Religious horror! Rural southern setting! Doomed love! These are all things that should add up to a 5-star read for me but this didn't quite get there. I would love to see the setting fleshed out a bit more, and to have maybe a few more sermon bits dropped in to really emphasize Jude's dedication to that world (side note: would bet money that Jude's a Southern Baptist). But aside from that I really enjoyed this. It's a very fast read and it evokes the cattiness and gossip ever-present in tiny towns. I feel for Dannie so hard, and I hate that her life is just one heartbreak after another. Last thing, Dante deserved a better partner than Mr. Anger-Issues-Jude.

I both love and have critical opinions of this novella. The premise is incredible, and when I read it, I knew I needed to consume this entire story.

The prose throughout the work is strong, with good descriptions and allegories to religion (as that is a major theme in the book) and the morality of man. Jude and Dante are two halves of the same coin at times, and really feed off each other when interacting in a few of the scenes of this work. I would have loved to see more introspection of these two, explorations into their pasts, their motivations, and a clearer explanation for why they are the way they are.
Would their actions have been the same if the dreams had been later? Presented differently? Does Jude have a propensity to violence because of them, or is that just the way he's always been?
There are a few times I would have to read a page more than once to understand what was happening, as the pacing is either too quick or too drawn out.

Overall, I still enjoyed this novella and the story it sought to tell, and thank you to netgalley and CLASH books for providing me a digital arc in exchange for an honest review. I'm glad I had the opportunity to read and enjoy this, and I look forward to more of M. Jane Worma's works!

his book was such an experience! It packed so much in so little time, I was horrified and unsettled from page 1.
The premise was so interesting, I really liked the juxtaposition of Jude and Dante’s relationship with the whole Antichrist business. Like what do you mean you’re abusive to him because he’s the antichrist and you must have sensed it? What a cope out! Dante deserved better.
We really got to see the inner working of an abusive relationship, how they both justified their actions be it with passion, impulse, religion…
The ending was very satisfying, it went well with the whole tone of the book and tied up nicely the story.
My only complaint is that I had trouble understanding who’s perspective we were experiencing at time, because we jumped from Dante’s to Jude’s from one paragraph to the next without indication.
Other than that, I really appreciated Worma’s writing, and the way they managed to transport us into this universe so quickly and efficiently.
I would definitely recommend to check for trigger warnings before diving into this book, but it was a great read.

Novellas don’t have the luxury of starting slow, and Of Beasts definitely didn’t. It kicked off with a literal bang.
I liked the idea behind the story. It had a lot of potential, but just didn’t really deliver. The writing was bit choppy. It kept jumping between Dante’s and Jude’s perspective without any clear indication. There were times I had to reread paragraphs to figure out who it was talking about. I know it’s a novella, but there just wasn’t enough time to care about the characters. I think this story would’ve been a lot better as an actual novel. My BIGGEST issue is the relationship between Dante and Jude. We know Jude is 24 and Dante’s assumed age is 17. It is never officially stated, but he is called “The Teen” throughout the novella and college applications are mentioned multiple times. I am all for dark romance but this just felt kind of icky to me.

I'm disappointed. This book had promise then about halfway in, it seemed like the author gave up and in the "end", nothing was really resolved. If there was a deeper meaning to it, it went over my head.

Of Beasts is a dark and tragic novella that any queer, ex-religious individual would most likely enjoy. The novella beautifully covers Jude’s guilt with his homosexuality and what impact it has on his life. The book could’ve used a little more horror to firmly solidify its genre. And although the switching POVs were a tad confusing at times and could’ve used more distinction, Of Beasts was an excellent novella. Looking forward to more works from Worma.

I really enjoyed this story. I went into this with no expectations. I am new to modern horror. I thought I would be scared potentially, but instead I was intrigued. It's a very interesting love story, with a morbid twist.
I'll put together more thoughts in a posted review on Instagram.
I'll share the link once that is posted.

A small town pastor finds out he’s been having gay sex with the anti-Christ. Worma’s novella starts with a bang so I thought I’d start my review the same way.

This is an intense bit of queer religious horror. If you’re deconstructing, there’s probably a lot in here that will speak to you.

Jude represents the closet cases. They stay in their small conservative towns and play their parts like all ‘good men’ are supposed to. Lead them not into temptation. They can find it just fine in their own. Dante is the bright young man who could thrive if he escapes the confines of that life.

Worma’s bio states they ‘did not get trapped down in Texas.’ The importance of choosing your destiny, regardless of the hand you’ve been dealt, is important. Will you fill the role that is meant to destroy you or will you fight to make a different choice?

There’s a quote I absolutely loved that is spoilery AF so I’ll refrain. If you want something darker this pride month, this might be just the book for you. 4/5

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!
***
"In this queer horror novel debut, a priest falls in love with the antichrist and even God can’t stop the horror it will bring." This is a short story that packs a punch. Following a teen {who turns out to be the antichrist } who is in a relationship with his priest, the story is as dark as it is unsettling.
***
I suppose you cannot pack a whole lot into a book of this size, but I think just a little more exposition on the characters and what happened at the end of the book would have brought this to four stars for me. It wasn't necessarily "horror" or scary ....more unsettling with it's themes of power imbalance, grooming, and religious trauma. But maybe that is the real horror....

