Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. I loved this. It was unique, and the vibes were immaculate. Middle-eastern inspired, AND gothic? LOVE. Tara Sim is already an author I automatically gravitate to, and this book is an excellent example of why I do so! I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this! A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

I liked this book. I made it my plan to read more diverse fantasy this year, and I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book so I could experiment with this author. I haven't loved Sim's other work, rated it 3 stars, and not necessarily something I was invested in continuing. This one felt different. The Indian mythology felt less forced and less secondary to western mythology, which I appreciated. There are likely going to be readers who will resent that but have no qualms doing research for or just blindly accepting books about mythology that feels more western European to them, but there are still elements of stories they'll find familiar here.

The one thing that often has me deducting a star is that I don't like her characters enough to root for them. Kajal feels different to me. She's true to her age in being a little annoyingly impulsive at times, but at the end of day, you understand why she's doing what she does in a way that makes you want her to succeed even when you don't know if she should.

This was very enjoyable and I recommend it highly.

thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the ARC of this book. all opinions are my own.

I wish I could put into words how much I enjoyed this. What a great book. Highly recommend.

We'll see how book two goes, but this series might quickly join my favorites shelf.

We Shall Be Monsters borrows elements from Frankenstein and Indian mythology to create a lush world filled with magic and monsters, not born but made. I absolutely adored the worldbuilding, mostly because it relies heavily on parallels from the story's history, and I'm always a fan of unavoidable fate. It's also well-explained (as long as you don't skim the lore sections like I accidentally did at first), and I really like the imagery.
And the plot? Every time I thought I got a grasp on where the story was going, it became more complex and twisty, and I enjoyed every second of it. There's necromancy (in a sense), mythological magic, demons and other creatures, and plenty of "adventure." I did manage to predict some of the main plot twists, but usually not until right before they were announced, and I was still sort of shocked by them. The ending is cruel, and I can't say much else for spoiler purposes, but given my experience with one of the author's other series (Timekeeper), I'm prepared to be sad.
I also loved most of the characters. Kajal was incredibly complex, but I really enjoyed her narration, and her relationship with Lasya reminded me a lot of Ephyra and Beru from There Will Come a Darkness. Kutaa is amazing, and everyone needs an undead dog in their life. I didn't like the rest of the side characters as much because I felt they ruined the vibe between Kajal and Tav. And Tav? Look, the butterfly boy prince from history with some mythology tied into his backstory completely stole the show for me. If anything happens to him (and I'm sure this won't end well for a variety of reasons), I'm not going to be happy.
We Shall Be Monsters is the first book in what I anticipate to be one of my favorite fantasy series, and when book two releases, I will be buying it immediately.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!
4.5/5

A quick and engaging read, We Shall Be Monsters is a solid YA fantasy that incorporates Hindu mythology into an original world where life, death, and rebirth are all interconnected. I thought the process and means of reanimating the dead was a very cool story mechanic, and found the characters to be distinctive and interesting. There's a big lead up into book two, so I'm definitely interested in seeing where this story goes! A huge thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a copy of the eARC in exchange for my thoughts!

This Indian-inspired story is a refreshing addition to the fantasy genre. The danger and excitement of following our protagonist, Kajal, on her quest to revive her sister is a wholly unique one. The influences of Indian mythology was not only fun but a learning experience for someone not familiar. At times there could have been more explanation of the many new terms to not lose the basic reader in so many 'new' concepts. As the plot hurtles toward the last half of the book, some of the beats and character revelations seemed redundant or over-explained to justify. With one of the final twists, a concept never before discussed was introduced. At the end certain character choices felt confusing. But overall, a solid book that hints at a developing series.

I absolutely loved this one! It gave me all the Gothic vibes I craved, as well as the Frankenstein influences I was promised. It was darkly vibrant, full of mythology, dreamlike storytelling, and characters I couldn't get enough of! I couldn't put it down!

Tara Sim crafted such a beautifully unique story that captured my imagination and flew with it. It's been a while since I was really able to visualize what was happening in my mind as I was reading. We Shall Be Monsters read like a horror comic full of color, feels, and just the right amount of comedy.

The last several chapters had me tearing up. No spoilers, but just because of the twists and turns in the story telling. The entire book centered around, not only the theme of good vs evil but, the theme of balancing good and evil, darkness and light. It was multi - faceted and woven so vibrantly and intricately.

Beyond the multi-layered plot, the well developed characters, and the dark beauty of the story, what I loved the most is that this one didn't feel like a typical young adult book. It didn't make me feel like I was too old to be enjoying it. It gave me Lord of the Rings meets Willow and Thriller vibes, where there were bits of horror and fantasy to be enjoyed for most ages. It took me on mystical, enchanting adventure that I cannot wait to continue!

Thank you, Penguin Teen, for the e-arc!

This was well done -- from the mythological foundation of this world to the fascinating players inhabiting it -- I couldn't say that I was invested throughout, but I was fairly engrossed. Timekeeper was my first Tara Sim's book, and this one obviously surpassed it by leaps and bounds. The opening was a banger, and it drew me to Kajal's cause immediately. She was reserved, prickly but also immensly smart and a lovable sister. I enjoyed the emerging bond between her and the very good boy Kutaa very much.

