Thank you to the author and publishing for offering me the opportunity to read this ARC. Unfortunately, it was not the kind of thing I wanted to read in terms of character. As I didn't complete it, I'll give it a middling star review.

This book opened STRONGE. I was here for the hooking up with a priest. But then things got weird when it was introduced that Dante was only a teenager, and Jude was 23. I get that in horror people write about uncomfortable things, and exploring the sort of power dynamic, especially with one party not only being older but as a religious leader, is interesting. However, I didn't feel like it was explained or explored enough for me to be comfortable with it. So that left a bit of a haze over the rest of the story for me.

Otherwise, I thought it was an interesting concept that made me reflect on the institution of Christianity and what it does to people. Jude's questioning of the message he received and if it was from God after all after killing Dante was especially evocative and I thought captured the lengths religious devotion pushes people too and the interesting regret that might result from it and the wavering of faith. I think the one factor that made the age difference work for me was when the power dynamic flipped once Dante came back from the dead. Whereas he had been previously under-privileged, now Dante held sway of power over Jude, despite Jude's older age and position in the church.

The ending literally had me holding my wife's hand because it creeped me out so much. Heebie Jeebies.

I was originally interested in this novella based on the cover and description of the book. As a queer person from the South, I can relate a lot to religious trauma and shame connected to queerness. But overall, I struggled with this book. I felt, as a reader, that the writer wanted to make social commentary, but there was no follow-up or true introspection regarding themes from the characters. For instance, if queerness and the damning of it through christianity are a theme, I was unsatisfied with the exploration of it. The book is mostly plot-driven, and as a reader, I wasn’t sure if points were being made or if I was just inventing them.

I know the age of consent is 17 in Texas, but Dante’s age bothered me not only because of the sex, but the violence inflicted on him by an older Jude. Is the author trying to make a point here? Again, I don’t know. I know this book had me rooting for the antichrist, and Jude had no personality traits that I found redeemable. I didn’t root for their love story, and I was not satisfied by the ending. So what was it all for? For the antichrist to be less selfish than a pastor? There was not enough to go off to definitively say one way or another.

Also, at one point, Dante says he sleeps over most nights at Jude’s, but shortly after, Jude says he is used to sleeping alone. I don’t think this was intentional and was most likely an oversight.

I think with more expansion of themes and double-checking conflicting information, this novella could do well. We love a queer, religious horror novel!

Thank you, Clash Books and Netgalley, for the ARC read in exchange for an honest review.

“Of Beasts” by M. Jane Worma is a horror novella that is strange as it is sadistic. It seamlessly layers queer religious guilt with sacrifice. It is a dual POV novella that alternates between the two characters rather abruptly so I had to go back and reread a few paragraphs to get what was going on with who. I wish it were longer, I would have loved to be able to explore more of these characters. It is both exactly what I want from a religious queer novel and not enough.
I am looking forward to seeing what else this author will put out there.

Cover; 10/10
Queer Catholic Horror? Sign me up!

The whole get-up with Jude being send to kill his lover? Amazing.

The underage relationship? No thank you very much.
Immediate ick.
The characters love was already forbidden by Jude's priesthood /being queer in deep texas/ man-of-god x anti-christ. It did not need that not-legal edge.
Make that clear for your audience, as I (and apparently others) were not aware. Would not have read it if I'd known in advance.


Asides from that:
Quick read, writing style keeps you interested from the get-go.
Despite being a novella, the characters feel well-rounded.
Ending felt too open-ended.


Thank you to Netgalley and CLASH for the ARC!

Of Beasts - M.Jane Worma

So when I saw the description of this on Netgalley, I knew I needed to apply for an ARC. Like; yesterday. An LGBTQ+ horror novella in which a pastor is having an affair with the Antichrist? Need to read.

I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed this/how much it surprised me?! It was so well written, so evocative, and so sensual, but also felt so wrong at the same time?! It was so odd, and felt like a kind of insane fever dream of a story, but I also loved it! Jude & Dante were a deeply unexpected couple, but somehow, it worked? Honestly, it’s a short read, just over a 100 pages or so, and it’s a deeply weird read, but I really recommend you try it when it’s published! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you to @netgalley and @clashbooks for the chance to read and review this ahead of its publication. Keep an eye out for it on Feb the 10th 2026.

This was my first queer, erotica religious horror book. The cover immediately caught my attention and I read it as soon as I could.

The story is dark, emotional, and moves fast. The writing is raw without being overdone. The relationship between the priest and the Antichrist was handled in a way that felt believable for the story’s tone.

I finished it in one sitting. Some parts felt slower than others, but overall it stayed true to the heavy, doomed atmosphere it promised.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

A quick, queer horror retelling of falling in love with the Anti-christ, what more could you want! I really enjoy the relationship between the two main characters.