REVIEW POSTED TO GOODREADS & TIKTOK

“I’d let you destroy me. I’d give any suffering.”

I loved the atmosphere of this book. Religious horror will always turn my head but I almost wish this one would have leaned even a little further into it. I loved the reluctant Antichrist, the priest determined to do as God commands but I wanted … more? More of them. More of the tension. The back and forth. More lyrical prose that would really give the vibe of gothic, religious horror.

oh this was everything. of beasts is about a forbidden age gap relationship between a priest and the literal antichrist. the writing is lovely, the characters feel so real, and the pacing of the story is perfect. the only thing that didn't really work for me was the switch between POVs. i was very confused the first couple of chapters because i wasn't sure if the POV switched or if the narration just took a 180 lol. i wish there was more distinction between the two POVs but other than that this was perfect. this is for the evil, toxic, obsessive gays. the gays who love NBC's hannibal and killing eve.

Thank you so much to Clashbooks for the e-ARC!!

4 ⭐

This was more touching that I had anticipated. 😂😂

FIRST OFF! I just gotta praise the writing about love in this. There's one particular part about "-ending up in awe of and in love with the word to hurt it...etc" that part damn. DAMN!

I honestly enjoyed this! It's a very short story, straight from the get go you are thrown into their relationship. Dante is 17 years old and Jude is older, not sure how much older, but the conflicts within Jude about his sexuality are also present in the story.

I would have really loved more horror in this just because! LOL
I'd love to have read an even longer version just so both Dante, Jude, and their whole dynamic were more fleshed out and the confliction would feel even more powerful and emotional as the characters are set up perfectly for it.

But other than that I really liked this!

Can't wait to see what M.Jane Worma will write next!

I really enjoyed the dynamic of queer religious horror in this novel- a favorite combination of mine, especially when the religious aspect isn’t triggering and irritating. Dante being a supposed antichrist but being such a kind person was interesting to see play out, especially as he later became more bitter while still trying to be good. I wish this particular piece had been explored in depth more.

The relationship between Jude (24 year old pastor) and Dante (17 year old) could have added a natural level of horror and disgust and did have a lot of obviously unhealthy power imbalances. However, the entirety of the book still treated it more like a sexy, loving couple, and the book description acts like this is simply a dark romance. It never being touched on that this is grossly inappropriate, made this read very uncomfortable, especially with the nature of their sexual relationship and Jude’s dark thoughts.

Thanks to CLASH books and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC of this novel.

The cover really pulled me in for this one and the content did match its vibes but that was kind of it. The story was sort of anticlimactic and the power imbalance between the two main characters wasn't really explored.

Nothing ruins a great erotic scene like the word "teen." A kid is a kid, no matter how much the devil is his *actual* daddy. Ignoring that issue, this is a solid read, but it feels unfinished. Also, make Dante 18.

Of Beasts should've been a knock out of the park for me.
Sexy priest? Check. Religious themes? Check. Romance and horror combined? Double check!
While I loved the premise of this novel, the pacing felt inconsistent and I felt that we missed internal monologue only when it mattered the most. I appreciated the use of an omniscient narrator, but I felt like that narrator felt silent when I was most interested to know what the characters were feeling.
Jude and Dante, though, are truly magical. The way their bond grows throughout this novella is beautiful and proves that humanity truly can win out over any force, real or perceived.
All in all, though I won't necessarily read this book again, it's not one I regret.

Sexy! Scandalous! And just HOT! Kind of intense but you so need that right now. It took me by surprise by how much u was enticed with this book. The perfect spooky read. Like holy moly the gay horror community would love this.

A fantastic concept and strong writing, though I wanted a little more oomph in terms of a hard hitting end and to amp up some of the toxicity and darkness in Jude. It was wonderfully dark and ominous, I love religious horror and this played beautifully into that. A solid 3-4 star!

This was one where I saw the cover and was pulled in immediately, and then you tell me its a queer 'romance' between a pastor and the anti-christ? i'm SOLD.

I can't say much without spoiling the story but we are following a teenager, Dante (age not determined but he is called 'the Teen' more than some may be comfortable with.) while he engages in a secret relationship with his local pastor Jude.

Dante is suddnely plagued by dreams saying he must go to Solomon and sit upon the throne.
and Jude starts dreaming about he needs to kill Dante.

and quite frankly, how would you react if you discovered your partner was the antichrist meant to bring about the end of times and your job was to kill them?

This is quite an interesting story, its horrific but thought provoking, and perhaps it is unfair for me to say i wish it was longer as it was written to be a short story. However, my biggest complaint and what kept this from being a 5-star is that i didnt have enough time to get to know these characters and their motivations. I felt like i was skimming the surface of what this story could be.

However its a strong debut noevlla and if it interests you i think it is well worth the time to check it out.

What a rollercoaster. I finished this book in one sitting and really enjoyed it. The toxicity, the yearning, the writing style. Excited for whatever the author writes next.