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bamamelereads 's review for:

House of the Beast by Michelle Wong
4.5
dark emotional tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Thanks to Avon & HarperVoyager and NetGalley for the preview.  All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

Wow absolutely wrecked me! This is a dark and twisty fantasy full of characters on the morally grey spectrum; some are light grey, and some are so morally black.  It's a story of revenge, with gods that demand sacrifices, and some gory battles at the end.  Seriously, it gets pretty bloody at points, and no ones motives are pure.

Alma as our POV character is captivating.  She's reviled by most people because of her origins, so her desire for revenge is totally understandable.  It's also understandable how she falls under Aster's thrall, with him being her only friend (that only she can see), and him coaching her in her revenge plot.  I do want to emphasize though that this is NOT a romance.  This is a heart-wrenching and tragic story, though it ends on a hopeful note.  I could not look away, and I absolutely was crying at the end.  There was a twist too that had me gasping.  

This was such a gripping tale, and I highly recommend it.