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

Will post to Goodreads when Pub date comes

This is the first book I have read that is based on Indian mythology, and it was amazing! Between looking up terms and their pronunciation, and really diving into the myths, the book gave me the giddy feeling of learning as I first did when reading Percy Jackson and stumbling into Greek (and other pantheon) mythology.

We Shall Be Monsters follows Kajal, a stubborn & prickly lady and her dog, Kutaa as they set out to resurrect her sister before she runs out of time and permanently becomes a vengeful ghost, called a bhuta.

While it’s hard to dive into this book without spoilers, I enjoyed it quite a bit! It’s definitely shaping up to be one of my top reads for 2024, and honestly will definitely be reading more from this author while I wait for everyone to get their hands on this!!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Nancy Paulson Books for this ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5~This was truly a unique and enjoyable read! Although the pacing can be quite slow at times, I really enjoyed the world building and the characters. I thought it was such an interesting premise; the mythology and Frankenstein aspects worked really well together. Looking forward to the sequel!

This book has been pitched as Frankenstein meets Indian mythology, and I would say that's pretty accurate. This is a retelling of Hindu mythology, with some elements of Buddhist and Sikh religion mixed in as well. The main character is Kajal, whose sister has died. Through experimentation with a combination of science and magic, her goal is to resurrect her sister. But at any moment she could be stopped, hunted by the usurper king's army of witch hunters, whose targeting of especially women has increased as a sickness spreads across the land. Everything is at risk: crops, animals, and people. The blight has turned them into zombie/ghost type of creatures who spread violence and chaos where they go. When a group of rebels learns that Kajal is able to resurrect the dead, they seek to use her to resurrect the prince who was deposed. She mistakenly resurrects the wrong person, and together they race to find the prince before they are caught.

I really liked this one, and I am excited for the sequel. There were some major twists throughout this book. Kajal is a snarky, cold, and ultimately lonely. She's a thorny girl and I just want to comfort her and give her a hug and protect her from all the betrayals she suffers in this book! There is also a bit of a slow-burn type of romance developing which I fully support of course. At one point, a lot of new words are thrown around to try to explain the world and the magic/mythology system which did become a little confusing. It seemed so unexpected because there weren't as many earlier to that point...it reached a critical mass for me, but otherwise I thought this was interesting. Also Kajal resurrects a dog who is such a good boy.

3.5⭐️ A refreshingly diverse fantasy story with inspiration from Hindu mythology. The pacing was slow at times, but the world building and twists more than made up for it.

Marketed as 'Frankenstein meets Indian mythology' this book did not disappoint!

With a stunning cover, beautiful message for YA readers, heartfelt and imperfect characters, and the goodest undead doggo, Fantasy readers are sure to enjoy Sim's story and well-executed plot. I would definitely read more books by her and more books in this realm.

Thank you for the ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for an ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. The Indian mythology was very interesting and wasn't too complicated to understand. Kajal was a great female protagonist and the sisterhood between her and Lasya felt genuine and real. There was a moment I especially liked where Kajal showed some character development. For me it was hard not to like her.

There were so many great plot twists, and they all shocked me (in a good way). Right when I thought I understood everything that was going on, another twist would hit me by surprise. The imagery was also very detailed and well thought-out. There was, however, a few chapters towards the very end that left me a little confused. Those chapters were very pivotal and important to the main story and included a lot of relevant lore, but the shift from a new perspective felt a little too abrupt. The point of view suddenly changed from Kajal to someone who hadn't been given any introduction prior. However, because of the added lore and how it continued to keep my interest in the story, I think it was a nice addition and I would gladly re-read it again.

The slow-burn romance aspect of this was well-paced. I'm left satisfied with it and the chemistry was definitely there. The ending was also bittersweet, but I'm at peace with it, knowing that there's another book coming. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel.

