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.

Thank you to Avon and HarperVoyager for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

House of the Beast is a fresh, gothic YA fantasy with true villain romance at its core. It breaks away from the typical romantasy mold with rich world-building, deep character arcs, and stunning grayscale illustrations that elevate the reading experience.

The story follows Alma, an 11-year-old who pledges herself to the terrifying House Avera—ruled by the Dread Beast, god of death and war—in exchange for help saving her terminally ill mother. Through a brutal ritual, Alma becomes the Beast’s mortal vessel, tethered to a powerful eldritch creature who takes the form of a handsome prince from her childhood dreams.

When tragedy strikes, Alma is abandoned by her father, the cold and calculating Xander Avera, who prepares her to aid him in a deadly quest in the Umbral Plane. As Alma grows older, so does the dark bond with her monster companion, Aster. He’s possessive, alluring, and brutal—and forces her to question her values and the path she’s been forced to walk.

This book is filled with morally gray characters, emotional stakes, and a creeping sense of dread and romance. Wong delivers a dark, lyrical, and gripping debut that had me hooked from page one.

Highly recommend to fans of villain love interests, gothic fantasy, and stories that blend horror, heartbreak, and hope.

I absolutely loved the concept of this book.
The FMC- a vessel for the beast/ a god? Or is everything not what it seems? I was hooked from the beginning.
My only complaint- I wish the book would have been longer. I feel like the ending was rushed.

DNF @ 50%

I really wanted to get into this but the pacing was not doing it for me. I might try to read the final copy because the illustrations were gorgeous!

I support Women's Rights, but I more importantly support Women's Wrongs.

In all seriousness I absolutely adored this book! It was rich and atmospheric with in depth world building that was complex but not unapproachable. I loved the gothic style of the setting with steam punk vibes (which has quickly become one of my favorite settings).

The characters in this book REALLY shine. The dynamic between Alma and Aster was in one part loveable as you see they would do anything for each other, and in one part horrifying as you see that they would do ANYTHING for each other. The toxic co-dependency was really interesting to watch unfold throughout the book because these two characters should not be together, and yet some small part of me can't help but root for them. It was amazing to see how Alma struggled with what she wanted for revenge, what she thought was right, and what was in her power to do. The side characters were also such a treat, I ended up really enjoying what we saw of Sevelie, Kaim, Fion, and Six. All had very unique personalities and added to Alma's growth in very different but no less meaningful ways.

We HAVE to talk about the artwork! Throughout the book there are beautiful drawings peppered throughout the chapters that show such a huge variety of things, from some of the characters to some of the action that's taking place on the page. It was such a delightful edition and I loved seeing them all!

Overall I loved this book and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a unique standalone fantasy novel that focuses on morally gray characters and a deeply interesting if not altogether unhealthy relationship.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and HArper Voyager for the copy of the ARC.

I really enjoyed the gothic element in this, it surprised me with the political aspects, I felt it had a lot of things going on like it didn't know what genre it was, however I did really enjoy this the writing was captivating and it was well paced and I found myself not wanting to put it down, it felt a little YA except for the violence aspect, overall I'd say this was a great fantasy

This is one of those books that I was for sure that I was going to love, the gothic atmosphere alone should have made it my type of book but I struggled with it, especially the beginning. I will most likely give this another shot on audio in the fall.

I’m always on the hunt for a good standalone fantasy (even better if it’s a tragic one), and House of the Beast by Michelle Wong did NOT disappoint.

Set in a world in which four great houses sacrifice to four elder gods, House of the Beast is a dark fantasy debut that follows a young woman who strikes a deal with a mysterious god to seek revenge on her aristocratic family. It’s a captivating tale of vengeance, codependency, and obsession that blends elements of eldritch horror, twisted love, asian-inspired worldbuilding, and family politics. This book was pretty much glued to my hands the entire time I read it (which was in one day) and those final few chapters especially had me crashing out because hello?? The way everything came to an end??!

Some random thoughts I had while reading this book:
“I feel like i should not be relating this hard to these parts of the story”
“I need to put on the fullmetal alchemist OST immediately”
“Man i miss my og silver-haired anime crush Sesshomaru”
“This is why worms freak me out”
“I did not expect to be tearing up like this”
“Ok i’m sad now but also satisfied and somewhat distressed”

The book also features illustrations done by the author herself (she was the illustrator of The Legend of Korra graphic novels!) and they were such a delight to look at throughout the course of the story.

thank you so much to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book - this is one of my favorite reads of 2025 so far, and I can’t wait for more people to read it when it comes out on August 5th. I’m obsessed!!!

(More social links to be added closer to publication date.)

The concept is intriguing, and I love the sketches. The book’s a gothic fantasy standalone with heavy emphasis on gods/religion. I think it may appeal more to a YA demographic; if not for the violence, it would certainly fit. Perfect for emo anime fans, in my opinion.

Loved the blend of court politics, mythology, and gothic romance. Many of this current romantasy genre picks right now feel very similar and tropey, but this was a breath of fresh air!

