This book is such an interesting concept and the execution is flawless. I love Gemma and Virginia as characters and the writing style is beyond immersive. Having grown up in Michigan on the edge of a wooded area, it's so easy for me to imagine the settings that Wees describes. The woods can be a very scary place for a child, but it's the things that hide in the woods that you should be especially afraid of. I'm excited to check out this author's other works and can't wait to see what else she comes up with, because this book is genius.

Some of my favorite fantasy tropes include fairies (or fey equivalent) and woods that may or may not be friendly. Novik’s Uprooted and Spinning Silver come to mind, as well as Ava Reid’s A Study in Drowning, which is why I was drawn to the new Alyssa Wees novel, We Shall Be Monsters.

We Shall Be Monsters had fairies, monsters, and an antique shop wrapped up in a story about mothers and daughters and the three generations that have lived next to and seen the good as well as the worst the nearby woods have to offer. Oh, and the breaking of curses and the unraveling of long held secrets. So when the synopsis called this book a “dark, lyrical fantasy,” that description is accurate. We Shall Be Monsters has its whimsical and magical moments, but it was, at its heart, a darker story that, at times, felt much closer to horror. The woods were eerie, dangerous, and inhabited by fairies and other creatures, some friendly, some who offered dubious ties, or even those that were entirely driven by appetite or greed. There was also imagery of body related horror. However, those aspects worked well, since part of what the book tackled overall was the question of what truly makes a monster; and explored the divide between a hero and a killer. The characters made mistakes and payed for them, but they also learned from them. In that regard, We Shall Be Monsters is a nuanced story, and the characters that inhabited the pages were just as complicated.

Generally, I liked how Wees handled the viewpoints. It was first person, but Gemma and her mother, Virginia, each had quirks in the way they were written, which made it easy to tell them apart.

Gemma, like her mother and grandmother before her, was fascinated by the woods and didn’t recognize the danger posed by it, before she was confronted with the truth and tasked with a dangerous quest. Virginia was stuck in the past, figuratively and literally. Her history had everything to do with the issues that arose in the current timeline of the book, affecting not only her, but her daughter as well.

We Shall Be Monsters was, at the end of the day, right up my alley, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a dark fantasy story.

Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Del Rey) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you!

A very atmospheric and dark fantasy tale. Loved the mother and daughter dynamic. I didn’t love the modern setting, but that is a personal preference.

3.5 stars, closing in on 4.

Undoubtably beautifully written, this books veers toward the maudlin and overly sentimental at times. Wees blends folklore and fairytale with bigger concepts of motherhood and the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters. Structurally, the pacing of the book is uneven and a bit irritating at times, but she really does her best when she allows herself to really reflect on the complicated themes of motherhood.

Gothic and fantastical, We Shall Be Monsters is a dark fairy tale reminiscent of the Brothers Grimm set in the modern world. The writing is lyrical and atmospheric, weaving together two interlocking narratives of a mother and daughter in a story that is fun and heartfelt.

The story starts with Gemma, a young girl living alone with her mother in an antique shop. Next to the store is the woods. There is one rule that Gemma must not break: do not travel alone into the forest. However, as most children do when curious, she adventures through the trees regardless of the warnings.

Virginia, Gemma’s mother, has reason to fear the wood. Once, when she was young, she too was warned to stay away from the forest. Like her daughter, she did not listen. An evil witch placed a spell upon her love, forcing them apart. To save him, Virginia is tasked with finding a magic mirror before Gemma’s 15th birthday. As the years pass, Virginia becomes more desperate to protect her daughter from the threat of the Slit Witch, going so far as steal Gemma’s memories.

Only, one day Gemma goes too far. The witch returns, taking Virginia with her. Now it’s up to Gemma to discover the mystery, free her mother, and lift the curse upon her family before her time runs out and she turns 15.

This is a story about family and the bond between mother and daughter. It leaves you asking the question, “What would you do to protect those you love?” But in order to do that, you must also ask yourself, “What is it that makes a monster?” Good and bad is not always black and white. Sometimes the worst actions are done with the best intentions.

Overall l, I enjoyed the book. It was beautifully written, and the story tackles some very complicated themes. I don’t always love dual POVs that alternate past and present, but I understand why the author chose that style.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you like dark fairy tale stories with a touch of horror, then you need to pick this one up. The writing was so atmospheric and made you feel like you were actually in the mysterious woods. This story blended a mother-daughter (-grandmother) relationship with a dark, secretive, alluring woods full of witches, fae, and monsters. There are curses to be broken and searches for magical items.

