bethwis's review
dark
emotional
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
3.5
melbsreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Trigger warnings: death, death of a parent, animal death, fire, miscarriage, alcohol abuse, death of a child
I don't know what I expected going into this book, but it definitely wasn't this. Don't get me wrong, I don't mean that in a bad way! It was just...an utterly unexpected and somewhat baffling read. It kind of felt like The Village but with soul eating and without the plot twist?? I don't even know if that makes sense, but that was the vibe it gave me.
I liked Alys as a protagonist and I ultimately did like the story, but at the same time this was...not at all my kind of fantasy book.
I don't know what I expected going into this book, but it definitely wasn't this. Don't get me wrong, I don't mean that in a bad way! It was just...an utterly unexpected and somewhat baffling read. It kind of felt like The Village but with soul eating and without the plot twist?? I don't even know if that makes sense, but that was the vibe it gave me.
I liked Alys as a protagonist and I ultimately did like the story, but at the same time this was...not at all my kind of fantasy book.
maggietokudahall's review against another edition
3.0
I like to think this whole book is a metaphor for periods.
It's not.
It's not.
xmenquicksilverkinnie's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
irina01's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
isabeau3's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
momsbookcollection's review
dark
4.0
The Beast is an animal
You’d better lock the Gate
Or when it’s dark, It comes for you
Then it will be too late
The Beast is an animal
Hear It scratch upon your door
It sucks your soul then licks the bowl
And sniffs around for more
The Beast is an animal
It has a pointy chin
It eats you while you sleep at night
Leaves nothing but your skin
– Old Byd Nursery Rhyme
I came across this book a year or two ago when i was searching for cheaper books to buy on bookoutlet. It was a cheap cover buy that is literally why i bought it. I also “thought” it was a beauty and the beast retelling as i love, love i mean LOVE beauty and the beast.
However it was not that much about the beast (from the title) but there are aspects of beauty and the beast in said book.
I am excited to say i enjoyed my time reading and just listening to the person reading.
My favorite character would have to be Mother (the new mom to Alys), at first reading her character i was not caring for her thought she was stuck up or mean really but in the end i actually loved her.
Without spoiling it all i am going to say is that i THOUGHT!! a certain boy was the beast…. turns out i was wrong and hoping it would happen. I had shocked moments, sad moments and giggle moments which to me tells you it was a good read.
Minding, even though this was great to read i however there was an instalove that happened in the second half of the book that i personally feel it was unnessecary, also wished the ending was better.
I perfer you check the trigger warnings before picking up this book but if you decide you want to read it best do it during the halloween time.
lazygal's review
1.0
DNF. I tried - but about 100 pages in it just wasn't working for me (plucky heroine, puritanical village, dark forest? nothing new in any of that). YMMV.
hilaryistired's review
4.0
I received a copy of this book from Simon & Schuster Canada in exchange for an honest review.
It's not too often you come across a book that feels like an old-time fairy tale - think your classic 'once upon a time' stories - but it is a brand new story. It contains many of the elements you'd expect in a fairy tale - twin girls banished from their regular lives, a heroine who doesn't realize her importance, and a whole lot of uncertainty - and sometimes you almost feel like you've heard the story before, though it's a brand new book.
This book starts out telling the story of two twin girls who are banished from the village under the presumption that they are evil. Whether they are or not as children is hard to say, but they definitely turn that way with how they're treated. They terrorize and steal the souls of the people who hurt them, leaving just the children alive. One of these children is Alys, who sees the soul eaters, who doesn't run in fear. Shipped off to the next village, Alys wonders who she really is, one of the villagers or one of the soul eaters.
The Good Points of The Beast Is An Animal:
The writing in this book is fantastic. It creates an amazing atmosphere for the dark fairy tale, while never leaving you feel like you're actually reading the book.
The characters in this book, both major and minor, are incredible. They're so unique and interesting. The beliefs of the villagers and the 'evil' characters, and the other communities are weave together within each of them, adding to their conflicts and adventures. And Alys is just wonderful. Her conflict of good vs. evil is so realistic and so much fun to read about.
The big conflict in this book is good vs. evil, which has been done a million and one times already. But this book was very realistic about how it as approached, and it handled each person's personal beliefs about good and evil really well. It's nice to see characters who are not necessarily bad or good, but just fall somewhere on the spectrum.
There isn't a ton of world building in this book, but we know what Alys and the twins know. And in a story like this, where it's made clear that people don't really leave their villages, that does work. You learn about the world and the people in it as the characters do. Some people will probably complain it isn't enough, but I liked it.
The Downsides of The Beast Is An Animal:
Some parts of the story, especially as Alys was growing up, dragged. A lot of it was giving information, or developing characters, or something else important, but it seemed to take a while to get through.
It contains a lot of common elements from other fairy tales, where it could have done something really cool. Like the religious elements from the Defaid people. The author could have played a lot with this, but instead, played it safe and just rephrased Christianity. And it worked, but I feel like there was so much room to make it even more amazing.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book. It's a creepy, fun modern-day fairy tale with a fun world and atmosphere and lots of great characters. I do think there was room to make it even better, but I won't complain about what we got. If you love fairy tales and creepy stories, you should definitely check out this book.
It's not too often you come across a book that feels like an old-time fairy tale - think your classic 'once upon a time' stories - but it is a brand new story. It contains many of the elements you'd expect in a fairy tale - twin girls banished from their regular lives, a heroine who doesn't realize her importance, and a whole lot of uncertainty - and sometimes you almost feel like you've heard the story before, though it's a brand new book.
This book starts out telling the story of two twin girls who are banished from the village under the presumption that they are evil. Whether they are or not as children is hard to say, but they definitely turn that way with how they're treated. They terrorize and steal the souls of the people who hurt them, leaving just the children alive. One of these children is Alys, who sees the soul eaters, who doesn't run in fear. Shipped off to the next village, Alys wonders who she really is, one of the villagers or one of the soul eaters.
The Good Points of The Beast Is An Animal:
The writing in this book is fantastic. It creates an amazing atmosphere for the dark fairy tale, while never leaving you feel like you're actually reading the book.
The characters in this book, both major and minor, are incredible. They're so unique and interesting. The beliefs of the villagers and the 'evil' characters, and the other communities are weave together within each of them, adding to their conflicts and adventures. And Alys is just wonderful. Her conflict of good vs. evil is so realistic and so much fun to read about.
The big conflict in this book is good vs. evil, which has been done a million and one times already. But this book was very realistic about how it as approached, and it handled each person's personal beliefs about good and evil really well. It's nice to see characters who are not necessarily bad or good, but just fall somewhere on the spectrum.
There isn't a ton of world building in this book, but we know what Alys and the twins know. And in a story like this, where it's made clear that people don't really leave their villages, that does work. You learn about the world and the people in it as the characters do. Some people will probably complain it isn't enough, but I liked it.
The Downsides of The Beast Is An Animal:
Some parts of the story, especially as Alys was growing up, dragged. A lot of it was giving information, or developing characters, or something else important, but it seemed to take a while to get through.
It contains a lot of common elements from other fairy tales, where it could have done something really cool. Like the religious elements from the Defaid people. The author could have played a lot with this, but instead, played it safe and just rephrased Christianity. And it worked, but I feel like there was so much room to make it even more amazing.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book. It's a creepy, fun modern-day fairy tale with a fun world and atmosphere and lots of great characters. I do think there was room to make it even better, but I won't complain about what we got. If you love fairy tales and creepy stories, you should definitely check out this book.