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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
This is a debut novel?! Wow! I’m so impressed with this world building and story. I was drawn in from the very first chapter. The lovely illustrations were a treat too!
Only thing I’ll point out is it’s very light on the “romance” this focuses more on revenge on her father. There is some pining, which is very cute but that’s not the main story. Lots of “it can’t be you” vibes.
Thank you NetGalley for gifting me this ARC for an honest review.
Only thing I’ll point out is it’s very light on the “romance” this focuses more on revenge on her father. There is some pining, which is very cute but that’s not the main story. Lots of “it can’t be you” vibes.
Thank you NetGalley for gifting me this ARC for an honest review.
Wong’s illustrations are beautiful in the physical edition, and the narrator was a great choice in the audiobook (I switched between the two).
Wong shines most strongly in writing action sequences and making illustrations. The plot wasn’t particularly unique, but I’m also not going to fault it that. My main criticism is with the painfully generic protagonist, antagonist, and character motivations. The prose and the internal monologue did little to compel me further, and it left me feeling bored until the pacing and the action scenes picked up in the later half.
Ultimately I feel like this was out of line expectations on my part. It reads like a young adult fantasy story, and should absolutely be marketed as such. I wouldn’t choose to read it, nor would I recommend for other adults well versed in fantasy, but I think it would be more compelling to teenagers.
Wong shines most strongly in writing action sequences and making illustrations. The plot wasn’t particularly unique, but I’m also not going to fault it that. My main criticism is with the painfully generic protagonist, antagonist, and character motivations. The prose and the internal monologue did little to compel me further, and it left me feeling bored until the pacing and the action scenes picked up in the later half.
Ultimately I feel like this was out of line expectations on my part. It reads like a young adult fantasy story, and should absolutely be marketed as such. I wouldn’t choose to read it, nor would I recommend for other adults well versed in fantasy, but I think it would be more compelling to teenagers.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I keep finding comfort in these sad books and I don't know what that says about me but let's just move on. This was so good. Reminded me a little of Full metal Alchemist. I love a good revenge story especially when the one seeking revenge is a women. But although the main focus of this plot was one of revenge and gods and battles. At its core it is simply about a girl (Alma) who is lonely. Alma is raised by her single loving mother and never knew her father until her one day her mom gets sick. Her father offers to provide the care her mother needs on the condition she comes with him. Alma always longed for a friend and she gets that in Aster. One of the four elder gods who seems to be the manifestation of her childhood imaginary friend. And so begins Alma and Asters journey of revenge against her father.
Also I want to point out to anyone going into this thinking this is a romance and only going in for that. It's not. It's not romantic, that was not the point of this book at all so make of that what you will.
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The way of story telling wasn't for me. The way it is written sounds like reminiscing and her telling the story verbally to others (think Forest Gump to the lady on the bench). It made the story harder for me to actually enjoy. The story line itself was unique dark and entertaining with the tricky Gods and then being their mortal bodies to speak through. I love the female rage of the main chatacter and her growth despite her hardships is very capable and actually has thought out plans. The magic and the gods are well explained along with the divide between courts. It's an interesting standalone especially with her being an artist and illustrating scenes within the story which I absolutely loved!
Thank you Netgalley and. Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read this book and this is my honest opinion.
Thank you Netgalley and. Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read this book and this is my honest opinion.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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
Adored the premise, the magic, the complicated characters, and the eldritch nightmares haunting every page. Fantasy blended with horror is my JAM, give it to me in copious amounts, please and thank you.
I do wish the magic system had been a bit clearer, especially at the end —I didn’t totally understand how Aster’s mind/soul was part of the umbral plane, why his third eye was the key to godhood, and why taking it back caused the umbral plane to spill into the real world. I also wish that Aster’s arc had resolved differently; while I recognize why Michelle Wong took the route she did, and I respect the story she chose to tell, I can’t help feeling a bit unsatisfied by yet another compelling, monstrous character getting any kind of peace or redemption only through death. Perhaps that feeling is just my own wounds speaking — I hate to see any deeply lonely soul, fictional or otherwise, find belonging only to be rejected again — but still, I wanted something better for Aster and Alma.