You get two POVs - Gemma, a 12-15 yo girl (as the story progresses) and her mother Virginia. They both have quests of their own to accomplish revolving around the dark woods near their home. Gemma has such growth and maturity through this book, even for a young girl. I honestly love how unsettling the ending was.

Absolutely recommend this book if you like fantasy with a sprinkle of horror!

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was such a haunting, reflective book set in a mystical world. I loved every page, and was glad to see we got both Gemma and Virginias POVs.

I LOVE FAE BOOKS!!!! I loved this book! This was such a good gripping and haunting story! I loved every second of it!

We Shall Be Monsters was such an entertaining story that is told almost like one of those fairy tales you heard as a child. Girl meets boy and fall in love, boy has a connection to a witch who puts a spell on him and his future daughter. He has 15 years to break the curse. Alyssa Weed is such a talented writer, she kept me engaged in the story from the beginning and when I thought I figured something out, she went a different way. I would love to tell you all about the story but I don’t want to take away from any of the twists or turns. For me this is one of those books you would love to read again but as a first time read. Im excited for everyone who gets to pick this book up for the first time.

What a beautiful, haunting, lyrical story about love, fear, hope, loss, family and nature. The way everything came together was incredible. If you like dark fairy tales and lyrical fantasies, this is excellent. Alyssa Wees is definitely becoming one of my favorite authors.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an e-arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Do you remember being a kid, when everything felt magical?

I know I do. I lived on a quiet, secluded property, surrounded by woods. And while I never actually discovered fairies lurking in the trees, I always hoped I would.

But with "We Shall Be Monsters," the characters don't need to hope. Because their dreams of a fantastical fairy world are real.

Everything about this book is whimsical, right from the very start. As soon as the book opens, it's clear that these characters are destined for something greater. The language itself is powerful yet lyrical, and it feels as though you're traveling to a space beyond the modern world, to a legend borne of the trees and the wind and the stream.

The basic premise of this book — a mother named Virginia and a daughter named Gemma, called to by the magical powers in the woods — is what drew me in. They know magic is real, that the woods are more than just a little patch of trees in their Michigan backyard. But at different points in their lives, they're both forbidden from entering, because the strikingly magical world is not always what it seems. Danger, ever-present, lurks just beyond the trees. Do they listen? Of course not — or we wouldn't have a plot!

From this simple premise comes a coming-of-age novel told from two perspectives that shows how magic can shape us into the people we're meant to become. With great duty set upon us, we can transform into the hero — or the monster.

The latter third of this book spent a good deal of time reflecting on what it means to be a monster, and while I think it provided a good message, I'm not sure it was in line with the rest of the narrative. I think that humanizing the villains in this story doesn't work because their motivations weren't based on noble intent. They weren't good characters who found themselves in a pickle and had to make a bad choice. They're selfish, willing to do anything to reach their goals — which felt very black and white rather than the gray area the novel would have us believe.

Even so, I don't think this takes anything away from the tale of self-discovery, of growing up and finding the true power you have inside yourself. This book shows the loving bond between mothers and daughters — stronger than even the most evil of magic — as well as the inseparable closeness between lovers torn apart. It has most of the things I love in a book — adventure, romance, horror, and of course, a hefty dose of fantasy.

On the whole, I give this book four stars. I took a star off because there was a period in the middle where both Gemma and Virginia were exploring the woods in different timelines that felt too similar — it was like they were having the same experiences, and it confused me for a while. This part dragged a bit until we finally started getting into the action, then it was a page-turner.

If you like stories about fantastical worlds like "Alice" or "The Ocean at the End of the Lane," then I think you'll like this too.

Now THIS is what i’m talking about!!

such gorgeous prose but it doesn’t linger too long and feel like the author was patting themselves on the back every sentence!

I felt the forest, I know EXACTLY what it looks like, sounds like, smells like, feels like , everything. now I could’ve connected with this so much because I grew up playing in the woods behind my childhood home and brought back fond memories of my sister and I playing magic back there but this brought the BITE.

