"Step into the House of the Beast in this dark fantasy debut from The Legend of Korra graphic novel illustrator Michelle Wong, about a young woman who strikes a deal with a mysterious and alluring god to seek revenge on her aristocratic family - featuring illustrations throughout by the author.

Born out of wedlock and shunned by society, Alma learned to make her peace with solitude, so long as she had her mother by her side. When her mother becomes gravely ill, Alma discovers a clue about her estranged father and writes a message begging for help. Little does she know that she is a bastard of House Avera, one of the four noble families that serve the gods and are imbued with their powers - and her father is a vessel of the Dread Beast, the most frightening god of all, a harbinger of death.

In a desperate exchange for her mother's medicine, Alma agrees to sacrifice her left arm to the Beast in a ceremony that will bind her forever to the House and its deity. Regardless, her mother soon passes, leaving Alma trapped inside the Avera's grand estate, despised by her relatives and nothing but a pawn in her father’s schemes.

Now vengeance is the only thing that keeps Alma going. That, and the strange connection she has with her god - a monster who is constantly by her side, an eldritch being taking the form of a beautiful prince with starlit hair that only she can see. He tells Alma that she has been chosen to bring change upon their world, and with his help, Alma plots a perilous journey to destroy the House that stole everything from her.

A gripping coming-of-age fantasy novel marked by divine rituals, intense combat, and twisted romance, House of the Beast is a tale of revenge, resilience, and the power of love to see us through the darkness."

I'd possibly give up a leg but NEVER an arm.

I was entranced following Alma. It was emotional, and i did not want to put it down. The journey was heartbreaking and bloody but also exhilarating. It had a whisper of romance, but this story wasn't meant for romance. It was about revenge. I loved following her story, and where it led, everything came together at the end. Some endings are beautifully painful, and this was one of them.

"I belong to you only. I always have. "

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I chose to DNF House of the Beast a little earlier on than I normally would, with the biggest reason being that the ebook format was extremely difficult to read and gave me an immense headache when I attempted to. The second reason was that it became clear to me pretty quickly that I was not vibing with the story. I think it has an interesting concept, and I’m sure there is an audience out there for it, but it unfortunately wasn’t for me. The artwork, however, is beautiful, and I hope we start to see a trend in illustrated novels because it makes the art nerd in me very happy.

House of the Beast gives the reader a new world to dive into. I found things both good and bad about the book that evened out to be a fairly mid story. The first half of the book was exciting, getting to learn Alma's plight and learning about what this world and its four gods was about. I found that by the end, a lack of worldbuilding and lack of thorough explanations about the gods led to an unsatisfying and slightly confusing ending. There were several instances where character choices felt nonsensical, and I unfortunately lost steam by the end. The setup leading to Alma's big adventure to tearing down her father were great, but after entering into the other world, the plot got more lost. House of the Beast is a solid debut novel, and I hope Michelle Wong used it as a learning opportunity to improve on her next novel.

I was hooked from the start. The world is gritty and dangerous, and you can feel how high the stakes are. The fight scenes were intense and I was fully invested.

The characters are complicated - No one is perfect and that made them feel real. Alma is a badass FMC. I liked that it wasn’t just nonstop action—there were emotional moments too, and some of them hit hard.

It did slow down a little here and there, but overall, I flew through it. If you’re into dark fantasy with strong characters, heavy emotions, and some seriously epic scenes—this one’s for you.

How is it possible for a book to be so beautiful and so devastating at the same time?

House of the Beast feels like Fullmetal Alchemist in novel form. At its heart, it’s a story of revenge—a girl who makes a deal with a god to destroy the family who stole everything from her. The tone, the writing, the pacing—it all feels deeply reminiscent of early 2000s anime, in the best way possible. I could picture every scene as an adaptation: the dramatic reveals, the emotional gut punches, the layered characters, and that ending… that ending. A different kind of pain.

This book is dark. It’s gory, eerie, and pulls no punches. The last 30% had me clenching my fists—I couldn’t stop reading. The plot twists hit hard, and I wasn’t prepared for half the things that happened.

Alma, the main character, is one of the most compelling protagonists I’ve read in a while. As a child who lost everything, she latched onto the only figure who offered her comfort: an elder god named Aster. Their relationship is the embodiment of the toxic codependency trope, and it’s written perfectly. She needed someone to guide her out of her grief and depression, and he came chiming in like a dark prince—only to groom her into a weapon. (view spoiler)

And that’s what makes House of the Beast so incredible. The characters are messy and real. No one is purely good, and everyone has their own motives, which only adds to the emotional weight of the story.

If you're an anime fan and a fantasy reader, this is the kind of book that will stay with you. Haunting, brutal, intimate—and unforgettable.

