I'm sorry, but you can't have an old god character named the Dread Beast and then mostly make him a mediocre white boy who's obsessed with the main character for no reason – that's a fraud. Maybe I had all the wrong expectations for this book, but almost everything let me down here. I was intrigued by the beginning. The book starts with a prelude that shows how the main character Alma was forced to join the house of her estranged father after her mother fell sick. Alma is 11 years old when she is ripped from her home, placed in a hateful surrounding and relieved of one arm as a sacrifice to the brutal god of the house. She is accepted as a vessel of the Dread Beast, but everyone in the house hates her anyway. Her father only sees her as means to an end, her stepmother despises her for being the bastard child of her husband, and her cousin thinks her a threat to his position as heir to the house. Alma's only friend is Aster – a boy she made up in her mind but who reveals himself as the Beast that's now favoring her. After her mother dies because her father did nothing to save her, Alma swears revenge and eight years pass in a time skip. And what can I say, that's when it started to go downhill for me. Everything now leads up to this huge religious event called the Pilgrimage where a new god has to be slain and the most powerful position of the House of the Beast will be decided. It's what everybody is talking about now, and what many characters want for themselves, but it takes so long to actually happen. The Pilgrimage doesn't take place until the 70% mark, making the majority of the book about preparation rituals and political maneuverings inside the House of the Beast. I did like the mythology but overall the fantasy parts came way too short. It's more about interpersonal relationships (everyone hates each other), but truly interesting or well-developed characters are missing. Everyone felt so flat, and Alma most of all. She now joins the Pilgrimage as part of her revenge plan, but her feelings never come across, really. Why can't she be a truly spiteful bitch, driven by hate? Although she is a badass fighter (an ability she acquired during the time jump, so we never actually see her work for it), she is kinda soft and even forgiving towards some of the people who wronged her. I mean, she supposedly has this special connection to a bloodthirsty god, does that not influence her? The relationship between Alma and Aster was underwhelming too. He doesn't behave like an elder god at all and is mostly just a guy. He is flirty with Alma, and wants her to lead his house, but I think it's pretty clear that he's manipulative. And no, this is not a romance. I saw it in reviews and it's also mentioned in the summary, but I have no idea what romance people are talking about. I did like the Pilgrimage when it finally happened – that whole part was cool and twisty. The fights were intense and bloody, and also the only thing that remotely justified this book not being YA. I still think that a good 100 pages could have been cut out of the middle part, and it wouldn't change the story much. One thing that kept me going were the awesome illustrations by the author and I really liked how they accompanied the story. So yes, not an awful book, but I disliked more things about it than I liked. I guess my actual rating is 2.5 stars, but the 3 star looks good to me on Goodreads.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and HarperVoyager for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. I was blown away by this novel!

Alma is the bastard daughter of one of the 4 prominent families blessed by the gods. The Beast, a good of destruction being her houses patron.

However, Alma's presence isn't wanted by ANYONE in her father's house. But the beast speaks to her, comforts her, becomes her friend. She vows to take down her dismissive family, mostly aiming to end her father's life.

I enjoyed literally everything about this book. Characters, storytelling, plot twist, magic system, even the pacing. I have no complaints.

It was refreshing as it was reminiscent a more eastern style of storytelling. I definitely saw some inspiration from Fullmetal Alchemist.

Alma is a complicated character. While she is driven by her grief and rage she is also caring and soft hearted as she opens herself to the people around her (other than the beast).

There was never a dull moments in this book and I was engaged from beginning to end.

What a unique story with characters that will definitely stick with me for some time to come (definitely warrants a reread once published). Beautiful world that is brimming with life and characters that feel real and not as if their entire purpose is to move along a plot. Just enough romance to keep a flame going but not so much as to start a house fire, which is appreciated especially when a book shows it can offer so much more and the romance just feels like a cherry on top.

The first chapter really pulled me in. I thought this would be a nice fantasy romance, and this is not it! it has gore, gore, and more gore! The main characters are bad or pure evil. even the main female character does some very dark and questionable things. There is so much action and hatred for other families in here, and the world is obsessed with worship and religion. I also was not expecting those pictures in there. Those were nice touch! This was a great read.

