Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book had spooky moments with the beast of the woods. I really loved how strong these young women were and how they tried to save others instead of turning a blind eye. This was a very intriguing book and I really enjoyed all the characters.

This kept my interest, but some of the language was too modern sounding for the time it was set in. The horror is more of a real life horror, showing how terrible some people can be.

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher, and Gigi Griggis
*contains spoliers*


This book was pretty dark to be a ya story. I thought all the men in the town and the soldiers that came to "help" them were just awful. I felt so bad for the children and the animal that killed them because it was just as much as victim. Especially the little boy in the beginning. I will admit I was kind of surprised when it turned out the animal was a lion and also that it had cubs because if it was the only loose one how did it get pregnant? All in all it was a good story about how awful men can be and the strength and friendship of women.

Thank you to NetGAlley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

I'd rate this one about a 2.5. I loved the premise, but the execution wasn't quite there. Also this book is set in the 1700 but the speech is so modern that it absolutely pulls you out of the narrative. I mean, on page 3 or so the MC uses the phrase "not today, Satan." I found the characters to be static and the themes to be heavy handed and repetitive at times.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!
My main take away from this novel? Women have ALWAYS been born into a world where the odds are against them, but they sure don’t have to settle for it. Josephine and Clara are fantastic characters (as are all the supporting characters).
Such a great read!

Great historical horror story created around the true mystery of the beast of gevaudan. Historical lgbtq rep, and sets an example of young people resisting a violent and oppressive patriarchy to survive

Historical fiction ✅
Based on a real life story ✅
Female rage ✅
Thrilling✅
Horror ❌

We Are The Beasts is a historical fiction horror based on the real story of the mystery of the beasts of Gevaudan.

Although entertaining and thrilling, I would not call this book a horror novel as there wasn’t much of a horror aspect, such as, gore, fear-inducing, or making the reader (me) unsettled or repulsed.

I do not want to add any more details because I don’t want to spoil anything, but if you like a good twist on real life events, pick this one up. I finished it in a day.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

This was so good. Loved the commentary of this book. If you are a girls girls you will love this. It’s light horror. Nothing to scary or gross detailed in the book . I had a great time it’s this book. It wasn’t what I expected but in the best way possible. It is horror in the way that men are stupid and terrible and the true danger to women. The girls in this book come together to save them selves from the beast They know despite being at risk of meeting the beast they don’t.. I highly recommend . It’ was a very light easy read for the most part. And the queer representation was a nice surprise!

Thank you netgally for the ARC

This book was good! I liked it but didn’t love it. I definitely see potential in it and look forward to seeing what else the author does.

This is a really solid book. It's clear Griffis expended a lot of time and effort on researching the historical events that inspired this story, which I appreciated. The characters are all compelling, and I enjoyed the societal critiques offered. My only note would be that the main character's love story kind of came out of nowhere, and I don't think it was totally necessary/made very much sense.

First, big thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

Since the first time I heard about the Beast of Gévaudan, I've been fascinated by this very real creature that terrorized the people of France in the 1760s. When I read the premise for "We Are the Beasts" by Gigi Griffis, I was excited - the premise was new, interesting and based on something that has captivated me for years.

I really enjoyed "We Are the Beasts," despite some of the dialogue feeling more ... present than it should. ("Not today, Satan" ... really? I mean, I guess that might have been something they would have said.)

Griffis creates vivid characters who feel very present - again, in part, thanks to their dialogue. But also because they are strong young women who face difficult odds growing up in a world that is designed to advance the interests of men. When they realize that they can blame the real beast for the fake deaths of girls, they begin to plot how to get victims of abuse away from their abusers.

The girls - teens and younger - struggle to make their plans a reality as they not only face the wrath of the drunk and disturbed men they hope to flee, but also the violence of the actual Beast of Gévaudan, which stalks their village. The themes are feminist and empowering, the plot moves at a nice clip once you get past the first couple of chapters, and the characters are reasonably well-rounded, though some left me wanting a little more development.

Ultimately, this was a good, fairly quick read that would be great for people who enjoy historical fiction, tales about strong women and stories where queer love is normalized, though anger about it is discussed.

I'll return to the first few chapters: I really got stuck there. Normally, this is where I would stop reading a book. But the premise was so good, I decided to put down "We Are the Beasts," walk away, read something else for a few weeks and then return. I'm glad that I did. This was a truly good read with a satisfying ending.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I did not connect with any of the characters and I just didn't really care for the plot. I also felt like it was too slow and I just got bored throughout.

I hope others love this one.

This incredible tale kicks off with numerous deaths occurring all over a French countryside. A “beast” has been stalking and killing townspeople. We follow Josephine our protagonist, and her best friend Clara. They stage a little girl’s death supposedly by the beast in order to save her from abuse. While the threat of the beast is evident and real, it ultimately takes a backseat to the struggles these girls have with the patriarchal society they live in. In the end the revelation of the beast is both surprising, sad and expected.

