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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
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:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Overall an enjoyable read. For much of the book I felt as though not much happened; personally I think it’s a bit too long and needed to have been cut down significantly. The pacing was strange to me but I enjoyed the worldbuilding. Extra points for the illustrations throughout.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Grief, Death of parent
Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Voyager for the ARC. I really wanted to like this but unfortunately it was not as enjoyable as I expected. I really like stories where the main characters are on a journey to take revenge, but this was barely satisfying. The relationship between Alma and Aster is pretty boring, like he does have a thing for death, but he's not a hot monster. I was expecting something more dangerous and tense, but everything in this story unfolds rather easily for Alma (not enough blood and gore and destruction for me), and the relationship with Aster also lacks tension, he mostly goes along with what Alma wants and we don't really see the starting stage of their relationship, so it's pretty boring. The side characters also lack depth. The world building is alright, The good part and reason why I give this 2.5 stars is the fight scenes. I love reading women fighting with swords, and there is a good amount of fighting, so I enjoyed that.
Thank you NetGalley for an ARC, however this is my honest review.
I truly do no think this is 'High-Fantasy'. To my taste, it was incredibly lacking in that department. Is there even a magic system? I personally don't think so. This wasn't fantasy enough for me. I was expecting more magic powers. More interesting world. There was a quick and info-dumpy page about the world and then that was it. Now lets move on the to cast of characters.... They all were a flat one-note. I feel like if the family dynamic was done better, it could have saved the book for me. I did not care for any of the characters nor their relationship with each other. I didn't hate this book but it was boring.
I am genuinely sad I do not like this. One of my most anticipated reads this year. The asian authors haven't been hitting the marks for me
I truly do no think this is 'High-Fantasy'. To my taste, it was incredibly lacking in that department. Is there even a magic system? I personally don't think so. This wasn't fantasy enough for me. I was expecting more magic powers. More interesting world. There was a quick and info-dumpy page about the world and then that was it. Now lets move on the to cast of characters.... They all were a flat one-note. I feel like if the family dynamic was done better, it could have saved the book for me. I did not care for any of the characters nor their relationship with each other. I didn't hate this book but it was boring.
I am genuinely sad I do not like this. One of my most anticipated reads this year. The asian authors haven't been hitting the marks for me
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
A huge thank you to NetGalley & Harper Voyager for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion! That being said, let's get into this review!
I think my biggest problem was this book is that it's labeled in the Romance genre, so I was expecting a romance plot or at the very least, sub plot. That wasn't the case in this story, at least not that I found. While there were some romantic feelings between the two main characters, Alma & Aster, this wasn't romance. My other issue with this story was the pacing! At times, I felt like everything was moving too slow, even during some of the action scenes. I found myself loosing interest and my focus going in and out. I would have to go back and re-read some parts because I started skimming instead of reading, just so I could get out of the scene. Also, I don't really see how this is "gothic" or "dark academia" themed. Sure, there was a lot of black & gold buildings & decor, but that doesn't really make it "gothic". Nor is there really much of any academia. it was mentioned that she was studying, and she had one tutoring session (on page), but that's pretty much it!
Okay, now for my positives! I absolutely loved this plot. The whole "taking revenge on my dead-beat, narcissistic father by taking the title he so much wants"? Oh yeah, I'm here for it! There were a lot of parts that were very well written and even brought tears to my eyes. I loved all the characters, even the horrible family members! You know someone writes a good, horrible character when you can't even stand to read their name on the page! I related a lot to Alma and her growth throughout the second half of the book was so immaculate, I just wanted to read through the book at hug her. She went from feelings so utterly alone and afraid, to being okay with being alone, to knowing that even if she's alone, she has made life long friends along her path. Her growth was beautiful. Even though Aster had issues, I still really enjoyed him too. His story was horrible and his actions? All I can say without spoiling anything is I understand. I also really enjoyed the art throughout the book! It really helped bring a great visual to the characters & bring the story to life!
Overall, this was a really good debut fantasy novel but reader beware, there are some trigger warnings including:
- abusive relationships
- unaliving of animals
- violence & gore
- mental health issues
I think my biggest problem was this book is that it's labeled in the Romance genre, so I was expecting a romance plot or at the very least, sub plot. That wasn't the case in this story, at least not that I found. While there were some romantic feelings between the two main characters, Alma & Aster, this wasn't romance. My other issue with this story was the pacing! At times, I felt like everything was moving too slow, even during some of the action scenes. I found myself loosing interest and my focus going in and out. I would have to go back and re-read some parts because I started skimming instead of reading, just so I could get out of the scene. Also, I don't really see how this is "gothic" or "dark academia" themed. Sure, there was a lot of black & gold buildings & decor, but that doesn't really make it "gothic". Nor is there really much of any academia. it was mentioned that she was studying, and she had one tutoring session (on page), but that's pretty much it!