Wow this book was not what I expected but in such a good way!!!! The author created such a cool world that was in the present but also lost in time. Really loved getting to see how Alma evolved through the story and my goodness it left me wanting more in such a good way. Definitely feels like a stand alone but gosh darn it I need this to be a series!!!!!! And the ending my goodness I haven’t even processed it all fully yet. Great read and can’t wait to see what else she puts out!!!! Must read for anyone who loves a good epic adventure. And as a bonus it had such amazing artwork throughout the story. Thanks to NetGalley and Harper voyager for giving me a change to read this early because loved it for sure!!!!!

This absolutely feels like a fantasy version of When A Monster Calls, but somehow more tragic and heart breaking.

The world is lush, magical, dark, and somehow manages to feel real while still maintaining the unbelievability that comes with fantasy worlds.

I highly recommend this one for those who love atmospheric books, monsters, and a good dose of heartache in their books.

Can I also please just take a moment to appreciate the cover of this one? Absolutely beautiful. The color scheme, the layout, the design - I’m in love.

Thank you very much to The Nerd Fam, NetGalley, and William Morrow / HarperCollins Publishers for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

ooooo the potential was there it was sooo there and everything just fell just a little bit short. Don’t get me wrong I still throughly enjoyed this book and it did give me most of what it was marketed to be, I am obsessed with the set up of Alma and Aster, the codependency with each other, the lore of the four elder gods, the intricacies of the family drama and competitiveness for power. Michelle writing was atmospheric and felt familiar. It genuinely felt like watch a shounen anime (I haven’t watch full metal alchemist but the vibes of what I know about it are very much in this book). And on top of all that Michelle self done illustration throughout were an absolute treat.

When I was really focused in the writing I was able to ignore some of the minor issues with the characters but as soon as i stop and really thought about it, it was more glaring. I love all the characters, Alma, Aster, Kaim, Fion, and Sevelie. However, they were all flat, (I would almost argue that Sevelie was the better written side character of all). They all seem one goal oriented and nothing else. This can also be because we are in Alma pov and she not considering too much of the other characters (which also why I’m giving it some grace). The most frustrating bit to me was Alma. I can see what Michelle was trying to do with Alma’s character, in which her sole focus of revenge on her father and her full faith and trust in Aster while also conflicted with the moral dilemma of the people she kills, however, it just feels very flipping back and forth. We do get to see her take that frustration out on Aster multiple times but it never gets solves they just make up and continue on.

I would do anything for a pov from kaim and fion. That’s all I’m going to say. I feel like their relationship was so intricate and complex and I wanted to see more into that as well as their individual characters

Again, overall I did enjoy this book, this was an amazing debut novel. I’m eager to read anything else Michelle Wong write in the future. I’m confident that the stories she comes up with lines exactly with my interest and I know her writing will just get better.

This one huuuuuuuurrrt but I loved every moment of it.

After her mother’s death and being taken in by her father and pledged to her family’s god, Alma is alone… except for her imaginary friend and his assurances of revenge.

This is a dark, tragic fantasy with a lot of violence but also a lot of hope and healing. The romantic subplot had my heart even with the distance Alma tries to enforce for the reader and herself.

I am trash for Alma and Aster, unfortunately. I tried so hard to fight it but I failed. My brain knew better but my heart won out.

The side characters were wonderful and I wish we could have spent more time with them (but obviously we couldn’t because reasons…).

Despite the darkness and violence, it did read a little bit younger than I was expecting- not sure if it was due to being 1st person or because we did spend so long with Alma as a child.

Overall, I loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a dark fantasy with anime vibes and gorgeous illustrations.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the ARC- all thoughts my own!

3.5 stars
I became interested in this book when I saw a few different reviews comp the book to Full Metal Alchemist. There was a bit of FMA vibes with the mechanical arm, dead mother and eldritch type horrors.
The writing style was very simple and straightforward which I think worked really well in conjunction with Alma’s character.
In some ways the book felt a little more YA which isn’t my preference. The book starts off when the character is 10ish and most of the book is when the FMC is in her late teens. Her motivations and worldview are very simplistic.
The book is fast paced and there is a lot of fun fight scenes to enjoy.
I really enjoyed that the author included illustrations throughout.
Overall, I think I enjoyed the book more conceptually than in reality. There were a lot of unique world building ideas here but nothing fully captivating me.

I told myself i was going to wait because i have other thing to read BUT epic fail on that goal. This book is a whole other kind of dark twisted political “romance”. It is bloody and complicated in the beat of ways. Gods and monsters trying to create chaos everywhere. The world’s politics falling to pieces at all times. Epic love just trying to survive. Ooo and magic! And fighting! And the beautiful descriptive writing that makes you feel like you are there every moment. Theres so much vengeance and anger that needs to be answered for. A passionate book for sure. ….i think i may be regretting reading this so early… highly recommend.

