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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I just love when a story promises to be dark and broody and really pays that off without caring about a keeping a character morally pure. In this story we really get to see the forces of darkness and light vying for dominance within Alma. Her motivations make sense and her relationship with Aster is deliciously complex. The vows of vengeance that Alma and Aster make get paid off in a way that keeps the stakes very high throughout the story. I had a great time. This gave me a similar feel to The Bone Witch Trilogy even though the stories are very different.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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:
Yes
Where do I even start? You meet Alma as a small child, get some background knowledge on her and then leap a few years to her present self. She is now accustomed to life as the outcast family member to a noble family. You learn as she does the dark truth to what she thought was real and find some unexpected companions along the way. While my review makes it seem bright and happy this book is definitely not. Be ready for some dark and gruesome stuff because this book full of it (but in the best way possible right?).
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
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:
Yes
This is hands-down the most emotionally gripping book I have read so far this 2025. I finished this book at 8:45pm, stayed up until 2:00am just thinking about it, and the next day I found myself making playlists and edits, which I have not done in probably 6 years?!
House of the Beast may be relatively simple and flawed in its construction, but it definitely hit the mark for me on emotional resonance and vivid scenes that light up the imagination.
This book is being marketed as adult, most likely due to its level of violence... but in style, voice, and exploration of theme it is definitely better described as YA (this is not a put down or criticism). The relationship in the book also has a very “childhood first love” feel to it, so probably not what you’d be looking for from an adult romance either. I feel like it would have been perfect for me at age 15.
I've come to realise that a huge factor in my enjoyment of this book is that it clearly jumps off from 2000s-2010s anime/manga character archetypes and plot construction. A lot of things in this novel worked for me because of my being an avid fan of anime/manga from my childhood until my 20s. I can see why it would fall flat if you can't buy into the ways the characters are drawn and what they are to each other.
Personally I loved Alma and her companion god Aster. To me they are set up excellently as yin/yang foils, with the trajectory of their relationship flowing very organically, if not without tension. Throughout the novel, we see Alma grapple with how far she’s willing to go for the revenge she and Aster have nurtured together throughout her childhood,begin to explore other ways of seeing the world, and come into her own with dignity and strength. For his part, Aster is charming, friendly, and caring towards Alma, but also cruel and vicious by nature. One thing I really enjoyed was that Aster's character feels vibrant and yet also fey and distant — you never forget that he’s not human. I don't often get invested in romance plotlines, much less straight YA M/F ones, but this one really moved me... especially with its tragic ending.
As much as I loved the story, it definitely has gaps in construction. Much of the world-building, magic system, and political intrigues are hand-wavey and vague; they are mainly set dressing for the central character arcs and relationship dynamic. There are some things that I thought we really needed a better explanation for that the book just skates over (although I thought all the scenes exploring the Avera family's powers and Aster's godhood were METAL as HELL!).
The story plays with a lot of common tropes and is fairly predictable: a sullen, unfriendly main character who gradually opens up; having to face a series of trials; an evil dad and a dead mom; different factions characterised by one main trait or skill, etc. It is not really a complex book — not a lot of subtext or layers. A lot is very telegraphed and the prose tends to overexplain itself. I pieced together most of the twists between the 60-70% mark. Still, being able to predict the story didn't diminish how much I was emotionally affected by it. And honestly the big twist makes how characters thought and behaved previously make more sense.
The prose is also underdeveloped, starting off decent but losing steam and awkwardly mixing contemporary, even casual phrases with more affected fantasy-style narration. The narrative voice definitely skews young and emotional, which is not a flaw per se but may not be everyone's cup of tea.
If I were to review this book more objectively, it is probably a 3.75... but the enjoyment, immersion, and sheer staying power of the story for me brings it up to 4.25.
I leave you guys with this as final credits music for this book: https://youtu.be/Ya0DvyGfzkk?si=4f4OBd-BTjQQK2gy
House of the Beast may be relatively simple and flawed in its construction, but it definitely hit the mark for me on emotional resonance and vivid scenes that light up the imagination.
This book is being marketed as adult, most likely due to its level of violence... but in style, voice, and exploration of theme it is definitely better described as YA (this is not a put down or criticism). The relationship in the book also has a very “childhood first love” feel to it, so probably not what you’d be looking for from an adult romance either. I feel like it would have been perfect for me at age 15.
I've come to realise that a huge factor in my enjoyment of this book is that it clearly jumps off from 2000s-2010s anime/manga character archetypes and plot construction. A lot of things in this novel worked for me because of my being an avid fan of anime/manga from my childhood until my 20s. I can see why it would fall flat if you can't buy into the ways the characters are drawn and what they are to each other.
Personally I loved Alma and her companion god Aster. To me they are set up excellently as yin/yang foils, with the trajectory of their relationship flowing very organically, if not without tension. Throughout the novel, we see Alma grapple with how far she’s willing to go for the revenge she and Aster have nurtured together throughout her childhood,
As much as I loved the story, it definitely has gaps in construction. Much of the world-building, magic system, and political intrigues are hand-wavey and vague; they are mainly set dressing for the central character arcs and relationship dynamic. There are some things that I thought we really needed a better explanation for that the book just skates over (although I thought all the scenes exploring the Avera family's powers and Aster's godhood were METAL as HELL!).
