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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!
Michelle Wong came out of the gate, letting everyone know she is here to shake things up in the fantasy realm. I will definitely recommend to my fantasy friends. She did an amazing job bringing the characters to life quickly. I was immediately invested in the characters - especially her relationship with her mom.
There was such a power dynamic amongst the characters - from the poor that could barely survive, to the rich that have more than they ever needed and often wasted what they had. She went from the bottom to top overnight and it broke her a little bit.
I had to stop reading a few times because I felt a bit too sad to continue. There were so many tough decisions to be made. She made me think about even in tough circumstances you can still do good and make decisions that will be kind for other people. She fell in love with a god.
Michelle Wong came out of the gate, letting everyone know she is here to shake things up in the fantasy realm. I will definitely recommend to my fantasy friends. She did an amazing job bringing the characters to life quickly. I was immediately invested in the characters - especially her relationship with her mom.
There was such a power dynamic amongst the characters - from the poor that could barely survive, to the rich that have more than they ever needed and often wasted what they had. She went from the bottom to top overnight and it broke her a little bit.
I had to stop reading a few times because I felt a bit too sad to continue. There were so many tough decisions to be made. She made me think about even in tough circumstances you can still do good and make decisions that will be kind for other people. She fell in love with a god.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Abandonment
dark
emotional
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley
“It hurt so much, and I wanted the pain to end. But more than that, I wanted someone else to pay for it.”
this book opens up with alma being only 11 year old, living in immense poverty, trying to help take care of her sick mother, and she only has her imaginary prince friend to keep her company. but her father is a powerful aristocrat, who had alma out of wedlock, and agrees to help her and her mother, as long as she comes and lives with him. in this part of the world, there are four houses, with four gods, that people worship and give their prayers to. and alma is whisked away by her father, and brought into this world and his house of the beast, where she is offered up to his god at a sacred temple. and that is the start of alma’s eight year journey of revenge against her father and this family, and alongside her is the imaginary prince, who maybe isn’t as imaginary as alma originally believed.
i don’t want to say anything else, and maybe even that opener is a little more than you needed, but i really enjoyed this debut with my whole heart. i loved the discussions of power, and the cost of power, and how some people are really willing to pay anything. i really respected the themes of abuse and revenge and how those two things can shape us, in so many different ways - especially with the depictions of different types of manipulation throughout this story. and i was really moved by the reminder that we will always be so much more than a vessel for someone else.
also, the author is an illustrator, and oh my gosh the illustrations throughout this are just perfection and add so much to this dark powerful tale.
trigger + content warnings: sick mother, loss of mother, grief, abuse, gore, blood, forced amputation, violence, drugging, child sacrifice, abandonment, killing of animal (bird) in past, manipulation, grooming, power imbalances, spiders, attempted forced surgery, battle, vomit, death, murder
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Overall Vibes: Eldritch Fantasy
Hot Sauce Scale: 1 (Nothing beyond kissing)
Quick thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for providing me an ARC so I could review it.
House of the Beast is my first 5-star rating for 2025. I am shocked, shocked this is the author's debut novel! There is such an intricately crafted world here. At the end of the book, I wanted to know more about the setting beyond what was presented in the narration. There's room here for the author to craft more stories in this world that they have created, and I am all for it! I want to see more!
If you took Lovecraftian horror nightmare creatures and shoved them into a fantasy setting, you'd basically have the kingdom of Kugara. An isolated peninsula kingdom that worships four elder gods. Elder gods are a way of life for the people here, and it's got kind of messed-up vibes. The devout followers of the Beast, one of the Four, in House Avera cut off their arm as sacrifice in order to tap into his bloodlust. While it is not overtly spelled out, it is implied that the other gods also take from their vessels: sight, emotion, and soul. So, yeah, screwed-up little society going on worshiping these eldritch abominations.
Above the capital of Kugara is a "heavenly" gate from which the gods descended. On the other side of the gate, there are horrible tentacle-y monsters and lesser god-adjacent beings also desiring to feast on humanity. The Four don't want to share their little buffet-o-humans, so they choose vessels that must venture into the gate and clean up when something inside gets a little too powerful.
The FMC, Alma, is the daughter of a vessel of the Beast. She chooses to leave her home and her dying mother after her estranged father promises medical care if she comes with House Avera and offers herself as a vessel. House Avera is having a bunch of internal ~~Family Drama~~ over succession. Alma is seen as a pawn of her father and is not welcomed inside the main estate since she was the product of his affair. But, hey, she's got this super cool "imaginary friend" that's totally just her elder god talking to her and leading her down the path to get revenge on those who have wronged her. The countdown until the next time the gate opens starts, and Alma is planning to shake things up with her elder god buddy.