OMG! This was my first queer horror novella and I can honestly say that I don’t think a future one can top this. I did enjoy the pace of this novella as well as the explicit premises. I got sucked in by the first page and couldn’t put it down! I finished it in one sitting. At times my heart did break and also raced as I was flying through this novella. The main reason why I picked up this book was because of the cover, honestly could you even blame me? I did have to get past that the two MMC were of a priest and an underage man(17yrs old) but once I did I enjoyed this novella so much! The ending will have you wondering and wanting more but honestly that’s the beauty of it, it allows you to come up with your versions of what could possibly happen next.

From the very first page, I found myself engrossed in Of Beasts. I couldn’t put it down for a single second. The prose itself is as unsettling and gorgeous as the cover art suggested, and the plot kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. I couldn’t help but devour this.

The tension between Jude and Dante is so gripping that I couldn’t look away. Their story is visceral and raw, coming to a stunning and unexpected conclusion. This is a tale of queer religious horror that slips its way under your skin before you know what hit you.

Some stories are just indelible, etching themselves into your mind. Of Beasts is without a doubt one of those.

I’ll be thinking of Jude and Dante for a long time. .

creepy, religious, weird but cool ending. so fun!!! would have loved more pages and more story but for a short story it kept me interested!

This is more of a slightly long novella than a full novel, but unlike most novellas I read it felt like a satisfying story. A little compressed for space (I would have loved more time to really sit with Jude and Dante before things started changing) but not so much that I felt rushed or like anything was left incomplete. This is...not a "palatable" book. I loved it. Save us from palatable queer stories at all costs!! Honestly this is exactly the kind of queer story I hunger for so deeply: violent, messy relationships with complicating factors like oh, the two of you having dreams that reveal one of you is the Antichrist and the other is being exhorted to kill him. Something I loved in this novel as well is the deliberate (I imagine) choice to not capitalize bible or the titles of any books of the bible. It's such a small choice but exactly the sort of thing I do in my own writing as an ex-christian/ex-fundamentalist to make a point, even if it's just for me. The writing here is so clear, with more flowery metaphors and descriptions deployed in the right amount to feel impactful rather than overdone. And the arc of the story hits so hard. I started crying at the ending. I don't know that I fully have words for this one, but it is exactly what I want from horrible queer religious works every time I read them. And sometimes I get it! I think this has been one of the best examples yet and I look forward immensely to future works by the author.

This was such a strange novella. I understand what it's trying to do, but I found myself getting frustrated - this is a male adult minister and an underage man in a relationship (problematic already), which is then revealed to be literally Satanic, as a leadin to the End of Days. I understood the analogies of forbidden love, social expectations and feeling trapped by one's role but the messaging seemed to take priority over the characters sometimes, and that messaging seemed to be torn as to whether it's inevitable/fated or not. The ending is abrupt and doesn't really help.

I'm remembering the TV series by Russell T Davies, 'The Second Coming', which dealt with similar themes with a more deft hand. This is a fine tale that explores up to a point, but I suspect the author may wish to revisit it at a later point in their life when there may be greater understanding (or even revelations).

I wanted to enjoy the story, but my frustration at how crossed its wires were made that difficult.

In "Of Beasts," horror and romance entwine into a living force, breathing life into a taut tale of a young, imposing pastor and the teenage Antichrist who keeps him teetering on the brink of madness.

Worma tells this story in straightforward prose touched with understated grace, and the book’s brisk length gives it the pulse of a dark fable, echoing religious lore often frayed by too-literal readings.

In fact, the friction between the literal and the unspoken grows increasingly bestial, much like the struggle between dictated paths and the resolve to think and want for oneself. That silent ache hums through the story, turning from abstraction into flesh, then shaping itself into something savored with a bodily hunger.

The subtlety of its delivery makes "Of Beasts" quite singular. Sex, gore, and violence are ever-present, but so are devotion, passion, tenderness, and silent dread.

The weave of these forces creates a quietly thrumming surface, hinting at the contortions of the human condition that could easily be unraveled further. And yet, the story’s length feels precisely right. It never slackens its grip, carrying both men to the lip of possibility with a measured gait.

Along the way, the fantastical and the real merge and tear apart with increasing irregularity, warping our sense of time, feeling, meaning, and the very idea of willful existence. The tale is neither gory nor saccharine, neither bleak nor soothing. It dwells in the liminal spaces where thought itself first comes trembling into being.

In the end, "Of Beasts" lingers along the margins of afterthought—not with bombast, but with the slow, creeping certainty that something fundamental has shifted beneath the surface.

Worma captures the volatility of faith, flesh, and longing with a precision that feels both elemental and startlingly new. Every glance, every touch, every transgression beats with hidden consequence in this slender, fevered story—a debut that doesn't just promise more, but demands it.

Okay, religious, queer horror, sign me up. And I’m happy to say that this book ticked all the boxes for me. It’s suspenseful and kept me engaged the entire time. I also love that it’s a horror and really goes for it. It’s gonna be a viral book when it’s released.