The story plays with a lot of common tropes and is fairly predictable: a sullen, unfriendly main character who gradually opens up; having to face a series of trials; an evil dad and a dead mom; different factions characterised by one main trait or skill, etc. It is not really a complex book — not a lot of subtext or layers. A lot is very telegraphed and the prose tends to overexplain itself. I pieced together most of the twists between the 60-70% mark. Still, being able to predict the story didn't diminish how much I was emotionally affected by it. And honestly the big twist makes how characters thought and behaved previously make more sense.
The prose is also underdeveloped, starting off decent but losing steam and awkwardly mixing contemporary, even casual phrases with more affected fantasy-style narration. The narrative voice definitely skews young and emotional, which is not a flaw per se but may not be everyone's cup of tea.
If I were to review this book more objectively, it is probably a 3.75... but the enjoyment, immersion, and sheer staying power of the story for me brings it up to 4.25.
I leave you guys with this as final credits music for this book: https://youtu.be/Ya0DvyGfzkk?si=4f4OBd-BTjQQK2gy
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Mental illness, Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse
it was great… until it wasnt😭
Taken away by her absent father while he’s letting her mom die, Alma wanted revenge. Her father is controlling her, but he doesn't know that Alma is hiding a secret from him: she has a god on her side all the time, a monster who's been taking care of her after grief consumed her. He's taking form of a charming boy with starlit hair, and she's the only one who can see him. he feed her ideas to plot her revenge, help her excel in her training, and convinced her to compete for the position of first hand of the beast herself, instead of being the second hand like her father had planned.
I loved Alma & Aster’s dynamic even though sometimes I felt uneasy about it. Their power imbalance is clear as day. I understand why Alma caught feelings, but if they really "happened" i would not know what to feel. Thank god Alma is very strong willed... and now I'm rambling. Anyway.
Slowly Aster’s destructive nature affected her and she’s scared to lose her good conscience. She’s trying to cling to it and sometimes it angered Aster. Cue power imbalance, Alma was always at his mercy. Good thing he at least care for her too so he’s not totally exploiting her.
And this internal turmoil frustrated me. At 75%-ish mark there’s something happened that confounded me so bad I wanted to grab both of her arms and shook her. Part of me understood where her action's coming from but part of me was like ok you’re acting weird WHERE DID YOUR AMBITIONS GO??? No wonder Aster got frustrated and left her for a while.
I'm glad the author didn't follow the romance arc because I think Alma & Aster's arc is perfect as is, i have no complaints. It's bittersweet, made me ache just so but didn’t completely devastated me. Thank god. I don't think I could handle emotional devastation at this moment.
All in all it was a fantastic debut but the plot progression needed some polishing. I do sense the loose inspirations from Avatar since the author is one of the illustrator for Avatar Korra Comics, which makes this book felt fresh but familiar. Gotta mention that she illustrated this book to!! I will never not in awe of author+artist combo. The sheer talent!
This also reminded me of Breath of the Dragon from the way Alma forged a path for herself despite everyone's opposing her, her selfish goal, losing the only person who’s dear to her. And the godly stuff reminded me of The Raven Scholar somehow. I enjoyed this! I will definitely seated if the author decided to write a sequel.
I loved the audiobook. I've never listened to audiobooks by Jeanne Syquia before but she did a fantastic job narrating this book. This book was more enjoyable for me because of her performance.
Taken away by her absent father while he’s letting her mom die, Alma wanted revenge. Her father is controlling her, but he doesn't know that Alma is hiding a secret from him: she has a god on her side all the time, a monster who's been taking care of her after grief consumed her. He's taking form of a charming boy with starlit hair, and she's the only one who can see him. he feed her ideas to plot her revenge, help her excel in her training, and convinced her to compete for the position of first hand of the beast herself, instead of being the second hand like her father had planned.
I loved Alma & Aster’s dynamic even though sometimes I felt uneasy about it. Their power imbalance is clear as day. I understand why Alma caught feelings, but if they really "happened" i would not know what to feel. Thank god Alma is very strong willed... and now I'm rambling. Anyway.
Slowly Aster’s destructive nature affected her and she’s scared to lose her good conscience. She’s trying to cling to it and sometimes it angered Aster. Cue power imbalance, Alma was always at his mercy. Good thing he at least care for her too so he’s not totally exploiting her.
And this internal turmoil frustrated me. At 75%-ish mark there’s something happened that confounded me so bad I wanted to grab both of her arms and shook her. Part of me understood where her action's coming from but part of me was like ok you’re acting weird WHERE DID YOUR AMBITIONS GO??? No wonder Aster got frustrated and left her for a while.
I'm glad the author didn't follow the romance arc because I think Alma & Aster's arc is perfect as is, i have no complaints. It's bittersweet, made me ache just so but didn’t completely devastated me. Thank god. I don't think I could handle emotional devastation at this moment.