Overall, though, “House of the Beast” was a fantastic ride and a worthy debut. Wong’s writing was generally strong if not absolute poetry, and the story’s closing twists were especially well done. I’ll definitely be watching out for whatever creative endeavor Wong pursues next. Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC!
I do wish the magic system had been a bit clearer, especially at the end —
Overall, though, “House of the Beast” was a fantastic ride and a worthy debut. Wong’s writing was generally strong if not absolute poetry, and the story’s closing twists were especially well done. I’ll definitely be watching out for whatever creative endeavor Wong pursues next. Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC!
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
This is a strange and intriguing story about gods, faith, revenge, guilt, and love. I like my fantasy stories to be heavy on story and light on the romance, and House of The Beast ticked that box.
Our main character, Alma, will do whatever it takes to protect the people she cares about, even at great cost to herself. Forced to leave the life her mother had built for her, Alma grows into a force to be reckoned with.
Consumed by guilt, fear, anger, and loneliness, Alma vows to have her revenge, aided by her God and only friend, Aster. An ancient Eldritch being, Aster has chosen Alma to be his warrior in a pilgrimage to slay a fallen star and take the coveted position of his First Hand.
Full of courtly intrigue, unreliable narratives, horror violence, found family and twists I never saw coming, House of The Beast was one of those dark fantasy stories that I will be grabbing to reread time and time again! I highly recommend!!! Go buy it right now!
Thanks so much to harpervoyager_uk and Michelle Wong for sending me an early copy to enjoy 🫶
[Gifted]
Our main character, Alma, will do whatever it takes to protect the people she cares about, even at great cost to herself. Forced to leave the life her mother had built for her, Alma grows into a force to be reckoned with.
Consumed by guilt, fear, anger, and loneliness, Alma vows to have her revenge, aided by her God and only friend, Aster. An ancient Eldritch being, Aster has chosen Alma to be his warrior in a pilgrimage to slay a fallen star and take the coveted position of his First Hand.
Full of courtly intrigue, unreliable narratives, horror violence, found family and twists I never saw coming, House of The Beast was one of those dark fantasy stories that I will be grabbing to reread time and time again! I highly recommend!!! Go buy it right now!
Thanks so much to harpervoyager_uk and Michelle Wong for sending me an early copy to enjoy 🫶
[Gifted]
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
She’s grown up with an invisible, power-boosting entity in her mind. One only she can see and speak to. Their bond is close, intimate, and deeply unhealthy …and somehow, deeply lackluster?
While the setup for this book is intriguing, and for the first half of the story I was spellbound, eager to see how it would all unfold and how the relationship between the FMC, Alma, and her “beast,” Aster, would develop, I was ultimately left unsatisfied.
Their relationship builds the central part of this story, and it should be intriguing, because, hello, hot, dangerous entity only she can interact with, that helps her achieve more with her powers, but also pushes her into increasingly disturbing territory?
This is a treasure trove of so many things that could be explored: manipulation, trauma, loneliness, want and desire, the taboo of him being a non-human entity and their thus impossible desire for each other? The desperation, fear, and the grappling with the darker themes that Alma encounters as she matures?
Alllll this potential… and it ends up feeling surprisingly bland and underdeveloped. All these complex aspects you could use to flesh out their twisted connection, and it feels mostly bare, hollow, and cliché.
The MMC, while powerful and clearly manipulative in some ways, just never clicked for me. Despite the premise, their interactions lacked tension and emotional weight.
It’s strange… This book doesn’t shy away from brutal undertones or graphic violence, yet the central relationship felt oddly sterile and lacking in spark. That contrast stood out in a way that pulled me out of the story.
Weirdly enough, I don’t have many other complaints. The FMC’s strained relationship with her father was well-developed and led to one of the more powerful moments later on in the book. The worldbuilding and lore were solid. I also liked the secondary characters and enjoyed seeing their connections to Alma grow over time. The fight scenes were dynamic, and I loved some of the more brutal moments.
But because the main relationship — the absolute backbone of the plot — felt so underwhelming, it left the whole reading experience a bit empty. I just couldn’t connect the way I wanted to, and that impacted my overall impression of the book.