Okay, now for my positives! I absolutely loved this plot. The whole "taking revenge on my dead-beat, narcissistic father by taking the title he so much wants"? Oh yeah, I'm here for it! There were a lot of parts that were very well written and even brought tears to my eyes. I loved all the characters, even the horrible family members! You know someone writes a good, horrible character when you can't even stand to read their name on the page! I related a lot to Alma and her growth throughout the second half of the book was so immaculate, I just wanted to read through the book at hug her. She went from feelings so utterly alone and afraid, to being okay with being alone, to knowing that even if she's alone, she has made life long friends along her path. Her growth was beautiful. Even though Aster had issues, I still really enjoyed him too. His story was horrible and his actions? All I can say without spoiling anything is I understand. I also really enjoyed the art throughout the book! It really helped bring a great visual to the characters & bring the story to life!
Overall, this was a really good debut fantasy novel but reader beware, there are some trigger warnings including:
- abusive relationships
- unaliving of animals
- violence & gore
- mental health issues
This book was so unique. lt was filled with complex characters who are neither good nor bad (except for Six who’s perfect). I thoroughly enjoyed this story and could not put it down. Also the illustrations added such a cool element to this book.
Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC
Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
I had a really hard time getting into this book. I don’t read too much gothic stuff but I do enjoy dark romance as well as fantasy. So when the arm got chopped off I went with it until I saw the picture of it severed. I also was taken aback by the father and daughter relationship. However I continued to read to see if it changed. Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for a gothic based fantasy book but this wasn’t the book for me. I am definitely one of the few people that feel that way so if you like gothic style and fantasy I would go for it!
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Big thanks to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for the ARC! I appreciate the opportunity to read and give my honest review.
First up: marketing this as dark adult fantasy was a mistake, imo. This is YA in tone, style, and content; edit out a few curse words and bloody details and this is upper YA all the way through (though I think I’ve read bloodier YA tbh). Adding the sort of self-discovery and coming-of-age growth we usually see in YA would have really helped this novel; as is, the characters just sort of fall flat. I also intensely disliked the default use of “man” in this, even when the MC is referring to herself, for example in idiomatic expressions.
Let’s start with what I DID like:
• While the worldbuilding was highly derivative, I enjoyed the concept of two of the divines, the Odious Tinkerer and the Dread Beast. Cool names, right? Those were fun.
• Sevelie, who was the only developed character with an arc that made sense.
• The arm sacrifice and follow-up moments of how it impacts Alma.
Beyond that, this was, unfortunately, poorly written and unoriginal. Alma is not memorable. She often thinks about how selfish and terrible she is, but then feels guilty and tries to be kind to everyone — even though she was “chosen” because of her darkness and longing for revenge. The “revenge for dead mother” as a catalyst has been done to death and wasn’t even convincing here. The Umbral Plane and its monsters are just a spirit portal and dark spirits (Legend of Korra, anyone?), plus for some reason a Weeping Angel is in there (call it what you want and make excuses for its nature, but that’s a statue that can’t move when you’re looking at it and then attacks when you blink? That’s a Weeping Angel.) The prose is equally uninteresting, with cliche expressions and unnecessary fillers.
The plot itself was muddled and repetitive. Alma wants revenge on her father because he sent for the wrong kind of healer and her mother dies (which might have happened anyway). After she’s spent 8 years plotting revenge and feeling sorry for herself, she finds out more bad stuff about her father to justify taking him down, and then yet more bad stuff. Supporting characters are wishy-washy and change not just their minds but their entire personalities in order to dish out exposition and move the plot along, and still quite a few of them make decisions and alliances with no convincing motivation.
I really, really wanted to like Aster, her “monster,” but he turned out to just be a bland, watered-down version of your typical kind of annoying, kind of control-freak fantasy love interest. Also, this is not a romance in any contemporary sense of the word (sorry, monster-f**kers; like I said, this all reads very YA. It’s your first toxic teenage relationship with some pining and “it’ll never work” and that’s it).