All in all it was a fantastic debut but the plot progression needed some polishing. I do sense the loose inspirations from Avatar since the author is one of the illustrator for Avatar Korra Comics, which makes this book felt fresh but familiar. Gotta mention that she illustrated this book to!! I will never not in awe of author+artist combo. The sheer talent!
This also reminded me of Breath of the Dragon from the way Alma forged a path for herself despite everyone's opposing her, her selfish goal, losing the only person who’s dear to her. And the godly stuff reminded me of The Raven Scholar somehow. I enjoyed this! I will definitely seated if the author decided to write a sequel.
I loved the audiobook. I've never listened to audiobooks by Jeanne Syquia before but she did a fantastic job narrating this book. This book was more enjoyable for me because of her performance.
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a pretty solid dark fantasy story over all, but didn’t live up to how excited I was for it for a couple reasons. To start with what I enjoyed, I liked the world building a lot—it was all so interesting, and incorporated the horror elements in a really fun way for me! I also personally enjoyed the slower pacing, though that could be negative for some people, and liked Alma’s character growth and her bonds with the other characters. The ending did make me emotional at times too! This was a very atmospheric read and, as I said, pretty solid.
I think the biggest reason that it didn’t quite work for me was just because of my own expectations; I assumed for whatever reason that the book was going to really be a game of cat and mouse between Alma and Aster as they both try and use and manipulate each other, but their deal at the beginning really just leads to friendship tinged with romantic feelings. This isn’t a flaw of the book or anything, but I definitely had to reshuffle my expectations a lot, and think I would’ve enjoyed the former more. On a similar note, the story is moreso about Alma coming into her own agency and making her own decisions over time (though she is driven by her desire for revenge from the beginning), which again is fine, but I tend to enjoy protagonists who are super driven and active from the very start. I also just really didn’t care about Alma and Aster’s relationship, platonically or romantically. Not sure why it just didn’t click for me, aside from the fact that the majority of it is really established in a time jump and we don’t actually get a lot of the development on-page. I also just didn’t find Aster to be an especially interesting character even though he really could’ve been. On the note of all of those critiques,I REALLY wanted Alma to be way angrier at the end when Aster literally uses her body to kill her allies and takes control completely away from her. Like she’s angry for a bit and then it feels like that totally deflates when she understands his sad backstory (which I also just didn’t care about, sorry) but that is such a huge violation. While I think the arc of her coming to make her own choices and actually forming bonds with the people around her is a good and compelling one, I just kinda wish she had more agency, more anger, and honestly was a little bit worse? To be clear this is less of a real critique of the book and moreso just explaining why I didn’t end up loving it, but I wish the tone was darker over all—as I said above, I thought it was going to focus more on the controlling and manipulative aspects of Alma and Aster’s relationship, and there were times where we touched on that, but the whole thing just felt, like, sweeter and simpler than I wanted it to. I left a note in like the first 250 pages that I was liking the book but that I wanted her to kill and eat him at the end when he would betray her (hyperbole) so I think that captures the kind of dynamic and arc I really wanted from this story, and it was just really doing something different. Again, that’s fine, just not exactly what I wanted. on the note of things feeling a little simple, this read at times like a YA book more than an adult one despite the gothic and horror elements. At times I liked that Alma genuinely felt like a 19 year old struggling with her place in the world and her feelings, but the character dynamics and lack of more depth to the politics of the world weren’t necessarily what I’m looking for in an adult fantasy. At times it even felt like the book was shying away from the darker themes it was setting up and could’ve leaned more fully into the horror realm in tone (though I did appreciate all the monsters and bloody swordfights and eldritch beasts) and especially the messiness, complexities, and dark sides of its relationships.
On the whole I think this ultimately is a good fantasy standalone and I might check out more of Wong’s work in the future! Just that it wasn’t a perfect fit for my personal taste/inaccurate expectations.
I think the biggest reason that it didn’t quite work for me was just because of my own expectations; I assumed for whatever reason that the book was going to really be a game of cat and mouse between Alma and Aster as they both try and use and manipulate each other, but their deal at the beginning really just leads to friendship tinged with romantic feelings. This isn’t a flaw of the book or anything, but I definitely had to reshuffle my expectations a lot, and think I would’ve enjoyed the former more. On a similar note, the story is moreso about Alma coming into her own agency and making her own decisions over time (though she is driven by her desire for revenge from the beginning), which again is fine, but I tend to enjoy protagonists who are super driven and active from the very start. I also just really didn’t care about Alma and Aster’s relationship, platonically or romantically. Not sure why it just didn’t click for me, aside from the fact that the majority of it is really established in a time jump and we don’t actually get a lot of the development on-page. I also just didn’t find Aster to be an especially interesting character even though he really could’ve been. On the note of all of those critiques,
On the whole I think this ultimately is a good fantasy standalone and I might check out more of Wong’s work in the future! Just that it wasn’t a perfect fit for my personal taste/inaccurate expectations.
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was very slow and the characters weren’t very interesting. Everyone hated Alma, and I prefer more nuance. Maybe that would come later in the book, but there wasn’t enough action to keep me invested that long.
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes