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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
House of the Beast is an absolutely stunning debut. I was hooked by the premise, awed by the prose, delighted by the illustrations, and HURT BY THE ENDING. I feel like I experienced every possible emotion over the course of this book.
Alma Avera is taken from her home to offer her life in service of a dark god, and vows revenge on the father she holds responsible for the death of her mother. Alma goes on to develop a toxic co-dependency with a god, participate in deadly trials, and come face-to-face with truths she would rather deny.
House of the Beast is a story of family and court politics, the role religion can play in society, and the pressures of measuring up to expectations. I highly recommend this if you love a dark tale with complex relationships and difficult choices. This one is a must-read!
Thank you so much to Harper Voyager for the e-ARC!
Alma Avera is taken from her home to offer her life in service of a dark god, and vows revenge on the father she holds responsible for the death of her mother. Alma goes on to develop a toxic co-dependency with a god, participate in deadly trials, and come face-to-face with truths she would rather deny.
House of the Beast is a story of family and court politics, the role religion can play in society, and the pressures of measuring up to expectations. I highly recommend this if you love a dark tale with complex relationships and difficult choices. This one is a must-read!
Thank you so much to Harper Voyager for the e-ARC!
slow-paced
2 Stars
The premise of this book drew me in and it had so much potential but a lot of it fell a bit flat for me - the pacing was achingly slow, it felt longer than it needed to be, and the ending was underwhelming. The magic system was pretty cool and the world-building was interesting but there wasn't enough to really keep me invested in this and it read a bit more like a YA to me. Though the narrator did a good job at holding my interest enough, I think maybe the illustrations could've added more to the story for me.
Thank you NetGalley and HarperAudio Adult/Harper Voyager for the ARC!
The premise of this book drew me in and it had so much potential but a lot of it fell a bit flat for me - the pacing was achingly slow, it felt longer than it needed to be, and the ending was underwhelming. The magic system was pretty cool and the world-building was interesting but there wasn't enough to really keep me invested in this and it read a bit more like a YA to me. Though the narrator did a good job at holding my interest enough, I think maybe the illustrations could've added more to the story for me.
Thank you NetGalley and HarperAudio Adult/Harper Voyager for the ARC!
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to Netgalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for the e-ARC!
Raised in poverty as a lord's bastard, Alma makes a deal with her noble father to pledge herself to their god, the Dread Beast, in return for saving her mother. When her mother dies anyway, Alma swears revenge on her father with the help of the Beast who is always by her side. They embark on a journey to bring down thhe House of the Beast by competing with the other noble houses for the power of a fallen god star. And Alma begins to wonder if making a deal with a death god was such a good idea....
While this book had a great premise, I believe it would have greatly benefited from being expanded into a duology or trilogy.
The story would have been better served by avoiding the big time jump in the beginning as well as giving more page time to allow the world and magic system to be developed. There is an 8 year time jump from when Alma is eleven to when she is nineteen. During that time, we skip over all of her training, interactions with her father and the vast majority of the relationship with Aster, the death God. Instead, we are told about instead of being shown all of this which weakens the story.
In addition, the world and magic system came across as half baked because so little time was spent on fleshing everything out. By the end, I still had so many basic questions about how the world was constructed as well as how the magic even worked. (Like: what was the level of technology in the lands surrounding Kugara and why was Kugara able to still have trains?) And unfortunately, this resulted in me being confused as to how the climax of the story even made any sense. Again, if the book was expanded into two or more, this wouldn't have been as much of a problem.
That being said, when this book was at its best, it reminded me of 'Strange the Dreamer' which is high praise. There was a lyrical beauty to Alma's world and the religion when time was spent on describing them. I also really liked Alma as a main character. Her journey is one of deciding what kind of person she wants to be and realizing her actions have consequences. And it is very well constructed. Her relationship with Aster is a fantastic depiction of grooming and the effects it can have on the victim. My heart broke for poor Alma who was so lonely that she was willing to continue trusting a trickster death god that kept on manipulating her.
Another highlight were the gorgeous illustrations provided by the author. I kind of wish all books did the same.
Definitely worth a read, I just wish there was more.
Raised in poverty as a lord's bastard, Alma makes a deal with her noble father to pledge herself to their god, the Dread Beast, in return for saving her mother. When her mother dies anyway, Alma swears revenge on her father with the help of the Beast who is always by her side. They embark on a journey to bring down thhe House of the Beast by competing with the other noble houses for the power of a fallen god star. And Alma begins to wonder if making a deal with a death god was such a good idea....
While this book had a great premise, I believe it would have greatly benefited from being expanded into a duology or trilogy.
The story would have been better served by avoiding the big time jump in the beginning as well as giving more page time to allow the world and magic system to be developed. There is an 8 year time jump from when Alma is eleven to when she is nineteen. During that time, we skip over all of her training, interactions with her father and the vast majority of the relationship with Aster, the death God. Instead, we are told about instead of being shown all of this which weakens the story.