My personal interest for the book unfortunately waned the further the narrative moved away from Kajal, eventually leaving her for the much more ambitious Bigger Picture. My biggest frustration was that Kajal didn't have any agency in this matter. The second being I felt like the political climate was not set up well enough to bear this shift. I could not find it in me to care about the royal drama, the rebels, who was overthrowing who, and why all of this is so important. Kajal and her sister were all I truly cared about (sorry, Tav) but when I had to walk through miles of dry political maneuvering (not to mention the set up of said maneuvering) to get there... By that time, my interest had dwindled to nearly nothing.

I did appreciate that each character had come alive in their own individual way, even the ones I hated or the ones with little screentimes. The romance was... fine. There was an element to it that I absolutely adored but that was all. Personally, I found Kajal and her love interest work better together as friends. I'd also enjoyed my introduction to the Hindu mythology, as I felt that this area was the one given the most care and attention. I would have loved and appreciated a glossary in the back, though.

Even with my grips about this book, We Shall Be Monsters still impressed me as a whole. Objectively speaking, this was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it to any fantasy reader who is sick of the Western cannon and wishes to branch out.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for the E-ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
4.75 out of 5 stars

The book opens with Kajal punching her way out of her coffin, then opening the coffin next to her, stealing her sister's corpse, and running out of town, scaring those who were attending the funeral.

So begins Kajal's quest to reanimate her dead sister. But first, research. Then: a trial. On a dog. Who is now undead, doesn't eat, but is loyal to Kajal. Fun times.

See my full video review here: https://youtu.be/bnRkkVEFdbk?si=aZ9Z35fMXH1p5sD- and don't forget to subscribe to my channel.

I really enjoy Tara Sim's books and I also enjoyed this one. I liked the story and the writing and I feel like it was a pretty quick read.

I think this is a case of It's not you, it's me more than anything.

Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad book by any means. Kajal is an interesting, well-rounded main character who's delightfully snarky, and I always love a morally gray FMC. Additionally, Sim's interpretation/use of Hindu mythology in the story is really cool; I'm really glad to see other mythos other than the Euro and Greek centric ones getting representation in YA fantasy. All of this should have hit well with me, but it just didn't.

I think the biggest thing going against this book for me was the pacing, specifically the fact it took over a third of the book for the story to get past its main premise. By the time the story finally got past that point, I found myself too bored and burnt out to care, which sucks for me. I also couldn't stop finding it funny that Tav (the aforementioned wrongly resurrected boy) was named as so, because I have severe Baldur's Gate 3 brainrot and could not thing of anything else since Tav jumped into the narrative.

All in all, I wish I could have personally enjoyed this more, but maybe if I were to pick this up in the future, I would have enjoyed it a lot more.

This is a perfect book for AAPI month! :D
I love this book so much and can already not wait for the next book because the sorta cliffhanger was too brutal and literally right after I was suffering from the worst book hangover I’ve had in a while!
I loved reading the author’s note and finding out about her *sort of??* thought process while writing this book!
Thanks to Penguin Teen for providing me with a ebook to read and ENJOY!

5/5 ⭐️
“Her finest creation. Her potential downfall.”
This book was absolutely amazing! I was devouring it. I was so upset whenever I had to put it down because often I had to put it down right at massive reveals. Then I would be constantly thinking about the story and how I couldn’t wait to get back to it.
Not only was this story fresh and new, pulling inspiration from multiple different South Asian and Indian religions and folklore, but the dynamics of the story was fresh. At its core, while there is a hint of romance, the most important and most dynamic relationships was between siblings. We were presented with many pairs and groups of siblings and shown not only the length they would go, but that unique dynamic only siblings can have of equal parts hating and loving each other.
Honestly, I don’t know what more to say about this book besides that it is a Frankenstein story meets South Asian folklore meets unique family dynamics reminiscent to that found in Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon. It is a book with great representation while also tackling different levels and styles of grief. It is a story that isn’t just good vs evil. It is a story showing that there is more layers to being on opposing sides. Just read this. Please. This was amazing
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for providing an advance reader copy of this book for my honest review.

When Lasya dies suddenly Kajal, her sister, decides that she will do whatever she needs to do in order to bring her back regardless of the consequences for either herself or her sister. Unfortunately time is not on her side and Lasya turns into a bhuta, a spirit filled with the desire to murder those who did her wrong throughout her life. Each kill lends strength to the bhuta, lessening Kajal’s chances of bringing Lasya back to the world of the living. To make matters worse, Kajal is accused of the actions taken by her sister, leading to her imprisonment and her condemnation as a witch. Luckily two strangers appear and offer to help her escape, but they want something in return; they want Kajal to resurrect a dead prince so that they might be able to overthrow the usurper. Unfortunately while Kajal is successful in resurrecting the person brought to her, it's not the right person, angering the rebels and forcing her to work with the boy she brought back to life to find the true prince.