This book left my jaw on the floor!
Make sure to read her warnings beforehand because this is not a Romantasy where everyone lives happily ever after. There was heartbreak, angst, sadness, betrayal, love, secrets, lies and deception. This book too me for a wild ride and I was not prepared to be left off at the end. I needed more!! I read this in an unhealthy amount of time but it took me some time before I could write my review because i needed to recover. I loved it! 10/10 buying and adding to my collection!

I went into this book fully blind and I’m so glad that I did! I found the FMC, Alma to be a strong female lead and I loved her determination. This was a dark gothic fantasy that read like a whimsical dream. Highly recommend for fantasy lovers!

This masterpiece had everything I’ve been looking for. The characters, plot and world building were phenomenal. I was immersed from the beginning to the end because it was packed with action.

There are also illustrations throughout the book, which are hand drawn by the author themself! As a fan of anime, manga and manwha, I admire and respect the artwork. It was a game changer and brought the book to life.

Alma and Aster hold a special place in my heart. Two lonely individuals fighting for survival against the broken system. They are the definition of soul mates. Inseparable and tragic. “You will never be alone again.” I could not cry enough over them.

I also have to give a shoutout to the best supporting characters, Fion and Kaim (I ship them so much) as well as Six and Sevelie. Everyone suffered hardships and I couldn’t help but root for their happiness.

Thank you Avon, Harper Voyage and Net Galley for the opportunity to read the ARC e-book.

What a slap in the face. I didn’t know what to expect but was very very intriguing. And f*** what a mind blowing book. It’s dark and horrific, twisty and toxic but deeply addictive and incredibly mesmerising in the weirdest way. I loved it I don’t know what to say more than that. The cherry on top is the illustration that book is not only a book but a masterpiece. I’m in shock of the ending and hope to see more of Alma and six (which brought a bit of sweet and innocent to that dark masterpiece)

I went into House of the Beast without any expectations really, and I think that helped make this book shine for me!

I was expecting more romantasy and romance because a lot of the newer fantasy books read that way, and boy was I wrong. It turned different tropes on their heads, and was just a fun and strong read! The relationship between Alma and Aster is wonderful. It has such growth and just a great dynamic.

I would have loved to see some more in depth world building! Some of it was a tad confusing, and I think some expansion would set it up for a continuation of a series.

The illustrations? Gorgeous. Fabulous. Fascinating. I adore the style! They did kinda spoil things a bit in advance of what was written though.

It was enthralling and enchanting and left me wanting to know what came next.

If you're looking for romance, this isn't for you. If you're looking for a twisted, darker tale involving revenge? This hit hard.

Thank you so much to Michelle Wong, The Nerd Fam and William Morrow/Harper Collins for the ARC!🖤

I loved this book! House of the Beast is dark, emotional, and totally gripping. The writing is beautiful, the story is full of twists, and the artwork adds so much to the mood. Alma and Aster’s relationship is messy and intense in the best way. If you like gothic fantasy and stories that keep you hooked, this one’s a must-read!

When Alma’s mother becomes sick, Alma finds information about her father & writes to him to get the care her mother needs to survive. To get her the help she needs Alma agrees to go with her father & join the House of the Dread Beast, only her father lied and Alma’s mother dies with her never getting the chance to say goodbye. Alma spends the next eight years plotting her revenge against her father & his house. Will she succeed or has all of her planning been for nothing?

The concept of the story was super intriguing and had a lot of promise. The downside was that it was a bit dragged out and much more political than I was anticipating. Alma & Aster’s relationship definitely grew over the years but still seemed to lack something, not sure what exactly but it just felt like it needed something else. Her father’s family was definitely awful to her but with the exception of her father most of them at least had some redeeming qualities.

Even though Alma was the MFC, my favorite character was probably Sevelie. In addition to wanting more for the world and wanting everyone to have access to the same things, her personality set her apart, in my opinion. She was both strong & protective of those she cared about. Her relationship with Alma definitely helped the story along toward the end.

Overall, a good read but a wee bit longer than it prob needed to be.

**Thank you NetGalley & Harbor Voyage for providing me with an ARC**

Thanks to Avon & HarperVoyager and NetGalley for the preview. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

Wow absolutely wrecked me! This is a dark and twisty fantasy full of characters on the morally grey spectrum; some are light grey, and some are so morally black. It's a story of revenge, with gods that demand sacrifices, and some gory battles at the end. Seriously, it gets pretty bloody at points, and no ones motives are pure.

Alma as our POV character is captivating. She's reviled by most people because of her origins, so her desire for revenge is totally understandable. It's also understandable how she falls under Aster's thrall, with him being her only friend (that only she can see), and him coaching her in her revenge plot. I do want to emphasize though that this is NOT a romance. This is a heart-wrenching and tragic story, though it ends on a hopeful note. I could not look away, and I absolutely was crying at the end. There was a twist too that had me gasping.

This was such a gripping tale, and I highly recommend it.