One of the major tags on this is "Romance." Yes, there are some romantic inclinations going on, but they do not dominate the story. There is no lewd content, there are no sex scenes, the most we get is a kiss. If you're looking for the more "hardcore" romantasy tropes, you won't be finding them here. I think writing this off as just a Romantasy is doing a disservice to the incredible amount of worldbuilding that the author has done.
Hot Sauce Scale: 1 (Nothing beyond kissing)
Quick thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for providing me an ARC so I could review it.
House of the Beast is my first 5-star rating for 2025. I am shocked, shocked this is the author's debut novel! There is such an intricately crafted world here. At the end of the book, I wanted to know more about the setting beyond what was presented in the narration. There's room here for the author to craft more stories in this world that they have created, and I am all for it! I want to see more!
If you took Lovecraftian horror nightmare creatures and shoved them into a fantasy setting, you'd basically have the kingdom of Kugara. An isolated peninsula kingdom that worships four elder gods. Elder gods are a way of life for the people here, and it's got kind of messed-up vibes. The devout followers of the Beast, one of the Four, in House Avera cut off their arm as sacrifice in order to tap into his bloodlust. While it is not overtly spelled out, it is implied that the other gods also take from their vessels: sight, emotion, and soul. So, yeah, screwed-up little society going on worshiping these eldritch abominations.
Above the capital of Kugara is a "heavenly" gate from which the gods descended. On the other side of the gate, there are horrible tentacle-y monsters and lesser god-adjacent beings also desiring to feast on humanity. The Four don't want to share their little buffet-o-humans, so they choose vessels that must venture into the gate and clean up when something inside gets a little too powerful.
The FMC, Alma, is the daughter of a vessel of the Beast. She chooses to leave her home and her dying mother after her estranged father promises medical care if she comes with House Avera and offers herself as a vessel. House Avera is having a bunch of internal ~~Family Drama~~ over succession. Alma is seen as a pawn of her father and is not welcomed inside the main estate since she was the product of his affair. But, hey, she's got this super cool "imaginary friend" that's totally just her elder god talking to her and leading her down the path to get revenge on those who have wronged her. The countdown until the next time the gate opens starts, and Alma is planning to shake things up with her elder god buddy.
One of the major tags on this is "Romance." Yes, there are some romantic inclinations going on, but they do not dominate the story. There is no lewd content, there are no sex scenes, the most we get is a kiss. If you're looking for the more "hardcore" romantasy tropes, you won't be finding them here. I think writing this off as just a Romantasy is doing a disservice to the incredible amount of worldbuilding that the author has done.
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
If you start this book, it will be your experience, your world will be consumed by it.
Prepare in advance with water, something good to drink and a hydration drink.
Snacks are good. Preferably a premade meal or sandwich you can grab without putting the book down. I was not prepared! I went into this blind. I didn't want anyone else's experience to sway mine. Heed my warning or don't, free will. (More? Ok)
I don't even know what to say. This world is insane! Morally gray characters? Try black as sin. Monsters inside and out. The only difference is, it's harder to tell on this side of the gate.
I don't even know what to say. This world is insane! Morally gray characters? Try black as sin. Monsters inside and out. The only difference is, it's harder to tell on this side of the gate.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Blood, Abandonment
Minor: Child death, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Religious bigotry, Classism
dark
emotional
medium-paced
I had a really hard time getting into this book. The beginning was confusing, and it took me a while to get any sense of the world or where the story was going. The writing opens with a bang—violent, raw—but the perspective is that of an 11-year-old girl, and it leans very heavily into childhood fears. The tone felt surprisingly YA to me—not just because of the protagonist’s age in the early chapters, but in the overall voice. Especially toward the beginning, it felt very young and lacked concreteness, which made it even harder for me to visualize the world. Everything was darkness, dread, and trauma, but without much shape or structure.
But somewhere around the halfway mark, it clicked.
This story is set in a brutal, religion-obsessed kingdom where different noble houses gain their power through divine favor—and horrifying sacrifices. One of the most disturbing early moments involves the protagonist, Alma, losing her arm as an offering to the god her house worships. That moment stuck with me—it’s gruesome and shocking, but also emotionally important. Alma is used by her father, rejected by her family, and essentially groomed as a vessel for divine power. And even though she’s technically 19 later in the story, she still feels emotionally stunted—like she’s stuck in that rejected child version of herself.