This was strong 4 stars for me and then with all the amazing illustrations through out the book I just have to give this 5 stars.

This gothic fantasy book has such a great main character and plot with the immersing writing style that I loved all of it.

There is a plot twist in the end that did made me quite angry and I was ready to throw my kindle away but it all tied up so nicely in the end I’m just happy that I kept reading.

I will hopefully get a physical copy once this is published Aug 4, 2025 since I will want to read this again.

Thank you @harpervoyagerus for providing this book for review consideration via @netgalley. All opinions are my own.

this book was so beautifully written!! i’ve honestly really wanted a fantasy that was something new or daring, and this finally fufilled that for me.
alma was great, i really liked her character and how she grappled with her struggles and her journey.
i also liked aster a bunch. FINALLY a love interest that’s not a copy paste shadow daddy 🌟🌟😫😫🙏 YESS!!!!!! his relationship with alma was also very complex and the implications that came with him being the dread beast and the kind of secrecy he brought was super compelling.
for me, the only thing that fell slightly flat was the execution of the plot. in the beginning, i won’t lie i was pretty confused and i feel like a lot of things were happening either too quickly or too slowly, but once it picked up i was immersed.
the writing was very lyrical, and really drew me into this unique world WHICH had beautiful artwork 😍😍 one thing about me? i love love love a pretty book.
all in all this was a great book and the ending was beautifully tragic for me 😭😭💔
thank you to avon and harper voyager for lending me this e-arc!!!! 🌟

This was such a unique and fun world to dive into. Alma and Aster's dynamic was so well done with their reliance on each other bordering on toxic at times.

The world was really interesting and I would honestly love to read a sequel or even a novella so I could see more of it.

I will say that at times it felt like it dragged which kept it from being a full 5 stars for me but part of that at least could be attributed to the way kindle formatted things.

Overall I loved this and will definitely be buying the physical copy when it releases.

Thank you to Netgalley as always for the eARC!

Good god, yes. I did not expect to love this, as I read a few reviews that made me question whether it was my style, but, yeah, okay, I think I owe it to myself to branch out... way more. Thank you, Michelle Wong, for creating damn good villains, trials and emotional adventures. It was beautifully brutal at times, and yesssssssss, I loved that. I respect that this book wasn't full of fairytale romance, it wasn't frustratingly lighthearted, it was complex, it was dark; and the romance was kind of more realistic because our main characters were deep and full of "problems."

More, please!

I enjoyed this book but I found it rather forgettable. The world-building was great with elder gods and a hierarchy you must work your way into based on a pilgrimage into a spiritual plane. Very cool stuff. Where I was underwhelmed was by the main characters themselves. There really wasn’t much development for them and when they would have “aha” moments and we saw growth they happened so quickly it was just flat. The only character I enjoyed was Selevie — she was fully baked, showing growth, character. All in all I think this book is in desperate need of an editor with typos and repeated words all throughout. Why are we stretching these sentences out SO much, it’s unnecessary.

I also agree with other reviews that this is very much a YA fantasy, not a dark fantasy for adults by any stretch of the imagination. I did enjoy the artwork throughout the book, but it didn’t feel necessary more often than not. I also have to say this author blatantly copied a character from a famous sci-fi series and is attempting to paint it as something else. The mimic monster is unoriginal and is a complete carbon copy of the Weeping Angel. We really couldn’t think of anything else? Were we watching Doctor Who during the writing of this chapter?

Thank you NetGalley and Michelle Wong for the digital ARC of this book

This was good but was a long and slow read. I did feel like this would have been better being more focused on character development instead of the world building which was a good 80% of the book which also left it to be repetitive at times. I did really like Six and I feel like the side characters deserved more page time and more conversations rather than just thoughts from the FMC.

When I started this book and we were thrown into an immediate high-stakes scene, I wasn't certain if the plot would be rushed and disjointed, but I was intrigued. It turns out, it was paced extremely well. All of the scenes from the main character's childhood were important and gave depth to the character, the world, and the story itself. After a couple of chapters I was incredibly reluctant to take any reading breaks and was entirely captivated. This book is perfect for fans of classic fantasy like the Sabriel series by Garth Nix, fans of anime like Fullmetal Alchemist, and even fans of video games as it had elements that reminded me very much of Final Fantasy. But all of it was done incredibly uniquely, in a gripping and fascinating way, and the added level of Lovecraftian horror was incredible. Truly one of the best books I have read in 2025 so far!