This is a novel that went back and forth for me. At times I was rather confused about what was exactly happening, forcing me to reread sections with the hope of obtaining some clarity. At other times I was very intrigued with what was occurring, but then something would happen or someone would come along and I would find myself lost again. I found Kajal to be a very interesting character. I really liked the strength that she showed throughout the narrative, as well as her stubbornness and intelligence. The descriptive language is phenomenal at times, really painting a complete and interesting picture, but I kept finding myself lost which took away from the language used. While I am curious about what will happen in the second novel of the series, my confusion throughout this one may sadly affect my decision regarding the reading of the next novel.

Thank you to Nancy Paulsen Books and NetGalley for the chance to read the e-arc of We Shall Be Monsters.

I went into reading We Shall Be Monsters by Tara Sims without reading the synopsis, which meant that I had my first surprise when the main character, Kajal, initially resurrects the wrong person. This mishap actually was the turn around in the story for me. Solitary Kajal was rightfully neither a happy nor interesting person. “Not Crown Prince” Tavinder or Tav for short brings out both her personality and some movement to the store that was pretty bland despite its progressing through about 1/3 of the novel before his appearance. And thankfully, the story does not fall into the typical “enemies to lovers” trope, and continues its focus on family ties and how they can be both a blessing and a curse. While slightly confusing, I loved the introduction of an additional storyline toward the end of the book. The character of Divya was definitely my favorite, and I was happy when her storyline comes together with the main one in the end. I also love the introduction of Indian mythology and the world building was quite believable, even the fantasy elements. I am very much looking forward to reading more about these characters as the series progresses. 4/5 star read

A very enjoyable read, I love how the author blended Hindu mythology, religion and magic. Bonus points for the undead dog, my favourite character! Kajal was an excellent protagonist and I really liked her relationship with her sister. I do think the pacing was slow at times, but overall it was a good read.

Tara Sim’s “We Shall Be Monsters” captivated me as soon as I saw the beautiful cover! I am super interested in Hinduism & Buddhism and loved the deep dives into Ayurveda, chakra systems, and Indian mythology as a whole. I appreciated the similarities in this book to some of the ancient folklore including The Birth of Lakshmi.

This Frankenstein inspired piece was rather unique - I am always impressed when I read something that doesn’t remind me of anything I have ever read before. It didn’t seem formulaic and this one kept me on my toes as I was surprised with a lot of the twists. This story is really cool and I would highly suggest it to folks who are looking for something different in a fantasy fiction novel.

The main characters are flawed and vulnerable, the plot is packed with action and adventure, and overall the representation for Indian mythology culture is almost too well done.

I will admit I did have to go back and reread chapters to gain clarity as I was confused at times about what was happening along with not being entirely confident about all the terminology. This is a novel that I would read again and I bet I would enjoy it even more the second time around. I do look forward to reading the sequel and continuing this series - I was a bit perturbed by the abrupt ending, but I am hopeful that the next installment will make it make sense.

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Penguin Young Readers Group for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. I look forward to reading more from Tara Sims.

A super unique new series full of Indian mythology, Frankenstein-esque resurrections, vengeful spirits, and generally lots of dark & magical things. The MC Kajal is a complex and flawed character who ultimately only cares about bringing her dead sister back to life. Her journey is action packed, stress inducing, and emotional, yet there are a lot of positive aspects as well, including a slow burn romance and an undead animal companion.

There were definitely a lot of terms I was unfamiliar with and maybe didn’t fully grasp but I enjoyed learning about the mythology nonetheless. There are some really great twists & characters that I came to love - I’m forward to seeing what comes next for them in the rest of the series!

Thank you to Penguin Group for the ARC!

Necromancy meets Indian mythology in this dark, adventurous, and mysterious YA/NA fantasy novel. With high intrigue and plenty of twists and turns to keep readers guessing, We Shall Be Monsters is a truly engrossing read that was hard to put down. Sibling dynamics and Indian mythological stories sit at the heart of this story, but there’s many underlying themes to uncover, including clever visual and thematic references to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein sprinkled throughout.

Overall, this was a highly entertaining read, and I can strongly recommend it to fans of fantasy, classic horror, and/or mythology/folktale themes. I can also say that those who are usually put off by some YA voices are unlikely to have a problem with this book, as the characters are more in the NA (New Adult) age range of about 20 years old.

♡ High Fantasy
♡ Dark Adventures
♡ Undead (Zombie) Dog

This story was adventurous and action packed. There was a lot going on but it was written it a way where it wasn’t overwhelming or confusing to understand. There was death, necromancy, and a rich history of the fantasy world the author created.

The mix of mythology from different cultures was so interesting to read. The author’s note pointing it all out even more and further explaining their own spin on things.

I feel like people who liked Frankenstein would love this more fantasy level book. It was complex with lovely world building and characters. Even including a dog that was brought back from the dead.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, Penguin Young Readers Group, and Nancy Paulsen imprint for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Spice Level: n/a
Angst Level: 💧💧💧 (3/5)
POV: Third Person
Release Date: 25, June 2024
Rep: Non-Binary (Side Character)

⚠️ Content Warnings:
Graphic: Classism, Death, War, Violence, Animal death, and Murder
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Medical content, Religious bigotry, and Grief
Minor: Death of parent, Blood, and Body horror