction rather than the adult novel this is being marketed as. combining with the age and relative immaturity of the protagonist, i think this novel would be better marketed as YA, or even with the NA tag that is on netgalley. the book is very dark, so i understand why it was aged up, but i don't think it's too much for older YA/NA to handle.
the set up of the romance pretty much intrigued me immediately, and i think michelle wong very keenly understood her characters, and what drew them to each other. it's not hard to understand why alma is so dependent on aster and vice versa. i also really loved how wong explored the actual ramifications of having your lover be an ancient powerful creature who can spurn you or empower you at his own whims. alma's story of falling in love with someone who you never quite stop being wary of was excellently done. aster and alma were just so devastating and so in love. i would not recommend going into this book looking for cookie cutter romantasy of brooding old man x spunky little girl, because that is not their dynamic at all.
i loved the plot far more than i assumed i would. michelle wong's talent truly shines in fight scenes or in times of high tension and dramatics. the pilgrimage itself, was especially excellent and on par with the first hundred pages for my favorite parts of the book. the middle was a tad more muddied, as it had to do the work of closing the opening act and setting up the final act in a very quick and abrupt manner due to the time jump. you could maybe trim some of the fat there, but it also contained some of my favorite scenes in the whole book, so i'd say just leave it be. i will say that later plot points and themes probably could have begun their set ups a tad earlier, especially parts of alma's character and the main romance.
the world building was very unique, especially in the construction of the gods. i can definitely see the elden ring comps, but for some reason i was reminded a lot of coraline (the movie specifically) in terms of the aesthetics and dark whimsical tone, most strongly in the first 100 or so pages. wong definitely has a strong aesthetic vision, and i felt that through her illustrations.
this is definitely a slower paced book, and michelle wong does an excellent job of edging you for more while still giving you enough to stay engaged. this was around a 450ish page book and i tore through it in two days. objectively, this probably sits at a 4.5 for me, but subjectively i'm giving it 5 stars. i'm really looking forward to what she puts out next.
when i first started to read this book, i did not expect for it to suck me in as much as it did. the fantasy aspect intrigued me, but i can be very hit or miss on romantasy. as it turned out, i got very attached to the romance by the end, far more than i think i even knew while reading it.
the tone of this book is honestly quite young. the prose is written descriptive but blunt first person, with the protagonist consistently making declarative statements about her emotions and thought process, a writing style more common to YA fiction rather than the adult novel this is being marketed as. combining with the age and relative immaturity of the protagonist, i think this novel would be better marketed as YA, or even with the NA tag that is on netgalley. the book is very dark, so i understand why it was aged up, but i don't think it's too much for older YA/NA to handle.
the set up of the romance pretty much intrigued me immediately, and i think michelle wong very keenly understood her characters, and what drew them to each other. it's not hard to understand why alma is so dependent on aster and vice versa. i also really loved how wong explored the actual ramifications of having your lover be an ancient powerful creature who can spurn you or empower you at his own whims. alma's story of falling in love with someone who you never quite stop being wary of was excellently done. aster and alma were just so devastating and so in love. i would not recommend going into this book looking for cookie cutter romantasy of brooding old man x spunky little girl, because that is not their dynamic at all.
i loved the plot far more than i assumed i would. michelle wong's talent truly shines in fight scenes or in times of high tension and dramatics. the pilgrimage itself, was especially excellent and on par with the first hundred pages for my favorite parts of the book. the middle was a tad more muddied, as it had to do the work of closing the opening act and setting up the final act in a very quick and abrupt manner due to the time jump. you could maybe trim some of the fat there, but it also contained some of my favorite scenes in the whole book, so i'd say just leave it be. i will say that later plot points and themes probably could have begun their set ups a tad earlier, especially parts of alma's character and the main romance.
the world building was very unique, especially in the construction of the gods. i can definitely see the elden ring comps, but for some reason i was reminded a lot of coraline (the movie specifically) in terms of the aesthetics and dark whimsical tone, most strongly in the first 100 or so pages. wong definitely has a strong aesthetic vision, and i felt that through her illustrations.
this is definitely a slower paced book, and michelle wong does an excellent job of edging you for more while still giving you enough to stay engaged. this was around a 450ish page book and i tore through it in two days. objectively, this probably sits at a 4.5 for me, but subjectively i'm giving it 5 stars. i'm really looking forward to what she puts out next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Misogyny, Sexism