When Kajal wakes up and tears her way out of a coffin, she never expected to discover her sister in a matching coffin beside hers. Unlike Kajal, Lasya is extremely dead. Distraught, Kajal decides that the best way to deal with accidentally killing her sister is to bring her back to life. Unfortunately for her, she seems to draw attention to herself everywhere she goes. It’s how she finds herself arrested in yet another witch hunt and forced to rely on the help of two rebels. Now Kajal has to help them bring the crown prince back to life so they’ll help her get Lasya’s body to a safe location for revival.

This book is absolutely amazing. I actually put the other books I was reading down just so I could devote all my reading time to this book alone. We follow Kajal in a very loose Halahala retelling soon after a terrible accident resulted in the death of her sister. From the moment she wakes up and discovers that Lasya is dead, she is filled with grief and is convinced the best route is to bring her sister back from the dead.

The best thing for Kajal to do is to blend into her surroundings wherever she goes, but she sticks out and tells people off as she sees fit. She feels very deeply and the only people she could ever count on is Lasya and herself, so we’re watching her race against time before Lasya’s soul is warped and becomes a bhuta. The only problem is that she’s become a bhuta much earlier than expected, and anyone who crosses Kajal drops like flies because the bhuta is attacking anyone Kajal gets angry with. Insert a witch hunt, some rebels, and bringing the wrong prince back from the dead and you’ve got a recipe for one hell of a story.

I absolutely loved the characters. Each of them are well developed. You can tell that even the characters that briefly appear have a lot of dimension. I really enjoyed watching the story slowly unfold and see how much foreshadowing there is. There’s only one part toward the end of the book that felt super out of place and kind of odd until you see the reason for it, and I wish that part was better planned out because it came out of the blue. I honestly thought that maybe the advance copy I received abruptly ended and that section was an unannounced preview for the next book. Then it loops back around and back into the story and now I understand why it’s there, but it was just odd and out of place for the most part. There was no foreshadowing, so I’m hoping that this is something that is edited to fit into the story better for the final copy for publication.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book and even with that one section that felt out of place, it was honestly one of my top reads for this entire year. I am so excited to read the next book when it comes out. I’m buying this book the second it drops and plan on rereading it sometime between the day it releases and whenever the second book will eventually drop.

Thank you to netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Nancy Paulsen Books for allowing me to read this book. I really enjoyed really a book about Indian mythology..

Ok so I’ve never read anything about Indian Mythology before but I saw this cover and immediately knew I wanted to try it out and I am so happy I did! I’m slowly getting more into gothic/darker theme type books and this was perfect for that. It was easy to follow along having no concept of the mythology or world. I really loved how this book ended and I’m looking forward to more!

I needed to read this as soon as I saw it pitched as being similar to Frankenstein. While similar to that classic it was also wholly unique. I loved the authors note at the end which also explains how the book differs and is like actual Hindi mythology. It's was a great experience and I need book two cause the ending was a cliffhanger that I was not expecting

In this YA novel, author Tara Sim takes elements of Hindu mythology and creates her own fascinating and rich fantasy world. Kajal and her sister Lasya are orphans, raising themselves and trying to make a life and a home when Lasya dies. Desperate to bring her back, Kajal becomes a fierce student of necromancy. But before she can raise Lasya, she's nabbed by untrustworthy entities who need to resurrect someone else first: the region's prince, killed in battle. It's soon evident that no one can be fully trusted, that high-level politics are involved and very dangerous, and that Kajal needs help and mentorship. She finds the last a bit in a village of witches, but otherwise is on her own. It was refreshing to read a novel in which the protagonist DID develop and grow and learn from her mistakes and those of others and become a more mature person. There's a lot of good female and nonbinary representation, as well as consideration of class, disability, and other issues. There's a jump in personas towards the end that could be handled more smoothly, or inserted in smaller chunks throughout the book, but overall the storytelling is well-paced. The end leaves an opening for a sequel, which I will happily gobble up when it comes.

the second i saw frankenstein i RAN to request this!!!! that is one of my absolute favorite books and to see it woven so intricately and well with indian culture made for SUCH a unique fantasy read! also how could i resist the most adorable undead dog to truly top it off

This book left me so wonderfully conflicted: Content but upset with the ending, in awe of the story telling but mad that it had to end, and craving more but satisfied with what I read.