Trained by her father to become a weapon to help him become Hand of the Beast. Instead, she is motivated by her own revenge by a God who mentors her to become Hand herself.

Haunting and layered with the feeling of grief, loneliness, and darkness. It is a story of overcoming that grief to come out of it stronger.

Trials
Feminine Rage
Revenge
Tension

I had a smirk on my mouth when she threw down the challenge to participate in the first trial. Alma grows into quite a haughty, arrogant, well-trained swordswoman who can fight better than her father and cousin. After all, she is bonded to an elder god better than either of them.

Every time I would get invested into what was happening, the author would use a flashback or memory to help expand on the world building. This way of storytelling was infuriating in the best way, but it was important to the understanding of the character's rage toward her father for letting her mother die.

The plot had me wondering whether she was persuaded to do what she thought was right by the elder god or if she was being used as a puppet for his own selfish gain.

The tension...this had me waiting (not so patiently) for when the final trial would arrive and they would finally enter the Umbra gate.

This book was eerie, haunting, and horrifying. I lived for every moment.

glamorous, gorgeously done villain romance with some cool fantasy vibes and very dark characterization. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

A dazzling and fantastical world where Alma agrees to go with her father to save her beloved mother. The price? Her left arm is sacrificed to the Beast, and her mother still dies. She is unwelcome & unloved by all, except her companion Aster, the worshipped beast appears only to Alma in the form of a pretty boy who is charming, mischievous & horrible.

Alma bides her time, watches, learns and trains. She will have her revenge & set things right. There is beauty and goodness in surprising places and evil in others.

Michelle Wong, and her illustrations, allow the reader to step into another time and place. She implants feelings and ideas beautifully.

This felt like a YA fantasy, and most characters needed a little more development. Despite the youthful attitudes of many, the book was charming and emotionally satisfying. Great world building and I'm so very lucky to have visited.

Thanks to netgalley & HarperVoyager for the ARC & the opportunity to read and review this story.

This book was good I had a great time reading it. I loved the gothic vibes and beautiful illustrations through the entire book. I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy.

Wow! This was a whirlwind. It gripped me right away even with a pretty slow start which is not normal for me. Even when it was slow it had some decent world building which kept me interested. The author weaved a great story with so many twists and turns that had me on the edge of my seat with tons of gasps! I did not see them coming.

It is full of political family drama, horrific monstrosities and intense battles with magic systems from on old gods, gothic Victorian style settings and all that fun stuff. Were there some parts where I hoped for more? Yes but not enough for me to pick at them. I will say, this does not give YA nor Romantasy vibes. There is ✨ no spice! ✨ There are some touches of romance and flirtation but not much. It doesn’t impede the story at all.

I really loved the characters here. Multiple times I’m over here crying so that just shows how emotionally invested I was. We follow Alma who was just so heartbreakingly easy to root for, she’s young and has many ups and downs but that is to be expected as she is sheltered and emotionally messed up. Her relationship with Aster was very interesting - I do kind of wish Aster was … badder? Not sure how to explain how I feel. He didn’t give off super dangerous vibes at all, he’s more like her Jimminy Cricket lol kind of felt harmless which he’s definitely not supposed to be. It makes sense in the end but ya.

All the side characters had their own thing going on that they were fighting for. Parts like the battle at around 75% with Kaim and Fion were just heart wrenching and the amount of emotion that flew off these pages for these characters was so, so good. It kept amping up as the story progressed. I don’t feel the characters were flat at all. They had layers.

I loved the little illustrations throughout and would kill for some full color epic fan art depictions here. The world was very easy to immerse myself into and I appreciated that. It seems in fantasy a lot lately, that things are just way too complicated and it really irks me.

Overall this was such a great read and I will absolutely be purchasing my special edition copy on release.

From the beginning of the book, it captivated my attention. The world building and established relationships were well written. There is a unique magical world and political aspects that grip your attention.

This book is definitely on the DARK side of fantasy and does not shy away from blood or gore. I love in the beginning, it built up the background story of the characters and Alma’s hatred for her father. Alma’s story was so satisfying and plot twists really got me. Also, Kaim and Fion’s relationship intrigued me so much and I really wanted to keep seeing more of them!

One of my favorite parts of this book was the illustrations!! I think they should be incorporated in every book from now on. I love gothic fantasy books and fmc on revenge arcs so this book was definitely made for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for letting me review an arc of this book!

This book is devastatingly amazing. Truly awesome. The characters and their arcs were so well fleshed out. The scenery, the magic system, the gods and the whole world building was masterfully crafted. I was shocked by not one but TWO twists, one I did not see coming and one I did not want to admit to even thinking. This book so beautifully encapsulates what I love about the fantasy genre, the reshaping of timeless themes and tropes in new and facinating ways only limited by your imagination and ability to question and say what if. here is a story that takes universal themes of love, suffering, revenge, redemption, the drive for power, and the unending struggle between good and evil and twists and adapts them in a way that is both novel and perfectly timeless. I will be thinking about this book for a long, long time. Thank you so much NetGalley for allowing me to experience it.