In addition, the world and magic system came across as half baked because so little time was spent on fleshing everything out. By the end, I still had so many basic questions about how the world was constructed as well as how the magic even worked. (Like: what was the level of technology in the lands surrounding Kugara and why was Kugara able to still have trains?) And unfortunately, this resulted in me being confused as to how the climax of the story even made any sense. Again, if the book was expanded into two or more, this wouldn't have been as much of a problem.
That being said, when this book was at its best, it reminded me of 'Strange the Dreamer' which is high praise. There was a lyrical beauty to Alma's world and the religion when time was spent on describing them. I also really liked Alma as a main character. Her journey is one of deciding what kind of person she wants to be and realizing her actions have consequences. And it is very well constructed. Her relationship with Aster is a fantastic depiction of grooming and the effects it can have on the victim. My heart broke for poor Alma who was so lonely that she was willing to continue trusting a trickster death god that kept on manipulating her.
Another highlight were the gorgeous illustrations provided by the author. I kind of wish all books did the same.
Definitely worth a read, I just wish there was more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death of parent
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. I was intrigued by the description, but I found this book boring. I wanted to like it - I really did. But it was repetitive and hard to get engaged in the story line and characters.
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a lovely book of revenge and heart. Some plot twists and themes I wasn’t expecting but made it so much more enjoyable. In the best possible way this is the locked tomb on a smaller debut stage. I really loved this and the illustrations are so nice! My favorite bits were the fighting scenes- I felt as if I was Alma. I loved all the characters minus the father :) they had good believable growth even kiam. A wonderful debut standalone but I do want a novella of the other characters of the Avera House! Would recommend.
adventurous
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.5/5⭐️ | 🫑
Firstly, thank you to @thenerdfam , @harpergoyager , @netgalley and the author, Michelle Wong, for the e-Arc and ALC in exchange for an honest review!
I am honestly so completely enamored with this book. It had me from beginning to end. I really connected with Alma and felt her loneliness, pain, and yearn for belonging. This book was the perfect blend of gothic/dark fantasy, magical deals and abilities, trials and tribulations, and overall emotional torment/damage 🥲
This read had many unexpected and unpredictable events and I most definitely was not expecting that plot twist. I will say this book was NOT a romantasy like other readers have been categorizing it. I honestly felt that the constant push and pull between Alma and Aster was that of love in a non-romantic sense. Their relationship was tragically beautiful with all its complexities.
While I felt that the pacing was a bit off at times, I truly enjoyed every character and their role in the bigger picture as well as their relationships with Alma, on a larger scale & how their dynamics further impacted and contributed to Alma’s overall character growth. The mental health rep in this book was so beautifully done that the ending provided a sense of cathartic healing. I, lastly adored all the illustrations throughout the book! It was one of my favorite parts reading this novel! Michelle Wong is a strong, talented, & heartfelt artist and writer! I’m most definitely a fan!
This was such a fantastic read, loved the world and the characters, and it was such a great story!
adventurous
dark
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
House of the Beast is an enthralling gothic fantasy about a fearless girl and the monster only she can sense. I’d describe it as a mix of wholesome fairytale and mythical legend with a touch of dark and gruesome. 🖤🖤🖤
Alma is an extremely lovable protagonist - honorable and brave, even when she doesn’t realize it. You just can’t help but root for her from the very first page.
I really enjoyed this on audio. Jeanne Syquia’s narration was mesmerizing, lyrical, and bold - exactly how I imagine Alma’s inner voice would be.
Overall, I was into this! Giving it 4 stars instead of 5 because there was a small portion where I had to work to keep my focus, but overall I suspect this book will stay in my mind for quite some time. I’d happily read more by Michelle Wong.
Thank you to HarperAudio Adult for the ALC!
Alma is an extremely lovable protagonist - honorable and brave, even when she doesn’t realize it. You just can’t help but root for her from the very first page.
I really enjoyed this on audio. Jeanne Syquia’s narration was mesmerizing, lyrical, and bold - exactly how I imagine Alma’s inner voice would be.
Overall, I was into this! Giving it 4 stars instead of 5 because there was a small portion where I had to work to keep my focus, but overall I suspect this book will stay in my mind for quite some time. I’d happily read more by Michelle Wong.
Thank you to HarperAudio Adult for the ALC!
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
This story has everything: love, family, revenge, political intrigue, and eldritch horrors. Alma’s story was emotionally devastating in the best possible way, and I absolutely devoured it. I sincerely hope Wong writes more stories in this world; personally I would love one showing the rise of the Four. Thank you to The Nerd Fam and Harper voyager for the ARC!
This is going to be one of the titles of 2025 - it’s a true gem, in book form.
*Gothic
*dark fairy tale
*romance
*revenge
*a scorching debut readers will not want to miss
*dark fairy tale
*romance
*revenge
*a scorching debut readers will not want to miss
You’ll think about this when you’re not reading and when you’ve finished, and the ending will wreck you. That’s all I’ll give you here; and I’ll implore you to please, please read this.
Please allow me a moment as well to rave about the author’s artwork throughout! I loved it, it was utterly perfect and brought some scenes to vivid life. They added sooooo much and I would love to see artwork/illustrations in more books.
I can’t wait to read more of Michelle Wong’s future titles, and (hopefully!) more of this world.
Thank you to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the DRC