There’s also this layered, fascinating, and deeply toxic relationship between Alma and the god she’s bonded to—Aster, or “the Beast.” On one level, he gives her everything she’s desperate for: love, attention, purpose. On another, it becomes clear he’s likely using her to enact some long-held vengeance. I kept wondering: what happens if Alma doesn’t want to go along with his plans anymore? Would he retaliate? Could she even say no? It’s a dynamic that feels both beautiful and disturbing.
And then there’s the world itself. It’s like Stranger Things in some ways—there’s a parallel plane full of gods, monsters, and literal nightmares that can physically hurt you. Once the story really leans into that concept, the visuals get much stronger, and everything starts to feel more grounded and vivid. It’s definitely stronger in the second half. The revenge arc, the monster-plane, the emotional unraveling—it all escalated in a way that finally pulled me in.
I also need to shout out the physical edition: the illustrations are gorgeous. I believe the author is an illustrator, and it shows. The sketches of creatures, gods, and scenes from the book genuinely enhanced my reading experience—especially in the ending, where one visual broke me. The story made me cry, and the illustration right after that moment? Devastating.
What I didn’t love:
• The tone is hard to pin down—gruesome and visceral one minute, then strangely childlike the next.
• The worldbuilding is initially murky and overwhelming. You are just tossed into the dark.
• Some naming choices (like calling one creation “the Tinker Thing”) felt underbaked or overly juvenile.
• There’s a weird suggestion that a modern world exists outside the kingdom (references to things like television or radio), but it’s never fully explained or integrated into the plot.
What I did love:
• A fresh take on divine-magic fantasy rooted in religion, sacrifice, and emotional need.
• The heroine isn’t a warrior or a badass in the traditional sense. She’s vulnerable, confused, desperate for love—and that felt painfully real.
• The illustrations and physical edition are truly special.
• A fantasy world like nothing I’ve read before—strange, dark, and unforgettable.
If you like your fantasy emotionally messy, god-soaked, and full of psychological horror and heartbreak, I’d say pick this one up—physically. It may take a while to settle into the world, but if you stick with it, it becomes something darkly beautiful.
Overall rating: ★★★½
Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
But somewhere around the halfway mark, it clicked.
This story is set in a brutal, religion-obsessed kingdom where different noble houses gain their power through divine favor—and horrifying sacrifices. One of the most disturbing early moments involves the protagonist, Alma, losing her arm as an offering to the god her house worships. That moment stuck with me—it’s gruesome and shocking, but also emotionally important. Alma is used by her father, rejected by her family, and essentially groomed as a vessel for divine power. And even though she’s technically 19 later in the story, she still feels emotionally stunted—like she’s stuck in that rejected child version of herself.
There’s also this layered, fascinating, and deeply toxic relationship between Alma and the god she’s bonded to—Aster, or “the Beast.” On one level, he gives her everything she’s desperate for: love, attention, purpose. On another, it becomes clear he’s likely using her to enact some long-held vengeance. I kept wondering: what happens if Alma doesn’t want to go along with his plans anymore? Would he retaliate? Could she even say no? It’s a dynamic that feels both beautiful and disturbing.
And then there’s the world itself. It’s like Stranger Things in some ways—there’s a parallel plane full of gods, monsters, and literal nightmares that can physically hurt you. Once the story really leans into that concept, the visuals get much stronger, and everything starts to feel more grounded and vivid. It’s definitely stronger in the second half. The revenge arc, the monster-plane, the emotional unraveling—it all escalated in a way that finally pulled me in.
I also need to shout out the physical edition: the illustrations are gorgeous. I believe the author is an illustrator, and it shows. The sketches of creatures, gods, and scenes from the book genuinely enhanced my reading experience—especially in the ending, where one visual broke me. The story made me cry, and the illustration right after that moment? Devastating.
What I didn’t love:
• The tone is hard to pin down—gruesome and visceral one minute, then strangely childlike the next.
• The worldbuilding is initially murky and overwhelming. You are just tossed into the dark.
• Some naming choices (like calling one creation “the Tinker Thing”) felt underbaked or overly juvenile.
• There’s a weird suggestion that a modern world exists outside the kingdom (references to things like television or radio), but it’s never fully explained or integrated into the plot.
What I did love:
• A fresh take on divine-magic fantasy rooted in religion, sacrifice, and emotional need.
• The heroine isn’t a warrior or a badass in the traditional sense. She’s vulnerable, confused, desperate for love—and that felt painfully real.
• The illustrations and physical edition are truly special.
• A fantasy world like nothing I’ve read before—strange, dark, and unforgettable.