Tara Sim borrows bits of Frankenstein in an amazing retelling of Halahala. Infused with Hindu mythology (and some Buddhist), the story follows Kajal’s quest to bring her sister back to life. Every bit of Hindu lore was explained in a way that even someone with little background knowledge of Hinduism could follow. I only know the basics and could keep up- though I did constantly look up pronunciations. A pronunciation guide would be the cherry on top. Plus the typical tropes (one horse, for example) were done in a different way- understated but definitely a trope.

The writing style is beautiful. The prose is not overly flowery. The horror aspect was well done. The horror scenes were scary without being over the top. There was definitely some Walking Dead vibes! Even with the horror, the banter was really amusing. The small snippet of romance was cute and believeable- no falling head over heels immediately.

The characters were so relatable. Kajal is witty, strong-willed, and perceptive. I really enjoyed her character’s growth, especially at the end. Tav was tragic and almost underdone- I wanted more of him! But I like how his actions make more sense by the end.

The pacing was different but not bad. Youre thrown into the story fast paced with a hundred questions. The pacing slows down, but never to a point where it gets boring. When I thought I was in a lull there would be a wild twist that had me audibly gasping (or yelling or screaming “no no no!”).

This is definitely a book I will re-read over and over. I’m surprised it’s not blowing up on social media.

Captivating world building and magic system, slow burn romance, and a fresh take on Frankenstein... YES PLEASE!
This book DELIVERED!
The concept of this book sounded like it was either going to be a big hit or a big miss and I am so happy to say it was a hit.
The Indian mythology was so fresh and captivating. I honestly could not put this down.
I am not usually a fan of dark atmosphere reads but it completely works for this world.
Highly recommend and can't wait for more.

This is a very cool book, with fascinating characters and a compelling plot. I don't think I've ever read anything quite like it.

To begin, I would HIGHLY suggest reading this book on Kindle if you aren't familiar with Indian terms. There are a ton of them in here -- from the names of demons and fairies, to clothing and food descriptions, to Ayurvedic medicine --and it was so very nice to just highlight those words on my Kindle and get instantly served up a definition! This really helped me stay in the flow of the book.

There is a huge, and unique world created within this story. While at first brush it seems to be based on Hindu mythology, as the author says in the notes at the end, "In the world of We Shall Be Monsters, there is no Hindu pantheon. This faith of this world is largely Buddhist in nature with an undertone of Sikhism, and the gods that exist are ones I have made up myself, as well as many demons and spirits."

The story itself moves quickly, but is easy to follow. Kajal is a great lead character and it's fascinating to watch the layers of her personality develop on this epic quest she finds herself on to safe her sister and resurrect a prince. Nothing is quite it seems in this world, and the stakes are terribly high during a time in which the world is at war in life AND in the afterlife.

Technically, this book is the beginning of the series, but it does not end on a huge cliffhanger. Yes, it is clearly set up for another quest for these characters, but I thought all of the major questions in THIS book were wrapped up nicely. (Note for future books-- more Vritka and Kajal scenes, please! I enjoyed their prickly relationship!)

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 This was the first time I read a fantasy novel based on Indian mythology, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I originally heard about this book from Margaret Owen (author of Little Thieves), and I completely get why she was talking it up: We love a slightly unhinged girl with an attitude problem. I really liked Kajal, in all her impulsive, ragey imperfection. I enjoyed the interesting world-building and magic system, the lovable characters, the Frankenstein-esque resurrection science/magic, and the sprinkling of slow burn romance. It was a great read. I did not realize it was only the first book in a planned series, so I was getting stressed as the book was coming to a close. I’m excited to revisit the characters in the next book!
Also, I loved the dog (and I say that as someone who doesn’t usually love the dog in books where I am very clearly supposed to love the dog).