The ending was pretty easy to guess, which made it unsatisfying, because I kept hoping there was going to be a twist or something unexpected, but I don’t think at any point I was truly excited by what was going on or felt any kind of anticipation for what would happen next.
That said, if you like formulaic fantasy and your stereotypical inhuman love interest, you might still enjoy this. For me, it wasn’t hugely problematic or infuriating — just boring. There’s nothing in here you haven’t read or seen before.
First up: marketing this as dark adult fantasy was a mistake, imo. This is YA in tone, style, and content; edit out a few curse words and bloody details and this is upper YA all the way through (though I think I’ve read bloodier YA tbh). Adding the sort of self-discovery and coming-of-age growth we usually see in YA would have really helped this novel; as is, the characters just sort of fall flat. I also intensely disliked the default use of “man” in this, even when the MC is referring to herself, for example in idiomatic expressions.
Let’s start with what I DID like:
• While the worldbuilding was highly derivative, I enjoyed the concept of two of the divines, the Odious Tinkerer and the Dread Beast. Cool names, right? Those were fun.
• Sevelie, who was the only developed character with an arc that made sense.
• The arm sacrifice and follow-up moments of how it impacts Alma.
Beyond that, this was, unfortunately, poorly written and unoriginal. Alma is not memorable. She often thinks about how selfish and terrible she is, but then feels guilty and tries to be kind to everyone — even though she was “chosen” because of her darkness and longing for revenge. The “revenge for dead mother” as a catalyst has been done to death and wasn’t even convincing here. The Umbral Plane and its monsters are just a spirit portal and dark spirits (Legend of Korra, anyone?), plus for some reason a Weeping Angel is in there (call it what you want and make excuses for its nature, but that’s a statue that can’t move when you’re looking at it and then attacks when you blink? That’s a Weeping Angel.) The prose is equally uninteresting, with cliche expressions and unnecessary fillers.
The plot itself was muddled and repetitive. Alma wants revenge on her father because he sent for the wrong kind of healer and her mother dies (which might have happened anyway). After she’s spent 8 years plotting revenge and feeling sorry for herself, she finds out more bad stuff about her father to justify taking him down, and then yet more bad stuff. Supporting characters are wishy-washy and change not just their minds but their entire personalities in order to dish out exposition and move the plot along, and still quite a few of them make decisions and alliances with no convincing motivation.
I really, really wanted to like Aster, her “monster,” but he turned out to just be a bland, watered-down version of your typical kind of annoying, kind of control-freak fantasy love interest. Also, this is not a romance in any contemporary sense of the word (sorry, monster-f**kers; like I said, this all reads very YA. It’s your first toxic teenage relationship with some pining and “it’ll never work” and that’s it).
The ending was pretty easy to guess, which made it unsatisfying, because I kept hoping there was going to be a twist or something unexpected, but I don’t think at any point I was truly excited by what was going on or felt any kind of anticipation for what would happen next.
That said, if you like formulaic fantasy and your stereotypical inhuman love interest, you might still enjoy this. For me, it wasn’t hugely problematic or infuriating — just boring. There’s nothing in here you haven’t read or seen before.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
House of the Beast is an intriguing gothic fantasy featuring twisted romance, revenge AND eldritch horrors, accented with beautiful art throughout! This is the story of bastard Alma, forced to live with her father after the illness and death of her mother, and how she finds refuge and partnership in the form of an apparition of her Beast God whom her fathers house has pledged allegiance and devotion. Teamed up with the “prince” Aster that only she can see, she formulates a plan of revenge on the House that has estranged and tormented her.
Although the plot was extremely intriguing, this book was slightly off the mark. That being said, so incredibly impressive for a debut!! Mood was appropriately dark and literarily gloomy, and the characters are rich in background and varying motivations that unfold as the story grows - and I loved getting to know the side characters! Of big note, author truly shines when invoking their graphic novel background! The art was one of my most favorite things, and is almost alone a good enough reason to preorder the Deluxe Edition. I always looked forward to how the author would sketch a scene, or I’d be pleasantly surprised to see a small feature of a chapter given a drawing between paragraph breaks. Beginning pacing of the story oscillates from fast to medium, and then after about the halfway mark really picks up! I found my mind unfortunately wandering in the beginning, but developments and plot progression would pull me back in over and over! Overall a very fun read, and do recommend checking this out on August 5, 2025! Thank you to Michelle Wong and HarperVoyager for allowing me to receive an advanced reader copy!
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A really great debut!