I really love the small drawings spread throughout this book. It makes me feel like I'm reading junior fiction as an adult and the story is just amazing.

This gothic fantasy follows Alma, a (rightfully) angry girl seeking revenge against her family, and the eldritch god she's bound to.

This book wasn't what I'd expected, and I loved it. The story feels dark in some ways, but also whimsical and fairytale-like. While it is not a romance, it is deeply romantic. Alma's god may be an eldritch monster to most of the world, but to her, and by extension to us, he is her oldest, her only friend, the only person(ish) she's been able to rely on since her mother's death. The world-building and atmosphere is a strength of this story from the beginning, but I was caught off guard by just how emotional I felt about these characters by the end.

There are twists and turns in this story that I imagine plenty of other people saw coming, but fully threw me for a loop—in part because I misunderstood what sort of book this was—and I loved being surprised this story. I enjoyed the full length of the book, but the ending has really cemented this as a recent favorite of mine.

I love a good gothic, mysterious read. It hooked me from the start! I enjoyed the world building. I won’t give anything away, but I will definitely be buying this book and recommending it.

*Story contains death, murder, and potentially disturbing moments
*Story contains illustrations that greatly add to the overall experience of the book.
*slow burn romance depicted is a codependent relationship with a dramatic power imbalance that may throw some readers.
House of the Beast by Michelle Wong is a debut with wonderful world building,atmospheric writing and dark fairy tale vibes. This story has a slower start but doesn't let you catch your breath once the ball starts rolling. We have a tale of grief and revenge that is a perfect blend of folklore,generational trauma and beautiful prose centered on a character who is at the best of times morally grey.

This Story is going to be a great read for those wanting to keep some of their favorite romantasy dynamics while stepping into gothic fantasy.

I’ll be honest, this book took me a few chapters to get into, but once I hit about chapter 3-4, I was hooked! I really loved how this story had a mysterious, dark, and gothic feel and atmosphere. There’s a good mix of folklore, generational trauma, and quiet horror that builds in such a unique and satisfying way. Nothing is overly flashy or in-your-face, but the tension that simmers just beneath the surface, and when things hit, they hit hard, and I was all for it. I really loved the FMC, she felt so raw and honest and so different from other female main characters I’ve read recently. If you’re into gothic fiction with strong vibes, layered storytelling, and a bit of dark romance, I highly recommend giving this one a read. This is one I will definitely be adding to the re-read list! Thank you NetGalley & Avon and Harper Voyager for the eARC!

This is a debut novel?! Wow! I’m so impressed with this world building and story. I was drawn in from the very first chapter. The lovely illustrations were a treat too!
Only thing I’ll point out is it’s very light on the “romance” this focuses more on revenge on her father. There is some pining, which is very cute but that’s not the main story. Lots of “it can’t be you” vibes.

Hooked me from the first chapter! Love that romance can be placed so nicely into a gothic story. Great depth into the world building. Will definitely recommend!

House of the Beast is pure gothic chaos in the best way: bloody, dark, and completely addictive. The worldbuilding is insane, the characters are deliciously messed up, and the romance it’s basically falling for the god living in your head (no notes). With stunning artwork and a story that takes huge risks without playing it safe, this book feels like a fever dream you won’t want to wake up from. If you love dark fantasy that isn’t afraid to get weird, this one will own your soul.

This is going to be one of *the* titles of 2025 - it’s a true gem, in book form.

*Gothic
*dark fairy tale
*romance
*revenge
*a scorching debut readers will not want to miss

You’ll think about this when you’re not reading and when you’ve finished, and the ending will wreck you. That’s all I’ll give you here; and I’ll implore you to please, please read this.

Please allow me a moment as well to rave about the author’s artwork throughout! I loved it, it was utterly perfect and brought some scenes to vivid life. They added sooooo much and I would love to see artwork/illustrations in more books.

I can’t wait to read more of Michelle Wong’s future titles, and (hopefully!) more of this world.



Thank you to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the DRC