I also love that we are following a mother daughter relationship and not a baby focus on romance (though there is a bit) in this book. I can’t remember the last book I read where we got POVs from the mother and daughter and they were both strong in their own right.


if you love sentient forests and monsters and mother/daughter relationship dynamics READ THIS NOW

“Sometimes I’m afraid and I don’t know what I’m afraid of—sometimes a shadow, and sometimes a shadow I imagined. But even if the shadow is imaginary, my fear is real. Fear is powerful, but it’s temporary. It will pass. It will always pass. Like the moon: Sometimes it’s full, and sometimes you can’t see it at all. My fear belongs to me. But I don’t belong to it.” - @alyssa_wees

Virginia and her daughter Gemma both grew up knowing the magic of the forest at the edge of their property. While Virginia held onto her memories, the heartache, and the curse of that magic- she removed the memories Gemma made each time she entered the forest. Virginia worked hard to find a magical item to break the curse, but never shared this with Gemma. Until one day she is carried off into the forest and Gemma is left to put together the pieces.

Told from a dual point of view (Gemma and her mom), this fairytale weaves a decade worth of magical history with each chapter. While Wees expertly explores the balance of fear and hope, at your feet, she lays the battle of womanhood- finding your way, growing up, making your own choices, gender roles, forced motherhood- and the age old question of whether all monsters are evil.

With every chapter I saw this story as a Grimm fairytale meets What Dreams May Come.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

@netgalley and @randomhouse - thank you for this #advancedreaderscopy - pub date is 11/12/24

"How else to survive being surrounded by monsters than to become a monster yourself?"

There are honestly too many amazing quotes to pull from this book, but this one captures the spirit of the story pretty solidly.

It took a few chapters for me to vibe with the style, and I really wasn't sure if I was going to like it, but once I got into it.... I LOVED IT. This had everything: mothers and daughters, generational trauma, FAIRY PRINCES, quests, secret powers, childfree rep (in a roundabout way), and so much introspection about fear and the power it holds.

Five absolutely GLOWING stars!

“There is nothing more human than curiosity.”

We Shall Be Monsters / Alyssa Wees

First and foremost, thank you to Netgalley and publishers: Random House Publishing - Ballentine | Del Rey, for the opportunity to be able to read this e-ARC!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end - a story that blends mundane life with a mysterious magic in the woods. I became a Mom this last January, so this book was very meaningful to me, since it touched on the mother/daughter relationships of 3 generations of women: grandmother (Clarice), mother (Virginia/Gigi), and daughter (Gemma). I especially loved the references to innocence/goodness and pure curiosity in youth, the reasons why mothers nag (lol), the strength of fear, and the downsides of hope.

While I find the main plot of literal found family to be the main essence of the story, I truly felt that this story highlighted the love mothers have for their daughters and that they will do whatever they can to protect them no matter the cost. I find that Alyssa Wees’ writing was absolutely beautiful in this lyrical novel, and the way it was structured in a dual POV between Gigi and Gemma was superbly done.

I will say that there were times when the plot was a bit all over the place which had me a little lost, but it still kept me interested to keep on reading to find out. True definition of “one more chapter” (aka ended up finishing the book…)

We Shall Be Monsters by Alyssa Wees is an enchanting and lyrical fever dream, brimming with dazzling prose and dark romance.

A beautifully, haunting novel, told in two povs, about the darkness and beauty that the forest possess. Just be careful going in and what, or who, you may encounter.

What's not to love about a magical forest?! Answer is nothing, they're the best! Fairies, witches and Monsters oh my! I like Gemmas Character, I do wish her quest into the woods were more difficult for her to find a way out. The world building is fantastic, I have a vivid imagination and I felt like I was seeing everything with my own eyes. I really enjoyed my time reading this book, I love books with a bit of darkness to them.

We Shall Be Monsters is a dark fairy tale with vivid and descriptive language painting a movie in your head. This eerie novel delves into family bonds/dynamic as you follow both Gemma and Virginia’s journeys.

4/5 stars
Engaging and Enchanting with a Few Surprises

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The storyline is immersive, and the author does a wonderful job of blending fantasy with heartfelt moments. The main character is well-developed, and I appreciated the layers of personality and growth they showed throughout the story. The writing style is vivid, bringing the setting and magical elements to life. There are some great twists, too, which kept me hooked and made the book hard to put down.

While I loved the overall pacing and world-building, there were a few sections that felt a bit slower or slightly predictable. Still, these moments didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book as a whole. If you’re looking for a story that mixes adventure, magic, and a touch of introspection, this is a great pick! Highly recommended for fans of fantasy looking for something unique.