This is a achingly beautiful and immersive story of unlikely heroes, women's empowerment, and found family. I enjoyed it immensely!

**This story is inspired by real events, We Are the Beasts examines the historical enigma of the “Beast of Gévaudan”, a creature that once instilled fear in the French region of Gévaudan in t

As a French teacher, I was super stoked to read an advanced copy of We are the Beasts by Gigi Griffis. Like the French TV series Murder In, this book has an intriguing tie-in to a real-life legend from 18th century France.  Full of rich descriptions, the dialogue of this Y.A. novel feels modern and accessible. Themes of sisterhood and women's empowerment intertwine to make this mystery resonate with today's readers.

We are the Beasts by Gigi Griffin is the first book I've read by this author and it certainly won't be the last. I generally don't reach at much young adult and middle grade as I used to be something about a younger horror story is so enjoyable for me. This was eerie and atmospheric. The slow pace combined with the foreboding tone set the stage for a chilling and emotional story. The ending of the story was incredibly thought provoking.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review

We Are The Beasts is a young adult historical horror set in France in the 1700s. Based on a true story, it follows two girls in a poor village who fall prey to a series of animal attacks. The girls discover that not everything in the village is as it seems, and some monsters don't wear an animal skin.

The atmosphere of this book is spectacular. I would highly recommend it for dreary weather, rainy days, or the Fall. It's perfect for those who love spine-tingling, unsettling mysteries as well as feminist re-tellings.

It's a good premise and I was excited to read it. I wasn't a fan of the anachronisms including language that doesn't fit for the period. I did expect historical horror which I did not get. I'll definitely shelve the author to try again with another later though.

Life is rough in the 18th century French countryside—even more so if you're being hunted by a legendary beast.

Joséphine and her best friend, Clara, are shepherdesses in the small French hamlet, Mende, which has recently been haunted by the repeated and mysterious deaths of its denizens. Most folks blame a wolf-like mythic beast that targets its prey when they are alone and helpless, but for Joséphine and many of the other village women, the dangers are much closer to home. Abuse and mistreatment by the men in town are so common a spectacle that new bruises are barely remarked upon even among the abused. After saving the life of a young girl, Joséphine decides the beast itself is the perfect cover to finally gain the freedom they all yearn for.

This is based on a true story from 18th century France, and in that way, it reminded me of The Glutton, though the historical retelling was more poorly done here. It was hard to get past the anachronism in both language and subject. Otherwise, it was an easy read, generally empowering in the way this sort of historical fiction is meant to be, with simple, morally black and white characters. I didn't expect, but did enjoy the sapphic elements between Joséphine and Clara. However, if it weren't for the fact that I learned an interesting piece of history, I wouldn't say this story was particularly remarkable.

I loved this powerful rage book. It’s violent and heartbreaking and beautiful. Goodness, do I love these girls. And Louis. The two main girls are lesbians, and Louis and Pascal are gay. Then there’s the platonic love between all the abused girls, the fierce, fiery protection and bond between them. And the sheep are great too, honestly. And the parrot. It’s the fierceness of this love, this protectiveness, that makes this book so powerful and beautiful. Violence out of love. But not pointless violence, just protective violence. Self defense and defense of others. There’s plenty of diversity as well, since the village is mixed between white French peasants, Ethiopian French peasants, and a few rich jerks who are of course white. Plus there are straight girls, lesbian girls, and gay boys. Also Meme is suffering from dementia/Alzheimer’s, so there’s another kind of diversity. This book is fierce, raw beauty. I did keep wondering if anything was going to come of one of the girls being named Belle in this small French town with a beast prowling around, but no, no hints of beauty and the beast. Which is fine. It would not have fit at all. It's just a thing that I found amusing. Back to the point though, this book is exactly the kind of story people need today, and it's one I could re-read over and over. An essential addition to the queer canon, and one of my top books of 2024.

In the 1660s, something is stalking the poor region of Gevaudon, hunting shepherds and shepherdesses instead of the sheep. But for young shepherdesses Josephine and Clara and the other women of their village, the terror is also in their own homes; the men of their village are often violent and the threat of starvation is always one bad winter away. A monster really isn't that bad of a concern. So when the pair find a young girl who watched her father kill her older brother and pin it on the beast, they fake her death and hide her away from the violent man. They use this scheme to try and save other girls, but as soldiers close in on the monster and the beast seems to get closer, problems just keep multiplying.
The sensibilities veered pretty modern, but since this is a YA book, I can let it slide. Josephine's character growth was satisfying to watch, and the crew of side characters were delightful. It was really fun to see a YA take on the Beast of Gevaudon, and Griffis's balance of the horror of the beast and the horror of their daily lives. This is a really satisfying tale of female rage. All in all, I really enjoyed it.