If you like your fantasy emotionally messy, god-soaked, and full of psychological horror and heartbreak, I’d say pick this one up—physically. It may take a while to settle into the world, but if you stick with it, it becomes something darkly beautiful.
Overall rating: ★★★½
Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
I was drawn to this book by the beautiful art I’ve seen leading up to its release. Good character art will get me every time. It led me to such a good book! This fantasy book was set in a world with a very unique religious system. In sacrifice to whichever god, the devotee offers a part of themselves. Literally. That in itself was so gruesome and interesting. These “vessels” are high-ranking individuals from noble families. With the brutal nature of what it took to be revered, it’s no wonder that the court politics were just as brutal.
Our main character, Alma, was not raised among the nobles. She lived far from them with her mother. When her mother fell ill, she took matters into her own hands. This led to her own sacrifice to a god. Through all of her trials in her new life, reminders of her mother carried her through. There were so many examples of the enduring power of love in this book. Alma and her mother were just one of them.
Alma often found herself on the outside of society. In her loneliest moment is where she discovered Aster, the prince of the stars. They were each other’s guiding light and closest friend. He encouraged Alma when she felt weak and supported her ambitions. He even loved her monstrous parts. Without spoiling anything, I love how the conflict was resolved. It truly was the only way it could have been! No matter how much it hurt.
The audiobook was a great way to experience this book. The production was high quality and easy to follow. Even with the different terms and places mentioned, I did not find myself confused. I highly recommend this book!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
House of the Beast is written by Michelle Wong, acclaimed graphic artist of the Legends of Korra graphic novels (which I know well, because my daughter is obsessed and made me buy them all for her). Michelle’s art is breathtaking but so is her debut novel and as excited as I was to receive this ALC, I was equally nervous that it would be a train wreck, and I have never been so happy to be completely wrong! This book is a work of art all its own. (Full Disclosure: After I finished listening to this I subscribed to Goldstone’s GSFF book sub just to get the gorgeous special edition because this book is a keeper!)
The audiobook is published by HarperAudio and will be available on August 5, 2025. It is narrated by Jeanne Syquia, and while I am not familiar with her other work, I love what she did with this and will happily listen to more. She brought these characters to life and did their unique voices justice in a way I don’t think many others could have because these characters are so varied in their mannerisms, many are men, some are gods…and it’s absolutely perfect. She is not just narrating the story, it’s almost like she’s living the characters like an excellent actor would. You hear the compassion, the anger, the rage, the sorrow; every emotional sentence of this book is dripping with the authentic emotion you read on the page and its breathtaking.
You all know by now that I am picky about narration and distinct voices, and now there is a new bar for narrators to meet – can they make the emotions and characters as authentic as real people the way Jeanne Syquia did? Can I feel what they feel while I’m listening? As much as I love other books and certain narrators, even that full cast narration stuff, this was so much better.
In our story we follow Alma who lives in poverty with her mother. Because her parents are not married, Alma and her mother are generally shunned by society. This is typical mistreatment of people who are different and whose families are non-traditional. You see this going all the way back to ancient plays and historical writings right through today, because sadly it’s still an issue. It is done well here, because it portrays the harshness of it when Alma’s mother becomes deathly ill and no one can cure her. They suggest she goes to the some elite healers, but that doesn’t pan out. Then magically, her father shows up. She begs him, literally begs him, to save her mother. She’ll do whatever he wants if he will promise to do this. He wants her to come with him and become a part of his house, who worships “The Beast,” make a sacrifice and become part of his world. She agrees only because he promises to save her mother. This is a tragic dark fantasy, so how do you think that went?
Alma’s father takes her to their temple and severs her arm as an offering to their god, the beast. He takes her into his home and sends her to classes, but again she is “the bastard daughter of Xander.” She is treated badly by family, staff, guards, and every time she seems to do well, she is cut off from whomever was helping her get there. Eventually she is basically left to her own devices for education and training. Her father “trains” her, but she feigns ineptitude to a certain degree so that he does not realize how powerful she has become. This is due to the fact that her imaginary friend, Astor, who she thought she made up for herself when she was a child, as appeared. No one else can see him or hear him but her, but now she can feel him. She can interact with him in ways that break all the invisible friend rules. Astor reveals that he is the beast and has been with her all her life. That he chooses her and is here to help her become the hand to the beast which is what her father is after, though, her father wants to be a god.