Audiobook/Narration:
The narrator did a lovely job! I listened to parts of this as an audiobook and really appreciated how well she distinguished the different characters with subtle affectations. Her tone was smooth and pleasant to listen to.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC, and to HarperAudio Adult for the ALC, both in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the audiobook ARC!
I really loved this story! It kind of started a little slow, but swiftly sucked me in. House of the Beast is not a romance. It has a lot of the tropes, but subverts expectations. The main love interest is deliciously villainous and he and Alma are toxically codependent. They feed into the worst of each other with their hunger for revenge. The story is dark, twisted, and complex, full of intrigue and gore. The terrors are truly monstrous, but the worst of them might just be some of the humans. Well done to Michelle Wong on her debut novel. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.
~~~
“‘Liar,’ he said. ‘My sullen, cowardly, soft-hearted liar. You were the worst of the worst, Alma, and I loved you anyway.’”
~~~
Alma is a lonely, poor child who has a single friend, an imaginary prince named Aster. When her mom becomes sick and cannot be healed through any means available to them, Alma finds a way to contact her father and seek his help. Her father is a hand to one of the gods, the Dread Beast, and agrees to help Alma’s mother in exchange for Alma going with him and dedicating herself to the Dread Beast as well. Alma is accepted as a hand of the Beast after enduring a shocking act of violence. In trying to get back to her mother and escape from the cruelty of her father, flees her father’s estate, but is promptly caught. It’s through this that she discovers that not only did her father not save her mother, but that her imaginary friend was never actually imaginary. Together, they pledge to seek revenge against Alma’s father for her mother’s death.
From here, the story skips ahead 8 years to Alma finally being ready to face her father. The servants of the gods must embark on a pilgrimage to kill a fallen star. If Alma is able to kill the star, she will gain immense power and become the head of the family. But everything is far less straightforward than Alma thought it would be. Alma and Aster are thrown into political and religious plots and Alma is forced to face the fact that, despite her desperate desire for revenge, she has a soft heart and doesn’t want to kill. Aster is a chaotic red flag who is utterly obsessed with Alma and has an insatiable bloodlust. He can’t comprehend why Alma feels guilt and drives her to commit increasingly violent acts.
I really loved this story! It kind of started a little slow, but swiftly sucked me in. House of the Beast is not a romance. It has a lot of the tropes, but subverts expectations. The main love interest is deliciously villainous and he and Alma are toxically codependent. They feed into the worst of each other with their hunger for revenge. The story is dark, twisted, and complex, full of intrigue and gore. The terrors are truly monstrous, but the worst of them might just be some of the humans. Well done to Michelle Wong on her debut novel. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.
~~~
“‘Liar,’ he said. ‘My sullen, cowardly, soft-hearted liar. You were the worst of the worst, Alma, and I loved you anyway.’”
~~~
Alma is a lonely, poor child who has a single friend, an imaginary prince named Aster. When her mom becomes sick and cannot be healed through any means available to them, Alma finds a way to contact her father and seek his help. Her father is a hand to one of the gods, the Dread Beast, and agrees to help Alma’s mother in exchange for Alma going with him and dedicating herself to the Dread Beast as well. Alma is accepted as a hand of the Beast after enduring a shocking act of violence. In trying to get back to her mother and escape from the cruelty of her father, flees her father’s estate, but is promptly caught. It’s through this that she discovers that not only did her father not save her mother, but that her imaginary friend was never actually imaginary. Together, they pledge to seek revenge against Alma’s father for her mother’s death.
From here, the story skips ahead 8 years to Alma finally being ready to face her father. The servants of the gods must embark on a pilgrimage to kill a fallen star. If Alma is able to kill the star, she will gain immense power and become the head of the family. But everything is far less straightforward than Alma thought it would be. Alma and Aster are thrown into political and religious plots and Alma is forced to face the fact that, despite her desperate desire for revenge, she has a soft heart and doesn’t want to kill. Aster is a chaotic red flag who is utterly obsessed with Alma and has an insatiable bloodlust. He can’t comprehend why Alma feels guilt and drives her to commit increasingly violent acts.