My biggest gripe is that this is a novella, and not a full length novel (something I didn't notice until I started reading it). This has an amazing premise and absolutely beautiful writing. I love the characters and their relationship, the ritual and horror of religion, and the setting. However, because it is a novella the pacing is so fast that I feel like I never get to connect with the characters. I don't get to sit with them and their internal monologues or feel the stakes of the situation for them. It has a beautifully poetic ending, but it didn't make me FEEL anything because I didn't have time to get to know the characters and their relationship. I also was not a fan of how often and quickly this story switched POVs. I found myself confused at whose internal monologue I was listening to at times. And I think it also humanized both characters too much. Jude is trying to convince himself and the reader that Dante is one way, but because we are also in Dante's head, we know that's not the case. I don't mind dual POV, but it should've been more separated (by chapters, line breaks, etc). This premise and writing had so much promise, it just failed to deliver on a powerful story.

My heart broke a little bit reading this book.
My constant predictions of what was next to come were all entirely shot down and was left reeling over that beautiful, bitter-sweet ending.
I think the pressures of what queer people living in the shadow of Christianity’s oppression was displayed in such an unexpected, yet perfect way.
I was a little confused by the POV in the beginning, but after a few chapters I was able to adapt and catch on.
Dante and Jude’s heartbreakingly beautiful story will stay with me for a very long time in the best way.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. All thoughts here are my own.

I’ve been craving a book that deals with supernatural with a biblical theme - this book being about the antichrist - and it gave the atmosphere I was looking for. But sadly, no matter how much I wanted to like this novella, I just felt like it the ending let it down.

Jude is a new pastor for his hometown church, Dante a local teen. The two of them are drawn together and start a relationship together but when both of them start having a similar dream night after night, they come to realize that Dante is the antichrist and Jude is the second beast that will bring the end times.

Jude isn’t a good person, a pastor who is very aware that he’s a stereotype considering he’s sleeping with Dante who is either underaged or eighteen (I could have sworn at the start the book said he was eighteen but at the end says he’s seventeen) which adds to the very toxic nature of him as a character. He also is drawn to violent acts when around Dante even before the dreams start. He can’t explain the urges. Even before the dreams start he chokes Dante even when he’s telling him to stop. I don’t really have any complaints for Dante considering his age, he’s a victim in all of this, even if he thinks he was just as responsible in how their relationship started. The theme continues with a plot point that occurs later in the book. But when he comes into his own as the antichrist he does become a bit more toxic himself as no matter what he asks Jude can’t say no, though it’s unclear if that’s because of some power that comes with who he is or simply because Jude loves him.

Though this book doesn’t glamorize the relationship, it does leave the reader extremely uncomfortable considering the fact this book opens up on a sex scene and most of the book takes place with the two characters in bed together. For me, it was just a little too much.

As for the plot, it’s set up that Jude must kill Dante and bring him to Jerusalem. The dreams drill this into the readers head. And the plot starts to happen only for suddenly, that doesn’t happen at all. It doesn’t make sense how the fact the two of them decide to run away and suddenly the dreams just stop when they do. I don’t understand why location mattered. But instead it gives the two of them anatomy over their fates which is nice but anti-climatic. The fact that when Jude’s body is found before his resurrection no one suspected Judes despite him being found on his property. Nor does it make sense that if Dante is underaged why they can simply run away together without a search for them. I loved the idea of this book, but there was too many pieces that felt half baked and not polished. I feel like it could have been amazing if it had been developed a little more than it was. I think the message of making your own fate is great, though I wish it just didn’t feel like the book went out with a whimper instead of being developed more.

The pacing was uneven and for such an explicit premise, it was a big anti-climactic at times. But overall, I had a good time with this dark and very blasphemous novella.

It's hard for me to say no to dark romance, especially ones with such an uneven power imbalance. (Oops, that's my kink!) So of course I had to read this one.

And let me tell you, this little novella definitely did deliver on those fronts. It was graphic and disgusting when it wanted to be. But the author also managed to balance it out by dialing down at certain points in the story.

I know it's always unfair to say this, but I really wish this novella was longer. As much as I loved the Antichrist symbolism and horror elements, it was difficult to really get a feel for the two MCs and sympathize with them with such a short word count. I really wanted to get attached to Jude and Dante, but it felt like the prose kept them at an arm's length from me.

Don't get me wrong though, this was a great dark romance with dark fantasy elements. So, if you're looking for a quick read based on that angle, I'd recommend this.

I'd love to see what M. Jane Worma has in store for us in the future!

Thank you to CLASH Books and NetGalley for this arc.

This novella completely blew me away! From the very first page, it had me hooked, and I couldn't stop reading until the very end. The suspense was relentless, and there were moments that left me absolutely stunned—jaw on the floor. It’s not often that a book can pull off that level of shock, but this one did it with ease.

The way the author blends themes of queer religious guilt with the darker forces of evil and sacrifice is absolutely brilliant. It adds an unexpected depth to the story and keeps the tension high throughout. The pacing was perfect, never giving me a chance to get bored, and the twists kept me guessing.

If this is the author's debut, I’m even more excited to see what’s coming next. This novella is a true gem in the horror genre, and I can’t recommend it enough.