I feel like I have already given away too much and I didn’t even get tot the cousin or his “girlfriend” or the stepmother yet. Eventually, Alma is betrayed in pretty much every way you possibly can be and she endures. This story is fast paced. Beautiful, tragic and the makings of a classic book I think people will be recommending for a very long time. This is not a romantacy, though there is romance here, the fantasy, the journey of the tragic hero, the fight against evil, these are all things that are far more important. The romance is a nice diversion now and then. It adds confusion, tension, longing, fear and so much more, but it is not the focus of our story. Really, its about a corrupt father and his daughter who is capable of so much more than he ever imagined. This is Alma’s story and I beg you to read it (after you check trigger warnings of course).
This is a standalone, so there’s no need to worry about a cliffhanger and having to wait forever for the next book. I am anxiously waiting for Michelle Wong’s next book though because writers usually get better as time goes on, and starting at this level means we should be in for some amazing story telling in the future.
I would like to thank HarperAudio for trusting me with another one of their audiobooks though NetGalley. I truly appreciate the opportunity to review amazing books like this. All opinions are my own, and as usual, if I don’t like a book you will definitely know it.
Overall Rating 6 Stars (a first for me).
The audiobook is published by HarperAudio and will be available on August 5, 2025. It is narrated by Jeanne Syquia, and while I am not familiar with her other work, I love what she did with this and will happily listen to more. She brought these characters to life and did their unique voices justice in a way I don’t think many others could have because these characters are so varied in their mannerisms, many are men, some are gods…and it’s absolutely perfect. She is not just narrating the story, it’s almost like she’s living the characters like an excellent actor would. You hear the compassion, the anger, the rage, the sorrow; every emotional sentence of this book is dripping with the authentic emotion you read on the page and its breathtaking.
You all know by now that I am picky about narration and distinct voices, and now there is a new bar for narrators to meet – can they make the emotions and characters as authentic as real people the way Jeanne Syquia did? Can I feel what they feel while I’m listening? As much as I love other books and certain narrators, even that full cast narration stuff, this was so much better.
In our story we follow Alma who lives in poverty with her mother. Because her parents are not married, Alma and her mother are generally shunned by society. This is typical mistreatment of people who are different and whose families are non-traditional. You see this going all the way back to ancient plays and historical writings right through today, because sadly it’s still an issue. It is done well here, because it portrays the harshness of it when Alma’s mother becomes deathly ill and no one can cure her. They suggest she goes to the some elite healers, but that doesn’t pan out. Then magically, her father shows up. She begs him, literally begs him, to save her mother. She’ll do whatever he wants if he will promise to do this. He wants her to come with him and become a part of his house, who worships “The Beast,” make a sacrifice and become part of his world. She agrees only because he promises to save her mother. This is a tragic dark fantasy, so how do you think that went?
Alma’s father takes her to their temple and severs her arm as an offering to their god, the beast. He takes her into his home and sends her to classes, but again she is “the bastard daughter of Xander.” She is treated badly by family, staff, guards, and every time she seems to do well, she is cut off from whomever was helping her get there. Eventually she is basically left to her own devices for education and training. Her father “trains” her, but she feigns ineptitude to a certain degree so that he does not realize how powerful she has become. This is due to the fact that her imaginary friend, Astor, who she thought she made up for herself when she was a child, as appeared. No one else can see him or hear him but her, but now she can feel him. She can interact with him in ways that break all the invisible friend rules. Astor reveals that he is the beast and has been with her all her life. That he chooses her and is here to help her become the hand to the beast which is what her father is after, though, her father wants to be a god.
I feel like I have already given away too much and I didn’t even get tot the cousin or his “girlfriend” or the stepmother yet. Eventually, Alma is betrayed in pretty much every way you possibly can be and she endures. This story is fast paced. Beautiful, tragic and the makings of a classic book I think people will be recommending for a very long time. This is not a romantacy, though there is romance here, the fantasy, the journey of the tragic hero, the fight against evil, these are all things that are far more important. The romance is a nice diversion now and then. It adds confusion, tension, longing, fear and so much more, but it is not the focus of our story. Really, its about a corrupt father and his daughter who is capable of so much more than he ever imagined. This is Alma’s story and I beg you to read it (after you check trigger warnings of course).
This is a standalone, so there’s no need to worry about a cliffhanger and having to wait forever for the next book. I am anxiously waiting for Michelle Wong’s next book though because writers usually get better as time goes on, and starting at this level means we should be in for some amazing story telling in the future.
I would like to thank HarperAudio for trusting me with another one of their audiobooks though NetGalley. I truly appreciate the opportunity to review amazing books like this. All opinions are my own, and as usual, if I don’t like a book you will definitely know it.
Overall Rating 6 Stars (a first for me).
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes